The cool fall air caressed Wing's cheek as he strolled down the cobblestone streets of Cerina. The day's classes had ended for fall break and he had the next two weeks to himself. He had been playing with the thought of traveling to Orange City to visit Crissilia's temple more then once, but he just couldn't seem to find a reason behind the expensive trip.

He frowned, his first trip to Orange City coming back to him. It was a darker time then, people didn't laugh or smile as they do today, no back then, three years ago, Prism was under siege. Arctick, a terrorist army bent on dominating Prism was taking over every Kingdom, all in order to capture Cerina. Wing was one of the few that stood and fought the army, using his entrusted power of wind to help him. He wasn't alone though, his three closest friends were by his side, but that fateful trip to Orange City would be their last moments together.

He shook the memories from his head, and put on a small smile. They were in a better place now and that's all that mattered. His thoughts then traveled to Laurenska, a small continent far North of Prism, technology there was centuries ahead of Prism's, and was the only place in the world to catch a ship off world.

"Wish I knew where everyone's disappeared too..."
He said with a small sigh as he put his hands into the pockets of his black work slacks. He had been making a name for himself once more, but this time as a history teacher as St. Gabriel's Institution.

"I hope they're doing okay..." He chuckled, "Of course they are...we were the Ultimate Organization after all!" He shook his head remembering the last battle of the War. Vecked had given his life just to give his home world a second chance. The small grave Darius had created, and Wing marked flashed in his eyes, it was a year ago tomorrow that the war ended.

"Well, looks like I know what I'm doing now." He held his hand before him and conjured a portal or Twilight, his second power, a portal of Twilight could take him where ever he wished to go, and were also a safe haven if he was thrust into a sticky situation.

He looked around himself to see if anyone else was watching before stepping into the swirling vortex of Celestial Magic, his destination appearing before him in the blink of an eye.

The battlefield was recovering, small plants were growing around him. Vecked's grave was covered in small purple flowers, "Forget me nots" Wing said with a small laugh. "How fitting..." He looked at the makeshift tombstone, created from Wing's very swords, the Twilit Oathkeeper and Sword of Gales.

"Hey, Vecked..." He started. "It's me again, Wing...but somehow I think you knew that already, It's been a year that we fought on this field, a year that the Universal Government was established. A year since we last saw one another face to face...since we fought one another. Some how though, it feels like much longer...but anyways, I really just came to say 'hi' and I hope the after life is everything you wanted it to be...you may have done some bad things, but you were never a bad person...."

A tear slid down his cheek, splashing on to one of the forget me nots.

"I only wish you could see the peace that we all fought so hard for...rest in peace....old friend." He patted the soft earth before standing once more, with his hands in his pockets, Ceegum was a much different world then Prism, but the seasons were the same, and the crisp fall air fluttered his blazer.

"Until we meet again, My Prince." He bowed low, left foot crossed over his right, and his right arm extended fully, while the left was crossed over his middle. He faded into another Twilight Portal, drifting in the Corridors until he cold decided what to do, and where to go next.

Raze pushed through the busy streets wearing a victorious expression.Tonight I get to eat he thought to himself as he neared his destination. Once the building was in sight, however, he looked over to his right and saw a large marketplace full of stands and fresh food put on display. "I guess a little bit of quick window shopping couldnt hurt anyone." he said aloud to himself. He walked in and began exploring with a keen eye. The food was the same wherever he went, it was either fruits, vegetables, meat, or fish. And although each morsel of food caused his mouth to water, the sound of an empty pocket caused his heart to break. But while he looked around he began to notice something, everyone was different, they were all human of course and it seemed like they were aware of the local customs, but the conversations around him implied different accents and a few different dialects.

"Can I help you sir?" a man said snapping Raze out of his trance. He looked to see himself standing in front of a meat stand with a tall muscular butcher on the other side giving Raze a hard look. "Sorry," Raze began "I lost myself for a second there." The man's face didnt warm but Raze saw him relax his stance a little, "Well I dont mind window shoppers but please move along since I dont like making the other customers wait." Raze looked around himself when the man finished saying that and realize that he was the only one in line. "Well before I go, can I ask you a quick question?" Raze asked. "Shoot." the man responded. "Well Im just curious as to why a lot of the people here dont seem like theyre locals." Raze said while looking around. The man looked around as well and gave a huff along with a smile. "Youre a sharp one boy, this place used to be home to a refugee camp during the war. It closed down a few months ago and the people were allowed to return to their homes, but a lot of people liked it here and decided to become citizens. So far it seems everyone is happy." the man explained "But more importantly, I dont know what youre carrying but it seems that your lunch is leaking." Confused Razed looked down and noticed that the small sack he had around his waist was indeed leaking albeit a small amount.

