Steadfast Hearts

[nephlitesgirl]

A/N: Another MKR fic. Magic Knight Rayearth and its characters belong to CLAMP, not me. The only character that I own is Dinah, an OC. This fic takes place during the 1st season. However, it will not follow the season very well, as there will be a few main differences. In that case, the fic is more Alternate Universe than my previous MKR fic. It is not to be considered a prequel to "Reconciliation." This is what I would have liked to see happen in the 1st season. Will most likely have a PG-13 rating. Please don't flame.


Prologue


********

Dinah, a fire sorceress and a maidservant of Zagato, was feeling sorely disheartened. She had seen her master's personality change drastically. She witnessed the day he kidnapped Princess Emeraude, and cast an evil spell on Lafarga the swordmaster. Zagato had declared war on those who sought to rescue Princess Emeraude so that she could continue her prayers as the pillar. Dinah understood that Zagato only wanted Princess Emeraude to be free, but she did not believe this was the right method. Dinah gave a sad sigh as she contemplated these turn of events. She was being faced with a dilemma, and she was at a total loss about what she should do. She wanted Princess Emeraude's tears to stop, yet she wanted to remain by Zagato's side. She really didn't want to betray him, for she knew that if she did, she would in all probability feel his wrath. And she feared that if she told the high priest how she felt, she might lose his respect.

'Oh, what a spineless coward I am,' thought Dinah, bitterly. She felt utterly ashamed of herself for noty being more confident. Suddenly an idea came to her.

'Aha!' thought Dinah. She thought about assisting Princess Emeraude in a subtle way. She would do this by finding out a way to bring out Zagato's warm-hearted self. She knew that his heart was very good, and she missed seeing that side of her master. She went to see Princess Emeraude. She appeared in the water dungeon where Princess Emeraude was imprisoned.

*********

Princess Emeraude was weeping softly. It tore at Dinah's heart.

"Greetings, Princess Emeraude," said Dinah.

Princess Emeraude straightened up a bit, which was pretty difficult, considering that she was on a flower.

"Dinah! What are you doing up? You shouldn't overexert yourself," said Princess Emeraude.

Dinah could see worry in the princess' eyes, and she knew why. It was because she was suffering from the painful and potentially debilitating disorder known as fibromyalgia, and she knew that Princess Emeraude was afraid that it would flare up. But being the proud person she was, Dinah tried to hide her pain.

"I'm perfectly fine," she said. The truth was that her back hurt her just to stand before the princess, but she didn't like to be seen as weak because of her condition. Zagato was kind enough to take her condition into account, which was just as good. She had no desire to participate in the war.

"All right, then. If you're sure," said Princess Emeraude.

"Your highness......it really pains me to see you this way...I promise you that you will be out of here," said the brunette sorceress.

"You mustn't! If Zagato found out, you could lose your life," said Princess Emeraude.

Dinah felt that was a great possibility. But she had other plans in mind.

"Not to worry. I will find the right way to convince him to find some other way to free your heart if it is the last thing I do. Something tells me that there is another way," said Dinah.

At this point, Princess Emeraude seriously doubted that. But seeing the look of determination on Dinah's face caused a glimmer of hope to rise once again.

"Very well. Please hurry before it's too late," said Princess Emeraude.

"No need to worry. I shall," said the fire sorceress. She disappeared from the water dungeon.

Realizing that she couldn't rely on Dinah alone, Princess Emeraude said a prayer that would summon three girls from another world....the ones who would become legendary magic knights. A plan B was aways a good idea.

[nephlitesgirl]

Chapter 1

*********

On that particular day in Tokyo, a vast group of students gathered at the Tokyo Tower. There were an assortment of students from all the well known private schools. Some of the students found the Tokyo Tower utterly boring.

"What was our teacher thinking, choosing Tokyo Tower for a field trip? I mean, it's not like it can teach us anything," complained one girl.

"Don't forget, we're not in grade school anymore," another student reminded her.

"Hmph! I suppose," said the brunette haired girl. She decided to ask Hikaru what she thought of this. She turned to a girl with long pinkish crimson hair pulled back into a braid. The girl was very petite for a junior high student.

"What do you think of this place?" asked the brunette student.

"I think it is pretty exciting," said Hikaru.

The girl thought that this was quite eccentric. She couldn't believe that Hikaru would be so fascinated by just some plain tower, especially for a field trip. Unbeknownst to the girl, Hikaru was actually interested in the binoculars she was peeking through. All of a sudden, Hikaru let out a yelp.

"What is it, Hikaru?" asked the brunette haired girl, worried.

"The binoculars ran out," said Hikaru, in a childish tone. Being a child at heart was part of Hikaru's charm. Sweatdrops appeared on her classmates.

Hikaru searched for some money, but unfortunately, she had none left.

"Let me help," said an unfamiliar voice.

Hikaru looked up, and saw a girl with flaxen coloured hair, holding her hand out. In the palm of her hand was a few coins. Hikaru eyed the girl and recognized the uniform as one that belonged to the school for geniuses. The girl's name was Fuu Hououji. Hikaru hesitantly took the money from the girl.

"I enjoyed watching you have fun on your field trip," said the girl. With that, she walked away.

"Hey, wait!" Hikaru called after the girl.

'I owe her a thank you,' thought Hikaru. She went after thus seemingly kind-hearted girl to tell her thank you. She couldn't believe that the girl was generous enough to help her, although they had never met before. Unfortunately, she got stuck in a small group of students.

Hikaru's classmates noticed a girl wearing a blue coloured uniform.

"Hey, isn't that the uniform of that snobby junior high school? The one that all the daughters of the VIPs attend," said the brunette haired classmate.

"That girl looks like a model," commented the red haired girl. The girl she was referring to was named Umi Ryuuzaki. She had long silky straight sky blue hair and blue eyes. She was quite elegant and beautiful.

"It seems that all the different schools have gathered at Tokyo Tower today," said the brunette haired girl.

*********

Fuu, Umi and Hikaru were standing together. They saw a blinding flash of light. Unbeknownst to the 3 girls, their destinies were about to change in that very moment.

"What IS that flash of light?" asked the brunette haired girl, noticing what was going on.

"Please.....help us save this world..legendary magic knights," said an unfamiliar female's voice. It was the voice of Princess Emeraude. The flash of light engulfed the 3 girls.

"What's happening?" asked Umi.

Soon, the girls found themselves in an unfamiliar world. They landed on top of something. Umi looked to see what it was. It was a large blue coloured fish. This fish belonged to the most powerful sorcerer in the world the girls were in, Master Mage Clef. A bunch of questions came to Umi's mind.

"Where the heck are we? And what is this thing?" asked Umi.

"It appears to be a flying fish," said Fuu.

Umi suddenly felt very scared. One minute she was in Tokyo and the next moment she was in a world that was extremely foreign. She did not know what to do. And the fact that she was 2 other girls did very little to soothe her fright. For one thing, they were in the same situation as she was.

********

In Princess Emeraude's castle, a man with incredibly long black hair was glancing at all of this through a water mirror. This man was known as the high priest, Zagato, and he was accompanied by his second-in-command, Inouva, and his maidservant, Dinah.

"So..it seems that Princess Emeraude used the last of her powers to summon these little girls from another world," said the high priest. He sincerely felt that Princess Emeraude was being stubborn, and that she should give up her efforts. He thought things would be easier for her that way.

"So does that mean that the legend is coming true? I never thought I would live to see that day," said Inouva.

"Why are you so worried? A legend is a fable with no basis. These children cannot become the magic knights, nor can they hope to save Princess Emeraude. Of course, it would be foolish to not prepare for any potential setbacks, just in case," said Zagato. He asked Dinah what she thought.

"I wholeheartedly concur that we should be prepared. I also think we should wait and see if these children succeed in becoming the magic knights. The legend may or may not be more than a legend," said Dinah.

"You're making a lot of sense, Dinah. It is such a shame that you cannot participate in this battle. I wouldn't want you to be hurt," said Zagato.

"I know,Lord Zagato," said Dinah, feigning disappointment. Of course, she did not dare say that she had no desire to participate in the war in the first place. But she appreciated her master's concern just the same.

