The storm, whick had been ravaging the city of Thamasa for several days now, continued to rage. Torrents of rain spilled into the muddy streets, gales of wind threw debris and wreckage about, and the thunder boomed across the countryside.

The shutters to Edge's Inn room had been blown open, clapping loudly as they struck the wall. Grumbling, Edge rolled out of bed and stalked across the chamber. Reaching the fluttering shutters, Edge closed them and barred them anew. "Bloody weather," he commented to the shutters.

As he returned to his bed, he stumbled and fell to the floor. Edge turned to grope for the offending object, and found it to be a small stool. Standing, Edge lifted the stool and, with a curse, threw it in no particular direction. However, the offendind shutters stood in the stool's path, and the stool ripped through the closed window. A flash of lightning brightened the room as rain and cold, bitter wind filled Edge's room.

"Damn!" Edge stalked over to his bed, ignoring the broken window. He leapt into bed, only to have it collapse from under him. "Damn it to hell!" Edge thrashed about in his sheets, shredding them in his frustration.

It was then that a knock came from outside Edge's door.

Carefully, Edge rolled out from under the sheets and over to his equipment. Taking his pair of Catclaw, Edge silently slipped them on. He then glided over to the door and asked, nonchalantly, "Who is it?"

"An old friend," a quiet, humble voice came from outside, "May I come in?"

Edge pondered the voice a few seconds and, not recognizing it, slowly opened the door and invited the figure inside.

"Just a moment... sir?" Edge said to the figure, "I'll get us a light... then we can talk." Edge reached for the oil lamp that sat on a nightstand.

"No need," said the voice. A pale, blue-white light radiated from the tip of the figure's index finger. He lifted the light to his face.

Edge blinked. "You!"

"Yes." The figure stood almost as tall as Edge. He had a weathered face, with streaks of long, white hair flowing from under his hat. The man wore a baladrana, a long, thick cloak used for travelling. Through his belt, the man had a beautiful sword almost five feet long with a shimmering golden blade. His entire ensemble was the color of crimson. "I've come back for you, Edge."

Edge only stared at the man whom he hoped he would never have seen again... Cardia Lemieux, practicioner of forbidden Red Sorcery.

"More specifically, Edge, I have come for the fragment of Orb that you promised me so long ago, in return for the restoration of your parents."

Edge pondered this. Cardia continued.

"I have been travelling long, Edge. It took me a long time to find you. I hope that y efforts were not all for naught."

Edge shrugged. "I'm sorry, Cardia... I seem to have misplaced your Orb. Perhaps if you return at a later date..."

Cardia broke in, "Do NOT mock me, Ninja. I can come and go as I please, at will. I have travelled the currents of time and I know that you will not give the Orb to me. You have reneged on our contract."

"I don't recall making any contracts with you, Red Wizard. It was merely a suggestion." Edge grinned. "I apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused you." Edge bowed slightly to Cardia.

Cardia growled, "It is no matter now. There is little I can do about the Orb. There is, however, something I can do about you. I do not enjoy being betrayed..."

Edge glanced about the room, looking for cover. Not knowing what to expect from a Red Wizard left little opportunitites, especially in a practically empty Inn room.

Edge stalled. "Cardia, I have no wish to fight you... I haven't managed to get a good night's rest ever since this storm began. AND, you have travelled a long way to find me. We both need our rest." Edge slid slowly across the room, edging his way to his equipment.

"Agreed. It would be pointless to dispute over something that neither of us has any power over." Cardia tipped his hat over his eyes, and looked out at Edge from under its brim.

"I am glad that we agree, Cardia." Edge grinned under his mask. Reaching back into his backpack mounted on the wall, he withdrew a small Shuriken. "I'll tell you what... I'll pay for your Inn room this evening, and we'll discuss the Orb in the morning over some coffee and eggs."

"That is a reasonable offer." Cardia reached into the folds of his cloak, and withdrew a handful of silver powder.

"I'm glad we see eye to eye..." Edge's eyes narrowed and, with a flick of his wrist, sent the Shuriken hurtling toward Cardia at eye level. The Shuriken flashed in the darkness, becoming many.

Cardia flung the silver powder into the air in front of him. As the Shuriken passed through the cloud, they became rusted and flaked away into uselessness.

Edge blinked.

Cardia smiled.

"Ah, my dear Edge," Cardia beamed, "I anticipated such tactics from you. Time travel has many benefits. For example..." From under his cloak, Cardia withdrew a slim, metal wand about a foot long. Grinning, Cardia uttered a strange word, and the wand glowed dimly. "This device can render a man paralyzed for almost an hour. The beauty of this item is the fact that it is non-magical, purely man-made... and completely functional in magic-dead worlds."

Cardia pointed the wand at Edge and twisted the tip of it with his free hand. A bright, blue mote of energy flared from the tip of the wand and hurtled toward Edge.

Edge cartwheeled across the Inn room, and tumbled toward the window. The star of energy dissipated as it hit the wall.

Edge flipped to his feet, and glared at Cardia. "State your business here, Cardia. I have little patience for your toys."

"Very well, Edge. I have come strictly for retribution for your failure in retrieving the Orb that I seek."

Edge raised his Catclaw in defiance. "You shall not have it, Cardia." As he spoke, Edge reached out with his mind, stretched to the people whose rooms were closest to his... Celes... and Rydia.

<Run>, he dreamspoke, <Cardia has returned>

Cardia stood to his full height, and stared the Ninja in the eyes. "Oh, I WILL have it, Edge... and you are powerless to stop me."

Edge leapt at Cardia, his foot extended. Edge's foot connected with Cardia's chin. Cardia fell back a step, and lifted a hand to his injury. Cardia's eyes seemed to fill with an unearthly light. He glared at Edge, and laughed.

Edge, taken aback by Cardia's reaction, leapt in for a flurry of punches and kicks. He kicked Cadia in the stomach, then again across the face. He followed through with a left-handed punch and a right-handed chop to the side of the neck. He elbowed Cardia in the nose, and spun around for a spinning back fist. Edge then flipped out of harm's way.

Cardia merely stood there, unfazed.

Edge gaped.

"As you can see, Ninja, I have learned how to channel physical damage so that I am unaffected by it. I believe that I have grown bored of our confrontation..." With that, Cardia raised a hand and began to sing.

Edge felt the notes of the strange song surround him, drag him down, as though a huge weight hung from his tunic. He fell immobile.

Cardia grinned. He weaved his fingers and chanted, "Fire-X!"

Two large serpents of flame sprung from Cardia's outstretched fingers, and spiraled toward the paralyzed body of Edge. They coiled about him, burning flesh and clothing. When the two serpents met, they exploded in a flash of light that seemed to fill the whole Inn. Edge was thrown through the wall of the Inn, and tumbled three stories to the ground. Unable to cushion his fall, Edge landed with a sound thump in the mud and rocks.

Cardia looked down at Edge from above, and through the storm he could see the panic in Edge's eyes.

"No, Edge," Cardia called to him, "I will not kill you outright. I will simply remove you from my life." Cardia's fingers wove again.

Edge reached out again with his thoughts. He sensed no one about. He was alone... and his only help was still in the Inn.

Cardia raised both hands in triumph, and called to the heavens, "I call upon the greatest power to deliver this mortal to your realm... I call... XXXX!"

A bright beam of pure golden-white light streaked to Earth from the heavens, engulfing Edge.

Edge uttered a silent scream.

When the light retreated to the skies, Edge was gone.

A skinless carcass was all that remained.

Cardia coldly stared at Edge's lifeless form. Nodding, he tipped his wide-brimmed hat at the corpse and said, quietly, "A fitting end for one such as you, Ninja. Engulfed by the Light that you cherished so." Cardia Cardia laughed a closed-mouth chuckle and turned to leave through the inn room door. Before he took three steps, he heard a voice, a small voice through the storm, somewhere below. Whirling about, he glanced down...

A small boy had crossed the street seemingly from nowhere and knelt down before Edge's corpse. The boy turned his head and called out, "Mama! Papa! Someone got hit by that lightning!" From within one of the dilapidated buildings, two people made their way to the boy, somewhat hurried.

Cardia glared through the rain but could barely see though the torrent. Raising his pinkie and spreading his thumb outward, Cardia closed his eyes and mumbled something... suddenly, his hearing became very acute and he could clearly see through the rain. He did not like what his magic was now showing him.

The two people that ran from the building were both women. One was dressed all in white, which was splattered with rust-red stains, and had golden-blonde hair tied back in a pony-tail. The other wore her hair short, and appeared green. The woman in green dropped to her knees, gasping. From the mud, she picked up a small crescent-shaped device. She looked to the blonde woman and said, shakily, "T-This is FullMoon..."

The blonde nodded gravely, and put a hand on the green's shoulder. "No time for tears, Rydia. Let's get him back to the hospital and I'll see what I can do."

Cardia cluched his hands into fists. "NO! This is not how it was to end...!" he said throguh gritted teeth.

Rydia and the other woman carried Edge's corpse along with them, while the boy tagged along behind. The three returned to the derelict building.

Cardia plotted. "Edge, so help me... if you recover, I'll kill you again... now, how to prevent this from coming about..."

Cardia snapped his fingers, and laughed. "Oh, the complete audacity of it all!" Waving his hands, he chanted and called to his forbidden magic, his Red Sorcery. His body became a crimson outline, then was gone.

* * *

The room in which Cardia appeared was fashoined by Cardia himself. It was spherical, and quite large. The wall all about was transparent. From the outside, it would appear that Cardia's study was suspended in a large soap bubble. However, no one would be able to survive in the space that existed outside the bubble, for this was the X-Zone.

Cardia, immediately on rematerialization, began poring through some manuals which lined his many shelves. Nodding, he returned to the center of his room and withdrew a small fragment of violet stone from beneath his robes. Smirking, he said aloud, "I shall have to thank Matoya for her ' gift' sometime..." and raised the Crystal to his eye. The inside of the Crystal seemed to swirl like smoke, then revealed a vision.

* * *

Within Vector, Afkek sat on his throne, contemplating his next scheme to defeat the Returners once and for all. Abruptly standing, he shook his fist at the ceiling and shouted, "And I'd beat them ALL, too, if it wasn't for all those goddamned HEROES!" Several of his guard snapped to attention. Afkek looked around at them, shook his head, and flopped back down on his throne. "What I need," Afkek continued, "is my own hero, a fiend that can do my bidding without backtalk, one that no one would suspect... until it was too late! Then..." Afkek slammed his fist into his palm, "WHAM! YES! Perfect! Guards! Send for my advisor..."

* * *

Cardia grinned. "Yes. That would be perfect." Cardia concentrated on the stone, and it began to glow a soft violet. Raising the stone above his head, he closed his eyes and chanted. "WARP!"

Afkek nearly fell out of his throne as a crimson outline of a man, then a whole man, appeared several feet in front of him. Much to Afkek's dismay, he had sent his guards to find his advisor. He, and the strange red- robed man, were alone.

"What! How DARE you show your face in MY ROYAL CHAMBER?!" Afkek spat at the intruder. "When my guards return, you will suffer greatly for your rudeness!" To emphasize, Afkek shook is fist at the Wizard.

Cardia bowed his head. "Afkek, I know what you desire... and I have the means to give it to you."

