"Only a few minor cuts and bruises," he said. "A good bleeding should take care of that. Now for your friend." He turned to Kain. "I see you're awake! Let me introduce myself. I am Jim-Bob Allen, town barber. I also double as dentist and surgeon. Now let me look at your leg."

He knelt down over his leg and proceeded to examine the injury. It was bleeding rather badly, and Kain was beginning to feel a bit light-headed. The "surgeon" continued to poke his wound in what seemed to be the most painful places he could find.

"Hmm... it'll have to come off," he concluded.

"WHAT!" Cecil, a bit more alert, exclaimed. He had pushed his way through the swarm of curious Nikeans to attend to his friend, only to find this "doctor" already there. "I think NOT! Cure three!" Kain's and Cecil's wounds all healed.

"Well, fine then... deny me all my fun..." Jim-Bob muttered as he wandered off. Just then a young, exotic-looking woman came up behind Cecil and wrapped her arms around him.

"You look just fine to me..." she said in a sexy voice. This made Cecil a _tad_ uncomfortable. "Don't mind him, he'd call for an axe while treating a paper cut. Him and his bleedings. You'd wonder what he does with all that blood..." she smiled alluringly. Her target was rapidly turning a brilliant shade of crimson. "What were you doing fighting off those... _evil_... people all by your little old selves? You're SOOOOO brave! Would you like to stay at my place tonight? It's a lot cheaper than the inn..."

"I'm...afraid I'll have to... pass up your offer.... I'm married," replied an extremely confused Paladin, his voice infused with bewilderment and disgust.

For some unknown reason, this statement made Kain uncomfortable and depressed. He pushed further thoughts on the subject back, to be considered when he could remember more about his past.

"What a shame," she pouted. "The invitation's still open, though..." 'He has such sexy white hair... mmmm... just like that Setzer... mmmm... Setzer...' The woman's thoughts turned elsewhere, a great relief to Cecil.

* * * *

The two returned to the village. with the rest of its curious inhabitants following close behind. They got rooms at the inn and made their plans about what they should do next. As neither were particularly familiar with the landscape, they decided they should go about acquiring a map, then pick a destination. They got directions from the innkeeper to a nearby map shop, to which they proceeded.

"Excuse me, sir," Kain addressed the shopkeeper. "We were wondering what you might have in terms of world maps..."

"Just a minute," the man replied. "I'll see what I've got... There's this one... no, it's of the world _before_ it was destroyed... Ah! Here's one. They're hard to come by, so they're expensive..."

"Oh... right... money...", Kain whispered to himself. The man heard him anyways. Cecil hit his forehead and released a quiet sigh of frustration.

"You mean you don't have any money! How do you expect to pay for this? What else have you got?"

Kain looked at Cecil, as he owned nothing but the clothes he was wearing, and they were not in the best condition. All he seemed to have was his armor and his sword, but selling these for a map would be simply out of the question. The merchant, however, saw something else.

"Hey! What are those?" He grabbed a handful of the knight's hair and pulled out what looked to be a gem of sorts. "It must be worth something... How many of these do you have?"

Cecil was confused. 'Where was that from?' he wondered. Then it struck him. It was that spell the girl had used... He found some more stones in his hair, with which to pay the cartographer, who happily accepted them, believing they must be _extremely_ valuable.

* * * *

After washing dishes to pay for their lunch, having used all the gems to pay for the map, the pair checked out the dock. They eventually found a boat that seemed to be preparing to depart.

"Pardon us," began Cecil to a man who was apparently loading crates of some sort. "We were wondering if you could tell us..."

"Um... were going to Jidoor to _not_ deliver supplies to the secret Returner base planning to overthrow the Figaran empire. Really, honest, we're not... D'OH... I wasn't supposed to say that..." The dock worker interrupted to deliver his speech, so well prepared, then proceeded to bang his head on the side of the boat when he realised what he had said.

"Thank you... very much!" Kain replied as he and Cecil backed away slowly, eyeing the man and wondering how old the meat on his lunch that day had been.

"Well, at least we know where this boat is heading, and if there is a resistance force base of sorts, then Jidoor seems a good a place as any to start..." Cecil told Kain as they searched for someone a little more in touch with reality.

Soon after they came across a person who seemed to be the first mate. He was talking to bunch of the village boys and smoking a pipe. The young people backed off as our two heroes approached.

"Arr sirs, how kin I help ya today? Arr.." he addressed them.

'What a strange dialect', thought Kain.

"We were wondering if we might book passage on your ship?" inquired Cecil. "We understand that your destination is Jidoor."

"Arr.. I can't see how that would be a problem, lads, but how do ya plan ta pay, Arr.."

"We would be willing to work for our passage," replied Kain, "We have no money, but my friend is an excellent healer, and I'm sure I could handle any physical labour you might require..."

"Arr... Right then, boys, we have a deal." He shook both of their hands. He then turned to address to a collection of young men he had been speaking to before. "Arr... it seem we have found ourselves a new cabin boy or two... the position's closed. Try again next trip, me boys..."

Several whines of disappointment could be heard. Numerous echoes of "But I really wanted to be a cabin boy..." were voiced.

'Oh Gods,' Kain thought to himself. 'What have we gotten into here...'

Kain was in the crow's nest on lookout when he saw it: a small Red Dragon heading toward the ship. Kain shouted the warning to the Captain.

"Captain Brigand, there's a dragon off the starboard bow, a red one, and though it looks small, its firebreathing will be deadly to this vessel."

"Red Dragon? WHAT? Kain, you said you and that healer would work or fight for your passage. Looks like this is your chance."

The captain then turned to his crew and had them ready bows, arrows, and buckets of water; he feared the worst, and hoped the two tagalongs were as good with a blade as they claimed.

"Sir," Kain was down on deck now, talking to the captain, "I need a weapon or something...even a good pole wood be nice."

The captain thought for a second. "I don't believe I can spare any... wait! I have a heirloom passed down to me through generations... it's an old Lance from the times when knights rode on horses... My great- grandfather..."

Kain cut him off. "I'm sorry, but we don't have time for stories about grand-dad. If you want to save your ship, I need that lance!"

By this time Cecil had heard the commotion and was walking toward Kain. "What's wro... Oh SH$T! A Red Dragon! Kain, lo..."

"Cecil, I know, we've gotta kill it before it fries us all!"

The dragon was closing fast, and though the ship veered off course in hopes that the dragon didn't have its eyes set on the ship, the beast still followed...

Cecil and Kain took up places on the starboard side, a group of archers behind them, when Brigand returned with the lance. "Good luck, you two..." His words weren't reassuring.

Kain took the lance: it was an intricately carved weapon engraved with powerful runes. He could make out some writing on the shaft: "Dranthar, Bane of Dragons."

The captain spoke after hearing Kain speak. "Dranthar, is that what it says? He was my great granddad..." The captain remembered that there was no time to talk. "If you save us, the lance is yours."

Kain didn't hear Brigand, for the Dragon was upon them.

Cecil spoke mentally to his helm as the beasts first blast of fire fell. "Cerebratan, can you stop that blast?"

"Yes..."

As Kain jumped into the air, the Dragon's breath was directed to the water by the unseen will of Cerebratan. This stunned the dragon for a moment, and he came within range of Cecil's sword.

And a moment was all Cecil needed.

In one move, Cecil's sword was out of his scabbard and spilling blood from the beast's left flank. The Obsidian weapon seemed to grow darker as the blood flowed over its edge, making Cecil quite uneasy.

And in his uneasiness, he left himself open for the bite of the Red Dragon. Massive jaws opened wide threatening to sever Cecil's torso from his legs. He tried to dive out of the way, but there was no time. The teeth came closer to piercing his armor...