"Yeesh I guess I should get going then, thanks for the information sir." Raze said turning around and raising his arm. He quickened his pace into a jog and entered the building close by. A lone officer stood at a desk and looked up at Raze. "Yes?" the man asked rather rudely. "Yeah, Im here to collect on a bounty." Raze pulled out the necessary paperwork and laid it in front of the officer. "Well I am going to presume the fugitive as deceased since youre alone here." the officer said "but Im going to need proof of his death as well as proof that the man in question is indeed the man you have...well removed from society." Raze reached down and grabbed the sack from his waist and tossed it on the desk. The man opened it up and quickly dropped it looking up at Raze with a frightened expression. "Yeah," Raze began "you should be able to get some fingerprints, some blood samples, and he was pretty hairy so there might be a follicle or two there."

Contrary to popular belief, Rune Solaris was not dead. Well, perhaps "popular" was too strong of a word. Rune highly doubted many people even recognized his name, let only ever thought about whether he might be dead or not. If he'd gone by the alias of Scourge, ex-leader of the Brotherhood, things might have been different, but Rune was a different person now. Or rather, he was just one person now.

Not that Rune could really remember. His memory was splotchy, full of holes and hard to recall, like trying to see the details of a painting through a thick fog. Rune believed that was because the other half of his memories lay within Oblivion's mind... or rather Oblivion's deceased mind. It didn't matter; what Rune remembered, he'd really rather forget.

What Rune did remember clearly was his last moments with Darius Lionheart. Rune fought down the urge to touch the massive scar that wrapped from his navel up around his right shoulder to the same point on his back, where his body had ripped open from the insane amount of power rushing through him. Myriad similar, but much smaller, scars crisscrossed his body. He'd nearly died. He'd thought he was dead, as he floated in the space between worlds, watching the stars gently twinkle his life blood away, his oxygen, his mind...

Then darkness had shrouded him, and he'd awakened on board a ship. Somehow, the Emperor had saved his life, nursed him back to health... Rune owed the man a great debt, and he was itching to repay it. The Emperor didn't see it that way, of course. The very reason for Rune's near-death experience was the reason he could stand before the Emperor today.

Rune had destroyed Oblivion's seal on the Empire, freeing them from a 30-year imprisonment. The Emperor had opened trade at once, seizing the chance to allow fresh air into a dying atmosphere. And it was all thanks to Rune. Or so the Emperor said. The truth of the matter was, Rune had done little. He'd laid the groundwork, but hadn't had enough power to force the seal to self-destruct. Darius had seen to that, and he had paid the price for it.

Rune's ravaged body had been a small price to pay; Darius had lost everything, the very core of his existence. The Phoenix.

Many debated what the Phoenix really was: the closest Rune had ever gotten to an explanation was a symbiotic culmination of power, the final destination in the rise of strength. As of a year ago, he'd known of four Phoenicians: himself, Wing, Vecked, and Darius. Now, Vecked was dead, something that should have been impossible due to the Phoenix's life-restoring power (but, despite the Emperor's assurances, Rune believed would have happened to himself as well), Darius had lost his powers...

Now, there were three: himself, Wing, and the Emperor. Rune hadn't been surprised. Enigma had hinted at the fact. Enigma... now there was another subject entirely...

The Emperor shifted in his chair, bringing Rune's attention back to the matter at hand. The meeting had already lasted three hours, and had gotten nowhere. There were six delegates in the room, the Emperor, and Rune, although neither Rune nor the Emperor had participated in the meeting yet. Right now, they seemed to be arguing over plantation fraud on one of the planets, something that didn't need to be discussed here at all.

Six planets, each with their own delegate, made up the Empire of Kalva, along with a few small moons that had temporary populaces on them. Kalva's technology was dumbfounding; they were 10 or 11 years ahead of everyone else, and were constantly making new breakthroughs. Kalva's military was small, at just above 2 million, but when you had a fifteen billion inhabitants spread over the six worlds that all had had military training at one point in their lives, Rune supposed the Emperor kept it that small on purpose.

Kalva seemed like a well-oiled machine... that had been shot with a nuke. Kalva was struggling to get trade, especially food, to those fifteen billion inhabitants. Kalva was not able to be self-reliant, at least not completely, and it needed trade like a fish needed water. More than that, resources were needed to deal with the more serious matter of the civil war on Crystalis.