Afkek lowered his fist and cocked an eyebrow. "Eh, what was that?"

"You are looking for the perfect assassin to destroy thr Returner's most powerful members, the so-called Heroes of Light."

Afkek's jaw dropped. "T-That is correct, stranger. But how could you have possibly known? I KNOW!" Afkek raised his fists again. "YOU'RE A RETURNER SPY!"

Cardia shook his head. "No, I am not a Returner spy. In fact, I have nothing to do with this petty war that you insist on waging. I am merely here to offer you a 'trade'."

Afkek staked around his throne, considering. "What do you mean, a trade?"

Cardia grinned. "I know a perfect specimen for your assassin. Allow me to use what resources you have and I will produce him for you."

Afkek nodded. "Well, then, what is it you wish in return?"

"I will inform you of that when I deem it necessary. Do you wish this assassin or not?"

A small trickle of drool made its way down Afkek's cheek. "Yes, yes! Bring him to me, and all that you ask will be yours!"

"Ready your Magitek lab, then. I will return shortly." Cardia turned and began to walk away. Slowly, he faded from view just as Afkek opened his mouth to add something to his speech. Shrugging, Afkek bellowed, "Ready the Magitek labs! I want those labs up and running NOW NOW NOW!"

No... he knew how he got there. Cardia Lemieux.

If only he knew where 'here' was...

Edge opened his eyes, fearing what he would see...

Once, Edge had 'awoken' to a battle, where man fought against machine. Great bipedal creatures made entirely of metal and long, glistening tubes mounted on their backs. From these tubes Edge could see a brief flash, then, in the distance, the fiery blossom of an explosion of some kind. Men littered the battlefield in machines of their own... strange devices with four wheels that moved without horse or chocobo, with the same glistening tubes on their backs, only smaller and quieter. The noise... oh... the deafening roar of destruction filled Edge's head so that he couldn't stand...

Edge next 'awoke' within a construct that resembled those found in the Colliseum. Huge, granite pillars supported an immense ceiling that seemed to loom on forever. As Edge looked about, he could see that he was in a long, dark hallway, which radiated a cool blue-white light at the end. Something appeared to block that light... a man... no, a beast. A large demon with broad wings like a dragon and talons for hands. As Edge turned, he looked into the faces of four men and women... they appeared to be wearing something about their necks... pendants, that seemed to glow from within... these four advanced past Edge and approached the great beast. The flare of magic filled the room, then all went dark.

Edge had no means of telling how much time had passed between his 'encounters', nor had he any means of affecting them in any way. Edge felt light-headed and woozy, barely able to concentrate on anything... spinning... swaying...

As Edge rolled on his side, he thought he felt something underneath him. He groped with his fingers, not wanting to open his eyes to face another horror. It felt cool, soft... like grass.

Edge gasped, but drew in no air. It seemed as though he had no need for breath, wherever he was. Carefully, fearfully, Edge opened his eyes.

The afternoon sun bore down on the grassy meadow, giving it warmth. Water ran its course down a small river, and the light seemed to sparkle off its surface. Flowers of many colours grew all about, and the lush trees bore fruit for whomever chose to claim it. A bird sang as it flew overhead, seeming to greet the Earth and thank it for what She has provided.

Edge sat under one of those trees, staring into the sky and wishing that he would somehow find his way home... wherever that was.

Suddenly, Edge heard the sound of something falling into the water a short distance up the stream. Whatever it was that fell, it seemed large... Edge could guess by the sound it made. Edge stood from his resting place, and walked upstream to investigate.

What he saw was a young boy, not older than 15, who seemed to have fallen from a log bridge suspended above. The boy thrashed about in the water for a short time, then got his bearings and stood in the knee-depth water. Edge was baffled that the boy was still alive.

The boy stood only five-and-a-half feet tall, with a tuft of chestnut hair that was bound by a violet headband. He was dressed in blue overalls and a white undershirt that was torn and tattered. The boy looked about, and said aloud, "I have to get home!" He then began to follow the water downstream.

Edge was surprised to hear words, for none of his visions spoke before. Curious, Edge followed the boy.

The boy walked a good distance, and then another voice came from nowhere.

"Timon... Timon..."

The boy snapped to attention, and looked about. "Who... who's there?" he asked, but his question was left unanswered. The boy shrugged, and continued downstream.

Timon; Edge memorized the name as he walked.

The boy then came across a large rock which blocked his passage father downstream. There was nothing extraordinary about the rock save for one important detail.

The hilt of a sword protruded from the top of it.

The strange voice came once more, "Take the sword, Timon..."

Timon's eyes lit up with excitement. "Okay... sure."

Timon climbed up the rock and, grasping the hilt firmly, gave a gentle tug. The hilt slid smoothly from its sheath, revealing a blade coated in rust.

The sky suddenly filled with a bright light, and Edge wedged his eyes shut, expecting this vision to end.

A voice came through the darkness, seeming directed at Edge.

"Excuse me, sir, but who are you?"

"Um... er..." Edge stammered, and instantly realized that he could speak. I don't recall being able to speak in any of my dreams, Edge thought, but then again I don't recall needing to speak, either.

The boy smiled innocently at Edge. "Are you alright?" he asked, hoisting the rusty sword triumphantly in the air and admiring it.

Edge nodded, then said, "You can see me, boy?"

"I HAVE a name," the boy said, and pouted. "You'd think you know what it is by now..."

Edge raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I recall... Timon, isn't it?"

Timon nodded.

Edge continued, "And why should I know who you are?"

"Well, sir, I thought everyone knew about the curious stranger who came to town and brought nothing but trouble." Timon grinned and rolled his eyes. "Like a twelve-year-old can cause any trouble." He giggled, and flexed, trying to look mighty.

Edge smiled. "No, I'm not from around here, you see..."

Timon cut in, "No, I thought not. You don't look like anyone I know. You're probably wondering why I'm talking to strangers. Well, noone else wants to talk to me... I have a few friends, but they only hang around me during school. In fact, I was on my way home from there when I thought I saw something shine downstream. I leaned over that bridge..." Timon gestured to the log bridge, which could barely be seen from this distance, "...to see what it was, and fell."

"I saw you fall. That fall would have killed any normal twelve-year- old..."

"Yeah, well, that should tell you something, shouldn't it." Timon shrugged, and swung his rusty sword a couple of times through the air. "Wait 'till I show this to the guys... betcha they'll like me now."

Edge glared at the rusty sword, trying to determine its type and possible value.

"By the way..." Timon added.

"Yes?"

"Why is it that you're a ghost?"

Edge blinked.

"A ghost?" Edge asked.

"Yes," Timon replied, "A ghost."

"What makes you think I'm a ghost?"

"I can see through you."

Edge looked down at his hands and, indeed, found that he was semi- transparent. He looked down at his feet, and found them to be about an inch off the ground. Edge shook his head in dismay. "No, this can't be..."

Timon sat on the rock from which the sword was drawn, looking down at Edge. "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to make you sad."

Edge looked up at Timon, and floated up to meet his gaze. "It's alright, Timon... I had to learn sooner or later." But deep inside, Edge felt pain, sorrow, grief.

Timon hopped off the rock and into the shallow water behind it. "Well, I hafta get back home or Grampy will worry about me... you can come if you want." With that, timon climbed on shore and began to follow a path through the trees.

Edge hovered in place. "So I'm dead. Swell. The bastard went and killed me. 'I merely wish to remove you from my life', he said. Hah. If I had a gold piece for every time I've heard that from..."

Timon's shout seemed to come from nowhere. "Are you comin' or what, sir? I can't stick around long!"

Edge looked down the path. Maybe I can figure out where I am...

"I'm comin', hold yer horses!" Edge called. Edge then floated to shore and jogged down the path.

As the two walked, Timon told Edge all about his school, his Grampy, his hopes of being a wizard someday...

"So, Edge... where ARE you from? You never did tell me." Timon smiled as he speed-walked down the path.

"I am from a place called Eblan, Timon. I am king there."

"Hey, wow, royalty! So do I call you your Highness, your Majesty, or what?"

"Edge will be fine, really." Edge smiled. "Now where is it that you are from?"

Timon shrugged. "I'm adopted. All Grampy told me is that he took me in when I was a baby. He never mentioned where I was from."

Edge nodded. "And what is the name of the place we're going to again?"

"..."

Edge blinked. "Pardon?"

"..." Timon said again, waving his hands for emphasis.

"I can't seem to hear you, Timon." Edge strained his ears.

"...!" Timon appeared to bellow the town's name.

This is very strange, Edge thought, strange indeed.

"Are you deaf or something, Edge? Sheesh. Old people."

"Don't worry about it Timon. Maybe I AM getting a little old." Edge managed a dry chuckle. I guess if I were meant to know, I would.

The two entered a large clearing. Knee-high tufts of grass covered the field. A path turned toward the waning sun and led to what appeared to be a small village. "Not much farther now," Edge commented.

Suddenly, something jumped out of the brush and just as quickly jumped back in.

Timon drew his sword from his belt. "D.. did you see that, Edge?"

Edge nodded. "Do you know what is was?"

Timon scratched his head in thought. "Umm... lemme think..."

The thing leapt out of the grass again, and hopped in the pair's direction. It vanished again in the tall grass.

Timon snapped his fingers. "A Rabbite!"

"A what?" Edge said in a monotone.

"It's a little yellow rabbit, kind of. There shouldn't be any around here, though."

The Rabbite suddenly leapt into view three feet from the pair. It did indeed look like a rabbit... except that is was more bulbous, like a slime.

Timon looked to Edge, "What do we do?"

Edge looked at the little creature, then grinned. "Is it really dangerous?"

"For a little kid it is, yeah! Should I whack it with this sword?"

Edge nodded. "That would seem the right thing to do."

Timon took a step toward the creature and swung a huge arc of sword at the Rabbite. Timon struch the creature a glazing blow. The Rabbite, angered at this sudden pain, leapt at Timon.

Timon cartwheeled out of the Rabbite's path, and the Rabbite landed softly on the ground.

Edge shouted. "Now, Timon! Dive at it!"

Timon spun around and lunged at the Rabbite, sword extended. Timon impaled the creature to the hilt with the rusty blade. The Rabbite wheezed, then fell.

"Way to go!" Edge congratulated Timon.

Timon smiled. "Maybe I'm good for something after all."

Maybe indeed, Edge thought.

"My Grampy's gonna kill me!" Timon said in a panicky voice.

"I doubt it very much, Timon." Edge smiled. "Besides, I'm sure I can explain to your old man what happened."

"Yeah? Well, what happens if he can't see you?"

Edge only shrugged.

Together, the pair entered the town, passing by a middle-aged man who appeared to be keeping watch. He smiled at Timon as he walked past.

"Rather late, aren't we, Timon?" the man commented.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Save it for the judge." Timon marched past the man, looking all huffy. The man noticed the sword hanging from Timon's belt, but made no comment of it.

Suddenly, two children ran over to Timon. Edge watched them approach. One child was husky, wearing a brown vest and breeches, the other tall and lanky, wearing a green outfit and a pointed hat.

"Where have YOU been, Timon?" the husky child asked in a mocking tone.

"I've been on an adventure, an' I got this sword from it!" Timon drew his rusty sword from his belt, and showed it to the pair.