[nephlitesgirl]

Chapter 2

Hikaru, Umi and Fuu were on their way to the Forest of Silence where Presea the mastersmith dwelled. Master Mage Clef had told them to go after his conversation with them had been rudely interrupted by one of High Priest Zagato's minions, Alcyone. Umi was worried about Clef's safety.

"I think we should turn back and help that guy fight those monsters," said Umi.

Hikaru objected to that. "You heard what he said," she said.

"I'm against that as well. We must have faith in him," said Fuu.

"If you say so," said Umi, doubtfully. She was not sure whether she wanted to believe what the ancient magician said about becoming the magic knights or not. And she certainly wasn't thrilled about hearing that she and the other girls would not be able to return back to Tokyo unless they saved Cephiro. Hikaru, on the other hand, was more than willing to help. She was such an unselfish person when it came to other people's needs. And as for Fuu? She felt that following Mage Clef's guidance was the only option, since she and the other girls were in an alien territory. All of a sudden, the 3 girls heard the sounds of a horse galloping.

"NOW who is it?" asked Umi, sounding annoyed. She, Fuu and Hikaru looked up and saw an ebony haired woman with a crimson gem on her forehead. A tiara was on her head, one that was similar to the crown that Emeraude of Cephiro wore. She was also wearing a somewhat revealing leotard.

"Who are you?" asked Hikaru.

"I am Alcyone," replied the woman, " I was sent here by Lord Zagato to end the lives of you magic knights."

"I'd like to see you try that, old witch!" said Umi.

"You will regret those words!" said Alcyone. She attacked with Ice Spear Attack. A barrage of icicle shards rained in a horizontal manner. The three girls dodged the attack as best as they could. They got off the bird they were riding on.

"Little eggs from another world that would have hatched into magic knights. We just met, so I do apologize for treating you so roughly, but you must die," said Alcyone, feigning pity.

"We can't die now!" protested Umi.

"If we die--," began Hikaru. She thought about the encounter with Mage Clef. She recalled the bestowal of magic he had done upon her and the other girls. She considered giving this magic spell a try. Maybe she could use it to outwit this middle-aged lady. She concentrated deeply and prepared to attack.

"It appears that you have learned a little trick..how cute," mocked Alcyone.

"Flame Arrow! Ya!" shouted Hikaru, shooting a ribbon of flames from her hands. The flames incinerated Alcyone.

"Ahhhh!" screamed the former pupil of Mage Clef. She teleported away bruised, humiliated and angry. She was also feeling scared, for she knew that High Priest Zagato would be at least disappointed, if not furious. Zagato was a nononsense and autocratic master.

*******

Meanwhile, Master Mage Clef was still trying to combat Alcyone's monster. At that moment, he sensed Zagato's presence. Unbeknownst to Mage Clef, Zagato had come to stop him from guiding the magic knights to be. Zagato had an evil smirk on his face. He emitted a blast from his hand that would turn Mage Clef into stone. Mage Clef tried to repel the attack, but he could not do so. The spell hit him, and he was now stone.

"How impressive of you to sense my presence, Master Mage Clef. Unfortunately, it was a trifle late. You shan't save Princess Emeraude in your condition," said Zagato. With a diabolical laugh, he disappeared.

*******

Princess Emeraude had seen this, and was horrified at what she saw. She couldn't understand why Zagato committed such deeds as a high priest. She expected much more from him. Although she still loved him, the person he had become was like a stranger to her.

"Mage Clef," she said, sadly.

At that moment, Zagato appeared.

"Zagato," said Princess Emeraude.

"Princess Emeraude....cease your futile efforts," said Zagato.

"As a high priest, Zagato, why is it that you're doing this? Don't you care about the fate of Cephiro?" inquired the princess.

"No," answered Zagato, bluntly. Princess Emeraude gasped at his nonchalant tone. She couldn't believe that he was so callous about his actions. Little did she know, Zagato loved her as much as she loved him, and he was doing this to emancipate her heart. This was a quite reasonable wish. It was his method that was to be deemed objectable.

Little did Zagato know, his maidservant Dinah had heard everything that was said.

'That was extremely coldhearted...like an ice cube,' thought Dinah. All the stress of this war was beginning to take a toll on her. The pain she felt from her fibromyalgia was aggravated. Her legs went numb, and just as she was about to go get some rest, her useless legs gave out on her and she collapsed onto the floor in pain.

Zagato sensed that something was wrong with his maidservant, and went to see what was the matter. He saw her lying on the floor in a heap.

'It seems that she has had another spell,' he thought. He was very careful in the way that he picked her up, since even the slightest touch could intensify her pain.

'I know this hurts, Dinah, but please bear it,' thought Zagato. He carried her to her room.

[nephlitesgirl]

Chapter 3

Zagato informed his minions about what had happened to Dinah.

"Neither of you are to disturb her...especially you, Alcyone," said Zagato, giving Alcyone a steely stare.

Alcyone knew better than to protest when Zagato spoke in that tone.

"Yes, my lord," said Alcyone, bowing respectfully. She would just wait until the fire sorceress was on her feet again to annoy her. She harbored a great amount of jealousy toward Dinah.

"Poor missy..why must she be so stubborn?" wondered Caldina.

"Dinah is sure missing out on all the fun," said Ascot.

"Enough!" barked Inouva. He then assigned Caldina, Ascot and Lafarga their areas they would cover in Cephiro. He was about to give Alcyone her assigned location.

"Please give me another chance to take care of those magic knights, Lord Zagato," begged Alcyone.

Zagato had little patience for failure, and he certainly didn't tolerate questioning.

"Those girls from another world are entering the Forest of Silence...magic cannot be used there. There are monsters which dwell in the Forest of Silence. We do not have to lift a finger," said Zagato, smugly.

"Yeah, but,--" Alcyone started to protest.

"End of discussion," said the high priest, firmly. With that, he left the spacious room.

"Wait! Lord!" Alcyone called after him.

Inouva gave Alcyone her assigned location she would cover. Alcyone did not like taking orders from him at all. But she knew she had no choice, if she valued her life.

********

Dinah was sitting up in bed, reading a book. She didn't bother trying to go to sleep, as she knew that her condition would hinder that. The numbness in her legs seemed to have gone away, which was good. But now she felt excruciating pain in her left calf.

' Oh great. Don't tell me I pulled a calf muscle,' thought Dinah. If she had done that, it would mean no walking for awhile. And at this point, she doubted that her unwavering loyalty to Zagato would enable her to be fairly active, even if the agony was severe. It was something that had helped in the past, however. Oh, did she wish that Princess Emeraude was free. Princess Emeraude's nursing skills were excellent, and Dinah could use some right about now. She didn't know if High Priest Zagato was the one who brought her to her room or not, but she felt that it was quite generous of him if he had. After all, he had other things on his agenda to worry about. He was not necessarily obligated to worry about her. Now she was worried about how he would react to this new injury she had managed to sustain. She really did not want to burden him with her problems.

*******

Meanwhile, Hikaru, Umi and Fuu had finally made it to MasterSmith Presea's house, after an encounter with a monster. However, there was one problem. The girls were not sure how to get inside the house.

"Well, what do we do?" asked Umi.

"We can try knocking," suggested Fuu.

"There are no doors!" said Umi, crossly.

Hikaru calmly walked up to the front of the house, and touched the wall. The wall moved on its own, much to the amazement of Umi and Fuu.

"Voila! Let's go," said Umi. She was a tad annoyed with herself for not thinking of that. She, Hikaru and Fuu entered the house.

"Hello! Anyone home?" called Umi. There was no answer.

"I guess we have no choice but to go ahead," said Fuu.

"You may be right," said Hikaru. She and the other girls continued on, and spotted what appeared to be a library. They entered the library, and saw a heap of white papers scattered all over the floor. More and more sheets were falling on the floor.

"Hello? Are you Miss Presea? We're here because Mage Clef told us to come ,"
Hikaru said to the white bunny-like creature in the chair. This was NOT Presea, but a magical rabbit named Mokona.

"Pu pu pu pu!" said the magical rabbit.

Unexpectedly, a cage fell and trapped the 3 girls.

"What the........?" Umi started to ask.

A woman with nutmeg coloured hair entered the room. This woman was known as the mastersmith Presea. She laughed out loud.