Which was what the conversation seemed to be finally dragging down to. It's not that the delegates were ignoring the problem; they just didn't want to discuss it in front of Rune. Kalva had its pride, after all, and even though Rune had been here for the last year, they still looked on him as an outsider. That was okay with Rune; he still looked on them as whiny politicians.

One of the delegates, a man named Leon Strife, finally turned to the Emperor with a sigh. "All right, we've avoided this subject long enough. Emperor, do you have a plan?" Leon glared at Rune, who held back a smirk.

The Emperor smiled slightly, and leaned forward in his chair. "Yes. I've taken the liberty of drawing up a contract with a small band of mercenaries to deal with the problems on Crystalis. I propose we finalize the contract, and recall all troops from Crystalis to bolster defenses on Osidia."

Shock was visible on all the delegates' faces.

"M-mercenaries?" Leon choked. "Why not just slap us in the face and get it over with?"

"I understand how you feel," the Emperor said, the smile going from his face. He looked tired. "I know you'd like nothing better than to send our own people in there to fight. But that's just it, isn't it? It's our own people. We can't afford our own people to kill our own people. Rebels or not, corrupt or not, they are still Kalva. Fighting fire with fire is not always the best option."

Resignation fell across a few of the delegate's faces; most of the others just looked exhausted, like they'd been running for miles.

The Emperor leaned back. "Any more protests?"

Leon rubbed his eyes for a moment, then spoke. "We trust you. We always have, and always will."

"That means more to me than you know," the Emperor said quietly. Turning to Rune, he said, louder. "Rune, contact the Brotherhood. Tell them their contract has been validated. I want them there by the end of this week."

Rune nodded. "I'll be leaving today as well."

The Emperor smiled humorlessly. "Good luck to you all."

...You're going to need it. Rune added in his mind, bowed slightly, and then turned and left the room.

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, Enigma had a family. Or rather, he’d once had a family. It had been nearly 35 years since he’d last seen them. His father had been the Celestial Mage of Fire under the Emperor of Kalva, charged with preserving the balance of fire in the land and supporting the Kalvan army with his near godlike abilities. Enigma didn’t really remember much of his father, other than a stern presence but a proud and faithful one. Tephobian had often been on assignment, succeeding in places even the other Celestial Mages failed. Enigma had always been proud of his father, even if he’d rarely seen him. He’d understood the importance of duty.

His mother, on the other hand, rarely left his side. Her hair had been raven black, eyes green like emeralds, and she had been the most beautiful figure in his world for as long as he’d known her. She’d taught him everything he’d known, from birth to that fateful naming day on his ninth birthday. He’d never heard her raise her voice, even when his antics brought exasperated sighs and frowns from the household staff. She’d never needed to.

In the Emperor of Kalva, it was customary for a childhood name to be given at birth, and then an adult name given on the ninth birthday. Whereas the childhood name was like a pet name, like Tod or Red, the adult name was the significant definition of the person you were and who you would become. Enigma had looked forward to it his entire life.

It was the mother’s duty to sever the childhood name from the new adult, and so it was that Enigma found himself accompanying his mother to the ceremony. He remembered vividly the events that followed.

His father had stepped up and exchanged quiet words. Enigma hadn’t caught much other than that his father had to go fight somebody very strong, and might not make it back for a while. Enigma remembered feeling at the time impatience and annoyance, but he’d quickly squashed it under the pride he felt for his father’s strength. Tephobian had looked Enigma in the eyes, smiled, and then walked away.

Enigma had pieced together what happened next from eye witnesses and the official report in the Kalva databanks, which he’d sliced into a few days before. Oblivion, the Celestial Mage of Darkness, had disobeyed direct orders from the Emperor, and had even gone so far as to kidnap Selorian, the Celestial Mage of Wind. Rumors had suggested that Oblivion was experimenting with the most destructive force in the universe: the Phoenix. With the power of Selorian and himself, Oblivion might be able to replicate the Phoenix, putting this mission at the highest priority.

Tephobian had arrived at Oblivion’s mansion to find Oblivion controlling a corpse-like Selorian with his power. Tephobian was forced to fight both Mages, destroying Selorian. At the moment of victory, however, two beings intervened. This was the part that Enigma had paid close attention to. He’d known of his father’s death that very night, but he’d never understood how Oblivion had won. Now he knew.