"It's all rusted," the husky boy commented, "Lotta good that's gonna do. Y'should have thrown it away."

The lanky boy cut in. "Hey, Timon, did you see that light earlier today? It filled the WHOLE sky! Noone knows how it happened, either. Not even the elder... oh, right!" The boy snapped his fingers. "The Elder is looking for you. Has been all day." The boy grinned an evil grin.

"That's swell," Timon said nonchalantly, "Yeah, I saw that light... betcha it has something to do with this sword."

The two boys laughed. "Yeah, whatever. See ya tomorrow," they said, and left.

Edge shook his head. "Ignorant little bastards."

Timon nodded, "Yeah, but what can you do? I jus' ignore 'em."

Edge grinned. "If I was ALIVE, I'd show you what you could do."

Timon smiled a wide smile. "You says you have to be alive? -I- can see you. All you have to do is tell me what I do wrong!"

"Maybe later. Let's go and see this Elder."

Together, they approached the Elder's house, and entered without knocking. Inside, several people were gathered around, talking to one another in confused tones. By the fireplace on the far wall, an old man with a long, white beard sat in a rocking chair, rocking. His mouse grey robes seemed to glow in the firelight. He turned to face the door, and rose. "Ah, Timon! So nice of you to join us. Where have you been this time?" The old man frowned outwardly, but inwardly was smiling. The others in the room turned to face Timon as well, and cleared a path to his grandfather, the Elder.

Timon ran to the Elder and gave him a hug. "Oh, Grampy you should have seen it! I found a great weapon, met a king, and slayed a great beast!"

The Elder smiled and nodded. "I see... quite a busy day. And where is this great weapon that you found?" The Elder knew that Timon was a story teller, and humored him.

"Right here!" Timon again drew the rusty sword and handed it to his grandfather. Edge watched with interest directly behind Timon. The Elder's face blanched.

"Timon... w-where did you get this?"

"From a rock in the stream, why?" Timon looked confused.

Suddenly, the Elder looked up and over Timon's short body.

"And who is... where did this man come from?" The Elder gestured to Edge.

"That's Edge," Timon offered, "He's a ghost."

The people gathered in the room suddely gasped. "A ghost?!"

"Yes," Edge said, "A ghost." and smiled.

Whispers filled the room, and Edge could hear some of the things that were said... sword... monsters... Mana...

The Elder called for a hush in the room. "Timon, do you realize what you've done?"

"N-no... am I in trouble?"

"We all are!" one of the men shouted. "He's brought doom on us all!" The man fled the building.

"I-I don't understand," Timon was on the verge of tears.

"Timon, what you have brought me is called the Mana Sword. It was a talisman that protected our villages from monsters. It was placed there by a Mana Knight long ago... your removing the sword has brought monsters lurking about our town once more."

Timon fell to his knees. "I-I didn't know..." and wept.

Edge knelt down to comfort him. "It's alright, Timon... you could not have known..."

A woman called out, "I knew he was a jinx! You shouldn't have taken him in, Elder! We all warned you..."

A boy called, "So you're the one who brought all the monsters! My dad's dead because of you!"

Another man called, "You're not worth the trouble you've caused! I say kick him out of the town!"

The crowd shouted, "Yes! Get rid of him!"

The Elder took Timon by the hand and pulled him to his feet. "Timon... I'm sorry. The people are right. It would be safest for the town if you took the Mana Sword as far away as possible... do you understand?" A single tear trickled down his cheek.

Timon choked, and sniffled. "I understand, Grampy..." He looked about at the faces and leered at them. "I'm not wanted here anyway... I never was. In fact, I'll be GLAD to leave! Good-BYE!" Timon grabbed the Sword and bolted for the door.

"Timon, wait!" both the Elder and Edge called.

Suddenly, the room began to waver, lose focus.

"NO!" Edge shouted, "Not now...!"

All went black for Edge.

The vision slowly came into focus, like mist soldifying into fog. The room appeared to be quite large. The walls seemed to be made of a deep green stone. Torchlight danced off the many gems that were scattered all about the cavern floor. Two large braziers burned brightly at the far end of the corridor. A large form sat on a golden throne between the braziers. Two other creatures, similar to the first, stood to either side of the room, watching the movements of the interloper.

"W... where am I?" Edge asked.

One of the creatures spoke loudly, "You are within the royal chamber of Bahamut, King of the Dragons. Why have you come here?"

"You can see me?" Edge rose to his feet.

"KNEEL!" the other Dragon commanded, and advanced towards Edge.

"Enough!" Bahamut called. "Let the visitor approach." The Great Dragon appeared to smile.

Edge appeared to dust off his tattered clothing. "Thank you, Your Majesty." Edge bowed to the guards, who snapped to attention, and then approached Bahamut.

"Your appearance troubles me, wanderer," Bahamut began as Edge reached the foot of the throne. "I sense something is amiss in the Flow. I also sense that you are, for some reason, not alive. I have not consulted with spirits for a long time, and to have one appear before me now is quite disturbing."

"Well, Your Highness..."

"Please, Bahamut will do."

Edge nodded. "You don't recognize me, do you," he commented.

"No, sir, I do not. Why do you believe that I should?"

"Let me begin from the beginning, and then I shall answer all of your questions... or try, anyway. I have a lot of questions I'd like answered as well."

"Very well then," Bahamut shifted in his throne, "Begin."

"My name is King Edge of Eblana. I, along with four others, defeated a great evil called Zeromus a long time ago. Our world lived in peace for a long time, until an officer in an army rose to attempt to conquer the world. His name was Kefka. I'm not too clear on the exact details, for my city had been buried underground for... I'm not really sure for how long..." Edge hesitated to consider his next words.

"I have no knowledge of this Zeromus, or this Kefka," Bahamut growled. "I suspect that you are not of this time."

So, Edge thought, I must be in the past. Swell.

Edge continued. "It is my understanding that Kefka wanted to gain superior magical power from entities known as Espers. It was also said that he used the power of some statues to summon a great beam of energy which literally changed the face of my world. Another group of heroes was formed, and with the help of Espers, defeated Kefka. As a result, however, all magic died. Most of my friends are still looking for ways to revive this magic in our world."

Bahamut looked puzzled. "How do you live in a world with no magic?"

"We... well, I should say THEY, because my kingdom hasn't fully adapted to the world yet... the people of my new world have advanced in technology and use machines fused with something called Magitek for most tasks."

Bahamut nodded. "And where do I fit in all of this, then?"

"Well, one of my friends was a Caller, and you offered your services to her by defeating you in combat."

Bahamut shrugged. "A Caller? Is this a new magic I am unaware of?"

Edge fell silent. I wonder if I should be telling him all of this...

"Sir, I feel that I shouldn't tell you any more for fear of affecting the way this world works somehow..."

Bahamut nodded. "Agreed. Well, Edge, I do not know what to tell you. Currently, our world is being plagued by Four Fiends of the Elements..."

"Yes! I have defeated the Fiend of Fire in my time... Rubicant!"

"The Fiend of Fire here is known as Kary, Edge. The other Fiends are known as Lich, Kraken and Tiamat... masters of Earth, Water and Air, respectively. There is also rumour that Garland is master of these elements."

I wonder why I'm seeing this now...

"There are four heroes who are trying to stop the Fiends and restore the balance of the Elements. I have sent them on a quest to prove their courage. When they return, I intend to reward them with true heroism."

"May I stay and witness this reward, Bahamut?" Maybe it has smething to do with these Heroes...

"Of course. I would also offer you some food and lodging, but I fail to see what good that would serve you."

Edge's face drooped. "Yes... I do not know why I am a spirit, though I do know who my killer was. I believed that when a person died, that was it. No afterlife, no angels and gates... just oblivion."

"Life IS full of surprises..." Bahamut began, when a loud crash came from the opposite end of the hall. Four figures approached.

One man had a head of flaming red hair, and wore a glistening Steel plate. At his side, a violet axe hung from his belt. The man next to him had a head of brown hair, and wore a suit of leathers and a bracelet made of opal. He bore no weapons, but wore the black belt of a martial artist. A woman covered in white robes walked proudly, clutching a hammer.

The fourth man took Edge completely by surprise.

The fourth man stood about Edge's height, and was dressed entirely in crimson-coloured robes. Locks of blonde-white hair ran from under his wide-brimmed hat. At his side, a rapier hung from his belt.

Edge shouted, "Cardia!"

The four heroes appeared to ignore Edge. The heavily-armoured man stepped forth, and knelt to Bahamut.

"Bahamut, we have discovered a strange item in the Castle of Ordeal. It appears to be... a rat's tail. Could you tell us what purpose it serves?"

Bahamut rose. "The tail of a rat proves your courage. I shall now grant you the right of true heroes." Bahamut raised his hands, and an eerie glow consumed them. The glow extened to the heroes, and a startling transformation took place. The four heroes seemed to grow, mature, become stronger right before Edge's eyes. When the glow diminished, it appeared that the four heroes had indeed became true heroes. Edge then looked at each of them in turn.

The man in steel armour had developed great muscular strength. Evidently, he was a warrior... but it appeared that the magic flowed in his veins as well.

The martial artist became much faster and more hearty. His blinding speed would no doubt pummel any adversary into paste.

Edge's jaw dropped.

The white-robed woman's hood had come down, and her figure now showed through her clothing. Her auburn hair fell past her shoulders, and her dark eyes gleamed with joy.

"She... she's beautiful..." Edge whispered.

The woman turned to face Edge, confused.

Of course! Only white wizards deal with healing and life.

The red-robed man's hair now fell past his shoulders, and his stature seemed to improve. No doubt that his magic ability has increased as well, Edge thought, and frowned. I wish I could get rid of him here and now... or is that really him? The man turned to Edge as well, and seemed to grin evilly. He then turned his attention back to Bahamut.

"We thank you for your gift, O great Bahamut." The warrior bowed to Bahamut, then turned to his companions. "Now, let us enter the Volcano, and destroy Kary before she erupts!"

"W-Wait...!" Edge said, "Can any of you see me...? Can any of you help me...?"

Edge suddenly felt sick. The room began to waver and spin.

"No!" Edge shouted, before all went black.

"Hmm. Physically, there is little difference between him and yourself, Tiki. But I feel that there is something... special about him. I cannot quite place it, however."

"He doesn't look that rich. He can't be anyone important."

"That's just like you, Gobi. Always looking for a buck."

"'He who owns the gold, rules.' D'you ever hear that before, Ox?"

"Merchants."

"I'd rather be a merchant than a big muscle-head like yourself."

Edge awoke to find four strange faces staring down at him.

"Are you alright, stranger?" A massive hand was offered to Edge. As Edge took it, he looked up to see a giant Minotaur looking down at him concernedly. Then... Edge nearly fell over again.

"He still looks woozy," one of the group commented. Edge turned to face this person... she had long, flowing blue hair and dark eyes. Attractive, as well, if you ignored the fact that her lower body was that of a serpent.

The Minotaur nodded. He raised his fist above his head and chanted aloud, "Cura2!"

Motes of light surrounded Edge, danced about his body. Edge toppled over, screaming.

"W-What did you do?!" the boy shouted, surprised.

"I-I don't know..." the Minotaur looked down at his hands, confused and frightened.

The Naga slithered forth to examine Edge more closely. "By the Stars!" she said, excited. "The man is a spirit!"