"You sure fell for it, Mokona! You always get away with making a mess in my study," she said. She didn't know whether to punish him by pulling on his ears to see how far they can stretch, or by hanging him upside down in the front hall.

Presea noticed Hikaru, Umi and Fuu.

"Who would have thought that 3 mischievious children inhabited this study. What would be a fitting punishment for you?" wondered Presea, "should I pull on your cheeks to see how wide your mouth can open? Or perhaps it would be better if I boil the three of you in a big pot!"

Umi began to feel bad. Although she and the other girls were innocent concerning the mess in the study, they had entered the house without permission.

"Because of that, she has every right to suspect us," said Fuu.

"We didn't mean any harm, Presea. Clef told us to come here. When I touched the wall, it moved on its own. I apologize for any inconvenience we caused," said Hikaru.

Presea thought about what Hikaru said. She recalled a time when Mage Clef told her that 3 girls from another world would appear during a time Cephiro was facing a crisis. She was destined to make weapons for these girls. She wondered if the time had come.

[nephlitesgirl]

Chapter 4

Presea apologized to the magic knights for appearing to be ungracious, and let them out of the cage.

"There's something I'd like to show the three of you. Come," said Presea, leading them to a room that had numerous weapons. There were so many of them, and most of them looked so similar that one would have a hard time choosing.

"You may choose any weapon you like," said the mastersmith.

"Free weapons?!" squealed Umi.

"You're too kind, Miss Presea," said Fuu.

"These weapons are not for free," said Presea.

Umi felt like a fool for misunderstanding Presea. But then again, Presea should have clarified what she was saying.

"You mean you're charging us? But I don't have any money used in this country. I left my wallet in Tokyo. This is all I have, I'm afraid," said Hikaru, giving Presea a piece of candy. Presea hesitantly took the candy. She couldn't believe how quick the girls were to assume things.

"I don't need money," said Presea.

"But you just said that the weapons weren't free," pointed out Hikaru.

"You can choose any weapon you'd like. But they're not yours to keep forever. They're only a loan," said Presea.

"Oh, I get it now," said Umi.

The three girls looked at all the different weapons. They could not believe how similar some of the weapons were. Just as expected, they had a hard time making up their minds.

"As soon as you choose the weapons, I can make the weapons only true magic knights can use. You will need to travel to the legendary Spring of Eterna to acquire the material for such a weapon. The weapons evolve as the warrior learns and grows," said Presea.

"Wow...weapons that only true magic knights can use," said Hikaru, impressed.Umi and Fuu were impressed, too, and became more determined to become magic knights. All of a sudden, Presea and the three girls heard a loud crash. A monster made out of mud had managed to enter the weapon storage room.

"I will hold the door closed. Choose your weapons quickly!" ordered Presea.

"But we don't know which weapons to choose from," protested Umi.

"You don't know anything, do you?! Just close your eyes and think real hard!" said Presea.

The girls did as they were told, and the weapons floated to them. At that moment, the mud monster managed to break down the door. Hikaru tried attacking with her Flame Arrow attack, but it didn't work. Presea chuckled at Hikaru's inexperience.

"Didn't Mage Clef teach you anything? Magic doesn't work here," said Presea.

"Oh," said Umi.

"We didn't get to talk much," Hikaru informed Presea. She was worried about Mage Clef. She hadn't seen or heard from them since their first meeting. She wondered how he was.

"Look, Miss Hikaru. The monster is made out of mud. That could be the key to destroying it," said Fuu.

Hikaru was confused for a moment, and thought about what Fuu said. It took a while to figure it out, but she understood. She asked Presea if she could use her tablecloth.

"Well yeah," said Presea. Hikaru thanked her, and took the tablecloth.

"Is there a pond nearby?" she asked.

"There's one in the front yard," said Presea.

The 3 girls and Presea ran out to the front yard where the pond was. The monster was hot on their trail. Hikaru threw the tablecloth on the monster, and slashed it with her sword. It stumbled backwards, and fell into the pond. The monster was destroyed instantly.

********

Princess Emeraude was worried about Dinah. She knew what had caused her mishap. Of course, Zagato was too caught up with his plans to realize what was really causing the occasional flares of Dinah's ailment. Emeraude hoped that Dinah would find a way to get through to Zagato before it was too late.

********

Meanwhile, Zagato was checking on Dinah to see if her condition had improved. "Are you still in pain?" he asked her.

"Aye, Lord Zagato," replied Dinah. She showed him how bruised and swollen her calf was. It was truly a repulsive sight. Zagato frowned, and took her to the castle's infirmary. His respect for her was about the same as his respect for Inouva, and he did not want to risk her condition deteriorating. Unbeknownst to him, it was his fault that she had this flare up. Perhaps that would get him to stop when he realized that.

"Take care of her," Zagato told the medical team. With that, he left.

[nephlitesgirl]

Chapter 5

A few days later, Dinah's condition finally began to stabilize. She had been given medication for the disorder, and so far she was noticing some improvement in her sleep patterns. The muscular aches had subsided as well. However, it had been confirmed that she had indeed pulled a muscle in her calf. Because of that, she was told to stay off of it for several days. To put it mildly, Dinah wasn't the least bit thrilled about that. She disliked the thought of not being as active as she would like. She was tempted to defy the doctors, but decided not to do so. It was her stubbornness that had landed her in the infirmary in the first place. So she decided to heed warnings for once. After all, Zagato would be cross with her for making foolish decisions.

"Dinah?" said a familiar Southern accentuated voice. Dinah snapped out of her thoughts and looked up. Caldina was standing there with a small package. Dinah was glad to see her. She was beginning to feel lonely, and knowing that she wasn't forgotten made her feel very good inside.

"Hey Caldina," greeted Dinah, trying to sound like her old perky self.

"How are you feeling?" asked the tan-skinned young woman.

"I can't complain," answered Dinah.

Caldina had great admiration for Dinah. She never complained even when she was in the worse type of pain. She never wanted others to see her as weak or helpless. Caldina just wished that she would be frank and honest about how she felt, and not feel ashamed about needing someone's help. But she decided to leave it at that.

"I see," said Caldina.

"So, what has been going on?" asked Dinah. Caldina told her everything that had happened over the past few days.

"Alcyone's failure doesn't surprise me one bit. And quite frankly, I'm surprised that Lord Zagato has tolerated her as long as he had," said Dinah. She had a strong dislike and disrespect for the middle-aged sorceress. She thought Alcyone was a nag who only wanted to snatch Zagato away from Princess Emeraude.

"Yeah, well, I'd like to have a chance against those little missies soon," said Caldina. She was someone who was obsessed with money. Zagato had promised to reward her with money if she defeated the magic knights. It was the reason she agreed to work for him.

"In case you have an opportunity to battle against the magic knights, be sure to prepare yourself well .They appear to be worthy adversaries," said Dinah. In all honesty, she wanted the magic knights to win for the sake of Cephiro. She didn't want Caldina to know that, so she was supporting Caldina's wishes.

"Don't you worry about me. I am sure that I will be victorious," said Caldina.

Dinah was not sure how to warn Caldina to not be overconfident. She knew that it took a lot to get Caldina to get defeat.

"Anyway, enough on that. I brought you a little something," said Caldina.

"Oh?" asked Dinah, a bit surprised. Caldina nodded, and gave her the small package. Dinah thanked her, and opened it. Inside it were her favourite pastries. She thought it was quite thoughtful and generous of Caldina to purchase a gift for her.

"Thank you very much," said Dinah, gratefully.

"It was nothing," replied Caldina. She told Dinah that she had to get back to her post.

"See you later," said Caldina, leaving the room.

*******

Meanwhile, Alcyone had just returned from another battle with the magic knights. Despite her valiant effort, they had managed to outwit her again, thanks to Princess Emeraude's appearance at the Spring of Eterna. Her encouraging words had given the magic knights the strength to defeat Alcyone. And now Alcyone had to deal with a very angry Zagato.

"Lord Zagato, please forgive me. Every time I battle those magic knights, it seems that they have grown more powerful. Please give me one more chance to defeat them. I am now familiar with their tactics," beseeched Alcyone, clinging to Zagato.