And never made it. At the last possible moment before Cecil was to become a midday snack, Kain shot from the air with Dranthar, the lance impaling the beast at its throat. Kain landed with a thud as the lance continued through the Dragon's leathery skin, his thorax, and scales, until it came out the other side and fell at Kain's feet.

The dragon fell to the deck of the ship with the sound of crashing lumber, its massive weight making a hole in the deck. Its head lay near Cecil and Kain, a glassy look in its eyes.

The ship's crew cheered, but the captain himself looked sick: his wonderful ship had been trashed! At least it was still seaworthy and no one was hurt.

Cecil got up from where the force of the crash had thrown him and walked over to the beast's head. Kain joined him. There was something strange about the creature's left eye... it was almost as if...

They didn't have time to think about the eye. They stared in horror as the mortal wound in the dragon's neck healed. The small but mighty dragon was coming back to life!

They didn't take the time to ponder. Cecil had Darksword in his hand as quickly as Kain held the lance. Obsidian hacked its way through the beast's flesh while the spear found the vile creature's heart, and once again it was dead.

But for how long?

Then it dawned on them both, and Cecil and Kain both ran back to the dragon's head. That eye wasn't an eye at all...

"Kain, that thing's magical. I can *feel* the power emanating from it!"

Assuming that fake eye to be the source of the best's miraculous regeneration, Kain pried it out with Dranthar as the wounds were again rehealing. With the stone in his hand, Kain saw that the dragon was going to stay dead, but Cecil wanted to take no chances and hacked the beast's heart out and threw it overboard.

*********

Within hours, they were in Jidoor. Stepping off the ship, Kain and Cecil saw the damage that had been done by Edgar's invasion. The two had learned about it from Brigand, but had to see it to believe it. True to his word, the Captain gave Kain Dranthar and even gave the duo a sack of coins so that they could buy supplies.

Cecil and Kain headed for the inn, which miraculously had survived Judgement.

*********

Kain woke in the middle of the night to someone talking to him. "Cecil, what did you say?"

No answer.

"Cecil, what did ya say."

"Huh? Kain? What do ya want? It's still dark outside... don't wake me up until dawn at least..." Cecil's voice was slurred with sleep drowsiness, wholly unlike the crisp clear voice that Kain was hearing.

"Cecil, do you hear that voice?"

"What voice? You're just dreaming..."

"No I'm NOT! There it is again..."

"...shall be reborn..."

"What voice, Kain?" Cecil mentally contacted Cerebratan. "What is he talking about?"

"Cecil, the stone speaks to him."

"Huh? The stone?"

"What about the stone, Cecil?"

"Cerebratan says it's the stone... here, use Cerebratan, he may be able to help..."

Kain slipped on Cecil's helm.

"I shall be reborn. I am Phoebian. I cannot die." The words were the same clear voice as before, but this time, Kain could hear everything the stone was saying. "Wear me close to your body, one called Kain, and I shall protect you. I am Phoebian."

"What does it say Kain?"

As he handed Cecil's helm back to him, he spoke, "He says he is Phoebian and that he will protect us."

It made Cecil happy to help those less fortunate, and it was much easier to see the effects firsthand rather than being stuck to a throne, his weapons and armor a mantelpiece.

That reminded him, he needed a emergency sword to carry at his side in case he did run into some undead any time soon.

Looking across the room at the Jidooran inn, he noticed Kain was staring out the window. "What do you see, old friend?"

Kain winced at Cecil's words, for though he knew that he should remember all the great times these two "old friends" had had, it was painful that he could not. "Cecil, it's like I remember bits and pieces of everything, but none of it makes sense. Yet, when I look upon the rising sun, I *know* it's always been in my memory, and it brings peace to my chaotic mind... I wish I could put together the images I see just as the sun fills the morning with certainty..."

Cecil felt for his friend, but could think of little to say. "It'll return, eventually," Cecil hoped. "Do you want to come to the weapon shop with me? I need to get a Crystal Sword... heard they have them *on sale* here... and to think we almost got fried by that dragon back on the moon trying to get my old one..." He could see that Kain had no recollection of the event, "Well, come along, and maybe a story will jar your memory."

A half a day and numerous war stories later, Kain remembered little more. Cecil had bought the Crystal Sword, and it had brought a vision that Cecil had described to mind, but that was the only image Kain would have for the day. So they walked around the city's outskirts, chatting in hopes of another image that never came.

A familiar voice interupted the two. "Cecil, I have discovered the whereabouts of Murcreties, one of my fellow spirits," it was Cerebratan, "He's in a mountain range onan island northwest of here, northwest of the Veldt."

"Cerebratan, the Veldt's a good distance. How'd you get your scanning to work that far?" Cecil was puzzled, for he had earlier asked the spirit of his Helm to find the other three, and had been given a reply of 'no can do' because of distance.

"It seems my friend has heard of your arrival and subsequently sent a servant spirit to find us."

"Really..." Cecil didn't like the fact that dead guys could go around following him without his knowledge. His Paladin senses should have warned him...

"Wrong, Cecil." Cerebratan had read his thoughts. "Your sensee only warn you of evil, and this spirit was not evil."

Meanwhile, Kain had been uncomfortably listening to Cecil speak to himself, or what seemed to be himself. "Cecil, would you mind letting me in on whatever that ghost has been telling you?"

"In just a sec, Kain. Cerebratan, how do we get there? You can only teleport one of us at a time..."

"I've been thinking about that, Paladin, and I may have an answer..." Cerebratan told Cecil how he could channel his magical energy into Cerebratan to allow both Kain and Cecil to be transported at once. The only setback was that it would drain all of Cecil's magical energy until he rested again. They agreed that it would be worth it, and the duo soon found themselves atop the peak of a mountain.

***********

"Kinda chilly up here, Cereb..."

"Paladin, I only transport, I do not make the forecast. Follow the trail until its end and you will find Murcreties. I must rest, so good luck, one of Light and Dark."

"Kain, Cereb says we folow this path. Up to it?"

"Yeah, Cecil. Guess I don't have a choice."

The duo trudged through snow until coming to a castle of sorts. Hidden amongst the trees and cliffs stood an indiscreet tower that no one could have seen from any angle but the one at which they now stood.

"Pretty strange looking Cecil, what are we gonna find in there?"

"Another dead guy."

They walked to the edge of the tower, but could find no door.

"How the hell we suppossed to get in it?" Cecil was getting miffed now. The air was cold, the wind brutal, and now the only shelter was doorless.

"Got a mattock? We could..."

Kain's sentence was interrupted by a quick, shrill voice. "Who seeks entrance into my home? Let it be known that if you have awakened me from my stasis for any trivail matters, I shall possess thy bodies and jail thy souls."

Cautiously, Cecil spoke. "We seek the one called Murcreties. I am Cecil, the Paladin, the one of Light and Dark, and this is my friend, Kain, the Master Dragoon."

"Cecil, eh?" The strange, quick voice now took on a mocking tone. "And what proof have ye that ye be this Cecil?"

"I give you my word, and that of Cerebratan and Salvatar."

"That means nothing, your word that is, for one can claim to be something he's not. As for the other two names, they sound familiar, but familiarity never proved certainty."

Cecil was at a loss. He could 'feel' Cereb and Sal trying to talk with the voice, but it would not listen.

"If you do not believe me, then that is your loss. But that obviously shows that you cannot be the one I am searching for. So unless you know where I can find Murcreties, then I shall leave."

"Now wait a minute. You may not leave. I am Murcreties, the wonderfully great Murcreties. There is no one who can outrun me, and you'd be fools to try."

Kain decided to jump in the conversation. "And we wouldn't try. But if you're who *you* claim to be, what proof have you?"

Murcreties was silent for a moment.

"We have four opinions that we are who we claim, yet you have none."

"Well, uh, I say I'm Murcreties, and you have no proof otherwise." The spirit was satisfied with his answer.