Edge rose to his knees, clutching unseen wounds. "Yes...," he sputtered, "A spirit..."

"How incredibly wonderful! A spirit, sent to us to help us in our quest!" The Naga was bordering sheer euphoria with excitement now. "Tell me, O Wanderer, what is your name, and why have you been sent?"

Edge rose to his feet and shook his head. "My name is Edge... and I do not know why I am here."

The boy stepped forth from the three. He, too, had a crop of blue hair. A marmalade tattoo stood out from his forehead. Edge winced.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." the boy stepped back. "Here, let me introduce you to my band. I am called Tiki. I've been sent by the Elder of my home, ..., to stop the madness that is slowly taking over my world. They told me I'd be a hero once... I'd never have believed it until now."

The Naga slithered forth, and inclined her head. "I am Bleu, a master sorceress and all-around nice gal." She smiled, and winked at Edge.

The Minotaur spoke next. "I am called Ox. I used to run a smithy shop at my hometown of ... before my people were captured and forced to work as slaved. Tiki came and saved us all. I'm really sorry that I caused you pain. I didn't know..." Ox lowered his head.

"That's quite all right. I'm fine now." Edge grinned.

The fourth member stepped forth. Edge nearly burst out with laughter. Standing before him was a man for all purposes... except that his head was that of a large trout. "They call me Gobi," he gurgled, "and I'm a Merchant from my undersea home of ..." He stepped back, and took position behind Ox.

"Well," said Edge, "Nice to meet you all. I would ask you to tell me where I am, but I know that that is pointless. I have been appearing in various worlds for a while now, and for some reason cannot hear or understand the names of places that I hear or see."

"How utterly exciting!" Bleu nearly swooned.

Edge chuckled, then continued. "I lost my life back in a city called Thamasa to a Red Wizard called Cardia Lemieux. Does any of this sound familiar?"

Bleu shook her head. "We don't have Wizards as such here... I am a sorceress myself, and I don't identify myself by colour. My magic is mostly elemental and spatial. We have a friend, Nina, who deals with the magic of healing and defense. Gobi, be a dear and fetch her, would you?" She grinned cutely at Gobi, who nearly fell backward from the attention.

"Sure, but it will cost you... fifty golds." Gobi grinned.

Blue bore her teeth, looking mean. "Gobi, you WILL fetch Nina, NOW, or..." She raised her staff in the air, and the tip began to glow. "...you will become tasty little filets to feed my pets!" Suddenly, bolts of violet lightning showered the ground all about Gobi.

"Whaaaah!" Gobi screamed, and ran full speed toward the hamlet not far from where the group was standing.

Edge gaped. <First curing magic, now lightning magic... I can't believe it! Magic actually works here! Wait until I tell everyone... I wonder?> Edge wove his fingers and chanted, "Blitz!"

Forks of jagged electricity streaked lengthwise across the ground, leaving small motes of power in their wake. Everyone leapt into battle readiness.

"YES!" Edge leapt for joy. He looked about at the faces that regarded him with some fear. "Oh, sorry..." Edge giggled.

"HOW did you DO that?!" Bleu was almost drooling in amazement.

Edge shrugged. "My family is trained as Ninja, and, well... we just DO it. I guess only Ninja can learn this type of magic... I've always taken it for granted."

"That's a very impressive power," Tiki commented. "But can you do... this?" Tiki raied his fist and hollered a strange series of words. A single bolt of white fire rained down from the heavens, engulfing Tiki. When the flames died, there stood a massive Gold Dragon before Edge, grinning a toothy grin. Edge fell over backward, looking up at the beast.

"T... T... That's... neat... Tiki..."

"Thanks." The Dragon shrank and reformed into the boyish Tiki.

Gobi came running back with a small girl in tow. The girl was flying via small wings on her back, and was dressed in a pink dress which fluttered in the wind.

"So, THAT'S what everyone is freaking out over?" the girl pointed at Edge. "Sheesh. He's not THAT impressive, you know."

"Oh, Nina..." Tiki shook his head and smiled.

Edge flipped his two fingers from his forehead. "Hey there, cutie. Name's Edge. Glad to meet you."

"Don't cutie me, old man." Nina crossed her arms in anger.

Ox leaned over to her and whispered, "Don't let him get to you, Nina. He's only kidding around with you."

Nina whispered back, "I know... but I don't want HIM to know that." She grinned evilly. Nina then addressed the group, "So, what's so special about this fella, anyhow? Certainly not his looks..."

"I beg your pardon?" Edge snapped, "What would you know about good looks, anyway? You're barely old enough to tie your shoes!"

"WHAT?!" cried Nina, who saw that everyone was trying to hold back laughter. "You... you..."

"That's what I thought." Edge grinned and raised his fist triumphantly.

"Grr... OK, so he's a ghost. Sorry I didn't believe you, Gobi." Nina flipped Gobi a gold piece. Gobi caught it, and pocketed it.

"Nina," Tiki began, "we were wondering if you had any magic that might be able to help this man. Seems as though he's a wandering spirit. He's been lost for..." He turned to Edge for help.

"Well, I don't know how long I've been dead." Edge turned to Nina. "All I know is that some wizard fried me and I've been floating through various worlds ever since. I almost never stay long on any one world. Can you help me in any way?"

Nina thought about this. "I don't know, Edge. But I may know someone who can help."

"Great!" Edge slammed his fist in his hand. "Let's go!"

"We can't go, Edge..." Ox said. "We're on our way to some tower to get something called the Sun Key. We need that key... though I can't seem to recall why." Ox grinned, and shrugged.

"We need the key, Ox," Tiki said in a mock scolding tone, "to free the town of Bleak from its darkness."

"W-What did you say?!" Edge asked.

"I said we needed the key to free the town of Bleak..."

"BLEAK?! I heard you say Bleak! I've never been able to hear place names before...!" Edge danced a jig.

"Well then... maybe you'd better come with us. It might be important to you."

"I'd be glad to, Tiki."

"Well then, let's go!" With that, the group began walking.

<Let's hope I don't vanish before I get there...> Edge thought. **** OOC: Oh my. Aren't I just being a LITTLE silly now? And the fun never ends, either. NOW, if ANYONE is reading these... can someone direct me to the Square homepage? I'm hoping that it'll contain all the stuff I need for future chapters. Xyo, I'm still waiting on your reply letter, and Tucker... well, keep it up. :)

By sunset of the next day, the party reached the city of Bleak. They entered through the main gates and made a bee-line for the inn. The city of Bleak was known to all as a city of thieves, all except Edge. The entire city was covered in darkness. Very little light seemed to touch the streets, and the glow of lantern-light came from the windows of open houses. Barrels of pitch burned in the streets, lighting the paths for the townsfolk to follow.

"What a simply dismal place," Edge noted aloud.

"Yeah, it's not much to look at," Gobi, the Fishman replied, "but there's a lot of cash about, IF you know where to look for it." Gobi eyed the townspeople nervously as he walked past them. The townspeople smiled in return.

"Once we're at the inn, remember to lock your doors and keep your belongings in check," Tiki reminded the group.

Edge didn't seem to hear him. He was too busy watching the dark sky, devoid of stars, longing for the time he would return home...

The group passed by what appeared to be a street magician. He approached Ox the Minotaur with a large grin and an extended hand. "Good day, my large friend. You look as though you could use some guidance in your life. I, the Great Zucchini, can tell the future! And, I will tell you yours... for a small fee." With that, he winked.

Ox smiled, took the man's hand, and shook his head. "No thank you, sir. I believe that we all choose our own destiny."

Zucchini smiled. "That's too bad... but oh well." He shrugged, and returned to his stand.

"Waydigo, big fella!" Nina slapped Ox on the shoulder. Ox grinned.

Edge was lost in thought, oblivious to his surroundings <There must be something special in this city, Edge thought, and I intend to find it. Good job I don't need sleep...>

"Well, here we are." Tiki announced the group's arrival at the Inn. "Let's make this stop as short as possible. I don't like this place much."

"Me neither," Bleu added, "The stench is horrible, and this cold wind is absolutely ruining my hair." Bleu withdrew a brush from her pack and began brushing her hair as she entered the Inn. Ox and Nina giggled to each other. "My hair, my hair!" Nina mocked as they entered the Inn.

"You coming, Edge?" Tiki asked. Noone was there to hear his words, save Gobi. Gobi only shrugged.

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

Edge wandered the streets of Bleak, searching for something, anything that would help him return to life. The streets were now deserted; it was very late at 'night'. A chill wind blew dust through the streets, but Edge could feel nothing, only a desperation...

<I just don't understand.> Edge thought to himself. <What could possibly be here that could help me? All there is here is black, black, black...>

"You shouldn't wander the streets alone," a feminine voice came from behind Edge.

Edge spun around to see the concerned face of Bleu looking into his eyes. "I'm a ghost, remember? I don't think any harm will come to me. Besides, I don't want any of you getting hurt in case I do something foolish."

"Foolish," Blue echoed, "Like what?"

"How should -I- know?" Edge snapped, "I don't know where I'll go, or how I'll get there, but I'll find out how to come back to life. Then, I can stop Cardia..."

"Edge, you shouldn't worry about such things. Why can't you just live here, peacefully..."

"I'm too talented to settle down yet," Edge grinned to himself.

Bleu rolled her eyes. "I'm sure."

Silence ensued between the two.

"Edge, what I'm about to tell you... you cannot tell another living soul. Do you understand?"

Edge was taken aback. "Um... sure. I guess. Yeah, OK."

"Beyond the mountains there is a desert that can only be entered if one possesses an item called the ColdStone. I can see that our group will have to do some running around before we obtain this Stone. Within that desert, deep undergound, there lies an artifact known as Mirror's Gate. It is said that the Gate is a portal between the realms of Life and Death."

Edge nodded. "So?"

"So, if you were to walk through that Gate, your material body would be returned to you!"

Edge blinked. "Really?"

Bleu smiled sweetly. "Yes."

"So why all the secrecy?"

"Well, there is rumour that the portal can also be used to summon evil spirits from the grave, spirits so strong they could drain the entire world of life! I can think of a few people who would like to get their hands on it..."

"If it's so secret, then how do you know about it?"

"I'm over two thousand years old."

"So am I. Guess we age well."

"Guess so."

Silence.

"Edge, if you decided to come back here... would you come and see us? I mean... me?" Bleu looked at Edge pleadingly.

Edge beamed. "Of course I would! Why wouldn't I? We're all friends, right?"

Bleu nodded. "Yes, friends."

A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, and a heavy rain began to fall.

"You'd better get inside before you catch cold," Edge told Bleu.

"I'm a big girl, Edge, I can take care of myself."

Suddenly, Edge dropped to his knees, gasping.

"Edge!" Bleu shouted over the sudden storm. "What's wrong?"

Edge moaned in pain. "I don't know... I feel like... I'm being... pulled apart...!"

"Oh my Stars! What do I do?"

"N.. Nothing you can... do..." Edge's form began to flicker.

"Edge! You're fading!"

Panic filled Edge's eyes. "NO! Not now...! I don't..."

Edge's form disintegrated into particles and was gone, leaving a shocked Bleu standing in his wake.

"... Dark Side..." echoed the soul of the undead creature.

"Well done, Lich. Bring him forth."