Zagato didn't want to hear it. She had had more than enough chances. Her incompetence annoyed him greatly. Also, her touch felt so filthy that he felt utterly sick to his stomach.

"Enough of your pitiful sniveling," said Zagato, emitting ribbons of pale pink energy from his body. They sent Alcyone careening. She screamed and called out Zagato's name. Ascot laughed at her.

"She's so pathetic, losing to little kids like that," he said derisively. He asked Zagato for a turn to defeat the magic knights.

"Go ahead," said Zagato. Ascot thanked him, and went to make plans.

[nephlitesgirl]

Chapter 6

Hikaru, Umi and Fuu were on their way back to Presea's house. They had passed Eterna's trials and evaded Alcyone's wicked wiles, thanks to Princess Emeraude's help. Not only that, but they acquired the legendary ore, Escudo. The girls were very ecstatic!

"Now all we have to do is get those weapons made, revive those Rune-Gods Presea told us about and we can save this world and Princess Emeraude," said Hikaru.

"And then we can go back to Tokyo!" chimed Umi. She was so proud of the progress she and the other girls made so far. She was oblivious to the rustling sounds in the grass. It was none other than Mokona. He had come to give them a message from Mage Clef. Although Clef had been turned into stone by Zagato, he would still be able to communicate with the magic knights through their hearts.

Mokona hopped out and knocked Umi over. Umi was startled and annoyed by this. Whoever was guilty of displaying such bad manners as well as scaring her half to death would have hell to pay at her hands. She turned around to see who it was. Her hackles raised a bit when she saw that it was Mokona. She always found him irritating at times, but she felt he had really gone too far. She really let Mokona have it. He hopped into Hikaru's arms.

"Hikaru, you really need to discipline that thing!" said Umi, disgruntled.

"But Umi........." Hikaru started to protest.

Mokona hopped out of Hikaru's arms and shot a beam from the center of his forehead. He projected an image of Mage Clef.

"Clef, it's you," said Umi.

"I am glad to see that you girls are well," said Mage Clef. He reminded the girls to save Cephiro as soon as they could, lest they wouldn't be able to return to tehir own world. Umi didn't like the sound of that at all.

"You mean to tell me that you want me to stay in a place that has no ice cream shops, no record stores and now inconvenient stores forever?! Sorry, but it's not in my contract," said Umi.

"To think that she can think of inconvenient stores at a time like this," Fuu whispered. She really thought that Umi should learn to be a bit more deferential.

"Children from another world.......save this world Cephiro," said Mage Clef. With that, he disappeared.

"Clef, wait! I wanted to ask you how you are," said Hikaru.

"We should get going," said Fuu.

********

Presea was waiting for the girls to return.She wondered how they were doing.

'I hope nothing has happened to them. In the past, people have not come to pick up their weapons,' thought Presea. She recalled the time Mage Clef told her that the time had come for her to make weapons for 3 girls who would appear from another world. She was truly honored to have such a task. She was so deep in thought that she did not notice that one of Zagato's minions was lurking in the forest. Ascot summoned a catepillar-like creature.

"We will defeat those magic knights together," he told the creature. He tossed a crimson coloured energy ball toward Presea's house, and ordered his monster to get it. The energy sphere went inside Presea's body. She shrugged it off.

********

Meanwhile, Zagato was checking up on Dinah. He was pleased to see that she looked a bit healthier than she had when she was first admitted.

"Lord Zagato," said Dinah in greeting.

"You're looking well," commented Zagato.

"I'm feeling somewhat better," said Dinah. She mentally scolded herself for being a bit taciturn in Zagato's presence. But then again, it was only natural. Zagato's exterior was imposing. Still, she didn't think it justified the means. She vowed to be a bit more outspoken, though not so much that she would forget her place.She asked him what was going on with the magic knights.

"They have managed to acquire the legendary ore, Escudo," answered Zagato.

Secretly, Dinah was not surprised at all. That's what she expected from legendary magic knights.

"It seems that they're growing into true warriors," said Dinah.

"Well, it will all end very soon," said Zagato. He hoped that Ascot would succeed in defeating the magic knights. The last thing he wanted was for them to fulfill the legend.

[nephlitesgirl]

Chapter 7

A day later, Dinah was finally able to leave the infirmary. She was given instructions to not overexert herself. She was not exactly thrilled about having to rest so much, but if it kept her out of the infirmary, she would do it. Being placed on medication was absolutely fine with her, as it did wonders for soothing the aches and pains. And she was surprised by the chivalrous behaviour Zagato displayed. He was busy with other things, yet he always made time to see how she was doing. This type of treatment made her determined to repay him for what he did. Also, she vowed to find the courage to tell him her feelings about the war. Princess Emeraude was counting on her to do so before it was too late, and the last thing she wanted was to let her princess down.

'I only hope that I do not lose Lord Zagato's respect,' thought Dinah. She decided to just wait to see what else he did before making a move.

********

Meanwhile, Ascot was in a foul mood. The magic knights had managed to defeat three of his monsters, all of whom he considered his best friends. Not only that, but somehow Presea had survived, although her house was partially damaged. That made Ascot despise the magic knights even more. Caldina was trying to calm him down, but her assurance did little to assuage Ascot.

"Now what am I going to do? Lord Zagato will be furious! How am I going to explain myself to him?" moaned Ascot.

"I'll put in a good word for ya. Don't you fret about a thing," Caldina reassured him. She said that she had to go back to her post, and that she would see him later.

"Hmph! Easy for her to say. She doesn't know what it's like because she never had to fight them," grouched Ascot.

"I know exactly how you feel. Only those who have witnessed teh magic knights' abilities first hand know what it's like," said a woman's voice.

Ascot looked up. There was Alcyone, trapped in a bubble. Ascot didn't need any help from her. She failed Zagato thrice. How could she possibly help him?

"Mind your own business, old lady! You've failed numerous times. You can't help me," said Ascot, rudely.

"But I can do it. All I need is for you to let me out of this bubble," said Alcyone.

"I don't think so. Zagato would kill me if I did that," said Ascot.

"If we succeed in conquering those miserable magic knights, he would not care," countered Alcyone.

Ascot was becoming impatient with Alcyone. "No way, Jose'! I'm not that desperate!"

"Well, suit yourself. I guess you're not interested in the secret weapon I have for your creatures," said Alcyone, shrugging.

Ascot gasped, and thought about this for a moment. This secret weapon, whatever it was sounded very interesting. But it still didn't change the fact that Alcyone was incompetent. The last thing he wanted was to be pulled down with her. Not to mention that he did not trust her one bit.

"Thanks but no thanks! I'll think of some other way!" said Ascot. With that, he went back to his post to conjure up some sort of plan.

'Foolish little boy,' thought Alcyone. She was extremely miffed that she would have to find her own way to free herself.


********

Umi, Fuu and Hikaru were inside their egg-shaped tent, relaxing. They were surprised that they were actually getting a break from fighting. They expected Ascot to show up with another monster. They were pretty sure that he would show up sooner or later, so they were making the most of their relaxation.

"Isn't this great?" asked Umi.

"It sure is. The only time we got to rest was when we slept, mostly," said Hikaru.

Fuu thought this was a little too good to be true. As much as she enjoyed this break, she didn't want the girls to forget that they were not on a vacation. She reminded Hikaru and Fuu about this.

"Blah, blah blah. Do you always have to sound like a teacher?" asked Umi, sighing.

"Just a friendly reminder," was all Fuu would say.

"And you are right," said Hikaru. She recalled her vow to Presea. She promised to visit her again after she and the other girls succeeded in becoming true magic knights.

[nephlitesgirl]

Chapter 8

Ascot was with his "friend" Kapella, making evil plans. He was nearing his breaking point with the magic knights. They had managed to kill 3 of his creatures. It was a good thing that he hadn't accepted Alcyone's offer. He would have lost another creature for sure.

"Those magic knights will not be so lucky this time. You and I will defeat them together," Ascot said to the ugly green-coloured creature. The creature growled as if he were refusing. That was a reaction Ascot didn't expect.

"What? What do you mean, you don't care? They were good friends of ours. Don't you want to avenge them?"

Kapella growled again. This time, he seemed to be agreeing to Ascot's plan.