Rune Solaris, and another swordsman of similar strength and caliber, had engaged Tephobian. Tephobian had been caught off guard, but quickly gained the upper hand., killing the second swordsman easily. However, from what Enigma could gather, Tephobian had hesitated afterwards, and Rune had struck a fatal blow. Still, Tephobian could have destroyed them all, yet again he hesitated.

Eye witnesses, members of the army poised to backup Tephobian, described Tephobian’s expression has dumbfounded, tinged with fear, then suddenly turned to determination. At that point, Tephobian had flung out his arm and raw power had flooded from Tephobian into Rune. Enigma had considered this carefully, and finally come to the conclusion, after reading of Oblivion’s furious reactions and overheard words of “power” and “how dare he…”, that Tephobian had transferred all of his power into Rune Solaris.

Then Tephobian had died.

At almost the same instant, Enigma’s childhood name, Felix, was being stripped away. The father’s duty was to transcribe the new name, so hesitantly the rest of the family moved to dinner. They never ate. Oblivion’s soldiers struck, killing Enigma’s mother before his eyes, his grandparents, the servants… In one instant, Enigma was orphaned and cut off from everything he’d ever known. He’d only escaped the same fate by happenstance, tripping slightly as he walked down the hallway, the arrow that should have killed him chipping stone instead.

Oblivion’s soldiers had closed in finish the job. Not one of them had survived the incident.

Enigma had learned through one of the soldiers that his father was dead. Alone and scared, Enigma had fled his house, hiding from more of the soldiers until morning. Around noon, Oblivion’s pet project, the magic sealing wall, had snapped into place. One instant, Enigma had been running down a road, the next he was in stasis, unable to move, trapped inside the wall itself, not unlike the world Vecked had tried so hard to save.

Thanks to Rune’s sabotage, the wall degraded enough to the point that Enigma was able to extricate himself, only to find himself in unfamiliar territory, still quite alone.

Now, Enigma, 24 years of age, sat on a bed, and thought. Tephobian had been killed by Rune, when it shouldn’t have been possible. Then he’d given Rune all of his power. Rune had then sabotaged Oblivion’s spell, and became a Phoenix along with Darius. Why had this happened? And what did it mean?

Enigma’s theory was hesitant. He needed more information. If he was ever to obtain his dream, he needed to…

A sound downstairs broke his train of thought. Frowning, Enigma stepped from the bed and walked silently to the head of the stairs.

“Yo, get down here Enigma,” Azull called. “I know you’re still awake.”

Relaxing, Enigma moved down the stairs. “You should knock before entering. It’s only polite.”

Azull was seated at Enigma’s circular table in his kitchen, an apple in one hand, a large bite already taken from it. He grinned at Enigma.

“Nice pajamas,” Azull chuckled. “Did Sage make those for you?”

Enigma nodded. “And how’s your wife?”

“Sick,” Azull said, grimacing. “Same as my kid. There’s a virus going around. It’s nothing too serious but the implications are.”

“Let me guess,” Enigma said, seating himself at the table as Azull snapped other bite from the apple. “You’re fairly sure the disease is being spread from food. Food from the Empire of Kalva.”

“You’re right,” Azull nodded, his expression serious. “It worries me. We don’t have any idea what the Empire’s plans are, because Rune’s not talking, if he even knows. All they’ve asked for is to be able to trade food and goods. And people are getting sick from the food?”

“It could be just coincidence,” Enigma said after a moment. “The Empire hasn’t been in contact with the rest of the worlds in just over 35 years. That’s plenty of time for a new disease to crop up that the rest of the worlds won’t have defenses against.”

Azull sighed. “Yeah, I considered that. I also considered the fact that the Empire could be counting on that fact to wage biological warfare against the rest of the worlds. It’s not like they really need motive, if they are who you say they are.”

Enigma didn’t answer. It wasn’t really something you could say something to.

Azull shrugged after a moment. “I’ve brought a sample of the disease for you to look at. If you can, come up with something to counteract it.”

Enigma took the vial Azull handed to him and walked over to his fridge. “Come back in a couple of days, I’ll have it ready.”

Azull nodded. “Will do.” Standing, he sighed. “Well, lookie there, I actually had to come here.”

Enigma smiled slightly. “Does anyone know you can do that?”

“What, switch between my illusions?” Azull asked, his nose crinkling slightly. “No, I think you’re the only one who knows. Unless there’s someone else who can tell the difference between the illusion and the real thing.”

“I don’t think I’m the only one,” Enigma said, considering. “But I might be the only one who’s actually met you.”