Cecil whispered an idea to Kain, and Kain became confused. "Huh?"

"Trust me..."

Kain shrugged and repeated what Cecil had told him. "We will only believe you if you show us you can inhabit these boots."

Cecil took off the Obsidian Boots he was wearing, and held the Genji Medalion in one hand.

"Of course I can. I'll show you." With that, Murcreties willed a pair of luminous boots into existence and concentrated. At the same time, Cecil concentrated on both pairs of boots as he held the medallion. The boots swirled in the air before Murcreties and miraculously fused, and then the spirit entered them.

The result was an ever changing obsidian/pearl-colored pair of boots that seemed to be both colors and neither at the same time. The medallion glowed brightly for a second, then was again lifeless.

"Hey, I can't get out! You tricked me! No one's allowed to do that but... but... the Paladin..."

Cecil smiled as he slipped on the boots. "Yes, I am who I say. And from the vigor, speed, and energy I feel from these boots, you are who you say you are, Murcreties."

"Humpf! Some Paladin. Why, I'll..."

Cecil ignored the annoying spirit.

**********

"Cecil, do you know where you're going?"

"Nope, but do you have a better idea? Cereb's still recuping, and I don't have the energy to power another dual teleport anyway, so I figure we'll try to find our way down the mountain."

"At least let me lead."

"Sure."

The duo walked for another two hours before the sun started to set. And when it finally did, Cecil and Kain found that the nightlife on the mountain was not to their liking.

"Cecil, does that look like a zombie to you?"

"Nope."

"Good, I thought I was seeing things..."

"It looks like thirty of 'em." The undead swared, and Cecil started telling himself he'd never wish to fight undead again.

But the fray went well. Other than a few gashes in each, the duo was relatively unharmed. Cecil's Crystal Sword was quite effective against the undead, especially in the hands of the best swordsman that ever lived. And he was a Paladin to boot. Kain and his lance, Dranthar, also fared quite well, felling nearly half the monsters.

Yet, the undead had one advantage: they didn't grow tired.

"Cecil, we *really* need to find a place to sleep."

"Let's keep going a little further. I thought I saw some sorta house up... there it is."

Not far ahead was a huge mansion, one "fit for a king." The lights were on.

"hope we can get shelter... Wait, Kain! To your left... something evil..."

Cecil drew his sword again, and slashed at a creature wreathed in black flames emanating darkness. The thing fell with one swipe. Kain got the other, but it dodged enough to prevent its death. It turned to flee, but as it did, Kain finished it off.

"It's a wonder that whoever lives there's not dead already..."

"Kain, I'm begining to wonder..."

Nonetheless, the duo walked to the door and knocked. Moments later, the door opened and a frail old man opened the door.

"Master Rhiannon is not expecting visitors. Please leave."

"Please, my friend Cecil and I need shelter for the night."

The man turned and addressed his master. "Master Rhiannon, two vagabounds wish shelter for the night..."

Cecil could see into the mansion as far as the dining room. There sat an imposing male and a beautiful female, apparently having dinner.

The old man return with an answer...

Five-year-old Lola reached for her mother. "Mommy! I love you!"

Hands pulled at Lola. Voices whispered, "Time to go..." "Let your mother rest..." "Get the child out of here..."

Lola screamed and tried to break free. "I want my mommy!"

Lola's mother sighed and a single tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm so... sorry...."

"Why can't I go to Mommy? Lemme go!" Sobs shook her frail body.

Voices surrounded Lola in confusing circles. "Is she...?" "GET THE CHILD OUT..." "Dear, god..." "Dead?..."

* - * - *

Lola sat up in bed. "Nooooooooo!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. "Mother?" She looked at her surroundings confusedly. <Where am I?> she wondered.

She was in an elegantly furnished bedroom. She ran her hand over the large canopy bed she had slept in. <Is this silk?> she thought, looking at the comforter.

She held a hand to her head. <My head hurts.> Suddenly she remembered what had taken place the night before. She gasped and spoke aloud to herself. "The chocobos...? That dark man... and his angel...?" She slumped down into a padded chair in the corner. She looked at her ring sadly. "I can't sense you, Driel." She hid her face in her hands. "Oh, Driel! Looks like I've made a mess of things..."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the bedroom door. A wraith-like creature floated into the room. He smiled unpleasantly, and began to speak. "My master, Rhiannon, wishes you to join him for a meal."

Lola backed away from the wraith. "What do you want of me?"

The wraith bowed and spoke more softly. "Do not be afraid... come this way. My master awaits."

Lola slowly edged forward. The wraith motioned for her to follow him. She kept up easily, still aware that this thing was floating rather than walking. She shuddered. <Gives me the creeps,> she thought.

The wraith stopped at a pair of large, ornately carved, oak doors. "Wait here, please." He motioned for her to sit. She sat down nervously as the wraith disappeared behind the doors.

Lola realized she was still shaking. <Oooooh! I wish I had my machete right now,> she thought ruefully.

The wraith poked his head around the door. "Please, my master is ready. Enter." The wraith swung the doors wide open for Lola.

Lola slowly walked through the doors. The doors closed with a loud thud behind her. She jumped, startled. <I need to calm down!> she mused.

She looked around cautiously. There was a dining table and many chairs surrounding it. At the head of the table sat a blond man, dressed in dark clothing. He stood when she entered the room.

He cleared his throat and tried to smile. "I am Rhiannon Meylith. I am honored to have you, Lola Amorante, as my guest this evening. Please, join me in dining." He gestured to a seat next to his.

Lola cautiously walked forward. She sat down next to Rhiannon and pulled up her chair. She frowned and lowered her head. "Why have you brought me here?" She looked up at him and gazed into his eyes with a soulful look.

Rhiannon found himself entranced with her gaze for a moment. He ripped his eyes from hers and regained his composure. "I... believe you intrigue me. What I want, I... take."

Lola thought of Driel and the other Returners. <They wouldn't have just let Rhiannon steal me without a fight>, she thought suddenly. She sighed. "What of my friends, then? Did you harm them?" <What if Driel is dead? I can't sense her through my ring...> Her thoughts began to panic her.

Rhiannon could see the anxiety in her face. He studied her for a moment. <Ah... she reminds me of my -> His thoughts cut off abruptly, as the Master's voice entered his mind. <Emotional detachment is the key to success, Rhiannon... do not forget this.> Rhiannon sighed. <I'm glad I remembered that. The Master has taught me well.>

He looked at Lola again. "They are alive." He became stern when he saw he face light up. "They cannot find you here. Don't get your hopes up, flower-spirit..."

Lola tried to hide a small grin. <Driel is alive!> He grin faded slightly. <Why can't I sense her? Maybe we are too far apart...> she mused. She looked at Rhiannon, and studied his expression. <He seems torn by something...I wonder what?>

Rhiannon turned away from her, and tried to ignore her curious looks. He waved a hand at her. "Now, we must eat."

The old man appeared before Rhiannon. Immediately his shape began to change. The old man's figure disappeared, and in its place, a black wraith appeared. "Master, there are two vagabonds standing in the parlor, shall I get rid of them?"

Rhiannon looked at Lola, and then back at the wraith. "Who are they, my servant?" Rhiannon shifted uneasily in his seat. "I sense that I don't like them..."

"Master, all they want is to stay the night..." the wraith began.

Rhiannon screamed at the wraith. "SILENCE!" He tapped his fingers on the table. "No, they are here for the girl. I can sense the good in them..."

Lola spoke up. "No, I saw them... I don't know who they are...."

Ignoring her, Rhiannon stood up. "Take her to her room. Immediately!"

The wraith grabbed Lola's arm with an icy cold grasp and whisked her out of the dining hall. Lola struggled weakly, "I don't know them... it's not my fault!" Despite Lola's protests, the wraith continued to lead her kicking and screaming down the hall.