"Good. Now let's do it," said Ascot. He merged with the monster. He felt this would give his creature a better of winning. They went to the shrine of the dormant Rune-God, Selece.


*******

Alcyone was thinking of ways to get out of the bubble she had been trapped in. It was quite a difficult task to accomplish.

' Darn that prepubescent pompous windbag Ascot,' thought Alcyone. She felt absurd for letting kids undermine her, but then again, the magic knights and Ascot were not your average bratty kid. Zagato was adamant about not giving her one last chance, which certainly didn't appease her anger at all. In fact, it made her abhor the magic knights even more. She used her strongest ice-related attack to penetrate the bubble. Although she wounded herself in the process, she managed to succeed. She landed on the floor with a loud thud.

'Well, that was painful. It was worth it, though," thought Alcyone, rubbing her backside. She began to think of possible ways to regain Zagato's respect. She would dispose of those pesky magic knights even if she ended up dying in the process.


*******

Hikaru, Umi and Fuu finally made it to the underwater shrine, thanks to the miniature flying capsule Mokona had conjured for them.

"So this is the place?" asked Hikaru.

"It appears so," said Fuu.

Something nagged at Umi. She wondered why Mokona didn't lead her and the other girls to the shrine, if he had known that one of the Rune-Gods dwelled there. She didn't like having to do things the difficult way.

'Well, it had better be worth it,' thought Umi.

"Umi? Ready to go?" asked Hikaru.

Umi nodded.

"Let's go."

Umi, Hikaru and Fuu entered the shrine.

"This shrine is quite spacious," stated Fuu. She and the other girls kept walking. They came to an extremely massive room. In this room was a blue dragon.

"A dragon?" asked Hikaru.

All of a sudden, a blue aura surrounded Umi. Her eyes went blank and she walked toward the dragon.

"What's up with Umi?" asked Hikaru.

"It appears that she is in a trance," said Fuu.

"Young woman from another world," said the dragon.

Umi was unsure of how to reply. The dragon's voice was unlike none she had ever heard. Still in a trance, Umi reached up to touch the dragon.

"My name is Selece, and I'm a legendary Rune-God. I may only be touched by a legendary magic knight," said the dragon.

"Did you hear that?" Hikaru asked Fuu.

"That dragon is................" began Fuu.

Selece's eyes and forehead glowed and emitted what appeared to be a gust of wind. The gust of wind swept Hikaru and Fuu out of the room. It was obvious that Selece was only interested in Umi.

"Why'd he do that?" asked Hikaru. She was worried about Umi's safety in that room. She banged on the door, but it was no use.

"Well, if Miss Umi succeeds in reviving the Rune-God, we would soon be able to rescue Princess Emeraude and save this land," said Fuu.

"Sorry, girls, but that's not going to happen!"

It was the voice of a little boy. Hikaru and Fuu recognized the voice.

"Who are you?" asked Hikaru.

Ascot ignored the question.

"You girls had no right killing off my friends the way you did! You will pay! You will pay big time!" ranted Ascot.

'Who are these friends?' thought Hikaru.

[nephlitesgirl]

Chapter 9

"Young girl....thou hast been summoned her from another world. Display before me the true strength of thy power. Show unto me the strength of thine heart, that makes thee worthy of becoming a true magic knight," said Selece.

"Strength of my heart............" mumbled Umi. She had no idea how she would do that, whatever this Rune-God wanted her to do. Not that she really knew what he meant.

"I don't understand........" she said.

Selece explained to her what he meant. Umi understood a bit better, but still had no idea how to prove the strength of her heart. For starters, what was the strength of her heart? She would have to figure it out quickly if she wanted to become a true magic knight.


********

Meanwhile, Fuu and Hikaru were struggling to battle Ascot and his creature. Their attacks were useless. The monster attacked, and Fuu and Hikaru were wounded. Ascot snickered at them.

"You girls are so pathetic! I can't believe that Alcyone lost to you!"


High Priest Zagato viewed all of this in the water mirror. A cruel smile spread across his face. He enjoyed seeing the magic knights on their knees.

'Congratulations, Ascot. It looks like you will succeed for once. I'm afraid that the magic knights will not go any further,' thought Zagato.

*******

Fuu wondered how she could defeat Kapella. All the other efforts had failed miserably. She looked at the glowing gem on its forehead. That was the one spot that she and Hikaru had not attacked yet. She thought it was possible that the gem was the weak area.

"Miss Hikaru! Try attacking the gem on his forehead!" said Fuu.

Hikaru did so, and Kapella was weakened. Ascot fell out of the monster. 'A child?' thought Fuu. She knew that something was not right.

" Look at our real problem," said Hikaru. She pointed to Ascot on the floor.

"I knew his voice was too cute for such a monster," said Fuu.

Ascot was not falling for that. He rose to his feet and yelled at Fuu and Hikaru.

"You're no different from those villagers!" accused Ascot.

Hikaru's patience with Ascot was wearing thin. He was the one who commanded his monsters to cause trouble, and yet he had the gall to blame others for his actions. She finally let him know that he was to blame. He was a little taken aback by what she said. He had never heard those words from anyone before.

Kapella decided to turn on Ascot. It attacked him. Ascot was not expecting that.

"Hey, it's me, Ascot!"

The monster refused to listen. Instead, it attacked him along with the 2 girls.

The doors to the room cracked open, and Umi saw what happened just in time. "Hikaru! Fuu!" she cried. She raced to help them, but Selece ordered her to halt.She stopped in her tracks.

"Thou must leave them be!" said Selece.

"Why?" asked Umi. She knew that she shouldn't question a Rune-God, but she couldn't help herself. To her, Selece sounded cruel.

"Thine prime objective is to defeat High Priest Zagato. Thou must not be killed at this time. In order to defeat Zagato, thou must survive, even if thy friends should perish. That must be the strength of thine heart."

Umi couldn't believe it. She could never abandon her friends when they needed her most. If reviving a Rune-God meant abandoning her friends, she did not want to acquire one. If it made her idealistic, so be it. She made up her mind. She ran out of the room to aid her friends. The monster noticed Umi, and attacked her.

"Winds of Protection!"

Umi looked up, and saw a gust of winds shielding her.

"Fuu, I'm glad you're all right!" said Umi, relieved.

"It appears that I have learned a new spell," said Fuu weakly. She collapsed onto the floor.

Hikaru attacked with Ruby Lightning, a new spell for her. The attacked weakened the monster a bit more, but the spell took a lot of energy out of her. She collapsed as well.

Umi still felt stung by what Selece said. Little did she know, Selece was only testing her.

"If it means not fighting alongside my friends...I don't need a...Rune-God!" screamed out Umi. At that, Selece disappeared. Umi shrugged it off, and attacked with Water Dragon. The mosnter was finally defeated.

The dragon shaped Rune-God transformed itself into a robot. Umi was astonished by this.

"What the.............." she began. Hikaru and Fuu were surprised, too.

"Young woman from another world........thou has proven unto me the strength of thine heart, that cares for thy comrades," said Selece.

Umi couldn't believe that. A few moments ago, Selece had told her that the strength of her heart was to escape from danger, even if her friends perished, and now he was congratulating her for demonstrating how much she cared about her friends? What was going on here?

"But..........what about those things you said before?" asked Umi, puzzled.

"Thou hast overcome the challenge."

Umi was lost, but Hikaru and Fuu understood.

"It appears that the Rune-God was testing Miss Umi," stated Fuu.

"Oh, I see," said Umi, understanding.

"However, thine heart is still not ready to accept me unto thineself. I wil reveal myself unto thee when thou has awakened into a true magic knight," said Selece. With that, he disappeared. The girls' armor and weapons evolved.

*******

Zagato and Dinah saw all of this. "One of the Rune-Gods has been revived," he said. He didn't care to admit it, but those girls from another world were more formidable than he gave them credit for. However, it did not mean that he would capitulate.

"What will you do about it?" Dinah asked Zagato.

"I will pulverize those magic knights once and for all," replied Zagato.

Dinah thought this was quite rash on his part. But she also knew that he was stubborn when it came to his decisions, and she didn't want to risk angering him.

"Do as you see fit," she said.