Azull rolled his eyes, waved, then disappeared.

Enigma frowned. “He could have at least said goodbye.”

Sighing, Enigma walked back up the stairs to his bedroom, laid down on his bed, and stared at the ceiling. It had been about six years now. Six years since he’d really smiled, laughed…

Six years since he remembered living, and counting.

Expressionless, Enigma closed his eyes, and went to sleep.

* * *

Darius Lionheart yawned. Really loudly. Which, of course, made Tyre yawn, his jaws creaking. Darius stretched, then went to yawn again. Tyre felt his own mouth stretching, and clapped a hand over it. Darius grinned, then started to yawn again.

This one turned into an exhalation of air as Tyre punched him in the stomach. "Stop that!" Tyre snapped. "Try acting your age."

Darius chuckled. "Let a little humor in your life, Tyre."

"Humor, huh?" Tyre asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm the comedic relief, remember?"

"Right, right," Darius said, smiling. "I forgot."

After a moment, Tyre muttered. "These mashed potatoes are crunchy."

"That's because they have bugs in them," Darius said, shoving a mouthful of said potatoes in his mouth.

Tyre's face turned pale. "Really?"

"No, it's broccoli. Shut up and eat it," Darius said around his food. Tyre gave him a dirty look, but kept eating.

After all, Darius thought, this is the best-rated inn in Ritrys. There better not be bugs...anywhere.

It had only been two days since Darius and Tyre had received their assignment from Azull; they were to travel to the world of Crystalis, and land in Ritrys, a small port kingdom that sprawled over a few hundred miles of land. Apparently, something had been going on with the King lately... like how he'd just made his daughter disappear. Their job was simple: find out what was going on, and fix it.

Their meeting with the King hadn't gone well. The King had been convinced they were government spies, which in a way was true, and had ordered them to stay out of his castle. Like that was going to stop them. But Darius hadn't told the King that. Instead, they'd retired to the nearby self-titled capital city, looked around at all the wonderful tourist attractions (a few old fountains and an opera, which Darius had fallen asleep in), and then found the inn as it got later. Rooms weren't a problem. Ritrys would never be a tourist hot-spot.

Darius swallowed a mouthful of hot bread, and turned to Tyre, speaking quietly. "You know, we're going to have to get into that castle somehow."

Tyre nodded. "I'll do it tonight. I'm less noticeable."

Darius shrugged, not taking offense. He was used to getting stares, considering he was tall, lithe, and just happened to be carrying three swords on his back. Tyre, in comparison, tended to get lost in the crowd, with his dingy clothing, his rusty sword handle, and nondescript features, except for his eyes. It was really a good thing; they needed someone to draw eyes.

"Just be careful; that captain of the guard fella was giving us some hard looks," Darius muttered.

"You mean, that Irgo guy? Yeah, he might be a problem if we have to fight him," Tyre said, shrugging. "But I'm not going to get found."

Darius waved a hand. "So what do I do while you're gone?"

"Stay in the vicinity, maybe frequent the gambling pub a few houses down," Tyre suggested. "Get yourself noticed, but not arrested, maybe?"

"Huh," Darius grunted. "Fine by me. But you know I can't gamble worth shriveled beans."

Tyre smiled. "There's a whorehouse around the block. You could always go..."

"Gambling's fine," Darius snapped. "And don't ever joke about that."

Tyre laughed softly. "Right, right. I'll see you later, big guy."

"Creep," Darius said as he stood. "Don't get lost, blueberry."

Tyre laughed again, and then walked out the door, leaving Darius alone with the food. After a few moments of waiting, Darius got up, and walked to the bartender.

"Anywhere I can go for fun around here?" Darius asked casually.

"There's a whorehouse around the block that you can go..." the bartender began, before Darius grabbed the man's head and slammed it into the bar.

"Yeah, never mind," Darius growled, leaving the man unconscious on the ground. "I'll find something myself, thanks."

Ris sat alone in a large transport ship, zoned out as he lay his muzzle on his fist, his elbow resting against the arm of the seat. The other inhabitants of the vehicle, all human, constantly gave him odd looks and muttered to one another, his ear occasionally twitching as he heard them mention the word "wolf".

'I'm a fox, dang it.' Ris thought, annoyed, his tail resting on his lap. 'There's a difference.'