Cecil looked up as the dining hall's doors flew open. "Aye! Look, Kain!" Cecil tried to focus his eyes. "Some undead wraith is taking that girl somewhere!"

Kain scratched his head. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's get after her!" Cecil nodded, and the two of them dashed down the hall toward the fleeing wraith.

Neither of them noticed the dark figure sliding out the door and into the snow. Rhiannon smiled in his darkness. "Next time, flower-spirit... next time..."

A sudden thought hit Kain. "Weren't we supposed to rest here?", he panted. "The next time you get any bright ideas to crash someone's party, remind me to have no part of it!", Kain chuckled.

Cecil smiled at his old chum. "I thought it was YOUR idea!" Cecil noticed the wraith dash into a door at the end of the hall. "We got him now, Kain! He went in that door!"

Kain stopped. He looked at Cecil. "Well, it's now or never," he said gesturing toward the door. "Would you like to do the honors?"

Cecil nodded. "I would love to, my friend..." With one mighty kick, the door bowed inward. Cecil looked inside. "It's dark in here." He groped around for a light switch. He yelled back to Kain, "I found the light!" He flicked on the light, then turned around. "Kain... I... HOLY SHIT!"

The room was filled with wraiths and dark forces. The one they had followed was sitting behind the others, holding the girl prisoner.

Lola tried to scream, but the wraith had covered her mouth.

Kain immediately swung into action. He gathered up all of his energy and leapt upon two of the wraiths at the same time, vaporizing both.

Cecil noticed a dark force heading straight for Kain. He thought, <I'll have to cover him.> Cecil jumped up and grabbed the dark force before it could get to Kain. He raised his crystal sword, and plunged it into the unseen soul of the undead creature. After killing the dark force, Cecil looked up at the girl. <I gotta get to her somehow,> he thought.

Lola noticed Cecil's gaze, and felt she should try harder to escape. She wrenched the wraith's clammy hand from her mouth and motioned to Kain. "My tools! Up there!" A wraith had her equipment, and was carrying it away at a rapid pace. "Do something!" she shouted.

At Lola's command, Kain performed yet another spectacular leap. He brought his spear down upon the wraith's head and then grabbed Lola's bag of tools. He landed on the floor and tossed the bag to Lola's outstretched hand.

She barely caught the bag. <That was a close one,> she thought, reaching into her tool bag. After a few seconds of searching, she pulled out her razor-sharp trowel. The wraith next to her had no chance to react. With one clean swipe, she drove the trowel through the wraith's ghostly body. <I'm free!> she thought. Then she heard Cecil's voice, "Look OUT!"

With lightning speed, Cecil grabbed Lola, and covered her with his body. A second later, a dark force slammed into the floor in the exact spot Lola had stood. Kain came up behind the hideous creature and stabbed it with his spear. "I got it!" he said triumphantly.

Kain looked around cautiously. "I think we killed them all...."

Cecil stood up, and helped Lola to her feet. "Sorry about that... I tend to cover people when they need it... it's a talent." He blushed slightly.

Lola smiled at Cecil, and glanced around the room. "You guys... ah, did kill everything in the room..." She blushed and let out a small giggle.

Kain winked at her. "Yeah, except ourselves... but that's the way it's supposed to be!"

Lola looked at the two men standing before her, and she shook her head. "I should introduce myself," she said, looking at Kain. "I am Lola Amorante, and I owe my life..." She looked at Cecil. "... to you."

Cecil, a bit speechless, took her hand and lightly kissed it. "*Ahem* I am Cecil, a Paladin knight. I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Lady Lola." He motioned to Kain. "This is Kain, a trustworthy Dragoon." He eyed Kain with intensity as he introduced him.

Kain smiled uneasily at Lola. "Hello." He couldn't help but wonder why Cecil had looked at him that way. "I don't mean to break up the party, but are we ever going to sleep?"

Cecil and Lola looked at Kain with amused smiles. Cecil spoke up. "Well, all we have to do now is find a suitable place to rest." He scratched his chin wearily. "What do you want to do, Kain?"

"Well, the first thing we should do is get away from this place. Something tells me that he'd be a bit more difficult than a bunch of mindless wraiths. Plus, I'm simply exhausted," the Dragoon replied.

"Yeah," Lola agreed, thinking back to Rhiannon's battle with Alcan. "He might be a problem..."

"So then we should try and be subtle." Cecil declared. "Unfortunately, he knows we're here, so he'll be looking for us." He looked at Lola. "You've been here the longest. How well do you know your way around?"

"Well, it's not like he gave me much liberty. He was trying to make me help him with some magical flower or something. But I have wandered around some..."

"Then let's not waste any time. He probably has other wraiths waiting to attack usm" Kain said decisively. "Let's go."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The trio wandered through the mansion aimlessly for awhile. The place was HUGE! Eventually, near the back of the house, they found what seemed to be a servants' entrance. They hadn't seen any more wraiths, but this just made them nervous. Not that it mattered anymore, they were out...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When the two 'vagabonds' (as his ex-servant had called them) had run off with the woman who would have given him his flowers, Rhiannon had become annoyed. But that was okay, because the wraiths in her room would take care of them. But that didn't happen, and now he was getting angry.

"These foolish insects think they can escape me in my own _house_! I don't think so. This will be too easy. As much as I hate to dirty my own hands..." He muttered to himself as he stepped into the Shadowlands.

He looked at his house, and through the eyes of various spirits and other ethereal beings bound to the house, he soon spotted the fleeing heros.

"Ahhh...the servants' rooms..." He smiled evilly as he reappeared.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Well, _that_ was easy!" exclaimed Lola as she emerged outside, quite relieved to be away from Rhiannon's control.

"Hmmm," said Cecil,"it was almost too simple..." Just then he heard the quiet swish of cloth behind him. "Damnation!!" he then exclaimed.

"What? Leaving so soon?" The master of the house stood on the steps the three had just descended. One must admit he looked rather impressive. Gray armour duly reflecting what light there was, red cape the color of blood in the shadows, eyes glowing and eerie green. "I thought you might like to *stay*." He laughed cruelly. His powers of mental domination had greatly increased. Lola and Cecil were rooted to the spot.

But Kain was only stunned for a second. "Cecil, Lola, we have to get out of here! NOW!" he exclaimed as he turned to run. But neither moved. Still, Rhiannon was put off for a moment. 'What is this...?' he thought.

Kain cuffed Cecil gently on the head."Snap out of it! Do something! Move! Cecil?" the paladin did nothing. "Cerebratan, make him DO something!" Kain shouted as he grabbed the immobile Lola and slung her over his shoulder.

Sensing the danger its master was in, the spirit did the only thing it could. It possessed the paladin, and ran in the direction Kain had left. Eventually, it was able to break the control that was keeping Cecil still, and returned to its home. Lola came out of it not long after. Both were a bit confused. As Cecil slowed down, Kain did too. The party decided that where they were was a good a place as any to spend what was left of the night, and to try to figure out what had happened.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"This is not over yet..." Rhiannon seethed as his three would-be prisoners escaped. He faded into the shadows, to reappear in his summoning room.

He chanted the familiar words, and soon another wraith faded into existence inside the circle. "Tell me your name." he commanded it.

"I am Arran," was it's whispered reply. Rhiannon could sense its power... it would be a useful servant, unlike so many other incompetents.

"Serve me and I will take away your pain, Arran." Rhiannon smiled, knowing the eternal torture such a spirit "lived" with. He raised his hand to its head to grasp a gray smoky substance, and pulled it away. The specter's expression was a picture of unimaginable agony. He wiped the substance on his armor, which quickly absorbed it.

"Master, I am yours, from eternity until oblivion.." It looked so grateful... One reason Rhiannon used so many wraiths as servants was that they were so easy to manipulate.

