PROLOGUE

A silent hallway. The stone walls stood firm, despite the storm raging outside. The only light in the hall originated from small floating flames suspended by invisible magical force. The wind outside could be heard howling, and there was a definite chill. The door downstairs opened and then quickly shut. Footsteps climbed the stairs to the hallway, and a lithe figure ran quietly along the stone floor. It was all black, and its head was hooded in black cloth. The figure came to the door at the end of the hall. It knocked twice quietly and another hooded black figure appeared. Not nearly as lithe--or as tall. "Thank you Gaia," said the second figure, taking a scroll from the one called Gaia. "I'm sure Thanatos will be happy you completed your mission successfully."

Gaia turned from the second figure after quickly saluting, and ran back down the hallway. The figure waited until it heard Gaia shutting the door before turning back to the room whence he came. Walking by a crude window, the figure looked out. The storm raged along the landscape; lightning crashing and thunder booming. As the gate to the human world shut, marking Gaia's exit, the storm calmed a bit. The figure continued on through a large door.

The figure walked over to a much larger figure. "Master Doom," it spoke. "Here is Thanatos' report!"

"Thank you Brooks," Doom said. "You always were a good servant. Don't let that change."

"Yes sir," Brooks bowed slightly and moved next to Doom's throne. The other door to Doom's chamber slammed open. Two more large figures stood in the doorway.

"DOOM!" shouted one sternly. "What might be on that piece of paper your servant gave you?"

"Nothing dear sister," Doom said. "Just something concerning the humans."

"You know we aren't supposed to meddle in the human world," said the other figure. "We weren't banished here to deal with the mortals."

"Poltergeist, you fool," chuckled Doom. "You know as well as I do that we DON'T know why we were banished here."

"Stay away from the humans," said Doom's 'sister'. "Dealing with them can only end in disaster. We are in THIS dimension for a reason."

"Goddess is right," Poltergeist added. "We should stay in this world, and let the humans stay in theirs."

"As you wish, siblings," groaned Doom. "I won't meddle with the human's lives." Satisfied, Goddess and Poltergeist left the room.

"Does this change the plan?" Brooks asked.

"Not at all," Doom smiled an evil grin. "Not at all."

10 YEARS LATER

Matthew sat in his tree-house. The young boy was thinking about how great it was living in this age. So many new things had been invented recently. The armies had gotten new technology and passed some of their 'secrets' onto the general population. This caused many to invent new things. Among them the "radio" that alerted them to news. Although usually the radio only gave off static, and even when it did talk it sputtered. But it was still a neat invention. Of course, Matthew's favorite was the bicycle that now sat at the foot of the tree. Matthew enjoyed riding around, ringing his little bell. He felt as if he could go anywhere, do anything--this truly was the age of opportunity.

"Matt!" called Matthew's mother. "It's time for dinner! Hurry up or your father will eat everything!"

"Coming, ma!" Matthew leapt down from his tree and hopped onto his bicycle. He rode back to the house, ringing the bell all the way.

When Matthew arrived back at his house he left his bicycle outside the door, walked inside, and sat down at his dinner stool. "Matthew," his father scorned. "You have to wash your hands, boy."

"Yes, da," Matthew walked over to the sink.

The boy's mom looked up. "Turn on the radio on your way back over, son," she said. Matthew did as he had been told. "Thank you very much, Matt," said the woman.

The radio sputtered a might and then began talking. "Today in Anchyron," said the radio. "Another Esper attack has frightened the populance."

"They're attacking the CAPITAL now?" Matthew's father was in shock. "Before we know it they'll be here in Maranda."

"This is the third Esper attack this month. Yet we scarcely know what they are...why can't the Anchyron armed forces take care of this?" Matthew's mother saw her son's quizzical glance at the mention of Espers. She didn't want her son frightened to death with these stories of slaughters and madness. "Go wash up for bed, Matthew," she said. The boy did as he was told.

Later that night, Matthew's mother peeked into her son's room to make sure he was sleeping soundly. The small boy tucked snugly in his bed caused the woman to smile. Sleeping children were so peaceful looking, it was hard not to be calmed by them.

"Mom," Matthew began, obviously he hadn't been asleep. "What are Espers?"

"Oh, honey," she replied, walking over to his bed and sitting down next to it. "You don't want to hear about Espers..they'll give you nightmares."

"No mom," Matthew retorted. "I do. I do wanna' hear 'bout Espers. They sounded important on the radio."

"I guess..." Matthew's mother took a deep breath and then sighed. "No one really knows that much about Espers, Matthew. But they have powers that people don't. They look like beasts...and they've been attacking cities around the world for no reason."

"Are they bad, mom?" Matthew questioned.

"They're monsters, Matthew. And they live to destroy things."

Matthew thought for a moment, his finger in his mouth. "Where'd they come from?"

Matthew's mother sighed as she thought for a moment as well. "Nobody knows. But after you left the room tonight, the radio said that Anchyron is organizing troops for an army to fight the Espers. So they should be gone very soon." Matthew's mother stood up. "Now, dear, get some sleep. You shouldn't worry about Espers too much." She shut the door after she left the boy's room.

"Wow," Matthew thought to himself. "Espers sound scary...and there's a whole ARMY that's gonna' fight 'em. Maybe I can help," Matthew decided. "I need to find the army men and help them..." The boy waited for an hour, then snuck down to the dark kitchen. He gathered up some food in a bundle and tiptoed out the door to his bicycle. Matthew rode away from Maranda on his quest to help the army.

EVILS

Zozo. A great and prosperous outpost city in the mountains. Many adventurers would come to Zozo to trade their valuable findings and treasures. The streets sparkled as if made of metal. The majestic buildings reached many stories up into the sky. Although not nearly as grand as Jidoor--Zozo surely didn't appear to be a trading town. Few would have suspected that hidden in the bowels of the city lurked a great evil; an Esper of great power.

The purple cloaked figure strode into the grand chamber, his two servants waiting for him to arrive. Ultros was the second strongest Esper in the human realm, second only to Thanatos. The wizard was similar in shape to a human, albeit an eight foot tall human. He was clad in great purple robes, which were meant to symbolize his power. The hood of his robes always covered his face, and all that shown were his glowing red eyes.

"Phunbaba, DoomGaze, have you gained the right to stand by my throne before I've arrived?"

The blackness on one side of the throne flowed like a dark river to the side of its master. A misshapen skull turned to face the great wizard; a look of sorrow ever embedded in its empty eyes. "Forgive us," it pleaded in a hiss.

A grunt came from the other side of the throne, the hulking green figure which stood there looked up. With a series of lumbering stomps, Phunbaba made his way toward Ultros. "We were awaiting you," he spoke slowly in his bestial tone. "We knew not of your arrival."

"Very well, I forgive you," Ultros flung his arms out to his side before striding to his seat. Bolts of energy crackled and struck the two servants, sending them into spasms of pain. "Pray I don't have to forgive you again." The Esper sat in his grand throne and stretched a bit. Soon a sickly black thing arrived with a platter of food. Ultros took it and glared angrily at the shrunken figure, who quickly scuttered away. DoomGaze slowly recovered from his master's punishment and again shifted his shadow-made-flesh body across the room to the wizard's side.

"We have news of Thanatos," the demon relayed.

"Yes?" Ultros' speech was interrupted with the noises of chicken being chewed into paste. "Tell me," he swallowed the bite.

Phunbaba took his place as well, limping slightly on a gnarled leg. "He has delivered fifteen new Espers to our master, Doom."

Fire blazed in the eyes of Ultros. Thanatos and he were both charged with the duty of creating more Espers like themselves; as a result, they were both very competetive for the favor of Doom. "I don't like this," Ultros growled.

"But, master," DoomGaze interjected quickly. "Thanatos' servants are sloppy. They're attacking the populance and alerting them to our existance...that can't please Doom, can it?"

"Perhaps we can use their foolishness as their own downfall," Ultros stroked his chin. "If the world finds out our plan through Thanatos--Doom will surely kill him." The wizard continued to ponder before a look of rage tore his features and he wrathfully stood up, flinging the platter across the great chamber. "FOOLS!" Phunbaba and DoomGaze shrunk away. "The entire reason that Thanatos sends his minions to attack the world is so that people will be afraid to travel." The confused looks on the faces of his audience only enraged Ultros further at the necessity to elaborate. "Zozo is our way of finding people to convert into Espers--if people are afraid to travel, they won't visit a trading city!"

"You think that Thanatos is purposefully trying to stop us?" DoomGaze hissed.

"HIS ENTIRE LIFE PURPOSE IS TO STOP US!" Ultros ranted. "If he can thwart us, then he will reap all the benefits from Doom." The Esper shot an energy blast at a nearby wall, causing it to crumble into peices. "I want you to find Thanatos' lair and kill him," he commanded DoomGaze. "I don't care how long it takes, or how you do it--but I want him DEAD."