[nephlitesgirl]

Chapter 10

The magic knights were back on the flying capsule, on their way to Princess Emeraude's castle. Umi was so busy celebrating her accomplishment that she was getting ahead of herself. Fuu had to remind her that they still had a long way to go before they could return to Tokyo.

"Must you always sound like my English teacher?" asked Umi. She hated when Fuu was so right all the time. It always made her feel stupid.

"We're closer than we were before," said Hikaru.

"Yeah, and we'll get even closer with armor and weapons!" said Umi, giggling.

Hikaru wondered where Princess Emeraude's castle could be. All of a sudden, the sky grew dark and a flash of lightning appeared.

"What's going on?" asked Umi, clearly frightened. The other 2 girls felt a bit scared, too, especially when an image of a man dressed in black appeared.

"Who are you?" asked Hikaru.

"I am the high priest, Zagato," replied the man. "I have to admit that I didn't expect you to make it this far. I commend you, magic knights."

Umi's first impression? This guy was creepy. Just listening to this guy speak made a chill go down her spine. The fact that he was quite attractive was not enough to pacify her fears. Not until he proved her wrong. Unfortunately, her fear of him would only grow stronger. Hikaru and Fuu found Zagato a bit intimidating as well, but they successfully hid their fears.

"It is now time to end this," Zagato went on. He emitted a blast of lightning from his hands. The lightning struck the flying capsule like a bowling ball knocking down all the pins. The girls screamed in pain. Zagato was preparing to deliver the final blow, but the magic knights disappeared. Zagato was able to guess who was behind this, especially when the water mirror shattered into pieces. Using his cape, Zagato shielded himself from the falling glass. It only had to be Princess Emeraude who was behind this. She is the only one who was capable of accomplishing such an action, even while imprisoned. He went to see her about this.

********

As usual, Princess Emeraude was on the flower, partially hunched over. She straightened up a bit. She was not surprised to see Zagato standing there. She knew that it would be foolish to expect him not to see her about what she did.

"Princess Emeraude..... you saved the magic knights, didn't you?" he asked.

Princess Emeraude ignored the question.

"Stop it...please stop this. If you continue, our world will be in ruins," said Princess Emeraude.

There she went again, begging him to cease the battle. He really wished that she would quit trying to oppose him. Not even her pleading would change his mind....or so he thought. At the same time, he couldn't bring himself to harm her, even though she opposed him. And it broke his heart to see her in tears. He left the water dungeon.

*********

"How did it go?" asked Dinah.

Zagato told her about how he nearly succeeded in defeating the magic knights, but Princess Emeraude rescued them.

"I see. Princess Emeraude's heart is unwavering, isn't it?" asked Dinah.

"Yes it is. She is like me. However, her desire differs from my desire," said Zagato.

Dinah did not find the right way to tell him what was on her mind yet. It wasn't necessarily the matter of not knowing what to say. She just didn't think it was the appropriate time yet.

"Well, don't despair. You will have another opportunity to cross paths with the magic knights," said Dinah. She secretly wanted to meet them herself so she could convince them that Zagato was not who he appeared to be. But she would have to wait until she was at her best. Maybe she could persuade Zagato to let her go with him to personally meet the magic knights the next time he went to confront them.

"Excuse me," said Dinah, politely. She went to go and get some rest. She bumped into someone on the way back to her room. She looked up to see who it was. When she saw, her reasonably decent mood turned sour. It was her least favourite person, Alcyone.

' Oh great,' thought Dinah, sarcastically.

"Well, if it isn't Dinah, the wanna-be sorceress," mocked Alcyone.

"I think you're speaking about yourself," retorted Dinah. She was usually very easygoing and friendly, but when dealing with people like Alcyone, that's when she had the tendency to get nasty.

"Is that so? Then why is it that Lord Zagato never sends you to battle those neophyte magic knights?" asked Alcyone.

"I'm unwell, dagnabbit!" snapped Dinah. She was really beginning to see red.

"Yeah right. You're just saying that so that Lord Zagato would take pity on you. But then again, I do not blame him at all. You couldn't defeat them if your life depended on it," taunted Alcyone.

In actuality, Dinah was quite a powerful warrior. But Alcyone was not willing to admit her jealousy. Those remarks of hers did it. Dinah's patience had been worn thin. She started to walk to her room before she really lost her temper. Whenever she lost her temper, it wasn't pretty. Alcyone sensed her annoyance, but felt that Dinah was incapable of defending herself. She attacked Dinah with her Ice Missles attack in order to prove it. Although caught off guard, Dinah did a wonderful job defending herself. She melted the icicle shards with one of her fire attacks. That took a lot of energy out of her, and she collapsed.

********

Zagato sensed this, and went to see what happened. He stopped short when he saw Dinah unconscious and Alcyone standing there. He was able to piece together what happened when he saw the melted ice that littered the floor. Anger at Alcyone filled him. It was one thing for her to be incompetent, but when she disobeyed him, she went too far.

"I ordered you not to interfere with Dinah, did I not?" asked Zagato with a hint of fury in his voice.

Alcyone was shaking. She knew what Zagato was capable of when he completely lost patience. Still, she would try to persuade him to spare her life, although she knew it was hopeless.

"Yes, Lord Zagato," said Alcyone, in a barely audible voice.

Zagato was infuriated about Alcyone's insubordination, and Alcyone knew it.

"Please forgive me, Lord Zagato. It won't happen again," begged Alcyone.

"That's enough out of you," said Zagato. He attacked her with his greatest spell.

"Ahhhh!" screeched Alcyone as the pain rocketed through her body. She fell backwards and was still.

Zagato teleported the unconscious Dinah to her room.

[nephlitesgirl]

Chapter 11

After a couple of days, Dinah finally regained her strength and was on her feet again. She was especially pleased when she heard that Zagato had executed Alcyone for her disobedience. Alcyone was a thorn in her side that she hoped would be eliminated. She went inside the castle's kitchen and filled one of Zagato's goblets with red liquid. She teleported to the throne room. The room was dark inside, which was good, since she couldn't handle lights very well. Sure enough, there Zagato was, sitting on her throne.

"Here's your wine, Lord Zagato," said Dinah, handing Zagato the glass filled with red liquid.

"Thank you, Dinah," said Zagato. He took a sip.

"I will let you rest now," said Dinah. She left the throne room.

Zagato relaxed on his throne. Although slightly displeased that Caldina and Ascot had deserted him, he couldn't complain, although it was hard to find competent henchmen. Not even an ailing servant was enough to put a damper on his spirits, although it was quite difficult. All of a sudden, Inouva appeared.

"What is it, Inouva?" asked Zagato.

"Forgive me for having disturbed your rest. I have come to ask your permission to face the magic knights and defeat them once and for all.

"Inouva," Zagato began.

"Alcyone, Ascot and Caldina battled the magic knights, and were overcome. Please, give me a chance to prove my loyalty to you," said Inouva.

In surprise, Zagato slammed his goblet down. Inouva took it as a sign of anger.

"I'm sorry if I have forgotten my place," said the lavender haired man.

"Inouva, are you saying that you have been by my side after all this time?" asked Zagato.

"Yes, my lord," answered Inouva.

Zagato gave him permission to go after the magic knights.

"Yes, Lord," said Inouva. With that, he disappeared from the throne room.

*******

Dinah had gone to see how Princess Emeraude was doing. Princess Emeraude had a sad expression on her face, like she always did. Dinah really couldn't stand to see Princess Emeraude so sorrowful. Princess Emeraude looked up at Dinah.

"Dinah, it's you. How are you feeling now?" asked the blonde princess.

"Good enough. In fact, this is the best I have felt in awhile," replied Dinah. "How about you? Are you feeling any better?"

Princess Emeraude sadly shook her head.

"I'm so afraid that this world will fall. With Zagato's wrongdoing and my fear, the condition of Cephiro is deteriorating. And I've seen that all of this has placed a strain on your health. I hope those girls from another world hurry before it's too late. I cannot take it anymore," said Princess Emeraude.

It pained Dinah to see Princess Emeraude like this. She really wanted to help her, to do the one thing that would cease the flowing of her tears. She despised the pillar system as well, but she believed that there was a way to prevent the legend from coming true without obliterating the magic knights.