"That... is good. And I already have something for you to do." He held his palm to the ghost, where could be seen a replay of the scene by the servants' exit. "Find these people. Haunt them. Torment then as oblivion torments you." The spirit disappeared.

He beckoned to another wraith, which had been hiding in the shadows, one which Rhiannon knew would be faithful. "Follow him. And when he finds them, come back and tell me." He dismissed it. "Now," he whispered bitterly to himself,"I have to go report..."

"Kain, what about over there...there seems to be a nice outcroppping of rocks that would surround us and shield us from view."

"Looks good to me, Cecil, but then, right now, a bed of Cactrot needles would look good to me."

Lola just shrugged...it really didn't matter to her as long as she was free of Rhiannion.

The three walked over to the alcove, and were joyed to find a single pine tree had shed its needle to give them all a comfortable bed on which to sleep.

"Cereb," Cecil spoke to his helm, "Keep a scan up for anything unusual...I don't want to be suprised by that Rhiannion guy again."

"Very well, Paladin."

With that Cecil found a nice spot near the tree and offered Lola a somewhat more private spot on the other side of a boudler from he and Kain.

The trio was soon out cold. *********

Arran watched from afar, very afar. HE had sensed the one called Cerebratan almost too late, and he wasn't about to let that one know he, Arran, was near.

It had been a long time since the two had meet. At the time, millenia before, Arran had been a great warrior in the service of the warlord Garland. That master had sent him to personsally dispatch the five warriors who had come from Lefein, city of the elves. The five warriors were powerful, but they had lacked the orbs neccessary to defeat his master, so Arran figured the task would be simple. And when he finally meet the five 'Light Warriors', as they called themselves, the ensuing battle went not as planned.

First, Arran tried to slay the one called Cerebratan by ambush, but that warrior had been ready for Arran, an instead withdrew to the shadow world to do battle. Cerebratan was welled versed in shadowworld battle, and Arran had no such skills, so Cerebratan pummeled Arran with many hits before the warrior drew on the powers of Chaos, his ultimate master. This had been where things became interesting.

Arran grew in power and gained magical abilities with the infusion of chaos. Cerebratan was ripped from the shadow world and thrown into his body where he lay in a coma for days. There were only four warriors left now, and Arran was not to relent. One of the warriors, Arthurian was his name, cast some sort of spell toprotect the party, but Arran impaled Arthurian, making a near fatal wound. Murcreties, much faster than Arran, had been able to get behind the now massive beast and stab it in the back, yet the wound was frivilous. Stunned, Murcreties was sent flying by a massive kick from Arran.

The beast then swung around to see Salvatar and Guardian mounting another foolish offensive. From his mouth issued forth a noxious gas with felled the two brave warriors before they could respond. They five had been laid to waste by Arran.

At his master's command, Arran brought the still living body back to Garland. who planned to turn them into servants, but as he showed his master the days fruitage, guardian shook off the effects of the gas, pulled his sword, and while Arran was still unawares, cleaved the now human beast's head off.

What happened after that, Arran knew not. ********

Waking from his daydream, Arran watch the warriors sleep from a distance. He started to devise a plan the would rid himself of the three spirits who protected the Paladin...

Unable to resist the warmth radiating from the cloak, Lola fell into a deep sleep.

* - * - *

Lola giggled and ran over to Driel. "Tag!" She covered her mouth with her hand. She pointed to Driel, "You're it!"

Driel put her hands on her waist and laughed confusedly. "No fair! I'm older than you. I'm 10. You're only 9. You can't tag me!"

Lola frowned and asked, "Why can't I tag you?"

Driel grinned at her. "Because." Driel tagged Lola quickly, then started to run away from her. "I'll tag you back!"

Lola squealed with laughter and took off running after her friend.

Driel disappeared around a corner, and Lola began to slow down. Soon, she stopped dead in her tracks. "Driel? Where are you...?" Suddenly she heard giggling behind her. She whirled around expecting to find her friend. "Driel.... that's not funny..." When she saw who it was, she lowered her head, and looked at the ground. "Oh, it's you."

An older girl, about 12, and a boy her own age were giggling and pointing at her. The girl whispered something to the boy. He looked back at her with a curious glance. "Megan? What's a 'bastard'?"

Megan looked at the boy with a smirk. "Mother says it means 'someone who has no father', Tony." She eyed Lola cruelly. She turned to face Lola. "You don't have a mother either. I wonder what we should call you?"

Lola clenched her fists and started to sob. She tried to yell at Megan and Tony, but her throat constricted and she couldn't get out enough sound. "My mother loved me... and... *choke* *sob*"

Megan tugged at her brother. "Come on. We gotta get home." She glanced at Lola, "Mother AND Father will be worried about us."

As she watched them go, she started to scream, "Leave me alone! *sob* Go away! Please...*sob* Just leave me alone..." She fell to the ground and buried her hands in the dirt. She grabbed at the dirt, and began throwing piles of it in the direction Megan and Tony had gone. Sniffling, she wiped the tears from her face. Unbeknowest to her, she had left a large smear of dirt on her face. She heard a friendly voice behind her.

"Aren't you going to tag me? Lola?" Driel dashed back over to her friend. "What happened? You're all dirty." Driel tried to dust some of the dirt off of Lola's dress. "How did you get so dirty?"

Lola frowned at Driel. "I did it." She sighed. "Megan... and..."

Driel nodded, and sat down in the dirt with Lola. "I don't like them. They're mean." She smiled at Lola. "I like you...!" She giggled. "I guess that makes you my best friend!"

Lola smiled, her dark blue eyes twinkling. She threw her arms around Driel and hugged her tightly. "Yeah, best friends. Forever."

* - * - *

Lola stirred in her sleep. For once her dreams didn't disturb her. She continued to sleep, her dreams leading her in spirals of never-ending memories...

He decided to attack them while the humans were asleep. If he could keep the battle confined to the Shadowlands, perhaps they would not be able to interfere... But how to approach without being detected? He had been trying to figure this out for awhile, and was considering all his options, when the messenger wraith returned.

"Master is not pleased. Why have you not acted?" it asked him, staring at him intently. "He is becoming displeased."

"Because I've been thinking, you fool." The messenger annoyed Arran. It was overly self-important. Its arrogant attitude stemmed from the fact that it had been serving their master longer, and was thusly better trusted and liked by him. Never mind that Arran could kill the pest with a look, if he so desired. Then a thought came to him. It would take care of two small problems. "I have a job for you, before you leave..."

* - * - *

Cerebretan was alert. For the past two days, he had sensed something was amiss. It was almost as if something was following them, not on this plane... Unfortunately, he could not probe deeply into the Shadowlands while contained in Cecil's helmet. And it was only just a feeling, nothing concrete... He knew the other spirits could feel it too. Salvatar had mentioned it, and while Murcreties refused to speak to him, still blaming him and Guardian for his death, even though they had not lasted much longer, he could tell the spirit was restless.

When he saw the wraith, he was not surprised. It was a relatively simple creature, much like those Cecil and Kain had destroyed back at Rhiannon's mansion. He was relatively impressed that the creature had been able to follow them for so long without being detected. He decided to watch it for awhile, and hope it didn't try anything until morning, when Cecil would be awake.

* - * - *

As Cerebretan was busy watching the messenger, Arran approached. He did not bother about the others; they could not wake the paladin. Then he grabbed the helmet spirit, dragging him into the Shadowlands. When Cerebretan left quickly, the other two guardians followed. They looked at Arran, looks of surprise fluttering across their spectral visages. Then looks of recognition.

"I thought we killed you already!" a bitter and annoyed Murcreties exclaimed. "Geeze, even when I'm DEAD everyone's out to get me..." he muttered to himself.

Salvatar did not waste his time, but was already drawing a spectral mace. He shook his head as he did so. 'History repeats...' he thought to himself.