CONFERENCE

The sun shone brightly down on Tzen. A burly man wearing a trader's uniform stretched to place the canvas sun-shade over his small corner of the wall where he'd set up shop this week. Tzen was one of the most trade intensive cities on the central continent--so Stave figured he could get a few customers. The bright blue and green booth was sure to attract some attention.

"Honey," Stave's wife appeared from the entrance to the tent where they lived. Their daughter, Lila, was subtly breast feeding in her arms. "Can you turn on the radio? There's going to be a conference today with the King of Anchyron."

"Yes, dear," Stave turned the leftmost nob on the small box to its maximum position as his wife disappeared back into the tent. He sat down in his booth, leaning his head on one hand, awaiting the day's first customer.

****

"YOU AREN'T LISTENING TO ME!" the King of the largest Kingdom in the world shouted. "The Esper attacks are going to keep getting more and more frequent! We have to protect our children and stop the threat NOW. We have to ORGANIZE." He was sitting at a large gold painted table. Reporters and collegues were crowded around him. They were supposedly there to take in his every word, but instead they were arguing and second guessing him.

"Sir, I find it highly unlikely that--"

"If we don't organize a human resistance against these...these THINGS...then we're all dooming ourselves!" The King pounded his fist on the table.

"Haven't you already organized a force to take on these Espers? I doubt that more action is needed." A young reporter shoved his mic into the face of the royal member for a response to his question.

"We need a human Empire," the King growled to the mass. "All the kingdoms of the world must unite to stop this evil force. Only together can we destroy these monsters."

The conference exploded into a jumble of comments and opinions.

****

On a completely different radio station, the reporters had been unable to reach the conference room. They stationed themselves outside with those awaiting the results. "We're live with the queen," a female reporter proclaimed proudly. "Ma'am?" she inquired. "Do you support your husband's decisions?"

"I'm behind anything he says one-hundred percent," the woman responded. "I will not answer any further questions."

"Do you think that the Espers are--"

"I WILL NOT ANSWER ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS," a screeching sound was broadcasted over the air waves as the King's wife smashed the microphone against a wall.

****

Keith sifted through the great bookshelves of the Zozo Academy. One of his fellow students had just turned off the radio that sat on a table behind him. It had just finished playing a recorded broadcast of the conference heard earlier that day. "Here we are," the young man said to nobody as he clutched a book. He blew dust off the ancient volume and opened it for perusal. "Ancient creatures." He carefully turned to the 'E' section and looked for the word that was on everyone's mind. "Esper isn't even IN here...what ARE these things?"

"Monsters," Benjamin replied, coming back in with a beverage. "That's how everyone else describes them."

"But where did they come from?" Keith wondered aloud. "Why did they come HERE? Why are they destroying things?"

"Monsters," the second teen began pouring over a book on arithmetic.

Keith silently vowed to find out everything he could about Espers and their purpose. He also decided it was time to go to bed, as his tired eyes had begun to play tricks on him. He could have almost sworn that he saw a shadow in the corner of the room moving...

LEGACY

Garth Figaro strode along the cliffside with his friend Hagol. The moon lit the night sky and cast eerie shadows behind them. The mountains glowed a strange blue color as the two men talked. "Our clan is losing it's footing," Hagol muttered.

"Don't be so over-dramatic, Hags," Garth smiled. "A group of wanderers can't lose footing."

"You're our leader," the man sighed. "You know as well as I do that the numbers of our 'tribe' have surpassed the populations of many cities." The muscled figured kicked a small rock that went tumbling down the cliff face.

"What do you expect me to do?" Garth looked up at the moon; as if the answer was splain across it in common speak. "You think a kingdom is going to allow us acreage for residence? A bunch of wanderers?" The leader of the band of families known as the Figaro clan picked up a stick and threw it into the valley below.

"Don't get upset," Hagol frowned. "I know we can't do that...but...we at least need to move on to a more abundant food supply."

Figaro stared out across the land below, sorrow in his face. "One day," he began. "One day we'll make a difference. One day, Figaro will be known as heroes."

"Sir! Sir!" a boy about fourteen years of age charged up the hill to the two men. "It's a girl...you have a daughter."

Garth's face exploded in joy as he sprinted down to the tent where his wife would be awaiting him--with their daughter...

****

"Ah, DoomGaze," Thanatos smiled. "Come out of those shadows. I've been waiting for you." The death-Esper's helmet was a grim dragon's skull--horns reaching three feet out on either side. His armor was as black as night, and his crimson red cape signified the blood and anguish he had caused upon the world. Only a portion of what was to come.

"Sss...." the shadow being called DoomGaze sifted in front of its opponent. "Ultros has ordered your death."

"Ah..and you're going to be my murderer?" Thanatos grinned as his eyes flashed in anticipation. "I normally wouldn't bother with you, but since Zarthes and Gaia are both attending business elsewhere, it seems I am forced to do the work for my servants."

"Don't mock me," DoomGaze shifted his shadowed body to show his entire form. The mouth of his skull opened in a threatening grimace, and the horns crowning it glimmered in the faint light. His bony claws reached out towards the death Esper and a primal growl emerged from the creature.

Thanatos simply smiled, outstretching a hand. "Ultros has trained his servants to be haughty." Flames jumped from his fingers and drove towards the attacker. Little damage was done--little damage was desired at the moment. "Ultros is destined to lose our little contest," the booming voice of the Esper replied. "This is why my servants are also Espers...but his servants are...petty monsters."

DoomGaze's eyes flashed with anger and hatred as he charged at the black figure. Thanatos, tired of this match already, clenched his outstretched fist. Unholy energies gripped the monster and tore him in two. DoomGaze screamed in agony. Where once was a lower torso and legs, was now only ebony flesh rended to ribbons.

"Tell Ultros this is the fate of those who cross me," Thanatos said, reclining in his tangled throne of black marble. "Tell him of my death legacy..."

INNOCENCE

Mathew rode his bicycle into the streets of Mobliz. Mostly a supply camp, Mobliz was bussling with people. Elderly people wandering about, parents ushering their children to and fro, teenagers trying to sneak off where they could be alone. To a young boy, this looked like the best place to ask around about the Anchyron army.

Canvas tents were everywhere, a few cabins were set up near the edges of town. A caravan of people had been leaving just as Matthew arrived, and the space where they had been the previous night was now empty, despite a few metal cans they had dropped. On the opposite side of town were shops and other more metropolitan things.

"Hi," smiled another young boy about Matt's age. "I'm Phillip."

"Hi, I'm Matt." Matthew and Phillip shook hands like they'd seen adults do so many times. "Do you know that the army is gonna' fight Espers?"

"Yep, I sure do," Phillip smiled proudly and motioned to his father, who was trading with another camper a few tents down. "My daddy's gonna' enlist." The boys ignored the loud noises of the camp. Clanking ladels against breakfast pots, children playing, adults arguing over prices or where they'd stop for the night.

"Wow!" Matthew's eyes lit up. "He's gonna' kill Espers?"

The boy raised a brown eyebrow. "I...guess so," he fumbled in his pockets and produced two candy suckers that he'd gotten earlier that day. "You want one?"

"Thanks," Matt placed it in his mouth and was greeted by the fruity taste of cherry. "He's gonna' have a sword and everything?"

"Daddy doesn't think swords work on Espers," Phillip said. "Uh oh..it looks like he's done--I better go."

"Bye," Matt and Phillip waved to one another as the latter disappeared into the crowd of people. The boy hopped back on his bicycle and rode further into the town. The sun was high in the noonday sky. "Maybe I could follow them," he thought. "I'll have to watch and see when they leave."

Seeing the door open at the inn, Matthew decided he could go in and ask some adults about the army. He rode quickly over and entered, leaving his bike at the door. "Do you know anything about the army?" he asked the Innkeeper.

"Uh..sure, kid...I got customers, though; so I'll talk later." The unshaven man turned to a family of four that had approached the counter.

Matthew walked over to a fluffy red couch. He sat down to wait for the man's shift to end. Slowly, however, the sitting position turned into a reclining one. Then Matthew's eyes slowly began to close.

The door shut with the jingle of attached bells. Matthew awoke quickly, glancing around for the man at the counter. Instead of the large, gruff man, there was a skinny, lanky man. Gazing out the window, the boy saw that the sun had long since set, and the stars risen to take it's place. He charged out the door and jumped onto his bicycle.

The lad's legs pumped furiously as he rode around the quiet town of Mobliz. His direction wasn't as keen as it had been when it was daytime. He was soon staring at a deadend in a dark alleyway. Wooden boxes stacked up on either side of the brick buildings that rose up next to the small boy.

"Lost?" came a low and husky voice. It was almost a hiss.

Matt swung around, gazing into a shadowed figure with burning white eyes. "Not really."