The blue-furred Arctic Fox reached back and pulled on the tails of his headband to be sure it was tight against his head, realizing that he didn't even remember where they were going. It had been a long, boring trip so far, the same things happening again and again as new people saw him. He was at first rather astonished that they hadn't seen an anthropomorphic creature like himself before, but he shrugged it off as human ignorance.

"Attention all passengers," Ris' ears perked up as the voice filled the shuttle, turning his head to look at the nearest speaker. "We will soon be arriving in Gladale City, located in the world of Kasile of the Dark System. Please make sure that your seat belts are secure, your tray tables are up and properly fastened, and your seat is back in the full upright position. We appreciate your assistance in this effort to keep you safe and would like to thank you for flying with us. Have a pleasant stay!"

'Ah, Gladale City, eh? Heh, why not.'

(OOC: You sure? I mean...there is the 'Edit' feature lol)

"Keep an eye on him," Azull had said over dinner. "Enigma thinks there's more going on than meets the eye."

"I'm not anyone's babysitter!" Tyre had protested. "I mean, we're good friends, but what am I supposed to do if... you know..."

After a long pause, Azull finally set down his fork and looked Tyre straight in the eye. "I really don't know yet, Tyre. If, or rather when, it happens, contact me or Enigma. It'll have to do."

Tyre Rutherford sighed, and put aside the memories. His concerns about Darius would have to wait; right now, he had to focus on getting into the castle.

Tyre was an expert at covert operations, possibly one of the best without using augmented skills. He'd been doing it for nearly eight years now, ever since he'd joined the Guardians, and hadn't ever been caught. His confidence on getting into this castle was high; after all, his initial scoping had deduced there were no real alarms, just a few guards.

His confidence on getting out was something else entirely. It was probable that he'd get lost in the castle if he went very far in, as he had no layout or floor plans. Tyre rolled his eyes as he checked his watch. 2 minutes until the guards finished their round. Slowly, he inched his way forward, and then with a burst of speed, scrambled up the vine-covered wall, about ten feet in height, then braced himself and vaulted straight up. He barely cleared the five foot fence, complete with barbed wire, that rose above the garden wall. His dingy coat snagged on the fence's wire and he spun, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

"Ow," Tyre muttered, pulling himself up, thanking his lucky stars that he hadn't broken anything. Grunting, he leaned against the wall and reviewed his surroundings.

Only to find himself pinned by about thirty guards and Cyrus Irgo, captain of the guard, sneering at him.

"Ya know, you've got some mighty fine jumping skills there, little twerp," Irgo belched. "You're under arrest."

Tyre shook his head in exasperation. "Huh. I wish you good luck with that."

Irgo's face twisted in puzzlement as Tyre launched himself forward towards them...

* * *

"You're under arrest," the soldier said to Darius.

Darius didn't answer. He had his mouth full.

"I said, you're under arrest," the soldier said again.

Darius swallowed. "Screw you."

"What did you just say to me!?" the soldier gasped. "How dare you talk to an officer like that!"

"For crying out loud!" Darius growled, glaring at the soldier. "Can't you see I'm just trying to have a drink with these nice fellas?"

Who were quickly vacating the table. It almost made Darius crack a smile, but he wanted to stay in character. The soldier glanced nervously at his companions.

"Like it or not, you're going to have to come with us," the soldier said, and Darius did smile then. Unpleasantly. The soldier swallowed.

"Make me," Darius grinned, and took another swallow of his drink.

The soldiers hesitated, then swords were drawn.

"About time," Darius muttered, and slowly stood up. "You punks asked for it."

Picking up his drink, Darius took another swallow, then suddenly kicked the table forward, slamming it into the soldiers, bowling them over like pins.

Gesturing, Darius laughed. "I'm going to kick your butts and not spill a drop!"

His laughter died when he heard the click of the revolver and the cold end press against his neck.

"No," the innkeeper said. "You're going to go with them. Quietly."

"This is where it gets nasty," Darius said, shaking his head slowly. "I'm just going to have to teach you all a lesson. First one being..."

He turned to face the innkeeper, his eyes blue infernos. "No one points a gun at me."

Slowly, he emptied the glass, setting it down nicely on the table nearby, then began his work.

After about fifteen or twenty minutes, the shuttle landed and the voice came again from the speaker. "Please exit the vehicle in an orderly manner for your own safety and the safety of others. Again, we thank you for flying with us, and we do hope that in your future travels, we may be of service to you another time. Enjoy your stay in Gladale City!"