But Cerebretan had another idea. He reached back into the Earthen realm, and took Cecil's sword. It would be so much more effective against the wraith... He was also pleased to see that the Paladin was waking up, the ties to his spirit friends having been so quickly severed. Though any weapon he might have would be useless if the battle remained in the Shadowlands, his spells would not...

* - * - *

Cecil awoke suddenly. Something was wrong. It was as if something was missing...

"Cerebratan?" he mumbled, still not quite fully awake. There was no answer. "Salvatar? Murcreties? What is going on?" Still he got no answer. That was when his sword disappeared. Now he was fully awake. He immediately scanned the environs for an approaching danger. Nothing. Then he woke up Kain.

The dragoon was talking to himself, crying out in his sleep, half-laughing, half-crying. This disturbed Cecil a bit, giving him all the more reason to wake his friend.

"Kain, wake up," he said quietly, looking at Lola and shaking his friend.

"Yeah... a muffin would be nice... just five more minutes and I promise I'll get up, Mom..."

Cecil was getting anxious. "Wake UP!" he exclaimed more loudly, grabbing Kain's sleeping bag and lifting it up a bit. Lola turned over in her sleeping bag, muttering something about being "best friends forever" and smiling happily. 'Am I the only one who can keep my mouth closed when I'm asleep?' he wondered.

"What... Cecil, what is it... what's wrong?" Kain, now awake and alert, pushed his friend away and crawled out of his sleeping bag, grabbing his lance. "Please tell me it's not _another_ monster..."

"No, that's not it," he answered, wishing that were it. "It seems I've lost my link to my spirits. And my sword disappeared. Something is definitely not right with this picture..."

That was when he heard the voice.

* - * - *

The battle had been going fairly well. Cerebratan had been able to cast Haste on all the sprits, Mucreties had been able to confuse him pretty well, and Salvatar had gotten quite a few good hits in. But Arran was strong, more so than they had thought. He had done a fair amount of damage himself. Cerebratan decided that now would be a good time to bring Cecil into it.

* - * - *

"Cecil!" Suddenly, the paladin heard the familiar voice of his helmet's inhabitant in his head. "Look..." As Cerebretan spoke, Cecil was granted the ability to see into the Shadowlands, and view the battle.

It was rather confusing, really. He saw three white figures surrounding a darker one, and he could tell they were fighting. Neither side seemed to be gaining the upper hand. It took him a while to realize what was going on.

"Help us, Cecil..." Cerebretan spoke again, stirring him to act. One of the figures was using his sword, so actually joining the battle was out. His next reaction was to cast magic. He immediately went through the motions, but of an unfamiliar spell...

* - * - *

Kain was confused. Cecil had been saying something about his spirits, and then had stopped speaking. It was as if he was seeing something that wasn't really there, and now he was casting a spell... It didn't make any sense. Who was it on? What was he doing? He seemed to finish, but to Kain there were no obvious effects...

* - * - *

Hundreds of small jagged gemstones ripped through Arran. Cecil, almost as confused as Kain recognized the spell that the evil girl had cast on him, and looked down to see that the Orb fragment he carried around his neck was glowing a bit. He didn't have time to think about much else.

* - * - *

Arran was in pain. He did not like it at all. As much as the dark sword hurt him, this magic was intolerable. And so he fled. Better to face his master than this.

* - * - *

"What was that?" Kain asked his friend. Cecil just shook his head in confusion.

"I don't know..." he replied after a few moments, still confused. His spirits were back inhabiting the equipment they had been sworn to keep safe for him, but he was still disconcerted by his sudden disconnection from them.

"It was an old foe." The Paladin heard Cerebratan's voice echo softly in his mind. "And it will be back."

"It will be back." he repeated out loud.

"Great." replied Kain, then more softly, glancing at Lola's sleeping form, "What'll we tell Lola?"

"We can figure that out later. We really should get some rest, though. Maybe we should set a watch?" he suggested.

"That might not be such a bad idea. I'll take the first one." The dragoon seemed content with this arrangement, happy to have something useful to do.

"Works for me. Wake me up in about two hours," Cecil said, getting back into his sleeping bag.

Actually, Kain was glad to have some time to himself. It gave him time to think. And so he did. He enjoyed the company of his two companions, new and old. Going into battle with Cecil seemed the most natural thing in the world... and yet he knew nothing about the man.

He seemed so familiar, but sometimes it seemed there was a part of him that didn't want to remember his past life. He wondered what had happened that made the past so hard to face.

He decided not to wake Cecil when his watch was up; he wouldn't have been able to sleep anyways.

"Hey, wide-eyed!"

Kain turned around with a quizzical look on his face, as if to ask what Cecil had called him.

"You were supposed to wake me up for MY part of the shift! Not that I'm complaining, but heck, you need rest TOO..."

Cecil walked to the boulder grinning as Kain leaped to the ground.

"I wasn't tired, and you were sleeping like a baby, so I figured that since I don't have a pacifier, I'd let ya sleep."

They both laughed heartily until a female voice cut in.

"Hey, what's so funny?"

Kain and Cecil looked at Lola, who had slept in a large nightshirt behind another boulder so as to not be put in a situation where the males might be forced to be less than gentlemanly. Such was the situation now, for she forgot that she WAS wearing only an oversized shirt.

Cecil and Kain stared at the attractive-looking figure of Lola for a moment, until their sense of chivalry kicked in and they spun around quickly so as not to be facing her.

"uh, Lola, uh...don't mean to be rude, but, uh...could ya put some more clothes one?" Kain was almost stuttering.

"Yeah, Lola, you're making it QUITE hard for me and Kain to be gentlemanly like... what with you being so, uh... well, uh, good-looking and all... it's not fair to, uh, us, er, I mean uh... doh!"

Behind the guys' backs, Lola Blushed profusely and quickly ran behind a boulder and changed. Cecil and Kain remained turned around and with their eyes closed, both trying *very* hard to suppress a grin.

In a few minutes, Lola returned. "I'm decent, gentleman, you may turn around if you wish." Lola's voice was soft and heavily shy.

"Wow, Lola, you look like a cherry you're so red."

Kain and Cecil laughed at Cecil's comment, turning Lola's face an ewven brighter red.

"Please don't tease me... I forgot what I was wearing..."

"It's okay, we didn't mind... er, I mean, we won't tease you about it until tomorrow... er, I mean again..."

Cecil was having too much fun at her expense, so Lola gave him the dirtiest look she could muster.

"Uh-oh, Cecil, run before you get slapped..."

"Uh, Lola, uh we're sorry... we were just being guys... I didn't mean to offend ya... uh, here, let me pull my foot out of my mouth before you make my face as red as yours."

Lola stared at him, hard, and when she could tell he was sincere, she Laughed heartily.

"You should see the look on your face, Cecil! I really had you going! HAHAHAHA!"

"Well, uh, I guess you did, Lola," Cecil's visage turned into a sly grin, "but we really should be going now... wouldn't want to give you another chance to seduce innocent Kain and I here..."

"Seduce? WHAT?"

Lola started to say something more, but Cecil and Kain were giving each other high-fives and taking what they had already packed and leaving...

"MEN!" Lola shook her head and gathered her things. She had to run to catch up with the duo, as they weren't cutting her any slack.

*****************

By nightfall the following day, the trio had reached the coast.

"So, guys, how do we get across? I see land on the other side, but I haven't a clue as to how we'll get there..." Cecil was in deep thought.

Kain was clueless as well. "Can't jump across either..."

Meanwhile, though, Lola had been searching around the area, and had found something.

"Hey, you two *gentlemen* mind helping a lady lift a rock?" Lola was hunched over a huge rock that was lying on the ground.

"What? Why? that rock's not gonna *float* us across, is it?"

"No, Kain, I think there's a tunnel underneath it... I can feel the cool air coming up around the edges. And if there is, then we may be in luck."