The boy could now see tattered black cloth hanging from the lithe figure that stood in front of him--pure blackness. "Why are you out so late at night?" The voice seemed to whisper, yet it seemed louder than possible in that tone.

"I'm going to find the army and help them kill Espers," Matthew had now turned his bike around and was prepared to ride away as soon as this strange man moved.

"Why would you want to kill Espers?" the figure asked, revealing foot-long claws that were razor sharp. His evil grin also shone long, deadly teeth.

"They're monsters!" the boy shouted. "Everyone knows that!"

"Monsters?" the dark figure approached Matthew. "Then aren't humans monsters as well?" A black gleam shone on an outstretched talon. The being of pure shadow rose to it's full size.

"You...you're an Esper!" Matthew's stance did not waver, however, but became more defiant. "You're bad!"

"I am Gaia," the shadow replied with a sadistic smile. "I am the world." Faster than light, the demon darkness swung a dagger claw at the defenseless child. The boy crumpled to the ground as the Esper removed its bladed hand. "I will swallow you up..."

BOOK TWO

A look of concern passed over the benign face of Goddess. "Bahamut..come to me."

A large dragon gracefully glided across the floor to his master. "What is it, your Majesty?"

Goddess smiled slightly. "You came to me as the King of Dragons," she spoke. "As a safeguard, I granted you the powers of an Esper. That was sixteen years ago; when the Esper attacks on the world began increasing."

"M'lady," Bahamut replied with a questioning growl. "I know all of this."

"Now, I'm afraid, you must go out and create an army of Espers."

The Dragon was taken aback with shock. "Goddess--you vowed you would never do such a thing..."

"I know," she waved her hand in a gesture whose meaning was lost. "I have proof that Doom is the creator of the Espers that are tormenting the humans." A sigh shook her body before she again composed herself. "Doom controls the force of 'Power'."

The Dragon folded his wings across his back and sat down to listen. He noticed that the storm outside was raging, lightning crackled not far from the tower where the two figures now stood.

"I control 'Courage' and my brother Poltergeist controls 'Wisdom'."

"Why must I create Espers?" Bahamut questioned. If dragon eyes could tear, Bahamut's would be doing so. Why was he called to bring more destruction and horror on the world? Would the history books say that the majestic Dragon King was responsible for the downfall of the world?

"You aren't creating them for me," Goddess looked forlornly out the window. The woman obviously comprehended the consequences. "You're creating them for Poltergeist. He is far too peaceful to initialize any action. I want you to create Espers and then present them to him as soldiers. Give him my regards."

"You won't do this yourself?" Any regal tones had been dropped from Bahamut's speech. "Where will you be that you can't present the army to Poltergeist?"

"Making my own army, dear Bahamut." Goddess' once emotionless face was wracked with sorrow. "There will soon be a great war. Only the forces of Courage and Wisdom can stop the evil Power that has been long spreading across the human world."

"Fighting Espers with more Espers?" Bahamut asked. "More mindless creatures to rend the human world into tatters?"

"Our Espers aren't mindless creatures," Goddess shook her head. "Doom's Espers are pawns. Ours are to be soldiers."

"The eye of the beholder, my--"

"You are to create Espers with free will."

YULE

Phillip stood on the ramparts of Anchyron castle. He looked longingly out over the plain below, his eyes focused on nothing in particular. It had been little over sixteen years since his father had joined the army battling Espers. Sixteen years since his father had fallen in battle.

The snow was falling gently onto the ground. It slowly built up on the castle walls as well. The chill began to reach inside the knight's armor, but he cared little. Tomorrow morning--on the Yule holiday--Phillip would march out onto the battle field just as his father had. The man wondered how much had changed in those sixteen long years. Supposedly the military was working on top secret technology. A few months ago, a Bounty Hunter named Blain had discovered the remains of a dead Esper. The military had used it to give ordinary humans magical powers. Now they could cast spells just like the Espers could. These humans were called 'Magi' now.

The knight stared out across the plain--his gaze seemingly reaching where the rocky ground would turn into desert sand. He felt empty, imagining the death that would no doubt sweep upon him in the battle. Phillip had heard many tales of Esper battles. None of them involved words like 'victory', 'luck', or even 'hope'. More often the words 'death', 'destruction', and 'slaughter' were spoken from frightened lips. He realized that the privilage to tell stories after the battle was most likely more than he'd recieve. Phillip was almost sure he'd die.

Another Anchyron soldier come onto the rampart. "Hey, Phil...looking forward to fighting?"

"Yeah, Rihk," he forced a smile. "Can't hardly wait."

"I'll bet you're really aching to show those bastards what they get for knocking off yer dad." The soldier called Rihk leaned against the wall as Phillip was doing and stared off into the distance.

"Merry Yule to you too, jerk," the knight smiled with mock playfulness.

"Hopefully the Magi can do some damage," Rihk sighed hopefully. "Otherwise I think we're sunk."

"Why the hell do they send us anyway? They KNOW knights can't do anything." Phillip moved to go back down to his chambers. The snow was coming a bit harder now, caking higher and higher on the stone walls.

"General says we just aren't trying hard enough," the second soldier said sadly.

Phillip's response was the slamming of the door as he descended to his bed.

****

The port city of Albrook. A rag-clothed man with scars covering his youthful arms leaned up against the window sill of the town inn. On the other side of the window, a young girl leaned at attention. She was listening to the young man's tales with wide eyes and an anxious smile. Her medium length red hair was being twirled between her fingers and she swayed back and forth as they spoke.

The young man, a bounty hunter, was clothed in tan colored pants and a once white shirt--the sleeves ripped off. Many pouches hung off his belt, along with a dagger sheath, and his pants were patched in numerous places. He had a cocky expression on his face. The light from a candle flecked light onto the two young faces. "Yeah..so I see this gem thing and I figure I should show it to someone, so--"

"Lila! Get away from that ruffian!" A burly, older man burst into Lila's room and stomped over to the window.

"Daddy...I was talking to Blain about--"

"I don't care if you were discussing the fate of the world...I want him as far away from you as possible." The man, Stave, was a trader. He'd seen enough of these fly-by-night romancers to know what this one really wanted.

"Listen, guy," Blain smirked. "I'm not a ruffian. I discovered the first peice of Magicite--that means a DEAD ESPER. If not for me, we wouldn't have any hope at all in this war."

The older man's brow furrowed angrily. "I suppose you're going to tell me you killed it yourself? Bare handed, eh? Leave my daughter alone."

"Bare handed? Killed 'im myself? Hm...not a bad addition if I do say so myself." The Bounty Hunter winked at the lass and then turned to go. "Catch ya' on the side, darlin'."

Stave shut the window roughly and turned to his daughter. "You are NEVER to talk to that boy again, understand?"

Lila's lower lip quivered. It was hard being a trader's daughter, moving from town to town, never having any friends. Blain had talked to her on numerous occasions, and to have him taken away by her father wasn't something she looked happily on. She pounded the walls with her feminine fists before running out of the room. "I love him, daddy!"

The man huffed. "Don't even know what love is, girl," he growled. "Don't even know."

****

"No idea whatsoever about Espers, young man." The mayor of Jidoor spoke down at the figure before him--even though the figure was obviously over thirty.

"But sir...I know they've attacked your town on more than one occasion..you must know SOMETHING..." The figure was Keith, a scholar who was devoting his entire life to finding out as much about Espers as possible. Knowledge was the only way to stop them. "The Zozo academy would do anything for any information you might--"

"The only information I have is that any attacks were foiled by the Anchyron forces," the mayor waved his hand. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a very important meeting in the next room with the KING of our fine land."

"I...I'm sorry, sir." Keith gathered his notes and began to leave. "I apologize for taking up any of your time."

"As well you should," the bearded man said audibly. "Now," he got up from his seat and walked into an adjoining room where his colleagues awaited. "King Anchyron! It's a pleasure."

"Ah, Edwin!" the King shook his hand heartily. "We were worried that your other meetings were going to delay you further." The king sat down again in his seat, folding his hands in front of his face.

"They would have..but I couldn't delay such an important meeting." The mayor, Edwin, walked to the head of the table and sat down. "Why have you called an audience?"

"I'm starting an Empire, Edwin," said the King simply. "A human Empire allied to stop the Esper attacks."

The Mayor of Jidoor stroked his beard. Several thoughts played through his mind, but only one came to his mouth. "Ridiculous. There is no need for such a force, your own army is doing a fine job. The three times my city was attacked, they fought off the demons."

"Fought off--but did not slay." Anchyron rose and leaned over the table. "We have to kill these things. The only reason we've 'beaten' them is because they killed enough of our men to be satisfied with the bloodbath."

Jidoor's Mayor stood as well, "I suppose you've chosen me to be in your Empire so I can tax my people for your funds?"

"Partly," the King replied. "Also because you've been a humanitarian in the past. You might want to keep your image."