Edge's world of clouded mist slowly coalesced...

Edge stood before a large construct made of an orange rock. It appeared to have a large square as its base, and increasingly smaller squares formed each story of the construct. A long, jagged stairway led up the side of the colossal building. In fact, there were four such stairways, one on each of the construct's four sides.

The construct appeared to be in a grassy clearing in the middle of a thick forest of trees. The trees here were different than the ones Edge has seen back home. These tress had long, slender stems with oblong leaves. Colorful fruit grew from these trees, and as Edge looked on them, he longed to be able to eat once more. A blistering sun bore down on the jungle, causing visible waves of heat to rise from the rocky ground. Animal sounds could be heard from all around.

"Interesting," Edge spoke aloud. "I've never seen such architecture before. I expect I'll have to explore it if I'm to decipher the reason for my being here. Hero work is never done." Edge walked toward the huge construct and began to climb the stairs.

"This is getting rather tedious. Oh, yes, it used to be exciting," Edge rambled, "But not anymore. Now it's just same old, same old. I'd probably die from boredom, if I wasn't already dead."

Edge reached the top of the construct, and looked out over the dense jungle. Trees fanned out as far as the eye could see. A thin column of smoke climbed skyward a great distance away. Strange birds flew about, having large pointed heads and greyish-brown in color. Their wingspan was incredibly long.

"Welcome," a feminine voice said dryly.

Edge spun around to face the speaker.

A woman stood in the center of the square floor behind what appeared to be an altar, stained with blood and broken in spots. She bore long trusses of raven-black hair and eyes that seemed to sparkle and dance. Her lush, full lips poted enticingly at Edge. Her perfect female form stood bare to Edge, save for a two-piece loincloth which was blacker than the moonlit night. Edge nearly fell over backward with lust.

"Greetings, Traveller." Her voice seemed to flow from her mouth like music.

"Um... uh... hi..." Edge stammered.

The woman smiled sweetly. "I am she known as Xyo, Queen of all you see before you."

Edge bowed, but could not avert his gaze. "I am he known as Edge, King of Eblan and Ninja of Light." Edge smiled proudly.

"A king, is it? I am in need of a king. It is not easy to regulate the good and the evil of this place. Serve along with me, King Edge, and I will grant you all that you ask."

Edge couldn't believe it. Here was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen (other than Rydia) offering him half of an entire world. How could he possibly refuse?

Xyo couldn't believe it. She could sense that he would be willing to serve her, for little payment as well. She could also sense the power of Magic within him, Magic that she was trying to perfect... Magic that she thirsted for.

"I do not understand, Queen Xyo. Why do you choose me over all others?"

"You are of royal blood. You are very strong and the Magic flows in you like a river. You are also my only hope of forever balancing the good and evil in this world. I implore you," with this, she swayed over to Edge, looking pathetic and incredibly sexy in doing so, "rule by my side!" Xyo dropped to her knees, her hair falling to one side.

"I... I..."

"PLEASE!"

"I cannot, Xyo. I am but a spirit. I am not long for this realm. I will probably vanish to explore a new realm shortly. There is nothing I can do to prevent it."

"NO!" Xyo welled into tears. "NO, this cannot be! Edge, please, don't say that it is so..."

"Xyo, please. Don't make this harder than it is." Edge knelt down to put an arm around her, make her at ease. It was then that a smile flashed across Xyo's face.

"SPIRITWRACK!" Xyo called, pointing a finger at Edge's chest. A violet ball of crackling energy flew from her fingertip, striking Edge in the chest. His spirit form fell back as the energy danced all about him. He yelled in agony as the energy coarsed its way through him.

"You have great power, Edge, but your greatest weakness is your ego. You will give me your power now, or I will destroy you!" She turned to her slave, covered head to toe in black and crimson robes. "Why must heroes always make things so difficult?"

"They are strong-willed and stubborn..."

"... stubborn ..." came the echo.

Edge writed on the ground in agony. "STOP! Why must you do this?!"

Xyo lowered her hand, and the forks of energy ceased. Edge rose to one knee and looked up at Xyo.

"It is very simple, Edge. I needed your cooperation so that I could rob you of your strength and use it to my own end... to become a Goddess!" Xyo grinned, and let that sink it.

"Now," she continued, "you have resisted me, and now I must take your strength by force."

"I see. But won't you destroy me if you continue this Spiritwrack of yours? That would hardly seem sensible."

"I will not destroy you; I will simply force your spirit fully into the realm of the Dead. There, my servant will claim you, return you here. You will have lost all conscious thought, and become a puppet. I will drain your strength, you will cease to exist, and I will become a Goddess for my efforts!" Xyo laughed evilly.

<Ack, she's got me there,> Edge thought, <Gotta think of something...>

"Why don't you just bring all the spirits into this realm? It would save you much trouble in fishing for them."

"That, Edge, is not the best answer. I have carefully considered that option, and it is not a viable one. No, the way I have chosen is far better than what you propose."

"Oh? I see. I knew there was limitation on your power. And you said -I- have an ego..."

"Flippant dog!" Xyo threw another volley of Spiritwrack at Edge, who collaped to the ground, wriggling all about in pain. Several seconds later, she released the spell. "I am capable of everything!"

<Hoo boy, is this gonna be a gamble...>

"Spare me, and I will tell you of a gate that links the realms of Life and Death!"

Xyo raised an eyebrow, curious. "There is no such gate."

Edge grinned, and slowly stood. "Ah, but if you were all- powerful, you would know of this gate."

Xyo raised her hands to cast, then lowered them. "How do you know of this gate?"

"A sorceress once told me of this gate in the hopes that I could become mortal and be with her. She told me to swear to never tell anyone of this gate, for if evil hands came across it, it is possible to destroy the world with its power."

"You're lying. I can see that you are." Xyo frowned. Could this be true? Could there actually be a link to the realm of Death? I would no longer need Lich to do my errands. I could do away with him and rule supreme...

"I give you my word that such a gate exists." Edge grinned.

Heroes' words are always trustworthy... Xyo looked confused, not sure what to think.

"I would take you to this gate myself, but I cannot reach it from the realm of Life. And I cannot return to the realm of Death for reasons beyond my knowledge."

Oh, a legion of undead warriors to wean the life from this miserable planet... "Edge, why do you tell me this?"

"It's simple, luv. I no longer wish to wander the world as a spirit. You obviously have enough power to return a corporeal body to me. Do this for me, and I shall do this favour for you. Call it an even trade."

Xyo considered this. If I reurned life to him and betrayed me somehow, my minions could easily dispose of him. Nothing is lost. Merely gain. Glorious and wonderful gain...

"Very well, Edge. I will grant you Life in exchange for knowledge of the location of this gate. Are we agreed? Do I have your word?"

"You have it." Edge grinned in triumph.

Xyo turned to Lich. "Perform the rite."

Lich began to trace his fingers in the air, drawing symbols and sigils that flared brightly, first red, then blue. As the siglia joined, Lich began to dance and chant in a wispy voice, turning all about and tracing a path for the siglia, much like writing a sentence on a wall. At the crescendo, Lich appeared to literally throw a pair of siglia at Edge's spirit form. The sigli struck him full in the chest, and Edge was engulfed in a white fire.

When the flames died, Edge fell to the ground and landed with a solid thump.

"It is done," Xyo said in a monotone.

Edge rose to his feet, and found that he needed his legs to support his weight. He was whole again! Whole, alive...

"WA-HOO!" Edge backflipped for joy, then did some acrobatics all about the floor. "Everybody needs some body and I have one now! Wu-haha!"

Xyo watched Edge with impatience. "Now, your part of the bargain. Tell me the location of the gate."

Edge smiled. "Sure, no problem. It's under the Tower of Dawn in the great desert. You'll need a Coldstone to get there, though. It's devilishly warm."

Xyo snarled. "Tower of Dawn? TOWER OF DAWN?! There is no such place! Deceiver! Heroes never go back on their word!"

Edge laughed. "That's right, we don't, and I didn't. The gate IS under the Tower of Dawn. Good job this is the wrong world." Edge danced a jig, having outsmarted a near-Goddess.

"WHAT?!" Xyo was livid. "From the Netherworld, I summon the Reaper! Rip his soul from his chest!"

A swirling black gate appeared before Xyo, slightly larger than a man. Floating forth from its gloom, the Grim Reaper appeared. It glanced down at Edge, death radiating from its eyeless sockets. "Your soul is mine, mortal. Join me in the realm of Death!"

Edge looked up at the hovering spectre. <Noone can defeat Death... and I am weaponless. Oh well, here's hoping...>

Edge wove his fingers and shouted, "FLAME!"

Tendrils of flame shot from Edge's outstretched fingers, slamming into the spectre's chest. Its robes caught afire and it seemed to moan from within.

Xyo gaped. "Impossible!"

"Nothing's impossible when you're as awesome as I am." Edge whipped out a pair of sunglasses from nowhere and, sliding them on his face, crossed his arms triumphantly.

The Reaper shuddered, and raised his scythe to strike. "You cannot defeat me, peasant. Surrender now."

"I don't think so." Edge wove his fingers and chanted, "IMAGE!" Edge's form flickered and split into three shimmering duplicates of the crafty Ninja.

Reaper's scythe swung down at the point where Edge was standing. Its blade passed harmlessly through one of Edge's images which flicked out of existence.

Edge laughed. "Having trouble, Reaper? Can't say I blame you. Mama always said I was a handful." Edge wove his fingers once more and chanted, "FLAME!" The blaze hammered into the spectre once more, disintegrating its robes. A blackened skeleton hovered before Edge, scythe in hand.

"I do not... perish..." The spectre moaned, and chanted its own magic. Xyo, not wanting Edge to be victorious, began to chant as well. Lich was busy working his own magic, probably to restore the spectre to full strength.

<This doesn't look good... time for my exit...>

Edge weaved his fingers and chanted, "SMOKE!"

Clouds of thick grey smoke billowed over the four atop the great temple, and Edge took his opportunity to flee down the stairs.

"I can still sense you, mortal!" The Reaper called, and chanted, "DESOUL!" A sickly grey ball that seemed to pulsate and glow from within chased after Edge. "You cannot defeat this magic, Ninja! You are finished!"

<Oh, man... I can feel that thing bearing down on me...> Edge thought as he tore down the stairs, sweating. <I guess this is it, after all...>

Tiny motes of golden light surrounded Edge, growing larger, encompassing his body. The motes grew in intensity until they become one great sparkle of light. The mote then vanished, taking Edge along with it.

"NOOOOO!" Xyo screamed, pounding the pavement in anger. "No one can escape Death! NO ONE!"

<Yeah?> thought Edge, <Well, I'm a hero. Heroes always win.>

"A small task for one such as myself."

Edge stood before a large pyramid, similar in construction to the temple from which he had been whisked away. This, however, was much smaller. The tiers of the pyramid seemed to glow as pulses of blue light ran across them. Strangely, a large brown object sat atop the whole construct with stairs leading to it.

Standing before Edge stood two figures.

The taller of the two was a femaled dressed entirely in white robes. Her blueberry hair bore a tiara made of silver and crystal earrings shone from beneath her long locks.

The shorter of the two was Timon.

"Edge, you're alive!" Timon ran over to Edge and hugged his legs, then jumped back. A look of amazement crossed his face. "And I can touch you! Does that mean that you're alive again?"