Both Cecil and Kain were confused. "A tunnel?"

"Yeah, I've heard stories about tunnels and caverns that lead all over the world underground. If we're lucky, this'll take us to the other side of that channel there."

Not having a better idea, the trio quickly dispatched the stone and entered. Cecil cast a simple light spell, and the party was accosted by spiderwebs, worms, mildew, and other such smells.

"Kinda dreary down here, eh Cecil?"

"Sure is... perfect place for a crypt. Could be all sorts of twisted undead like skeletons and zombies and vampires..."

"Oh my!" chimed in Lola. "Maybe we'd better find a safer way..."

"Nope, this 'll be just fine, Lola; Kain and I are itching for a good battle, being tired and all... it'd be like the old days. And heck, you know how a Paladin like me loves undead..." Cecil grinned widely.

"Sure thing, Cecil. And since you're so eager to call forth the legions of darkness, I suggest you lead." Kain obviously wasn't *quite* as thrilled as Cecil about living corpses.

The entrance to the tunnels proved to be in the worst shape, for as they moved deeper, the trio found less spiders and other crawlies. Yet the unsaid thought in all their minds was that such a sign could be a bad thing...

After walking for a good distance, the passage became very muddy, and water trickled down the walls, creating an eerie echo that proved to further unnerve the trio. It was in this area that the group found their first signs of trouble.

"Lola, Kain... stay back a sec..."

Kain asked what was the problem, but got no answer as Cecil strode forth into the darkness carrying the group's only light source. Up ahead, Lola and Kain could make out Cecil's light, but they themselves were shrouded in darkness.

Then, from where Cecil was, they heard a loud thud and the sounds of metal on bone.

"CECIL! What's wrong? CECIL!" Kain started running forward, and Lola followed, mostly so that she would not be left alone.

"Ugh! Oh, nothing, uhg-oh-ouch, nothing at ugh-all, just baggin' a coupla these here bone faces, umphf... care to lend a hand?"

Kain noticed five skeletons and a zombie already dismebered on the floor, while Cecil quickly dispatched the last one.

"No, It looks like you left me without any fun."

"Oh well... next time then..." Cecil grinned.

Cecil whiped off his crystal sword, and sheathed it on the side opposite the obsidian blade.

"Hey, Cecil, thiz zombie was pretty rich...he's got 2000 GP!" Lola lifted a decaying pouch as evidence.

"Yeah, and he's also very fresh... Someone's raised these recently... not a good thing... not at all..." Cecil's voice was grim. One thing he hated was the idea of some evil mage disturbing the peaceful rest of the long deceased.

"Well, we better go find that @$$hole then!" Kain was almost enthusiastic, Cecil thought. Good, they'd need some positive 'spirits' to keep them going after all the negative ones.

Right then, Cecil and Kain heard a loud piercing scream from Lola, and they turned to see a hideous pale-faced man with long fangs advancing upon them from behind.

"You three have no rightsss dessstroying the Massster'sss Minionsss. I ssshall have to finisssh off you troublemakersss myssself."

By now, the creature was only fifteen feet away, and closing fast. Cecil and Kain couldn't reach it, though, for Lola was in their way, frozen with terror.

It finally reached out with its left hand for the frightened woman, its long pearl-like fangs poised to sink into her neck.

"Nooooooooooooo!" screamed Cecil, and his hands started working the motions to the Gem Missile spell that he had mysteriously learned from Sascha. He could see that there wasn't time.

Right then, the much-forgot-about Phoebian that Kain held started glowing, and before he knew it, the stone became a red spirit that resembled a flame. Quickly, the spirit lashed out as if to engulf the the evil beast, and it did. The vampire was now on fire.

Its final screams were almost as hideous as those of Lola, who just knew that she was dead. But she wasn't, and the vampire's ashes fell to the floor with her still trembling as she went unconscious.

*************

"You okay, Lola?"

She awoke to Cecil's voice and saw his handsome visage above her. "Y-y-yeah... I think s-s-so... thank you..."

"Good, cause we don't want to stay around here longer than we have to." Kain was keeping a good lookout while he told her this, and also while he contemplated the spell he had cast.

"Kain, that was some parlor trick you did back there to that vamp. Have any others up your sleeve?"

"Actually, Cecil, I think I do. That Phoebian stone that I've got seemed to respond to my adrenaline rush. Perhaps I could learn to control it that way."

"Yeah, almost like learning a spell, I suppose. I remember how it is to learn magic for the first time. After the time at Mount Ordeals when I became a Paladin, it was *really* confusing to know Cure1 from Cure2 from Sight... hey, there's a spell that could help us, Sight! When we get to the surface, I'll draw a magic map for us!"

"Yeah..." Kain tried hard to remember Cecil becoming a Paladin, but nothing came to mind... so he let it pass, like so many other things he felt he should know, but couldn't remember.

"Ouch!" Lola jerked her hand from the wall. "What is this?" she asked herself. She put her aching finger in her mouth and found herself looking at a sharp piece of metal sticking out from the wall. "I must have cut myself on this," she said, lightly touching the metal object with her good hand.

"Lola? What's the matter?" Cecil asked. "Did you hurt yourself?"

Lola blushed, thinking of the nightshirt embarassment earlier that day. <Oooooh! I'm blushing again!> she thought. Trying to forget her stupidity, she smiled at Cecil shyly. "I think I found something. Come look!"

"What? What did you find?" Kain started toward Lola with a yawn. He shook his head. <I really need more... sleep.>

"I don't know. A latch or something." Lola took her finger out of her mouth and inspected it carefully. "It won't stop bleeding..."

Cecil looked at Lola with a hint of concern. "Here, let me see it." He looked up at Kain for a moment. "Kain, why don't you look at that metal thing over here while I bandage our lady friend?"

Kain grumbled something about "Cecil and women", then went over to inspect the piece of metal.

Cecil turned his attention back to Lola. He looked at Lola's wounded finger and he chuckled quietly. "Does it hurt?"

Lola shook her head. "No... I think I should put a bandage on it so it will stop bleeding..."

"Allow me." Cecil ripped at one of his light shirts and tore off a thin piece of cloth. "This should work." He winked at Lola and began to tie the cloth around her injured finger. "Is that too tight?" he asked once he'd finished wrapping the cloth around her finger.

"Uh... it's fine. You really didn't have to..." Lola looked at the ground, embarrassed for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

"I am a Paladin, m'lady. I could do nothing less." Cecil bowed and took her hand. He raised her hand to kiss it... but was interrupted by Kain. Cecil and Lola looked up with a faint glimmer of guilt and surprise.

"Whoa! Hey, Cecil! Lola! Get over here. You have to see this!" Kain waved his arm enthusiastically toward them.

The near-kiss forgotten, Lola and Cecil dashed over to Kain. Lola was wide-eyed. "What is it?" she asked excitedly.

Kain continued to fiddle with the latch. "I think it moves... like this!" He pushed the metal piece into the wall. A loud click echoed through the tunnel. Kain looked at Cecil uneasily. "I wonder if I should have done that...?"

Suddenly, the rock wall started to shake. Cecil put his hands to his ears to block out some of the noise. He began to back up from the wall. "I have a baaaaaaaaad feeling about this!", he shouted.

Lola pointed to the wall where the metal piece had been. "Look! It's sinking!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. She covered her eyes with her hands.

After a few seconds of shaking and rumbling, the wall stopped moving. Lola slowly took her hands away from her eyes. "Oh, look! A door!" Cecil and Kain moved in to get a closer look at the door that had appeared in the wall.

Cecil looked at his party. "Well, look what we have here! A door. Great. What now?" he said, heaving a large breath.

Kain scratched his head. "I guess we could go in there..." He cautiously looked inside the doorway. "Although it's pitch black in there. We'd have to take one of those torches..."