"Humanitarian?" he fell back into his seat with a sick grin plastered on his visage. "That was two images ago, you should learn to keep track." Checking his watch, a new time-telling invention, Edwin stood to leave. "I need to get my rest for the tomorrow's holiday. You'll excuse me?"

"Doma has also signed the agreement." The King was stern. "Our base is to be on the central island..."

"You'll excuse me?" the Mayor repeated, anger in his tone.

Anchyron turned to his guards and fellow Empire founders. "Let us be gone. We shall return to this town as soon as it is destroyed by the Espers...or I don't know Edwin."

****

The sun rose with a golden crown early the next morning. From his farm in Kohlingen, Will stared out across the meadowland. The powdery snow that now covered the ground would hopefully melt away by the next day, so that he could start his planting early. This way he could have the best produce.

Suddenly, the snow nearby began to melt--but not because of any natural phenomena. A demon, looking like it just stepped from the black abyss, was tromping across the land. Will hurriedly darted for some nearby trees where he could hide. The new technological farm aids he had recently bought were smashed by the beasts's foot. The man carefully gained a position where he could examine the creature.

Standing several yards tall, the monster was green and had two huge horns growing out its head. Tassled furs garnered its waist, wrists, and ankles. Long wirey hair hung from its head. If he didn't know better, Will would have claimed it was Jinn, a fire demon of legend. The creature was soon gone, however, walking east.

The farmer cautiously left his shelter and again stood at the head of his field. His mind turned from Espers to the proper formation of this year's rows, and which section to leave fallow. Water shouldn't be a problem; it smelled to be a rainy year.

****

Miles away, another figure was gazing at the rising sun. Blain sat down on the edge of the peak where found himself. "Stupid jerk," he spat. "I am not a ruffian..."

The bounty hunter leaned back on his hands, looking up at the disappearing stars. Through his thin shirt he could feel the dusty earth of the mountain. "I try to protect his people and he curses me," the young man fingered his dagger. "Ah...nice and sharp. I should head back down soon--there's a caravan heading through today out of Tzen."

Blain enjoyed his daily task of making sure that travellers were safe from any monster attacks. He hadn't yet met one of these fabled Espers, but it was true that he'd found the corpse of one. Normally he fought the regular creatures of the area. Caravans and bands were completely safe if Blain chose to guard their travelling party--occasionally he'd do it for money; and the boy was known to take a mission or two if the price was right.

"Just doing what's right," he frowned, bringing out the day's breakfast. "Hardly deserve to be called a ruffian." More fit than most nineteen year old boys, Blain was also known to play the womenfolk. Still, there was something about Stave's daughter that spoke to the teen. Not to him directly, but to some inner part of the young man. He held up his ration of dried meat. "Bon apetit," he sighed.

****

"Lookout! You almost ate it!" the Imp shouted to his friend.

"Blast it, Jak!" the girl shouted back as she flipped in midair. "You don't think I know that?" She landed quickly and used her rapier to spear the two wolves who were still in descent. "Behind you."

"Eh?" the Imp named Jak looked confused.

"BEHIND YOU," the girl leapt over her companion's head and gave the wolf behind him something to think about.

Jak sighed, "thanks a load, Gwen." He darted on his little feet over to a nearby rock. "I'll just hang out here till yer done."

"Like the abyss you will," the lithe young woman leapt again into the air. Several reptilian creatures had run out to claw at her.

Below the two fighters, two other figures spoke to one another. "Well, Garth, your daughter sure is something."

The second man watched his daughter proudly. "She sure is," he stroked his moustache with pride. "She'll be our clan's new leader."

"We need land," the first man replied in frustration. "You KNOW that."

"Still singing the same song, eh, Hagol?" Garth Figaro chuckled. Looking back towards the cliff where his daughter was practicing for her test, he waved the torch in his hand. "Gwen!" he shouted. "It's time you come down!"

"Right behind you, daddy," the girl spoke from her said location.

"Wha-" the father turned around. "How'd you get there so fast?"

"Jumped."

"Waa~aaaa~aaaahh!!!" a little green mass plopped at Garth's feet after tumbling down the mountain. "Hello sir," Jak smiled weakly before collapsing.

"No matter," the man looked back to his daughter, patting his wide stomach. "The night's Yule festivities have already begun--we should hurry lest we miss the food!" He chuckled in a jolly manner as he made his way down the path to the blazing campfire.

"I know we need land," Gwen spoke seriously to the clansmen called Hagol. "But first this Esper nonsense needs to calm down--or no one will have land."

"You worry too much of outside affairs," the larger figure frowned. "The clan is what matters."

Gwen leaned down to pick up her green hued companion so she could join the festival. "Think what you will." Her tone changed suddenly, "isn't it cool that I'll soon be a clan elder? All that remains is my final test of womanhood!"

Hagol laughed. "Remember that it is, in fact, the test of manhood--only with a name that your father changed."

"Yes," Gwen shook Jak to revive him. "Or perhaps you're blinded by jealousy because your son wasn't chosen to test this year." The girl smiled devilishly. The man was speechless, and simply frumped his face in an unpleasant expression. "And there's no way in this wide globe that I'll marry him," the young woman bounced happily towards the campfire.

The Imp who sat on her shoulder stuck his tongue at the older man, who trod frustratedly behind them.

****

It was eleven o' clock at night on the Yule holiday. The Queen of Anchyron sat at her fireplace, writing a letter to her husband who was away on royal affairs. The flames crackled and jumped beside her, casting their crimson glow about the room.

Everything else in the royal bedroom was absolutely still. The large bed, covered in fluffy blankets and warm comforters was quiet. Nothing stirred about the high backed chairs or fabulously carved tables that were scattered throughout the room.

Silently, the figure of an unclad female appeared in the room. It floated feet from the ground and moved towards the human woman. "Greetings," it spoke.

The Queen turned in shock, believing she had been alone. When she saw the translucent vision before her, her mouth opened wide in surprise. If she could have spoken, she would have called for the guards.

"I come to help you," the womanly figure whispered purposefully. "I can help you stop the Espers."

"How?" Queen Anchyron's response had been louder than planned, and echoed through her bedchamber.

"It is my brother who sends them to damage your world," Goddess spoke in a pleasant tone. "By creating my own, good Espers, I believe I can stop him." The expression on the royal female's face told the benign figure that more explanation was necessary. "I need your kingdom's support both physically and mentally."

"Basically you're saying that together we can defeat your brother's monsters?"

"Quite," the female figure faded slightly. "Hopefully our armies can soon march side by side in victory."

"I hope you're right," Queen Anchyron said as Goddess faded from sight. "I hope you're right."

BATTLES

The day after Yule, Anchyron's army was assembled on the battlefield. The snow had melted in the desert heat, and the ground was now a moist muddy texture. The Anchyron Military prepared in a large group. Soldiers checked their weapons, generals organized their troops, and tacticians tried to plan the possible scenarios.

Phillip sat, polishing his sword. The boy looked up at the expanse stretching before him. The sky above them hung a dim gray, and the ground they would battle on was a sandy brown. He imagined it tinged with the crimson of warrior's blood. The young man's outlook was grim, and his expectations low. He looked at the sword in his lap; the sword that would glance harmlessly off Esper hide.

Several high ranking officers chatted near Phillip. He tried to hear as much as he could without being obvious. Polishing his sword with a rag and running a rock along its edge to test for sharpness; he tuned his ears into the conversation.

"We're assuming the Espers are coming from the east?"

The second officer thought. "That's what our informants said."

A frown built on the face of the initial speaker. "These things are huge--it would take them two minutes to alter their approach." He looked towards a tent at the edge of the battleground. "Do we know what element these Espers are?"

"They're big and powerful--why would they NEED to alter their approach? They have nothing to fear."

A third man, this one wearing a thick robe made of heavy cloth, approached. "Fire Espers," he said without emotion. "We're completely prepared."

The second man spoke in a hush as the robed figure walked towards the tent. "Who in the abyss was that? What was he talking about?"

The first official smiled with pride. The cape he wore flapped near the ground as the wind picked up slightly. "The head of our Magi regiment. He studies the elements--each Esper draws power from a specific element, and if you use the opposite element against it, then it can be defeated."

"You know this how?"

"We've been researching these things for sixteen years, Larson," he chuckled gruffly. "Just cause we keep something a secret doesn't mean we're uneducated on the subject."

A hair falling in the way of his eyes, Larson brushed it away and continued speaking in his patronizing voice. "So we're going to defeat Espers using magic that we got...from Espers?"

"Fighting fire with fire, young man," the older rank said, straightening his face. "Or fighting fire with ice, I believe."

Phillip, at his station a few yards away, continued preparing nonchallantly. "Secrets?" he thought, less than calmly. "They're keeping secrets from us?"