"Sure does, big fella." Edge grinned.

The woman harumphed, wanting attention.

Edge turned to face the woman. "Heh, sorry." Edge's face twisted to seriousness. "Greetings, fairest maiden." Edge did a lavish and exaggerated flourish. "I am King Edge Eblana, Ninja of Light, Saviour of Earth. To whom might I have the pleasure of speaking to?"

The woman curtsied. "I am she known as Luka, your Highness. I am the keeper of the Water Palace, and guardian of the Mana Seed which you see before you. It was I who summoned you here."

Edge straightened. "I thank you for your timely summons, for I was in gravest peril... can we skip the formalities, Luka? I'm getting tired of all this suck-up speech."

Luka nodded. "Sure."

"Good. As I was saying, I was to a strange world and met a queen called Xyo, who wanted to become a Goddess. She had a companion as well... but I seem to forget his name. She had used magic to call the Grim Reaper to chase me down, 'cause I didn't want to be her King, hot as she was..."

"Edge, you're babbling." Luka shook a finger at him. "Just get on with it." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms impatiently.

"Fine. I conned her into giving me a body and she called Death to take my soul away. Happy?"

"Yes, that's much better." Luka smiled.

Timon just stood there in awe of Edge's tale, mesmerized.

"So, why DID you send for me?" Edge asked.

"Timon was concerned about you. I tried to tell him that I cannot summon spirits, only living creatures. Such is the way of Water. He pushed me and pushed me until I gave in. When I called out to your being, you had a corporeal body, much to my surprise. It was then very simple to bring you here."

"Hey that's great. Glad you were thinkin' of me, big fella." Edge ruffled Timon's hair.

"I figured that if ghosts were talkin' to me, it must be pretty important. When you took off, I didn't know what to do. So, I ran about the forest for a while... I ran into a knight, I guess... his name was Jema. He told me to come here. When I did, he told me to go to a place called Gaia's Navel and look for dwarves..."

"Dwarves!" Edge said excitedly. "I know the king of Dwarves from my own world... heh."

Timon eyed Edge suspisciosuly. "You gonna let me tell my story or what?"

Edge smiled. "Go ahead, I'm not stoppiong you." Edge leaned against a marble column as Timon continued.

"... Anyway, there's supposed to be a dwarf that can clean up this sword... and I'm supposed to find another dwarf that can forge weapons. I was just on my way when I realized that I'd have to do it alone, and since you were my only friend... well, I bugged Luka to find you, and she did!"

Luka looked Edge up and down. "He doesn't look like too much, Timon. You sure you want him around?"

"HEY!" Edge snapped to attention. "I'm a HERO, you know."

"Yeah? Well, you don't look it." Luka gestured to Edge.

Edge looked down at himself. He found himself to be wearing little more than scraps of his former outfit. Worse, he was not wearing a mask. Worse still, he was barefoot and lacked any weapons.

"Hmm... yeah, I see what you mean. Timon, before I come along with ya, I'm gonna need some clothes. D'you know what a ninja desses like?"

Timon nodded. "Before Jema left, I asked him what a ninja was. He gave me this." Timon pulled a book from his backpack, and handed it to Edge. Edge read the cover aloud, "Ninja: The Secret of Eblan's Shadow Warriors." Edge gawked at the cover while his jaw fell to the floor.

"W-Where did you get this again?" Edge asked, stammering.

"From the knight, Jema. He said I'd see him again. Maybe you should stick around and see where he got it."

"You got THAT right, kid." Edge tossed the book to Luka. "Here, educate yourself about REAL heroes." He winked at her.

Luka caught the book and nearly heaved it back at Edge; instead, she shoved it back in his direction. "Keep it. It might be important to Timon's quest."

Luka turned to Timon. "Oh, and that's not all I have for you, Timon. There's more. Take this Spear which was left by the Mana Knight of long ago. Like your sword, it also draws power from the Mana Seeds." Luka handed the Spear to Timon.

Luka continued. "There must be other Mana Weapons spread throughout the world. Look for them!"

Timon looked at Luka, worried. "Is that all? Does this mean I have to go now? I still don't think I'm up to this."

"Don't worry about a thing," Edge said, "With my talents, you shouldn't have to worry about a thing."

Luka raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Tell me, then, HERO, what talents might those be?"

"Let's see... I'm an excellent two-handed style fighter, I can hurl weapons at monsters for wicked damage, and my magic can wipe out anything that's still standing." Edge flexed for show.

"Y... You can use magic?" Luka looked impressed, something she rarely did.

"Yeppers. Wanna see?" Edge beamed.

"No, no need to waste your powers for my benefit..."

"You don't believe me, do you! Well, watch... this is a Water Palace, right?"

Luka nodded.

Ege grinned evilly. Weaving his fingers, he pointed his hand at the pools of water which covered the floor of most of the lower levels, and chanted, "FLOOD!"

The waters rose to the highest level of the Palace and swept waist- high across the top floor, knocking Timon over and pinning Luka to the stairs leading to the Mana Seed.

"You IDIOT! You could have killed us both!" Luka sputtered.

"Probably not... it wasn't even that big a wave."

"Here, Timon..." Timon, after regaining his feet, staggered over to Luka. "I'll restore you." Timon raised his fist and Luka chanted softly, restoring Timon to full health.

"Hey, you know magic too! Sure wish -I- knew how to cure people... it would really make Timon's journey easier..."

Luka frowned, and crossed her arms, pondering. "Well, I may be able to help you, Edge... but only if you promise to use your powers to help Timon and his friends ONLY."

"Hey, I wouldn't have it any other way." Edge grinned, and put a friendly arm around Timon. "Timon and I are good buddies, right?"

"Yeah, right." Timon smiled slightly, still not over the Water magic that Edge threw him about with.

"Very well, then." Luka sighed. From the folds of her robes, she withdrew a shiny necklace that appeared to be made of silver. She leaned over to Edge and fastened it about his neck. Hanging from the necklace was what appeared to be a Naga.

"Hey, this looks like someone I know..." Edge began.

Luka cut him off. "This, Edge, is one of the Talismans of Mana. There are rumoured to be only seven in existence. This Talisman calls forth the powers of Undine, the element of Water and Healing. With this, the trip should be much easier for the two of you. Use it often, for the magic it grants grows stronger with use. And for Mana's sake, DON'T LOSE IT!"

Edge fingered the Talisman with interest. "Don't worry about it, darlin'. It's in good hands. How does it work?"

Luka sighed. "You'll figure it out, you're a hero, remember? Now go to Gaia's Navel. Timon, take care."

Timon frowned. "Hey, wait a minute, why don't I get a Talisman?"

Luka smiled at Timon. "Timon, you have the Mana Sword. When it reaches full power, it will be stronger than any known magic."

Timon proudly held the Mana Sword over his head and grinned. "Man, will that EVER be awesome!"

"How does it feel to be a hero, kid?" Edge patted Timon on the shoulder.

"Pretty neat, so far. OK, we're all ready... except for your stuff, Edge. Let's get you some new clothes, and a mask... and hey, you can use this Spear until you find your Ninja swords." Timon handed the Spear to Edge. Edge hefted it in one hand, testing its weight.

"Thanks, Timon. Guess you've been reading up on me." Edge scanned the cover once more, then put the Ninja Book in his own pack.

"Sure have. Maybe I'll be a Ninja someday."

"Heh, I'll show you some neat stuff on the way to that Navel."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Edge smiled, and the pair left the Water Palace in search of new clothes for Edge, Gaia's Navel, and great adventure.

Gaia's Navel was a beautiful sight to behold. The legends told that this very spot was the centre of the whole world. A large mountain loomed before the pair. Waterfalls sparkled in the sunlight and could be seen all over the mountainside. The mountain itself was not steep; rather, it appeared to have many tiers from which the waterfalls sprung. Eager to reach the top, the pair began to climb immediately upon their arrival.

The climb took them the greater part of the afternoon and, tired from a hard day's combat, the pair made camp under a large, lush apple tree. Not too far off lay a clear, refreshing pool of water. Pink flowers grew all about, adding a wonderful perfume to the whole area. Edge had not seen such a beautiful place in a long time. It took more than the trees and flowers to impress Timon, however.

"Do we HAVE to stop now, Edge? We're so close to the top!" Timon pouted and paced back and forth across the glade, kicking small stones with youthful impatience.

"Tired warriors are soon dead ones, Timon." Edge sat upon a rock and polished his Spear, one of the weapons of Mana. "Besides, I kinda like it here, don't you? We can see almost everything from here!" Edge gestured to the countryside, which indeed was a sight to see.

"Well, I s'pose." Timon threw his bedroll onto the ground and unrolled it. "But I still don't see why we couldn't bring a tent."

Edge grinned. "Aw, c'mon, only SISSIES sleep in a tent. REAL heroes sleep under the stars. That way, if anything tries to sneak up on us, we can act more quickly that if we were zipped up in a tent."

Timon sighed, and sat cross-legged on his bedroll. "Yeah, I guess. I didn't know that bein' a hero was such hard work! And there's so much to remember! Thrusts, parries, dodges, spins... are you SURE I have to know all this, Edge?"

Edge stared up at the sky. A bright silver moon bathed the glade in its eerie light. "Yep. It might seem like work now, but once you're used to it, it's a snap."

Timon stood up, walked over to Edge, and looked up at the sky beside him. "What'cha lookin' at?" he asked.

"Oh," Edge said, distractedly, "Your Moon. Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's nice." Silence fell between the two for a few moments. As an afterthought, Timon added, "You miss them, don't you?"

Edge turned to face the young warrior. "Who?"

"All your other friends. Whenever I get lonely, I go to a special place and sit there, doin' what you're doin' now... lookin' up at the sky and wishin' that I wasn't so alone..." Timon's face drooped slightly.

"Yeah, you're right. I do miss them."

"Tell me about them?" Timon asked, returning to his bedroll.

"Sure." Edge smiled and, stoking the campfire, began to tell the tale of himself and his adventures with Cecil, Kain, Rosa and especially Rydia. As the night rolled on, Timon drifted to sleep. Edge looked up at the moon and, curling up in his own bedroll, said, "Good night, my friends... wherever you are..." Edge, too, was soon fast asleep.

Morning. A light dew covered the ground and the trees all about. As Edge and Timon stirred, a young deer could be seen drinking from the pond. Edge motioned for Timon to be silent. The deer turned to face Timon. It seemed to stare him right in the eyes, holding its gaze for several long seconds. The young deer then nodded, turned and bounded down the hill.

Timon shivered. "T-That was cool."

Edge stretched. "Yeah, most animals are very sensitive to humans. Guess there's something special about you after all." Edge restarted the campfire, then walked over to the pond. Timon checked the fire, then ran after Edge.

Reaching the pond, Edge withdrew a makeshift fishing rod made from the Spear and some twine. Looking around, Edge muttered, "... bait, bait..."

Timon rached into the pocket on the front of his Overalls and handed a large worm to Edge. "Here y'go. I found it last night... had a hard time sleepin'. Fish around here love nightcrawlers."