"I have found the right way to convince Lord Zagato to go about this another way. I just need to wait until the right time comes. I do not want this world to crumble, but I do not want you to die, either," said Dinah.

Princess Emeraude felt hopeful when she heard that. Her only fear was that by the time Dinah had the opportunity to persuade Zagato to end the war, it would already be too late. And she still had doubts about whether Cephiro could stand without its pillar system or not. She made the decision to ask Mage Clef about that if Zagato freed him from the spell.

"All right. For your sake, I will wait to see what happens before I make my decision," said Princess Emeraude, relenting.

Dinah was glad to hear that. She only hoped that after this was over, there would be a smile on Princess Emeraude's face for once.

"I shall not return to this room until I have spoken to him about this, and that is a promise," vowed Dinah. In a flash, she disappeared from the water dungeon.

[nephlitesgirl]

Chapter 12

Inouva returned from his battle with the magic knights. He had had the upper hand against them, but due to Fuu's success in reviving the second Rune-God Windam, he was defeated. He knew that Zagato would be at least minorly disappointed. He bowed before Zagato.

"I beg for your forgiveness, Lord Zagato. I only ask that you return me to my original form," said Inouva.

"I cannot," said Zagato. He ordered Lafarga the swordmaster to come forth. A man with blonde hair cut short in the front and a long ponytail in the back appeared.

"Come with me to see your former master," said Zagato. Of course, he was talking about Princess Emeraude. He teleported to the water dungeon.

'Magic knights, please hurry and revive those Rune-Gods. Dinah, end this before it's too late,' thought Princess Emeraude, weeping softly.

"Are you feeling any pain?" Zagato asked her.

"Zagato..won't you please stop? Please stop this," begged Princess Emeraude, "if you continue, our world will be in ruins."

"I'm afraid that my heart is unchanged. Even if this world were to crumble, even if everyone in this world were to die, my heart will not waver," said Zagato. "Princess Emeraude."

"Zagato," said the princess.

"Sea god Selece, wind god Windam... two Rune-Gods have been awakened from their slumber by those girls from another world. Only one Rune-God remains. The scarlet Rune-God that lies in the fire shrine has not been revived," Zagato told her.

All of a sudden, Lafarga appeared. Princess Emeraude was happy to see him. She had not seen him since the day Zagato kidnapped her. Zagato had attacked Lafarga when he had tried to stop him from taking her, and she had been worried about him ever since. She was relieved to see that Lafarga was alive and well. Unbeknownst to Princess Emeraude, this was not the same Lafarga.

"It's you, Lafarga," she said.

"That's right. Lafarga was the captain of the guard that protected you. Of course, when you were the pillar, there was not much to protect you or the castle from. He was merely employed to combat the occasional monster or two. He was known as the strongest swordsman in all of Cephiro," said Zagato, "do you think those girls you summoned from another world have chances of defeating him?"

Princess Emeraude now knew what Zagato had in mind. He planned to use Lafarga's strengths to his advantage. She just couldn't let that happen. She begged Lafarga to not listen to Zagato.

"Your cries are useless. I have cast a spell on Lafarga that controls his heart," Zagato informed her.

Princess Emeraude was appalled at that. She never thought that Zagato would go as far as manipulating others against their wills.

"How could you do such a cruel thing?!" cried Princess Emeraude. She pleaded with Lafarga to wake up, but to no avail.

"Go now, Lafarga, and when you return, bring with you the corpses of those magic knights," ordered Zagato.

Like a robot, Lafarga bowed respectfully, and left to carry out Zagato's orders.

Zagato turned to Princess Emeraude. "If you insist on opposing me, you will prolong your anguish. Give up if you want to make things easier for yourself." With that, he left the water dungeon.

Princess Emeraude was distressed by Zagato's personality change. She was tempted to do as he said and give up, if it would make him happy. But she knew that it would only make matters worse. Besides, she didn't want to break the promise she made to Dinah.

*******

Zagato went back to the throne room to relax. Dinah came in with a plate of cheese sticks.

"Here's a snack for you," said Dinah.

"Thank you," said Zagato, taking the plate from Dinah.

Dinah asked him about the magic knights' progress.

"They have revived 2 Rune-Gods so far," answered Zagato.

"I'm not surprised. I expect nothing less from the legendary magic knights," said Dinah. She covered her mouth with her hands. She didn't want Zagato to know her opinion just yet. Thankfully for her, Zagato didn't suspect anything.

"Well, those children will not reach any further. Lafarga is battling them as we speak," said Zagato.

"I see," said Dinah. For Emeraude's sake, she hoped that the magic knights would be victorious over Lafarga, and that Lafarga would regain his memories.

"Well, I will go and rest now. Enjoy your snack," said Dinah. She left the throne room.

*******

After a brief battle, Lafarga finally regained his memories. He had no idea where he was and what he was doing there. And he wanted to know who the three girls were.

"Where am I?" asked Lafarga.

Before Hikaru could answer, he went on to ask where Princess Emeraude was.

"I must save Princess Emeraude," he said.

Hikaru was surprised to hear that.

"Save the princess? You mean that you're not one of Zagato's minions?" she asked.

Lafarga explained who he was, and about how he tried to stop Zagato from taking Princess Emeraude, but he failed. He became worried when he saw Hikaru's bleeding face.

"How did you get those wounds? Was it me?" he asked.

"You weren't responsible because you were being controlled by Zagato. Don't worry about it," said Hikaru.

"Hello over there! If he's not one of Zagato's minions, do you think he can help us get out of here?" called Umi. She and Fuu raced over to where Hikaru and Lafarga were.

Hikaru gave Lafarga back his sword. He apologized for what happened.

"I'm sorry about the flames," said Hikaru. "You didn't get burned?"

"Do not worry about me," said Lafarga. He asked the three girls who they were.

Hikaru explained to him that she and the other girls were summoned from another worlds to become magic knights. The magic knights rung a bell with Lafarga. He recalled hearing about the legend some time ago.

"So you are the ones. Only those summoned from another world can become magic knights," said Lafarga.

Umi asked him what he planned to do now.

"I will now continue my quest to search out and rescue Princess Emeraude. You girls have set me free from the nightmare of Zagato's evil magic spell. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I know we will meet again," said Lafarga, leaving. Umi and Fuu called after him, but he was already gone.

"Let's go and revive the last Rune-God," said Hikaru. She thought about how proud Presea would be of her and the other girls. Hikaru, Fuu and Umi continued on their journey to the fire shrine. Hikaru thought about how they were able to become friends with some of their former enemies.

'Hmm, it would be nice if we can somehow become friends with Zagato, too,' she thought.

[nephlitesgirl]

Chapter 13

The three girls from another world continued on their journey to revive the remaining Rune-God. They glanced at the sky, and noticed how dark and gloomy the sky looked. They stopped to rest for a minute.

"What's the matter, Hikaru? What's on your mind?" asked Umi, noticing Hikaru's grim expression.

"I was just thinking about how beautiful the sky used to be when we first came here. Now it is so dreary looking," said Hikaru.

"Yes, I have noticed that as well," said Fuu.

Suddenly, Umi felt angry. She knew why the weather had become so horrid...at least she thought she knew.

"This is all Zagato's fault!" shouted Umi.

Fuu and Hikaru were startled by Umi's outburst.

"It is all because he kidnapped Princess Emeraude, turned Clef into stone and sent his cronies to do his dirty work for him! He's a real jerk! Wait till I get my hands on him!" vented Umi, balling her hands into fists.

"Calm down, Miss Umi. Such vehemence won't help," said Fuu.

"Yeah. Remember that we are not strong enough to defeat him yet," Hikaru reminded Umi.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Umi begrudgingly. She was still angry about it, though.

Hikaru thought about what Caldina had told her and the other girls about Zagato possessing something more valuable than Cephiro. She was curious to know what this thing was. She decided that she would ask him the next time she crossed paths with him, which was guaranteed. Maybe she and the other girls could try reasoning with him. She knew that Umi wouldn't go for that, but she felt that convincing her and Fuu was worth a try. She really didn't want to do something that she would regret later.

Mokona hopped into Umi's arms. His forehead started to glow.