****

"Hurry up, Jak, you'll miss the fun!" Gwen Figaro crested a large rock and leapt down to take on the next obstacle. Soon her small Impish familiar crawled over the same rock and panted, falling to his stomach.

"Slow down or I'll miss my next birthday," the green humanoid choked.

"Sorry, buddy....but it could start any moment." Gwen slowed down and sat on a ledge to wait for her companion. "Though I hear Espers are big..we might be able to see them from here." Small stones could be heard sliding along the rocky ground as Jak rolled down another small cliff face. "Come on," Figaro sighed and hefted her friend up onto her shoulders. "Somehow I always end up carrying you."

"What in the world is that supposed to mean?" the Imp wailed, grinning as he leaned against Gwen's head. "You hardly ever...uh...hm...there it is."

Gwen quickly brought herself to a lying position on the rock, looking out over the battlefield below. She saw the assembled Anchyron army, lining up to prepare for the assault. The sixteen year old girl smiled widely; watching the strong men down below preparing to test their strength. It was very exciting.

"I haven't known you to be one for romance," Jak quipped, seemingly reading her mind.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she cuffed the imp's ear playfully.

The little green figure scowled in jest. "Excuse me, Miss Tomboy. 'I want to fight!' 'I'll go out with the war party!'."

Blushing, Gwen looked longingly out at the army. "A girl can get emotional every once in awhile, can't she?" Her dirty blonde hair whipped about along her back and occasionally against the rock. The cliff that the two were positioned on provided no breakwall for the harsh elements.

Three huge shadows fell across the land. Gwen gasped in uncharacteristic terror and Jak's beak dropped. The Espers descended to the battlefield, all three of them engulfed in flame. Two of the creatures looked similar--green skin and long, slightly curved horns. The third resembled a cross between a man and a Behemoth. Its skin appeared to be made of molten lava. They screamed in rage as they rushed the standing army.

****

Generals shouted to their men as the Espers swooped past--too swiftly to utilize any strategy. A rage of vengeance shone in Phillip's eyes as one of the twin Espers buzzed towards him. Instead of scattering like the others, he raised his sword and slashed at the demon's arm as it began a sharp ascent. The young soldier soon realized his error as tongues of flame emerged from the wound, engulfing his own arm. The heat baked through the armor and sensations of excrutiating pain shot through the man.

Phillip fell immediatly to the ground, the soft mush of earth comforting him little. Cringing on the ground, he heard one of the officers shout the call to attack. The other soldiers, knights, mercenaries, and other fighters rushed towards the monsters with their weapons drawn. Like pigs to slaughter, they advanced upon the unbeatable adversary.

"Magma," one of the horned Espers, said.

The lava skinned beast turned, "what is it, Ifrit?"

"One of those humans managed to hurt me." The green monster lifted his arm; where Phillip's sword has slashed. "Vengeance."

"It will have to wait, my friend," Magma gurgled menacingly. "You know that Doom demanded we defeat the humans. Prisoners and torture aren't required."

Frowning, Ifrit turned ragefully back towards the battlefield. "Come, brother Jinn," he fumed. "Let us inspire fear through blaze."

Looking over the charging forces, the second horned Esper, Jinn, charted a path. "HELLFIRE!" he shot as a cannonball through the human ranks.

Phillip stood, taking his sword into his left hand, and saw his friends fall to the ground on fire. The flames danced in victory, taunting the young knight and calling him to throw his life away as well. They struggled to stand against the pain torching both their tendons and their will. Death won out, however, and the brave men waving weapons in vain fell to the moist earth.

The flames consuming his allies reflected as rage in Phillip's eyes. He stared coldly at the three demons who had just claimed the hopes and dreams of everyone he knew. The burning pain underneath the armor on the young man's right arm increased. He raised the sword in his left hand and shouted angrily.

"Look at that one," Magma grinned cruelly. "He challenges us."

"Come!" Phillip screamed. "Fight! Don't sit up there like cowards!"

"What'd he call us?" Ifrit growled as a cat growls at its mouse. "Cowards?" Playing with his prey, the huge horned Esper flew down to ground level, leaned his head to the earth, and stared at Phillip.

"Bastard," the knight spat. He swung his sword in a crosswise slash, cutting across Ifrit's nose. "You killed them."

"Gah!" the Esper recoiled, lifting his head away from the scene. "And I'll kill you, human." The green skinned hulk clenched his fists as his eyes went red with crimson death. Heat came off his body, eventually changing to fire which spread slowly outward.

Jinn returned from another run at the troops into the air where Magma was surveying the carnage. "What is my brother up to?" he asked.

"Let it play out," Magma smiled. "It seems there's a human who doesn't fear us."

From a little down the battlefield, the high ranking officer Phillip had watched earlier was now watching Phillip. "Men," he spoke quietly to the soldiers who were still alive. "Charge that Esper, NOW." The small group did as they were told. Quickly reaching the huge beast, they attacked with their numerous swords, axes, and spears. A few of the weapons connected, a few of that number managed to penetrate. Ifrit turned and swept his hands across their ranks, lighting them ablaze with the fire that coated his skin.

One of the soldiers made it around to the Esper's front and grabbed a startled Phillip by the shoulders. "Come on, let's go," the man shouted over Ifrit's roaring. "We have to get outta' here."

As Phillip and the other soldier sprinted away from the battling Esper, there was a dull rumbling noise. The young man closed his eyes and pumped his legs faster than they wanted to move. The washed ground threatened to slip out beneath Phillip's feet as he ran.

The rumble soon became a roar, and the roar soon became an explosion. Fire erupted from Ifrit's body and fried everything within several yards. The soldiers who were still fighting the Esper no longer existed. He triumphantly flew into the air.

"General Magma," the horned one smiled grimly. "Lord Doom shall be pleased."

"Yes," replied the molten demon. "This should extinguish any remaining hope the humans possess."

Standing up from the muddied ground, Phillip and the knight who rescued him turned to watch the high officer. Never looking worried, he motioned towards the Magi tent--a look that resembled cockiness spread his features. Slowly the tent flaps opened, and nine blue-robed men strode calmly into the front.

"What in Brooks' name is this?" Jinn scoffed. "Let me take these humans." Before anyone could protest, the ogrish Esper dove at the Magi below.

Their eyes covered, sullen smirks were displayed on the faces of the wizards. Slowly but uniformly, the wind lifted their cloaks subtly off the ground as they motioned their hands.

"Fire with ice," the General's words echoed in Phillip's head.

Just as Jinn was about to set fire to the men, there was a bright blue flash and the air became frigid. The air around the fight assumed blizzard conditions as snow and ice swirled in a chill gust. Ice had surrounded the Esper and a beam of sub-zero air had solidified into a blade of ice. As the magic attack intensified, Jinn let out a cry of agony; the Esper fell roughly to the ground and lay motionless.

"DEAD!" foamed Ifrit from above. "Those vermin will pay for such an outrage!"

"Calm yourself, Ifrit," Magma put his flowing hand on his charge's flesh shoulder. "There will be time for revenge later."

"I cannot wait for Doom's plan to come to fruitition--I must avenge my brother NOW."

"If you do not calm yourself, Ifrit," the Esper General spoke dangerously. "Then I will avenge your insubordination." Magma began to fly off.

"Trying to prove your military skills above that of the humans," Ifrit muttered angrily.

"LISTEN," the lava Esper's eyes burned with anger. Even from yards away, the green demon could feel the intense heat from his superior. "Doom gives me orders, I make sure you follow them--understand?"

"Sir," Ifrit submitted, silently vowing revenge against the mortals for their outrage.

Back on the battlefield, there was a makeshift celebration occurring. Phillip finally found the legs to stand from his position. He looked to the man who saved him--who he now recalled as Larson--and tried to read his thoughts.

"Truly," Larson began, staring only at the downed Esper. "Truly this is a war of the Magi."

Turning back to see the army's leader, Phillip started in his direction. Thinking to check his appearance, the boy looked downward at his armor. It was scored and burnt all over, chips missing from the plates. In a few places the metal had strangely melted onto his undertunic. The strap on his boot threatened to snap as Phillip jogged to his superior.

The leader turned to the young soldier and smiled. "The Magi did the job well." He beamed with pride. His smile turned to a concerned glance--or at least that's how it seemed. "You were lucky to survive."

"I was lucky?" Phillip threw down his sword--a sword whose sheath had been scorched to ashes of nothingness. "No disrespect, sir...but you knew the Magi could kill an Esper the whole time, did you not?"

The officer nodded, smiling with pride at his strategy. "The Elementalist was perfectly correct in his theories."

"If you knew this, then why did you send out the foot troops first? You knew they'd die."

Thinking for a moment, the man answered. "We had to try."

"They died in vain!" the young man was enraged.

The general, obviously humored by the comment, chuckled nervously. "They signed up to the military--just like you."

"I didn't sign up so that I could die meaninglessly," Phillip growled. "I don't need to be a member of your death patrol."