Lola sighed. "I can't believe we're going in there." She grabbed a torch from the wall and handed it to Kain.

Kain held his hands up in protest. "Oh, no. I'm not going first..."

***** Five minutes later *****

Kain held the torch high above his head, and slowly made his way through the narrow path. <I can't believe I'm going first!> he thought ruefully. "Are you guys back there?", he asked, his voice echoing in the dimly-lit tunnel.

Cecil whispered, "Yeah..."

Lola was clutching Cecil's arm and trying to keep up. She didn't like the strange echo, and the uncanny quiet that surrounded them. "Shhhhh!"

Kain turned around for a moment. "Why are you shushing us?"

Lola shook her head. "I don't like it... it's too quiet!"

Cecil gestured toward Kain. "Hey, what's that over there?" He slid past Kain and went toward the small reflection of Kain's torch. "Gotta get a closer look," he mumbled to himself. Suddenly, he gasped. "Whoa! It's a treasure chest!"

Kain and Lola quickly gathered beside Cecil. "I wonder what could be in it?" Lola asked.

Kain winked at her in the darkness. "Lots of things..." He looked at Cecil in silence for a moment, then jabbed Cecil in the side jokingly. "I guess it's rock-paper-scissors time, eh, Cecil?"

Cecil's mouth dropped open. <How did he remember that we... played... rock-paper-scissors to see who would get to open the chest... and get what's inside?>, he thought wildly. <How? Maybe his memory is returning...?>

Kain rolled his eyes at Cecil. He slapped his mouth shut. "What are you doing? Catching flies? Or have you forgotten how to play?"

Cecil grinned at Kain. "I haven't forgotten! Ready when you are."

Kain sighed. "I'm READY... good grief..."

Cecil made a fist. He began to count... "Okay! One... two... three... Scissors!"

Kain laughed out loud. "Ha! I have a rock. You lose!" He looked at Lola, who had a very puzzled look on her face. "We play rock-paper-scissors to see who will get the treasure. You want to play for it?" He smiled at her. "It's only fair..."

Lola grinned back at Kain. "Sure. I played this when I was a kid." She made a fist. "Ready? One... two... three... Rock!"

Kain let out his victorious laugh once again. "Ha! Paper! I win again! I sure hope it's a good one..."

Cecil leaned toward Lola. "Winner gets to open the chest too. Booby-traps and all..." He chuckled under his breath.

Kain knelt down to open the chest. He took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. He examined the lock. <Looks weak enough,> he thought. Mustering up a bit of strength, he yanked down hard on the lock. It came off with no trouble. Wiping bits of rust from his hands, he opened the lid.

"Alright! Look at this! It's an elixir!" Kain pocketed the elixir and smiled triumphantly at Cecil. "Not bad, eh?"

Cecil put his hands on his hips. "Rub it in..."

Suddenly a loud bang echoed through the tunnel. Lola looked around. "What was THAT...?" Then she saw a bright light. "Look! A light, up ahead!"

Kain started toward the light. "Maybe opening that chest opened up a way out!"

Cecil motioned for Lola to follow. "Let's go find out!"

Kain walked out of the tunnel first. He looked around, but could see nothing of interest except a small waterfall.

Cecil and Lola surfaced next. Cecil gestured toward Kain. "See anything?" he asked. Suddenly, he shook his head. "Of course not. Let me use my sight spell..."

Cecil carefully pulled a piece of parchment from his sack, and laid it on the ground. He sat down, legs crossed and eyes closed, next to the parchment. He placed his hand over top of the small piece of paper. As if suddenly inspired by magic, he lightly traced the parchment with his fingers. Opening his eyes, he saw a map of the surrounding area drawn into the old paper.

Kain and Lola looked over his shoulder curiously. Kain pointed to a small pond on the map. "That looks like the waterfall... that means we must be there." He pointed to some caves near the waterfall.

Cecil nodded. "This dark spot is the nearest town..." He pointed to a spot east of the waterfall. "I'm not very familiar with town names. So I'm not sure which one we're near..."

Lola gasped suddenly. "I know where we are! That waterfall used to be the Lete River!" She pointed to the dark spot Cecil had identified as the nearest town. "That must be Narshe!"

Kain merely nodded, remaining quite silent at Cecil's suggestion.

"Hey, What's wrong, bud?"

"Nothing... Let's find out what that is."

Not knowing what else to say, Cecil merely shrugged and led the trio back into the tunnels through a previously unseen passage.

The trio came to a halt minutes later in front of an ornately carved door that was etched with runes, all glowing in an eerie green light.

"Nice artwork..." Lola was astounded by the detail in the massive massive steel door, and walked up to it, hoping to trace the runes with her hands.

"NO! Don't touch them!" Cecil dove at Lola, pulling her from near the door, but unable to stop his own self from crashing against the portal.

When his body touched the runes, green lightning crackled throughout and around his body, followed by blazing blue flames as he fell to the ground, burnt horribly. On the door's surface, his outline was traced in a sickly black sillouette.

"Cecil!" Kain jumped to his friend's aid, remembering the Phoebian stone he carried. He grabbed Cecil's Orb, and concentrated on the flame spirit, hoping that perhaps the power could be used to heal as well as destroy. Energy seemed to flow into the stone from Cecil's words. The effect was similar to a powerful Cure spell, and it seemed to recharge the spirit. Meanwhile, Lola sat dazed, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

"Yes, Kain, that is how I gain power," the flame spirit said to the dragoon, "by feeding off of damaged flesh."

Kain replied in an relieved tone, "Whatever floats your boat - just glad your boat's our life preserver!"

"Ka... Kain... is that you?" Cecil's body was recovering somewhat, but even as he healed, his skin radiated green and blue light.

"Yeah, Cecil, you're gonna be okay, I cured you..." Kain wasn't so sure, but knew his friend needed reassuring, "How did you know that door was dangerous?"

"I... I didn't... good... guess, that's all... figured green runes that radiated magic can't be... safe... unfortunately... I was right... ohhh, DAMN, my body aches like I've just fallen off the Falcon or something..."

The pulsing still didn't stop.

Kain looked around, trying to figure out how to help his friend. He saw the area on the door where Cecil had hit it... it was devoid of all magical runes.

"Cecil, I got an idea. You said this thing absorbs magic to power the spells, right?"

"Yeah..."

Kain lifted Cecil's Orb, and touched it to the Paladin's glowing body. Within seconds, the energy was absorbed into the sphere.

"Dang, Kain, I should have thought of that. But I've never been much of a mage. If Rosa had been here" - Kain flinched unknowingly at Rosa's name - "she would've known that. I'm feeling better already... only a migrane left... How's Lola doin'?"

Kain turned to find Lola standing up looking in horror at the scorched sillouette of Cecil on the door. "Tha... that would've been m-me..."

"Yeah, if Mr. Heroic over there hadn't decided that he'd rather become a Crispy Critter."

Cecil stood and dusted himself off. "Hmm, ya think that orb would work on the door?"

"Worth a try, Cecil."

Tracing the runes with the orb, the magical energy dissipated quickly. And with the last rune removed, the door crumbled to dust.

Something stirred behind the dust, and Cecil drew his sword.

A deep voice boomed, "None shall pass."

When the dust cleared, the trio saw a massive man standing a full six-foot-five. He was garbed in tattered white robes that partly hid a gleaming suit of pearl-like armor. His face was hidden completely by means of a matching pearl helm, and he also wore pearl boots and carried a pearl shield. Even his sword was of the same pearl material as the helm, boots, and shield.

The man, whoever he was, stood defensively with his sword poised.

"Leave, before I am forced to make you." The same deep voice seemed to come from everywhere but the man's mouth.

Behind the man, there was an eerie glow emanating from a green crystal of the same illuminescence as the runes on the door.