"Look, Mokona's forehead," said Umi.

The beam from Mokona's forehead projected an image of Mage Clef.

"Clef, how are you?" asked Hikaru.

"Are you all right, Mr. Clef?" asked Fuu.

Mage Clef didn't answer. His facial expression was stone-gray.

"Mr Clef, what's the matter?" asked Fuu, worried.

"I believe that this is the last time I will communicate with you. I cannot supress Zagato's magic any longer?" said the trapped Mage Clef.

"You cannot give up!" said Hikaru. She had tremendous amount of faith in him.

"Cephiro is continuing to crumble. Please hurry and become magic knights. I fear that before you are able to become true magic knights, Cephiro will crumble and you will be eradicated from this world," said Mage Clef.

The three girls didn't like the sound of that.

"Crumble?" repeated Umi.

"Eradicated?" asked Fuu.

"Young girls from another world........I have one last thing to tell you. The fire shrine is located............." began Mage Clef. Before he was able to finish his sentence, he disappeared.

"Clef, don't go!" said Hikaru. Though she herself was a bit angry with Zagato for the pain he caused, she was willing to forgive him. She vowed to find out his true motives after she revived the final Rune-God.

"Let's go, you guys," said Hikaru. She and her best friends went on their way.

*******

In the castle, Princess Emeraude was still trying to reason with Zagato. As usual, his heart was unyielding, but seeing her in tears was almost too much for him. He clenched his fist and left the water dungeon.

Inouva entered the throne room, and bowed respectfully.

"What is the condition of Princess Emeraude?" asked Inouva.

"Exactly the same. Her heart has not wavered since the battle first began. Her tears have not stopped for a single moment," answered Zagato.

Inouva beseeched Zagato to give him one last chance to defeat the magic knights, but in his true form this time.He desperately wanted to repay Zagato for keeping him by his side, even if it was only because he was a gift from Princess Emeraude.

Zagato had his doubts about this. Inouva was not ordinary, but a creature with the highest magical powers. If he reverted to that form, it would be impossible for him to return to human form.

"I understand that, my lord. But this one chance is all I need," said Inouva.

"Why is it that you devote myself to me?" asked Zagato.

"I have seen you beside the princess all this time, and I have seen you reveal your emotions to her as well. Cephiro is the land of the will, so there is no chance that your wish will not come true," said Inouva.

"You believe that, even if it is an evil wish that will destroy everything of value in Cephiro?" asked Zagato.

"Let them call you evil. It does not matter to me. I just want you to achieve your goal," said Inouva.

Zagato finally relented, and changed Inouva back into his original form, a wolf-like creature with a gem on his forehead. Inouva disappeared, and went to hunt the magic knights down.

[nephlitesgirl]

Chapter 14

The battle between Inouva and the magic knights was in progress. The situation looked extremely dire for the 3 girls. The fact that Inouva was able to use all of his powers gave him the advantage. He was forever grateful to Zagato for returning him to his original form. Umi, Fuu and Hikaru were appalled by the power that Inouva demonstrated.

"This beast is unbeatable!" said Umi.

"That's right! You might as well accept defeat!" taunted the beast.

"I don't understand why our magic isn't working!" said Hikaru, frustrated.

"Die, magic knights!" roared Inouva. He used another electric attack on the magic knights. They evaded the attack as best as they could.

"We have to find out its weakness somehow," said Fuu.

*******

Ferio was sitting on a rock, thinking about things.

'I sure hope that those girls are all right,' he thought. He thought about how beautiful the sky used to be, and how Cephiro used to be a tranquil world under Princess Emeraude's reign. He started to reminisce about his past. The earliest memories he had as a child was when he was wandering around the castle.

*Flashback begins*

"That item was something I gave to that young man as a gift. he did not steal it" Princess Emeraude informed the guards. "Ferio."

*Flashback ends*

' I remember. Instead of punishing me for being a snoop, she let me keep this orb. Here's something I' d like to know. How in the world did she know my name in the first place?' wondered Ferio. It was something he never really thought about before.

* Flashback begins*

"Sister!" called young Ferio, running to catch up with Princess Emeraude. Princess Emeraude was about to go into the castle to begin her duties as the pillar.

"Well, Ferio, we shall never meet again. My dear sweet only brother," said Princess Emeraude.

A bit later, young Ferio went inside the castle to request something of Princess Emeraude before they had to part ways.

"Sister, I have a request for you," said young Ferio.

"A request?" asked Princess Emeraude.

"Would you erase any memory I have of our family relationship? And please try to forget that you had a brother as well. You are the pillar of Cephiro now, and I want you to have very little problems to worry about," said young Ferio.

Princess Emeraude was silent for a moment. Despite her duties, she still didn't want to forget that she ever had a brother. This was asking too much.

"Even if I erase your memory as you asked, I still do not think I would ever be able to forget you," said Princess Emeraude. She handed him one of the orbs.

"It has magical powers that would enable you to communicate even if you're far away," explained the Princess. "So take this magic orb. That way, I will always remember the voice of my dear sweet only brother."

*Flashback ends*

'What the hell? I am Princess Emeraude's little brother?' he thought incredulously. Now he knew why he was so worried about her. His magic orb pulsated.

"Ferio," said Princess Emeraude.

"Sister!" said Ferio.

"Are you really willing to call me your sister once again?" asked Princess Emeraude, surprised. She let him know that his memories were returning because her powers were weakening, and the seal on his memories has been released.

"How can I save you? Please tell me!" said Ferio.

"Only those girls from another world can do this. And right now they are in great peril," said Princess Emeraude. She let him know what was going on, and told him of Inouva's weakness.

"Please let the magic knights know," requested Princess Emeraude.

"Can do!" said Ferio. Using the magic orb, he called on the magic knights.

*******

The magic knights heard the orb pulsating.

"If you can hear me, let me know!" Ferio shouted into the orb.

"Ferio," said Fuu.

Ferio went on to tell the magic knights that Inouva's weakness was the gem on his forehead, and to attack the gem.

"Okay," said Hikaru. She told Fuu to take care of Umi.

"You can't fight it alone, Hikaru! Don't be reckless!" said Umi.

Hikaru ignored her, and aimed an attack at Inouva's forehead. The blast of energy hit the gem, producing a crack in it. Inouva let out a bloodcurdling howl of defeat. His last thoughts were of Zagato. Within minutes, he disappeared.

*******

'Inouva,' thought Zagato. He knew what the defeat of Inouva meant. Sending Dinah to battle the magic knights was out of the question, so he would have to confront the magic knights personally. He went to let Princess Emeraude about this.

Dinah wept silently over Inouva's death. She thought he did an exceptional job as a commander, and that he was a thoughtful gift to Zagato.

'Farewell, Inouva,' thought Dinah, wiping tears away. This episode was the breaking point for her. She decided that she was ready to talk to Zagato about this war. She would not worry about the consequences. If she perished, she perished. She went to look for him.

*******

Zagato was in the water dungeon with Princess Emeraude. Dinah kept quiet so that she could hear what he was saying.

"Now that Inouva has been defeated, there is only one person who can defeat the magic knights," said Zagato.

Fear filled Princess Emeraude. She hoped that he wasn't thinking about sending Dinah into battle. She knew that Dinah might not make it. But his next sentence surprised her.

"I know that I will win," said Zagato.

Mixed feelings of relief and horror filled Princess Emeraude.

"Emeraude," said Zagato, softly. He left the water dungeon.

Dinah followed Zagato. She knew that this was her chance to meet the magic knights. She didn't care about the dangers to herself. She couldn't bear the thought of Zagato dying. For one thing, she didn't want Princess Emeraude to lose him, and for another, he had kept her by his side, and she wanted to repay him.

"Lord Zagato!" she called after him. Zagato turned around.

"What is it, Dinah?" he asked.

"I would like to go with you when you confront the magic knights. I would like to meet them," said Dinah.

"Dinah," Zagato began. He had his doubts about this. He didn't want to be responsible for any injury that might be inflicted on her.

"It's not for a battle. There is something I'd like to tell them," said Dinah.

Zagato was interested to hear what it was. He agreed to let Dinah accompany him, but on the condition that she would be careful.

"All right," promised Dinah.