"Fine, young man," the officer huffed. "You're correct in assuming you're expendable. If you would rather be stationed in Castle Anchyron--you're welcome to it."

****

"Let's go, Gwen," Jak pleaded, pulling on the thin material of the girl's over-vest. "Your father was planning that surprise at campfire tonight."

"Jak, you Impish goofball," the young woman joked with her friend. "Campfire isn't for hours."

"First of all, young lady," the Imp reprimanded, only half in jest. "When night falls here in the Narshe mountains, there's bound to be some nasty beasts."

"Like the ones we creamed the other night?" she wondered.

"PLUS...everyone in the Figaro Clan probably noticed Espers flying overhead. No doubt they're wondering where you are through the uproar."

Gwen Figaro pondered for a moment, then leapt up and broke into a sprint back towards camp. "You may be right his time!" she called. "You may be in big trouble for this!"

"Wha? ME?!?" Jak stumbled as he tried to keep speed. "You're the one who wanted to watch the battle."

"And who went along with it?"

"I was...uh..." Jak frowned his Impish beak. "Just GO."

****

The King had just arrived back in Anchyron, and he was immediatly assaulted by crowds of radio reporters. "Sir! Sir!" they shouted. "A few words on the victory?"

"There WAS no victory," Anchryon shouted at the microphones in his face. "We defeated ONE Esper. That is all."

"Sir? Is there any report of Magicite? Will we harness it?"

"THAT," he replied. "Is up to General Fields."

"Any words for the Espers?" a young reporter pushed to the front of the group. "Threats? Ultimatums? Warnings?"

"We did not win today," the King gruffly repeated. "We defeated one of them--they defeated nearly all of us. We LOST."

Still, the hysteria of a slain Esper permeated and controlled the mass. "Any comments before you leave?"

"Please! Sir!"

"What are your feelings on reports coming from Doma?"

"NO COMMENT!" King Anchyron yelled as he waved his arms defensively. "Leave me be."

****

The foot guards of Phillip's armor clicked steadily against his boots as he heavily trodded through the battlefield. It had been several hours since sunset, and large torches had been placed in the ground at intervals along the field. They illuminated the burnt and mutilated bodies of the brave soldiers who had sacrificed their lives for near-nothing. The flame-light also shone eerily the grim expression across the knight's face. His mouth was set, and his eyes glowed empty. Inside him was the same void; everything he knew as truth was gone.

The army was a secretive death trap. All his life he had waited to face an Esper. That day had come at the cost of all his friends, his enemies, and his casual aquaintances. He drooped his face to look at the bodies of his comrades that lay scattered--many died to save him. The young man saw the charred marks on the earth and realized he was standing where the Esper Jinn had been slain. The body had long since crystalized as Magicite and was hauled away to Anchyron. Was Phillip the only one to mourn these dead?

He gloomily watched as parents and other loved ones filed through the rows of fallen to find familiar faces. A grim-faced man and a woman who was presumably his wife wandered among the bodies, looking carefully at faces.

"Matthew?" the woman asked, looking at another body. She turned back to her spouse, "I don't see him." The woman's eyes teared and she started to sob uncontrollably. The man comforted her.

"There's still a chance he didn't join the army. Maybe he's out there making us proud."

Shaking her head and wiping her tears in the man's coat, the woman attempted to compose herself. "He's alive..he has to be."

Phillip made one last scan of the lifeless soldiers. His friend, Rihk, was not among the identifiable bodies. This meant that somewhere in the mass of burnt flesh and rotten ash was his comrade in arms. Phillip remembered how optimistic Rihk had been nights before--and how he himself had been cynical towards the coming tempest. Strange how optimism seemed always to die first...only to be born again later. The second half of the equation didn't seem likely this time, though. Many things pondered themselves in the boy's mind.

"Matthew?" it was the woman again. This time closer to Phillip.

"He's not here," the father begged. "He's....alive, somewhere."

"Alive?"

Phillip could almost see the wife's hopes raise into the sky and then crash down again.

"Matthew?" she questioned. She appeared almost to be asking the bodies themselves. "Matthew?"

Stranger still, somewhere beyond time and memory, Phillip thought maybe he should know that name. Somehow their lives intertwined, and perhaps their fates were shared.

WAR

A faint tinge of cool air blew into the battlement. Located North of Doma, Maduin gazed out of his small fortress. The brave warrior had been stationed here as a bastion of Doma's power. If one drew a line running north of Doma, and a line running east of the Narshe range--then the lines would connect at Maduin's station. It was a very tiny fortress: a square shaped tower maybe twenty feet high and fifteen feet across.

The winds blowing from the West were cold because of the Narshe snows. Sir Maduin drew his cloak closer about him. He spied through his telescope the figures he'd been waiting to see. "YURA!" the soldier called. "How goes the chase?"

"Your stupid army is right behind us," the head man in the coming force grinned. "I hope we lost them in these foothills."

Maduin stepped out of his fort, walking with his large halberd. "They should give up after a few slopes...they have no need to track you down when you're this far away." The soldier used his telescope to scan the area quickly.

"They are your soldiers," the man, Yura, commented. "They might come to your post here to ask about anything suspicious."

The knight grinned largely. "Doma's armies have no worry of rebels when there are Espers on the rampage." He then motioned to his fortress. "Come inside...whoever will fit, that is."

"Remember," the rebel leader scowled half seriously. "We wouldn't need to be rebels if your king would be more civil to our villages."

"Yura, old boy," Maduin started back to the fort entrance. "If I thought my king was justified--would I be feeding your rebels information of supply shipments?"

"Keep in mind that information doesn't actually feed my troops."

The cold waft of air shifted outside the fortress entrance. A beautiful woman, translucent at best, appeared hovering in the air. Maduin and Yura both turned to her, marveling at her beauty. A lovely blue ribbon wrapped loosely about her form, waving in the gentle wind she created about herself.

As Maduin marveled at the vision, Yura drew his sword. The rebel leader pointed it towards the throat of the nude woman in front of him. "I shall not be tricked."

"TRICKED?" Maduin was shocked back to his senses. "What in the world are you talking about?"

"We know about Magicite, Mad," Yura frowned. "One of my men...I don't even know his name...we lost him cause he went to grab some of Doma's Magicite stash. We all heard 'bout its power. He wanted some for himself. That's how your army is tricking us now."

"My army is tricking us with a naked woman who is twice our size and hovering in midair?" Either his sentry-hood had driven him deaf, or Maduin had just heard Yura suggest the most absurd idea on the face of the planet. The knight moved to stop his friend. "Stop this."

The rebel pushed Maduin's arm away. "You stop this. My people's makeshift villages and shelters on the Veldt were destroyed either physically or financially by your king!" The desperate man waved his sword around in the air. "I will not lose anything more." He looked strongly at his friend. "She's an Esper!"

"I am far from Esper," the woman spoke to the surprise of both men. "I am of the race whence they were spawned."

At this, Maduin became distrustful. He held his halberd carefully.

"I have come to stop the destruction," she said in her soothing voice. "I ask you to leave your guard post, and your rebels, to aid my purpose. The coming war is not for country or freedom--but for humankind itself."

"So you want us to...what?" questioned the Doma sentry. Yura wasn't quite so respondant, and scowled fervently.

"You are to become my guards," the floating entity answered calmly. "Later you shall serve as my generals."

There was something in the woman's voice that alleviated all fear, instilled a truth in each of the men. Something occured to Yura. "You wish us to become Espers, don't you?"

"I shall not lie to you." The female spirit nodded.

Neither man objected to this development, strangely enough. She began the transformation process immediatly. The thought occured to Yura that they were under a spell, and that their will was gone. Maduin, oddly enough, spoke to the rebel's mind and assured him they had made the decision of their own will. Something deep in their soul had spoken when their voices were silenced. The muscles of both men became more pronounced and darkened. Horn-like spikes protruded from their bodies. Fingers and toes turned into sharp claws, their eyes narrowed, and their hair became long and clumped; spikes interspersed within it.

****

The sun was rising on the large expanse of the Veldt. From the West, still draped in blue shadows, Thanatos stood resolutely. "Will he even show?" Zarthes asked from next to his master.

"He'll show," the Esper of death said behind his grim mask. "He's waited his life for this."

Capping the hill in front of them, the two surveyors saw Ultros and his two servants. The Esper strode confidently, Phunbaba beside him limped on his bad leg, and DoomGaze floated just above the ground with shadow following behind. The high grass of the Veldt area waved casually in the morning wind.

"When does it start?" Phunbaba asked his master.

"It starts now," Ultros silently motioned his hands at the beginning of a spell.

"Isn't that cheating?" DoomGaze hissed through lifeless eyes.

"There are no rules to begin with for Thanatos," the purple cloaked Esper completed the spell. "Only DEATH!" Ultros swung his hands forward and a huge beam of black energy ripped across the plain.