Group by group, everyone stood up, some people casting one last odd glance at the fox before they walked down the aisle single-file, exiting the ship. Adjusting one of his black wristbands, Ris stood up and stepped into the aisle, walking behind a short, bald man who certainly was taking his time. Rolling his eyes but suppressing a sigh, the Arctic Fox slowly shuffled along behind him.

After a short amount of time, though it seemed much longer to the young vulpine, Ris was in the spaceport. Depositing his money in the small tray as he walked through the spaceport's security, he realized with a sigh that it was probably worthless where he was. 'Oh, this trip's gonna be fun...'

He didn't have to go through any baggage claim as he only had with him the small wad of cash; there was a misunderstanding with one of the previous security guards and his bag was confiscated, his clothes and all. How was he supposed to know a pistol wasn't allowed?

The fox was soon outside, reaching back and tightening his headband. "Here it goes, Ris. Let's head out." It was time to go explore the city, become more familiar with the people, culture, and architecture, but he was especially looking for a suitable place to practice parkour; if nothing else, he wanted to have fun.

The Master of Gales walked sliently through the city streets of this new and unknown world. Three days had passed since he had visited the gave site of his friend, and enemy, Vecked Flate, and so much had happened. He watched his breath rise to join the cold air before ducking into a small coffee shop that he had found the day before. After sitting down with a steaming mug of chai tea, he sighed, reflecting on what had happened in the past couple of days.

Ceegum: three days ago, 1 year annaversery of the end of the war

A presence could be felt as Wing slipped in to the twilight portal, a presence so strong and so oddly familiar, that Wing resurfaced, curious to face the ghost from his past.

"Chaos..." Wing said without turning around. The young Emerald Knight chuckled and removed his helmet

"Sharp as always, Wing." He said in his light, calm voice. He ran a gloved hand through his blonde hair and smiled. Wing turned to face the high ranking knight, a former enemy back when Wing first joined the Ultimate Organization, now just another human being. He had met Chaos once on the battle field, the day he and the others brought down the Enigmatic Knights, but their encounter was cut short once the Knight's leader had taken the stage.

"Come to pay your respects?" Wing asked, turning to face Chaos. He shook his head, a sad smile reflecting the sadness echoing in his blue eyes.

"No, sadly I have no ties to this place. I was never involved with the war. You see, after the battle between our organizations, I left the triple systems for a far forgotten one. My home system."

Wing cocked his head to the side slightly, his interest peaked.
"What system are you talking about?"

Chaos looked to the patchy ground then flashed a smile. "The Empire of Klava. I was born in the Capital city 24 years ago during the power shift from democracy to empire. A transition many governments make after time. One person craves ultimate power, and stops at nothing to achieve it. Though, I digress. My intentions here are brief, and I've satisfied one already. Wing, I want you to visit this Empire, granted you owe me nothing, not even this very conversation. I just feel it's in your and the Universe's best interests if you visit these worlds."

He sighed, shaking his head. "I guess I should just come out and say what I really mean. The Klava Empire needs help, and you're the only one I could think of to ask. I am powerless to do anything for my own people, not that I have any right to after abandoning them all, but you...you're strong, and people look up to you, respect you. So please, do me this one favor and visit the Capital City...and se for yourself the corruption, greed, and violence this "Great Empire" truly holds."

Wing folded his arms across his chest, a stern look on his face. He was confused why Chaos was asking him. Surely he still had command over some Knights, and they could investigate themselves.

"Why me?"

Chaos laughed, "Because, you're the best suited for this job. Here."
Chaos tossed a small cell phone to Wing. Flipping it open, Wing noticed the contacts were all members of the Government, or Knights.

"Use it to get in contact with me, first, from there I'll tell you who to call and relay your findings too."

Wing pocketed the phone and glared at Chaos as he turned and opened a portal using a small machine the UPA used when trying to catch Wing and his comrades during the war. Before he stepped through the portal he turned and looked over his shoulder, a devious grin plastered on his face.

"Peel back the layers far enough and you may learn the true meaning of your existence, the origins of the Phoenix, and a lead or two to, Him ."

The portal closed before Wing had a chance to question. All he cold do know was trust Chaos, and investigate the Klava empire.


Capital City of Klava: Present Day

Wing shook his head, swallowing the last sip of tea. The two days after were uneventful, he had managed to contact a ship pilot with the help of the phone Chaos had given him. One he arrived in the lavish Capital City, covered with tall, modern sky scrapers, and a large outlying suburban area, he found a place to stay, and was lodged for free as a government employee, again thanks to Chaos. He had spent the day before touring the city, finding nothing out of the ordinary. The people seemed happy enough, and on the surface everything looked to be running smoothly. He knew he would need to venture out to the worlds on the edge of the system. Yet, he wasn't sure if leaving the Capital so soon was such a good idea.