"Hey, thanks, big fella." Edge punched Timon jokingly on the shoulder. "We'll make a warrior of you yet." Edge baited his line, then cast it into the pool. Edge managed to catch several fish. Bringing them back to the campfire, Edge instructed Timon on how to clean and cook them. Timon did so with great delight, making a mess of himself as he spilled fish parts on himself. When the two finished their breakfast, they continued up the mountain.

By noon, they reached the top.

A great pool of water covered the top of the mountain. A hollow could be seen in the centre of the pool, carved into the rock on the tip of the mountain.

"There it is!" Timon said excitedly, "The entrance to the Land of the Dwarves!" Timon ran into the pool, which was waist-deep to him, and waded to the cave. Edge ran after him, calling, "Hey, you wild and crazy kid, wait up! Don't make me have to hurt you!" Edge shook a fist in the air, laughing all the while.

The pair entered the cave. Large, stone passageways led deep into the heart of the mountain. Natural springs ran the length of most of the passageways. On occasion, limesone, coal and even small specks of gems could be seen lining the walls. Timon managed to involve himself and Edge in several minor skirmishes with Cave Bats. For the most part, they were victorious, but one Bat managed to sink its teeth into Timon's shoulder. Timon suddenly grew pale and sank to his knees. Edge leapt over Timon's form and skewered the Bat, slaying it. Edge then knelt to examine Timon's wounds.

"Timon, what's wrong?" Edge asked concernedly.

"I-I don't feel so well... dizzy... hot..." Timon fell over on his side, unconscious.

"Poison!" Edge said aloud. "Gotta find an antidote... quick!" Edge stood and began running about the cavern, looking for something that might cure Timon. "Argh! Where's yellow mold when you need it?! It always grows in places like this...!"

Edge suddenly felt a throbbing from under his tunic.

"What?" Edge reached into his tunic and withdrew the Talisman of Mana, Undine. It glowed faintly, seeming to be alive. A voice called to Edge, seemingly from far away, but so close... <Use my power, Edge...!>

Edge eyed the Talisman suspiciously. "I'm not sure how!"

<Concentrate on what it is you need, and I will grant you magic to obtain it! Quickly! I sense loss of life nearby!>

Edge concentrated, gripping the Talisman tightly. "I need a cure for the poison in Timon's body!"

The Talisman thrummed with power. Edge raised his hand into the air and chanted, "REMEDY!"

A circular aura of light surrounded Timon's unconscious form. Bright stars of light rose into the air and surrounded him. When the light vanished, Timon rose. "Hey, I'm all better... ouch!" Timon rubbed the place where the Bat had bitten him. "Well, not ALL better..." Timon frowned.

Edge glared ay the Talisman. "Can you heal wounds, too?"

The Talisman thrummed.

Edge rose his fist in the air and chanted, "CURE WATER!"

A large droplet of water drooped from the cavern ceiling and fell upon Timon. The bite wound quickly closed, scarred and healed itself almost instantly.

"That was AWESOME, Edge! Thanks!"

Edge grinned. "Glad I could help! Thanks to YOU, Undine..." Edge said to the Talisman, then looked up, "And you too, Luka."

Restored, the companions continued their descent into the great mountain.

The cavern was immense. Jagged stalagmites littered the cavern floor. The air was hot and humid. Small pools of lava could be seen breaking the surface. The only light within the cavern was the soft, eerie glow of the molten stone. Edge's eyes adjusted to the semi-light, while Timon could be heard complaining about how dull everything looked. Suddenly, a voice came from the darkness.

"Welcome!"

"Lali-ho!" Edge said happily.

"Lali what?" came the reply.

"Who is it, Edge?" Timon said from a short distance away.

"Would you happen to have a light, dwarf?" Edge asked.

"Why, of course." The dwarf turned and called to the city, "PHOSPHOROUS MAJOR!"

The entire cavern became lit as though by sunlight. Edge and Timon shielded their eyes from the sudden brightness. When their eyes adjusted, a grinning Dwarf could be seen standing before the city.

Much like the mountain from which it was built, the Land of the Dwarves was multi-levelled. The building were carved from the living rock, and shone slightly from the natural minerals contained within. The walls radiated a bright glow, which was most definitely the work of magic... or, in this world's case, Mana.

Timon looked about at the spectacle, amazed. "This is awesome!" Turning to the dwarf, he added, "You Dwarves made this all yourselves?"

"That is right, young one." The dwarf that Timon addressed stood only three and a half feet tall. He was wearing a suit of plate mail which glistened as though it had been polished for weeks. A great helm made of the same strange metal sat lopsided atop the dwarf's head, and a great mining pick rested atop his shoulders. "We Dwarves have inhabited Gaia's Navel for an eternity. This is our home." The Dwarf gestured to the city.

Edge said, "We are looking for a smith, Dwarf..."

"Osgard."

"Pardon?"

"Osgard. That is my name. Not 'Dwarf'." Osgard stroked his long white beard.

Edge smiled. "Of course. Osgard, we are looking for a weaponsmith. This young boy is the keeper of the Mana Sword, and we need to find a way to release its power."

Osgard's eyes opened wide. "THE Mana Sword? Impossible. Only the Mana Knight could have removed it from its resting place."

"I AM a Mana Knight!" Timon said, insulted. "Or at least, I will be, once I grow up..."

Edge nodded. "We speak the truth, Osgard."

Timon continued. "My Grampy told me that monsters have been lurking about my home because I took the Mana Sword. They told me to leave. Edge and I made it to the Water Palace, where Luka said that Mana is growing weaker, and since I got the Sword, I gotta seal all the Mana Seeds. Then the Sword'll wake up and save the world... neat story, huh?" Timon beamed proudly and flexed.

Osgard frowned. "Can it truly be so? Then noone is safe. Quickly then, young one, go up there," Osgard pointed to a cave, "and tell Watts your story. He should be able to help you."

"Thanks." Timon took Osgard's hand and shook it. He then turned to Edge. "C'mon, Edge... I got a world to save!" Timon ran to a set of stairs.

Edge shook his head, smiling. "Impulsive... I like that. Kinda reminds me of me." Edge jogged up the stairs after Timon.

Timon tore past several Dwarves, who only looked at him slightly, and ran into the cave which Osgard had pointed out. Edge apologized as he nearly bowled one of the Dwarves over, hopping over him like a tree stump, and continued on his way to the smithy.

The cavern was a good size, and contained a lava pool, obviously used for smelting the metal used for weapons and armour. A Dwarf stood in front of the pool, working har don some project. Timon burst in behind and yelled, "Hey, Watts!" just before Edge had a chance to stop him. Startled, Watts dropped whatever it was he was working on into the lava pool. It sank out of sight. Irritated, Watts turned to the interloppers.

"I HOPE that wahtever it is you want, it's VERY important." Watts grumbled. "I was working on that piece for a week!"

"Oh, I assure you, good sir, that saving the world is much more important than that piece of scrap." Edge grinned, and leaned up against the cavern wall.

Watts raised an eyebrow, curious. "Save the world?"

Timon handed the Mana Sword to Watts. "Can you clean this Sword for me? It's very important."

Watts grumbled, "Well, thanks to you, I have nothing better to do with my time. But it'll cost you... one hundred gold pieces." Watts stood with his hands on his hips.

Edge withdrew a small pouch of coins and tossed it nonchalantly to Watts, who caught it two-handed. "There y'are, old man. One hundred golds. And do hurry," Edge added haughtily, "We're in a rush."

"Work, work, work, that's all I do... I don't NEED to take this abuse, you know..." Watts growled as he turned to the lava pool, Sword in a pair of tongs. Watts dipped the sword into the pool several times, each time pulling it out and dousing it in a tub of water. When he was done, he handed the Sword back to Timon. "There y'are, young one. Now get out of here... I have to start my project all over again." Watts took a new piece of white metal from a shelf and placed it on his anvil. When he picked up his hammer, it began to glow.

Watts stared at his hammer... "What... how?"

Timon grinned knowingly. "That's easy. You just cleaned up the Mana Sword for me!"

Watts stared at his hammer, amazed. "Really? That's great! That is just the stuff I need to make my next weapon! Heh... I'm gonna start on that axe I've always wanted... come back later!" Watts began running all about his room, setting up things he would need for his project. As Edge and Timon stared at each other, a small vase sailed over Edge's head and shattered, spraying him with debris and soil. "Go on... scoot!" Watts said imploringly. Edge and Timon darted out of the room, and a door slammed shut behind them.

Edge and Timon looked at each other and shrugged. "I didn't know Dwarves were so tempermental," Timon commented.

"Yeah, they're usually quite friendly where I come from... why don't we see what else there is to see while we're waiting?" Edge continued up the city levels. Reaching the top, he waved Timon on. "Well, don't just stand there with your jaw on the ground, c'mon!"

Timon was lost in amazement at the beauty of the city. "You go on ahead, Edge... I'll be up in a minute."

"Hey, this is YOUR quest, y'know!" Edge called.

"Fine, fine, hold your horses," Timon called back, and jogged the rest of the way to the top of the city.

Edge and Timon stood before a large cavern, gilded in gold and gems. They entered, only to see a single Dwarf standing behind a counter. He flashed a toothy grin at the pair and said, "Hey, you two here to see the show?"

Timon looked to Edge. "Hey, yeah! That should pass the time nicely! Let's go and watch!"

Edge shrugged. "Sure, how much?"

The Dwarf smiled. "Fifty golds, please."

Edge paid the Dwarf, and Timon ran ahead to find some good seats. However, there were no seats to be seen... just a large throw rug. The stage itself was carved from stone, and had torches for floodlights all along its front. The Dwarf from the entrance entered from behind a curtain, and orated, "Welcome to the greatest show under the Earth! Strange and wonderful things from far away to please your eyes and tickle your taste for adventure! First..."

A small yellow Rabite hopped on stage, followed by a Dwarf.

"Here we have a Rabite and a Man... here's Rabiteman!"

Edge and Timon looked at each other, each with an eyebrow raised. Shrugging, they continued to watch the show.

"And now..."

Stepping on stage was a young human girl, dressed in clothes similar to those worn in the desert.

"A young girl, lost and stranded in the Great Desert! Poor woman... doesn't know where she's from or why she's here... tragic, is it not?"

The girl fell to her knees, sobbing. "Won't you help me find my way home?"

The Dwarf continued. "We're working on hiring a Sage who might be able to tell her where she's from. Unfortunately, the man we have found is going to cost us 50,000 gold pieces! She's here, working in this show to raise the money! Won't you help our cause? Even 100 gold pieces would help her find her way..."

Timon turned to Edge. "She's awfully cute... why don't we ask her to come with us? I imagine we'll have to walk all over the world to find the Seeds... surely we'd fine SOMEONE who knew who she was..."

Edge stood. "I like her... a lot." Rubbing his hands, he continued, "I would like for her to stop by my bedchamber this evening for... entertainment. Would you accept... 5000 gold pieces?" Edge leered at the girl, giving her a wink.

"WHAT?!" The girl spat. "I HAPPEN to be ROYALTY! NOT some tavern FLOOSY!!" Lunging, the girl leapt from the stage and extended a drop kick Edge's way. Edge caught her and dropped her not so gently to the ground.

"HA!" Edge snapped his finger, "I knew it!"

"W... What's going on?" Timon said, confused.

"She was trying to get all our money, Timon, God knows why."

"Hmph!" The girl said, rising to her feet. "It would have worked, too... I saw the way he was looking at me." She turned away, arms crossed.