"Ah, Ultros!" the opponent created a shield with more than enough time. The beam deflected harmlessly off the force field. "I see that again the art of trickery has escaped you." The Esper of death shrugged off the cape that had draped over his armor: black armor, dark as the darkest night. Arcane demonic runes adorned the plates of the armor, glowing silently. As always, the creature's horned dragon skull mask adorned his head. "This is your last chance to stop this battle. If you continue, you may end up like your friend DoomGaze."

Ultros glanced over where his servant's body had once been. Now only tatters of the shadow skin remained. Rage burned in DoomGaze's eyes at the remark as he remembered that time so many years ago when he had been mutilated by the power of Thanatos. The Esper in the violet robes looked back towards his enemy. "As such, this is YOUR last chance to stop this battle."

"Well," Thanatos shifted his glance to all angles of the plain. "Since my side is all assembled, I'm ready to fight."

"As are we," Ultros prepared another spell.

"You'll have to excuse my force's number," the Dark Esper grinned while drawing an evil looking blade. "Gaia can't be here, as he's on business. Being an assassin and all, I wasn't expecting him to be available anyway."

"You can stop trying to sound like a human, Thanatos," Ultros growled. "Prepare yourself!"

The insult had taken its damage to the Death Esper, who felt rage build up inside. "Human?" he scowled. "Zarthes--your dragons."

The Dragon Master waved his arms and eight dragons were immediatly at his side. From air, sea, even the earth itself; the dragons came to their master. He hissed at them in some foreign tongue, and they began to charge Ultros and his beasts. Zarthes turned back to his master "M'lord."

"Excellent." The usual arrogance had returned to the cold voice.

"Charge," muttered Ultros, throwing his arms out in front of himself once more. A larger beam of darkness shot towards Thanatos. The Master of Death deflected the attack with a deft swing of his saber. Once more he restrained from counterattacking.

Phunbaba was already charging across the battleground towards Zarthes--the keeper of dragons. The dragons themselves were the focus of DoomGaze's attack. Ultros teleported himself next to his nemesis.

The robed Esper charged his hands with the same dark energy he had fired in beams earlier. He punched at the armored Esper strongly. His blows were easily blocked and deflected. "Had you eight arms," Thanatos laughed. "You still could not best me."

Ultros' eyes flashed devilishly and lightning struck down into Thanatos, who was caught off guard. The purple cloaked one took this opportunity to unleash a magical barrage. Fire blazed into the monster, just as Ice cascaded onto him. Lastly, the Esper directed the earth to swallow him up.

Partially deflecting the fire and ice attacks with his dark sword, Thanatos then drove the blade into the ground to cease the earth strike. He then circled the sword in the air and drove it towards his assailant. Ultros dodged backwards and sent electricity through the adamant of the blade. Thanatos absorbed that attack and channelled black energy back to the source. Ultros was struck in the chest and fell backwards.

Making a path for his ally Phunbaba, DoomGaze flew through the air and battled with the dragons. One of the monsters shot fiery breath at the shadow creature, who passed through it and slashed the beast's face. One of the larger dragons got in the way of the black fleshed creature and was rewarded with a gash in its chest. DoomGaze roared in triumphant fury. The dragon that had been struck down shimmered in a dark, evil light. It rose back into the air, now a dragon skeleton, and moved to gain its vengeance.

"So the beast attacks the beast master," Zarthes mocked Phunbaba.

The green hulk roared and charged at his enemy. The Dragon Master Esper snapped out a whip and pulled a scimitar. As the emerald beast's hands clenched around his prey's neck, the Esper slashed Phunbaba's arm with his blade. Landing on the ground, he then lashed his whip about the monster's neck. He pulled Phunbaba to the ground.

"You submit?" he asked.

"Graaahhhh...." Phunbaba struggled, straining to reach his attacker.

"A stubborn beast is something I have no use for." Zarthes raised the scimitar for a death blow. At the moment of imbalance the creature stood up, pulling on the whip and causing the Esper to tumble onto his backside. Phunbaba advanced...

Ultros' royal cloaks flowed in the morning breeze in the stripped area of the plain. He stood above a downed Thanatos and laughed. The armored Esper on the ground stirred; faster than the purple being could see, the black Esper flipped to his feet and sent a beam of energy at his opponent. Ultros fell.

Holding his cragged sword at Ultros' throat, Thanatos spoke. "I shall let you live only because I enjoy your petty attempts to topple my reign." He sheathed his sword after a great motion with it in the air. "Perhaps next time we meet you shall have dropped your childish methods and have gained true power." His black armor clanking, the skull-headed figure called across the field. "Zarthes! Bring your dragons. We have no more time to waste on these fools."

****

The barracks were crowded with the clanking sounds of soldier's armor as the troops moved about the room and talked with each other. It was break time for the guards as the survivors of the battle had returned, and they were exchanging stories. All ranks were present, and they were all taking a needed break.

A gust of cool air blew into the room and a beautiful woman appeared, flanked by two rather demonic looking men. She was unclothed, at least twice the size of a human being, and glowed with a sort of heavenly light. The two men were horned in numerous places, were each larger than a man, and had very tan skin. It was as if angel and devil had simultaneously entered.

Phillip watched the mysterious visitors in wonder. He recognized, or at least speculated, that the two demons were Espers. But the woman radiated some strange feeling around the room that told the soldiers she was something more. After a strange period of silence, the beautious creature spoke.

"Until now, there have been only evil minded Espers."

The troops were still silent, but their minds began turning in attempts to decipher the woman's meaning.

"I am creating a force of good minded Espers with their own free will to combat and defeat the horrible creatures my brother has spawned."

Despite the possible ill meaning of her words, the message was translated into the men's minds through something deep in their soul. They immediatly trusted and had faith in her good intentions. One man retained an incling of uneasiness and spoke up. "What about those demons at your side?"

"These Espers were once humans, like you. For the good of your race, they offered themselves to become my guards and generals." She motioned with her arms towards Maduin and Yura. "Now, I have come to assure the forces of Anchyron that I will provide my aid in the coming war. I trust that you will all provide yourselves as allies to my forces."

The men, not consciously but somewhere deep inside themselves, vowed their allegiance to the forces of good. The three mysterious figures in front of them were no longer intruders, but a symbol of hope against the Espers that currently plagued the land.

"As proof of my promise," the woman spoke again. "I shall change your bravest knight into an Esper. He shall be granted the sharpest sword, the strongest armor, and the fastest horse."

Mumbling permeated the soldiers as they gave reasons to one another why they weren't good enough to become an Esper. Mostly spawned out of fear, most of the men's reasons were very similar. Phillip despised the idea of becoming an Esper--a wicked creature who killed for the joy of blood.

One man pushed his way to the front of the ranks. He raised his hand bravely and gazed into the eyes of the woman. "I will," are the only words he spoke. She examined him closely. He was of muscular build, his chin square and brissled. His eyes glared with a warrior's spirit, and his expression was noble.

"Excellent," she spoke ambivilently. "What is your name?"

"Odin," he answered, kneeling.

"Odin shall return after his metamorphosis," her voice echoed throughout the room. As the four beings began to fade from veiw, one of the soldiers pushed his way into view and spoke.

"M'lady!" he shouted. "You said that your race created Espers. What is your race?"

The beauty pondered for a moment, having been unprepared for such a question. Humans were wonderfully surprising in their unpredictability. Not exactly sure what her 'race' was, she opened her mouth to speak. "I am called Goddess."

VOYAGE

Blain frowned at his situation as he hung onto the ship's rigging. The adventurous young man currently found himself grasping the mast of a boat bound for Nikeah. He was also dressed as a deck-hand.

"Blast it," he cursed himself. He had no idea why he was doing this; jumping on a boat and travelling halfway across the world to protect a moving caravan. No, he knew why he was doing it: Lila. The old man Stave, his wife, and his daughter had gotten on board this ship so they could move their trading to the city of South Anchyron. Strangely enough, the city of South Anchyron was without a port--so any ships were forced to land in Nikeah and then the passengers would travel overland to their final destination. Blain knew this, and also anticipated an attack.

The young man scowled in self aggravation. He wasn't doing it for the safety of the entire trading party as much as he was for the safety of one girl. "Lila..." he said to himself. "Why do you have to be so beautiful?" He quieted himself as she walked out onto the deck below him. He knew he shouldn't reveal himself; but the urge was so strong. Still, he clutched the mast and rigging and held fast. "Stupid jerk," he insulted himself. "Blain? You are hopeless."

****

"Welcome, Brooks...what brings you from the humble abode of our master?"

"Quiet yourself, Thanatos," the dark figure spoke demandingly. "Doom was less than pleased with your unauthorized dealings with Ultros. Our creator WAS, however, interested by it. His two prized underlings competing and such. He was angered by your sparing of that fool's life."

