Cecil had been revived by Tucker and Edge, and when he woke, he saw
the remains of the enemies.  Always nice to have strong allies, thought Cecil
to himself.  Edge had asked him how he had retained his age so well, and Cecil
explained that he had been somehow transported to the future without anyone
knowing... he was worried about Rosa.  What had she thought when she woke up
and he was gone?  He doubted there was a way back, so she probably never knew
what happened to him.  With his thoughts, the walk to the Veldt was grueling,
but not fatal... well, at least not until that worm thing had gotten him.
	The group had been travelling when a huge worm creature had somehow
snuck up on them.  Cecil, his warrior skills a tad rusty, had been the one to
fall prey to the suprise attack.  Before he had been able to draw his sword,
the thing had SUCKED HIM UP!  Seconds later, everything had gone black.
	Having no idea how long he had been out, Cecil woke in some deep
cavern, outside a barely illuminated castle.
	There was something strangely unusual about the... wait!
	"Baron..." the words barely escaped his mouth as tears welled up in
his eyes.  His home was in ruins, the signs of war grimly obvious.  The place
seemed deserted... of friendly life, that was.
	Ahead of him a trio - a samurai, some lady, and a bubbulous creature -
approached.  Cecil pulled his sword, still slightly disoriented, for they
didn't seem friendly.  He was right.
	The samurai sprang forward with the skill of a seasoned warrior.
Cecil caught the blows on his shield and retaliated with a nice slash to the
man's throat. It should have killed him, but the lady cast some sort of cure
before the samurai fell.  She was definitely going to be a problem.  Cecil
dodged left as the samurai struck out, and ran forward, barely avoiding the
scimitar he wielded.  Normally, he would never hurt a lady, but this one meant
to destroy him.  She was weak, and a nice fist to the back of her head knocked
her unconscious... he would not kill her.  Spinning, he parried the samurai's
strike, and finished him off with a clean slice to the abdomen.  His sword
glowed an eerie obsidian.  The creature thing fled before he could reach it.
Tying the lady up, he found a potion on her body.  /That's how she had healed
the samurai,/ Cecil thought.  /Well, I may need it soon./
	He trekked off toward his castle, tears still filling his eyes.  Why
had he left to let THIS happen?  Rosa was no doubt dead, and this saddened him
more.  Everyone was dead, except Edge... but hadn't he mentioned?... no, he
couldn't believe it.  The rest of them were dead.
	"Welcome home... well, what's left of it."  His voice was abnormally
sad.  Pushing open the castle gate, it fell off the hinges.  He dropped his
head, but not before a dim white light greeted him, pulling his gaze back up.
On the throne, his throne, rested a shield of brightlluminesence.  He walked
toward it, but upon reaching the stairs to the throne, he was greeted by an
unearthly voice.
	"One so clad in the Armor of Evil, thou shalt not gain the article
that is set before thine eyes.  I am the spirit Salvatar, and have been
guarding this shield for eternity until the one of light comes to claim it.
He is the only one who should be able to see the ancient good.  You must be
very powerful, but, no matter, I will not let you have the shield."
	Cecil stood ready for a fight he had not been looking for.  Sword
drawn, he backed away from the spirit.  "I mean you no harm, I was merely--"
	"SILENCE!"  And with that, the handsome sprit clad in regal white
robes attacked.  Cecil swung defensively, slicing through the creature's arm.
It howled loudly.  "How?... No matter, I must defeat you!"
	It lashed out again, this time with both arms.  Cecil dodged the left,
and took the right off with a quick slash.  It dissapated into nothingness.
The battle waged with Cecil having the upper hand, but the spirit was
relentless.  More than a few times did Cecil feel the chill of its
otherworldly touch.
	Cecil, though, was going to win, and Salvatar knew this.  He stepped
out of Cecil's way, and declared defeat.  Cecil stepped forward to claim his
prize, but as he did, he saw Salvatar looking at a small child, scared out of
his mind.  The spirit went after the child.  Cecil had a choice: He was close
enough to the child that he could dive and save it, but that would mean the
shield would be lost to the sprit again...another battle Cecil knew he would
not win for he would leave himself open for attack against the spirit trying
to save the child.  Or, he could grab the shield and forget the child.
	The second idea wasn't even an option.
	Diving with all his strength, Cecil grabbed grabbed the child in his
arms and rolled away.  He landed above the kid, who Cecil had found to be but
an illusion.  "Damn!"  He was prone, sprawled on the floor face first.  There
was no time to move as the spirit came toward him.  He cursed, anticipating
the attack.  A chilling grip found his arm, and he was being dragged to his
feet.
	"What?"  Cecil was confused - there was no pain, just a chill.
	"It seems I have been wrong about you, dark one....or should I say,
one born of a dragon.  Thou hast proven thyself worthy of the Spirit Shield,
to which I am linked.  Even if you had taken the shield, you would not have
been able to use it, for I am the power it holds..."
	All Cecil could say was, "Huh?"
	"Do not be confused.  I know now why you were able to see myself and
the shield.  YOU are the one of light... it is your destiny to hoist the light
and the dark."
	Cecil's medallion started to pulse, the color varying from obsidian
the pure whiteness of Cecil's soul.  Cecil's dark shield was pulled from his
grip and, with the spirit shield, started spinning about each other in the
air.  Salvatar spoke again.
	"One of light, accept my service, for my powers will now be yours to
call upon."  With that, the shields became one, and the spirit was absorbed
into them.  "Take this shield and find the spirit Cerebratan.  He shall aid
you, as will all my brothers...."
	The shield came to rest in Cecil's hands.
	"But how do I find Cerebratan?"  There was no answer.  Cecil took a
seat upon his decaying throne to ponder what had happened.