"WHAT!" Timon jumped to his feet. "Was NOT!"

"DON'T tell me that..." the girl said sarcastically.

The Dwarf sighed. "OK, you caught us. Here's your money back." The Dwarf gave a small pouch of coins to Edge. "No harm meant, of course."

"Of course," Edge rolled his eyes. "Come, Timon... we've more important things to deal with than... tavern floosies." Edge giggled.

"Take that BACK!" the girl called, but Edge and Timon were already out the door, laughing hysterically.

When they were safely outside some distance away, the pair paused to catch their breath.

"Hee hah, did you catch the look on her FACE?" Timon laughed.

"Whoo... I haven't had this much fun in a LONG time..." Edge wiped a tear from his eye.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake and quiver, throwing the heroes to the ground.

"W-Wha...?" Timon said, grasping a stalagmite for support.

Several Dwarves could be heard, shouting, "EARTHQUAKE!"

Timon slumped beside a house and shouted, "What's an epicenter?" to Edge. Edge shouted in return, "It's where the most shakin' is going on! It is also the source of the quake!"

The cavern floor ripped itself open, pouring lava and ash into the city. Luckily, noone lived on the bottom floor. However, the lava was rising... and fast.

The Dwarves suddenly stopped running all about to look at the newer and more threatening problem. "The lava has broke! It's only a matter of time now before we're all swallowed whole!" one of them shouted.

As quickly as it had began, it was over...

The lava rose several feet, but did not break the surface of the second floor of the city. The quake had stopped... all seemed quiet. The Dwarves raised a cheer, thankful that their city had not been destroyed. Edge and Timon joined in the cheer; they were thankful THEY had not been destroyed.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" Edge said happily.

From the centre of the laval bed, a large pillar of lava rose and grew until it reached the top floor of the city. It then shifted, took shape. It appeared to grow arms, a head, a face... wings. Suddenly, the huge mass dropped back into the lava pool, leaving a hideous demon in its wake, leering at the Dwarves.

The demon appeared to be insectoid in nature. Upon its back, it sported four slender wings. Its massive arms resembled pincers. Its ugly, bulbous head bore fangs and large, rounded eyes that seemed to burn from within. The whole of the creature was made of liquid lava; its body shed an immense amount of heat.

"I am PyroMantis!" the demon chortled, droplets of lava spittle falling from its jaws. "I sense the Mana Sword is present! Surrender it to me, and your city will be spared!"

Timon looked to Edge, who looked to Timon. "W-What should I do, Edge? I can't just GIVE him the Sword, can I?"

Edge put a hand on Timon's shoulder. "This is a choice I can't help you with, Timon... It's up to you what to do. Remember, though, you NEED that sword to finish your quest."

Timon lowered his head to his shoes in thought.

"I have little patience for delay..." PyroMantis continued.

Timon nodded to himself, then stepped forward to face the creature.

"I am Timon..." he began, but his voice cracked.

PyroMantis bowed his head to glare at the young Knight. "And what have we HERE? A little boy? How... sweet." PyroMantis chortled evilly. " Tell me, little boy... do you have something for me?"

"I am Timon," he tried again, "and I have been chosen to guard the Mana Sword. If you want it, you will have to face me to get it!" Timon drew the Mana Sword and held it menacingly at PyroMantis' throat.

"Oh HO! Do I detect a certain flippancy in you, little boy? I am in no mood for childish games..." PyroMantis reached out for the Mana Sword, but Timon leapt backward out of its reach.

"I assure you, Bug-Eyes, I'm not kidding around. I know how to use this, and I will, if you make me." Timon frowned and put on his best hero face.

"Very well then, upstart. A shame I will have to end your life when it has yet to begin!" PyroMantis rose to his full height and stepped onto the top floor of the city. PyroMantis was at least six times as tall as Timon, and most likely more menacing than he. Timon turned to Edge.

"Ready?" He asked in a quivering voice.

Edge drew his Spear, and grinned. "Ready."

Timon began to concentrate on the Mana Sword, building its power to strike. Edge immediately lunged at the creature, thrusting out with his Spear. The PyroMantis leapt backward out of harm's way. PyroMantis then rushed at Edge, pincers flailing.

Edge anticipated the attack, and used his Spear as a pole vault to leap out of the PyroMantis' way. The PyroMantis ran by, only to have Timon unleash his power on the PyroMantis. Twirling the Sword for momentum, Timon lunged at the creature. The Sword connected, tearing a gash in the creature's side. Lava flowed freely from the wound, spattering the floor.

Hissing, PyroMantis thrust both his pincers at Timon. Timon was too slow to dodge; the creature's pincers bit into both of Timon's shoulders. Timon cried out in pain.

Edge lunged at the creature from behind, planting the tip of his Spear directly between the space where two of the creature's wings met. The creature withdrew its pincers and turned to face his new adversary.

The PyroMantis rubbed its forelegs together. Pillars of flame rose from the ground and encircled Edge, engulfing him. Edge felt his skin catching afire, and dropped to the ground, trying to smother the flames.

Timon came from behind the creature to slash at its leg. He connected at the spot behind its knee. Sinking the Sword to the hilt, the creature's leg gave out from under it, and it collapsed, sqealing in anger.

Timon took the opportunity to swing again, and he connected a glancing blow across the creature's armoured chest. PyroMantis lashed out with its pincers again, stabbing Timon through the foot and the side. It then lifted Timon above its head and hurled him across the chamber and over the edge of the floor... into the lava pit below.

Edge cried out, "NO!"

Edge weaved his fingers and chanted, "FLOOD!"

The necklace thrummed of its own accord and added a new power, the power of ice. "FREEZE!" Edge heard himself shout.

The flood waters spilled in from one of the cavern walls, spewing forth and over the lip of the floor.

Globules of coldness slammed into Edge's flood, turning the waves into solid ice.

Timon hit the frozen water and slid back onto the floor. The weakened ice ramp shattered and melted.

PyroMantis chanted aloud, "CURE FIRE!"

A droplet of lava seemingly fell from nowhere and covered the form of the fiery creature. When the lava dissipated, the PyroMantis stood at full strength. It hissed in triumph.

"You cannot hope to defeat me..."

Edge's Talisman thrummed.

<You need a weapon that can counter the fire beast's element. Use my power to grant this...>

Edge weaved his fingers, drawing strength from the Talisman, and chanted, "ICE SABRE!"

Motes of coldness surrounded Edge and Timon. When they vanished, their weapons appeared to be coated with a thick layer of ice.

"W-Wha?!" Edge stared at his weapon, dumbfounded.

PyroMantis rubbed his forearms together, and pointed at Edge.

"Nuh-uh, not again, you don't!" Timon leapt at the demon with a huge overhead slam. The icy Sword tore a nasty gash down the creature's chest. Steam rose from the wound, and crystals of ice could be seen around its edges.

PyroMantis looked at its wound, taken quite aback. "HOW?!"

Timon grinned. "How? Simple. I'm a hero; heroes always win."

Edge laughed. "That's my boy!"

Timon slashed again and again at PyroMancer, each wound causing more and more of the creature to become solid ice. PyroMancer attempted to call the Cure Fire. Most of the ice melted, but the wounds remained.

"Impossible!" PyroMantis wailed.

Edge grinned evilly. "And now... the finishing blow..." Edge twirled the Spear about in his hand, and brought the point to bear on the creature. With all his might, he sent the Spear hurtling toward the PyroMantis with incredible speed... and accuracy. The Spear impaled itself through the creature's chest with a sickening thud. Its tip could be seen protruding from the creature's back. With a hiss, PyroMantis collapsed to the ground, and disintegrated. Not a sound could be heard, save for the Spear which clanged to the ground.

Timon leapt into the air, spun full circle, and landed. Raising a triumphant fist to the sky, he yelled, "YEAH! We did it!"

Edge withdrew a pair of sunglasses from behind his Kung Fu suit and placed them on his face. Blowing a two-handed kiss to the sky, he then crossed his arms in triumph. A smug smile could barely be seen from beneath his mask.

"Way to go!" a girl's voice said.

Timon and Edge walked over to the girl that they had seen earlier at the show. Standing beside her was a Dwarf wearing a sash made of golden silk.

"Yes, congratulations to you both! We owe you a great debt of thanks!" The Dwarf said.

"Hey, it was no biggie," Edge said.

"Yeah, all in a day's work for REAL heroes." Timon slapped Edge a high-five.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Anyhow, I just came out here to... to..."

The Dwarf glared up at her. "Go on..."

The girl sighed. "I wanted to apologize for trying to rip you off. The real story is, I'm a princess from the Kingdom of Pandora. My father sent my boyfriend into the Evil Forest because he didn't want me to be around him. I got mad and ran away."

"Boyfriend?" Timon asked sadly.

"There, there," Edge patted Timon jokingly on the head.

The girl nodded. "Anyhow, I got lost. Goblins managed to find me and throw me in a stew pot. Luckily, a Dwarf happened by and rescued me. I wanted to repay them somehow, and since I didn't want to go back and ask Daddy for some money, I came down here and tried to raise some."

"Well, hey," Timon said, "We just repaid your debt for you. We saved the town from a big nasty! Right, Edge?"

Edge shrugged. "Sure, kid, you're the HERO..."

The girl smiled. "Thank you. My name is Kymber."

Timon said, "I'm Timon, and this is my friend, King Edge."

Kymber looked Edge up and down. "Royalty, huh?"

Edge nodded. "I don't let it go to my head, though," he said, smiling. "I'm not from this world, so I'm as much a king as Timon is right now."

"I see." Kymber said. "Say... would you two help me find my boyfriend? I bet if we all went together, we could do it!"

Timon looked up at Edge. "Hey, that'd be a great idea! Once we find your boyfriend, you could come with me 'n' Edge 'n' save the world! Don'cha think?"

Edge laughed. "Hey, you're the boss. Just make sure you keep your hands to yourself." Edge winked to Timon.

Timon winked back. "Practice what you preach, dirty old man."

Edge flushed, then everyone laughed.

"This calls for a celebration, of course!" The Dwarf said. "I'll make arrangements immediately! After all, that's my job...! I AM the mayor, after all!" The mayor ran into his office.

"Can you fight?" Timon asked Kymber.

"Yeah, I can fight. My Dad gave me these before I left and made me train in them. Told me that I might need them someday." Kymber removed a set of brass knuckles from her hands and gave them to Timon. Timon's Sword glowed as he tried them on.

"HEY!" he said excitedly, "These are Mana Weapons!"

"No kiddin'?" Edge looked at the brass knuckles.

Kymber shrugged. "I don't know... they just let me do kung-fu fighting."

"WOW!" Edge said. "Trade ya those for this Spear!"

Kymber shrugged. "Hey, sure, whatever. Friends can share, right?"

Edge recovered the Spear from the ground and gave it to Kymber. Timon tossed the Knuckles to Edge, who put them on. Edge did a few kung-fu manoeuvres to test them. "Heh, these are neat. They actually magnify what I already know about martial arts! Mana is really neat stuff!"

Watts suddenly ran up to the group, and said, "Hey, young one, I'm having problems with that Axe... think you can come and take a look at it?"

"Sure..." Timon said.

With that, the three companions made their way to Watt's smithy.