"This is when having the others around would come in handy..." He said with a sigh. He looked up as a small Tv was turned on across the room, a small computer was being advertised. It was sleek, and fast, boasted having the highest storage space, 30 Trilobites. He was about to look away, uninterested in computers, when a young man's face flashed on the screen. The brown hair and brown eyes merged harmoniously with the memories in his mind. Nulix sat right before him, looking as if he was in the best of health, of course, money can do that for a person. A new sense of happiness washed over the young magician as he looked upon the face of one of his closest comrades. He shook his head with a small smile and looked down into his empty cup.

"Good to see you're doing well Nulix. Glad to see you looking so happy..."

Darius threw a chair at the TV. "Nulix, you suck!" he yelled in a slightly slurred voice. "Why do you get all the money?" Sniffing, he went and picked the chair up, then patted the TV. "Sorry, never mind. You're a good kid. Good for you, you slime ball. Ah, I don't mean it. Actually, maybe I do."

"My head kinda hurts, actually," Darius said, as if it had suddenly occurred to him. "Maybe I should sit down..."

Looking around, he realized that there wasn't much left standing. "Oh, whoops, I did that didn't I? Hey, bartender, do I have to pay for that?"

No answer, probably because the bartender had his head through one of the walls, and was quite unconscious.

"Bad service here," Darius muttered, spitting out something that felt suspiciously like a tooth. "Should have used my swords. 'Ould have been easier."

"Dude..." Tyre said from the doorway. "What are you doing just standing there?"

"You're right," Darius said, pointing at him with a shaky hand. "I should lie down. Go to sleep. 'ead hurts."

Tyre's brow wrinkled. "You don't drink alcohol, so you can't be drunk. Did somebody hit you a little too hard."

Darius pointed to a frying pan on the floor that had smeared blood on it, pointed to the back of his head, and shrugged. A few seconds later, his eyes rolled up into his head and he collapsed.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Tyre growled, thinking hard. "Um, well this is just great. Trashed tavern, I'm hurt, you're unconscious, and we have guards after us...."

Darius rolled over. "My head...urts..."

"If you're conscious enough to say that," Tyre said nastily, "you're conscious enough to get up. Walk you big brute!"

Helping a blinking Darius to his feet, Tyre stumbled from the room, half-dragging the massive warrior out into the night, cursing the entire way. A few moments later, the cry of "Thieves, thieves!" split the night, followed by the roar of a old truck as it burst from a nearby garage onto the street, and away into the night.

Ris had been walking through the city for quite a while, happily gazing at everything around him. Despite the fact that he had no money, no food, no place to stay, and no clothes but those on his back, he kept an optimistic view. Instead of worrying about the trivial things, the young, seventeen year old fox took the time to watch people's interactions with each other, listen to the sounds of the human city, and examine the buildings around him. Most everything was the same as in his world, the biggest difference simply being the appearance of the Kasile inhabitants.

As he walked past a particular building he spotted a large sign, daring any passersby to read. What was important was what was -on- the sign; 'Help Wanted'. From what he knew, that meant that there was a possibility to make some money, something that he could really appreciate at that time.

The blue fox turned and sized the building up and down, silently considering the pros and cons to offering his assistance to the people. After a short amount of time and a few twitches of his ear, he gave a brisk nod. Soon enough, he had opened the door and stepped inside.

OOC: Thanks for posting, everyone who has!

Rune paused in the doorway, letting his eyes adjust to the dim light inside the dingy bar. He wouldn't have bothered entering at all normally, but he needed information, and this was the only bar in town. People talked when they were drunk.

Stepping through, Rune quickly found who he was looking for: a guard for the Earth Crystal, located in a shrine about 30 miles north of here...and 10 miles underground. Unlike the crystals commonly traded to other worlds, the Earth Crystal was immense, nearly 8 feet tall and five feet wide in its middle. Over a million years, it had grown from a small fragment into the massive artifice it was today, holding within it the power of mother earth. It was a companion to the Fire, Wind, and Water Crystals, and, along with the others, the treasure of Crystalis.

To Rune, it was a job to get done, efficiently and quickly. The Emperor's assignment was simple: destroy the crystals.

Putting on his best smile, Rune seated himself at the table, and began to work his way into the guard's confidence. It didn't take long to get what he wanted.