"Fool?" the Death Esper was interested. "I'm assuming that word was your addition?"

"Yes, it was," Brooks sneered. "If you and Ultros come to blows again--make sure that one of you dies."

"Not a problem," Thanatos grinned devilishly at the thought. "I doubt that's the reason you've come, though."

"All too true," Doom's right-hand Esper revealed. "There is a trade party currently headed for South Anchyron by ship."

"That's fantastic," sarcasm permeated the dark one's voice. It was odd to be talking in a cave so dark that neither figures were even partially visible, save for their own black eminations.

"Ultros' magic must have shorted out your brain--there are no direct ship routes to South Anchyron." Brooks sounded hurried, almost afraid of something.

"Is that fear I sense?" Thanatos grinned thoughtfully. "I assume you want my partners and I to stop this trade party? What are they carrying?"

"They're carrying something that is potentially detrimental to Doom's machinations."

Dripping water could be heard in the distance of the cave. Something loafed past behind Brooks--a creature of these caverns, no doubt. Still, the darkness allowed no sight and the beast's identity remained mystery. "It's the human empire, isn't it?"

"Yes," Doom's assistant confided. "One of the party is an agent of the human empire. We aren't sure which one--but we want them dead."

"Consider it done," Thanatos motioned his fingers and hellfire erupted from a few 'torches' scattered about the cavern. Brooks had already vanished, as had the lumbering creature. "Zarthes!" the Esper called into the air. "We're needed."

****

The fire crackled and hissed at its fuel as it stretched its orange fingers into the blackened night sky. Rich smoke rose into the air and the children of the Figaro clan watched it in wonder.

"You are moving on from childhood to adulthood, my daughter," Garth Figaro spoke. "As you know, the warriors of our tribe must undergo a test."

"And I'm a warrior of our tribe," Gwen stated.

"You must journey out into the world, and return with proof of your adulthood."

"What might that be?" Jak butted in. "How do we find the proof?"

"That, small Imp," Garth smiled. "Is for Gwen to discover."

As his daughter returned to her tent, no doubt planning for her coming journey, Figaro strode to his friend.

"We have no need for tradition anymore, Garth," Hagol scolded. "You're so occupied with nightly campfires and your daughter's ceremony that you've ignored our most important needs. The first of which is land."

Garth took a moment to view the entire camp. Currently sheltered in the Narshe mountains, the huge cliffs rose up in a protective circle about the camp. Tents were positioned on the ground and along the rocky crags themselves. The clan was certainly larger than it had ever been. "Still singing the same song, Hagol?"

"Dammit, Garth," the burly man stamped his foot angrily and turned away from the clan leader.

"Hagol..I'm sorry--but I have faith my daughter will be the salvation of our tribe."

Readjusting his fur lined jacket, the second man huffed and prepared to leave. "I'll grant you your last chance, Figaro," he muttered. "But right now I dismiss it as foolish arrogance."

Meanwhile, in a small tent, Gwen Figaro shoved a few supplies into her travel bag. Jak woke up from his quickly fallen slumber and rubbed his eyes. "I thought we were sleeping--we have a journey to start tomor--"

"Tonight," the girl interrupted. She shed her night clothes in favor of travelling garb. "We're leaving tonight so we can have a head start."

"A head start?" the Imp crawled from his bedroll and frowned sleepily. "We don't even know what we're looking for--WHY would we need a head start?"

"Listen," Gwen tied the strings that fastened her pack. "You can either come with me now--or stay here with the adults." Thinking a second, she added "and Hagol."

Without further protest, Jak grabbed his own small pack and stuffed it with supplies.

****

Keith surveyed the grounds. The young scholar was standing in the area where the Anchyron army had battled Espers only days before. He scribbled notes on his paper pad while gazing at the numerous marks of battle. The ground was scorched black in places--devoid of life and not hoping for any. Scattered here and there were some of the unclaimed--or unclaimable--bodies.

The man knelt down in one scorched patch where the ground had been shifted away...like something large had fallen. There were some shining shards of something crystalline, and the researcher carefully placed them in his pouch. A very odd sight, this battleground. What sort of creature could have the power to set fire to an entire patch of earth? Keith already knew the answer, however--an Esper.

****

The coach rattled its way down the forest path. No chocobos lead the way, as this particular coach had small machines attached to the spokes which caused the wheels to turn of their own accord. Aside from this fact, it was a completely normal enclosed cart.

Inside, the King of Anchyron stroked his beard. Across from the monarch sat the King of Doma as well as another, heavily armored, man.

Lord Doma was the first to speak. "Fascinating...this technology."

Anchyron huffed. "Those are merely spokes. If that blasted Edwin would just fund our scientists, we could use advanced technology for the military."

The coach jolted a bit when it ran over a stone in the road. "Well we don't have his funding," Doma frowned. "What would you spend it on, anyway? Self driving carts can't destroy Espers."

"You literal fool," the first King said under his breath--only partially making sense. "One of my intelligence agents had an interesting theory. We could use both Magicite AND technology to create the ultimate weapons. The weapons of human salvation." Anchyron looked slightly upward, gazing into space, and snapped his fingers a few times trying to remember something. "Cid, was it? Something like that." He smacked the side of the coach with his fist in frustration. "But there's no way we can afford something like that without Jidoor's funds pooled with the Empire."

The third man, probably some high ranking knight, looked at Anchyron. "Sir? Don't you ever miss your wife when you're out here recruiting for our human Empire?"

"No, Garamonde," the King said wistfully. "I'll have plenty of time for the queen when I'm finished saving the world." The coach sped along on the path.

****

The vagabond shoved his back to the wall as he rounded the corner. Doma's sewers were not a friendly place; especially when the Doma guards had chased one there. He crouched slowly as he looked back around the corner to see if they were still in pursuit. The man saw nothing and began to proceed.

Hearing quick footsteps splashing through the shallow water of the maze, the figure darted into a nearby shadow, hoping to evade attack. He had broken away from his fellow rebels to find something hidden here in Doma Castle. That something would elevate him above the others. His goal was something called Magicite.

Though he had heard only rumors, the vagabond knew that Magicite came from Espers. It contained their power and energy, and one who used the Magicite would wield the ultimate power. All his life this man had hidden in shadows as he was doing now; he had always been forced to pick from the smallest scraps and worst pieces to survive. The bottom of any social ladder, this man had gotten used to the worst. It was time to take charge and elevate himself to the highest.

This poor soul had joined the rebels in hopes that they would ultimately show Doma's king that they were not his footstools. Show the king that they were important as people, and deserved such treatment. As the citizens of the poor towns in Doma's territory banded together, this man realized he still didn't fit in. Being the poorest among them, having less than no food, and wearing the only clothes he owned, they ostracized him. He became the joke of the rebel camps, the laughing stock, and the "poor soul". Tired of having poor people call him poor, the vagabond finally decided to do something about it.

One of the rebel force's spies had reported that the castle was holding some of the fabled Magicite. Seeing this as the key to his revenge, the man told Yura he would attack the castle and get the Magicite. Too bad the rebel leader didn't realize he would keep it for himself. The figure chuckled to himself. No one would laugh at him anymore--he'd show the world how strong he was. The Magicite would allow his only wish to come true...he would at last have the power to show the world his rage.

Something called to the man's mind. The Magicite? Could it actually sense him and his intent? Yes...it was definitely the Magicite. No longer caring for stealth, the man splashed through the sewer tunnels on the path he now knew by heart--the Magicite was here. Rounding the last bend just as the soldier's shouts came into earshot, the poor vagabond saw the crystalline solace that he had sought.

Clutching the Magicite in his hands, the man noticed how it shimmered with a beauty not of this world. He held it against his chest and the sounds of approaching soldiers vanished from his ears. A warm glowing feeling spread throughout the vagabond's body and he smiled demonically. His synapses began to burn and his vision turned white. He felt like screaming. The power flowed throughout him and his mind left this world on a journey into pure energy.

ARRIVALS

Slamming the crate to the ground because of its great weight, Stave wiped his brow. "There," he said to his wife and daughter in a satisfied tone. "That's the last of them. Let's load up with the rest of the caravan." The man dragged the crates he had just unloaded along the ground towards the wagon so that they could be loaded for overland travel. Trading wasn't an easy life--but with the new weapons and potions that Stave had procured, it was a sure thing all his stock would be sold.

Lila tarried behind a bit, looking at the men and women of Nikeah. There were dozens of trade stands, some improvisational establishments made up of produce crates turned on their side. She was happy that her father wasn't trading here--too much competition. The girl giggled slightly as she ran her hands along the front of her dress to straighten any wrinkles. At the moment she wore a dull brown outfit, fancied only by a few ruffles about the sleeves and hem.

Before long, however, she would own closets and closets full of princess gowns. Blain had promised it to her. She spun in a circle once, laughing happily at the thought. Her rosy cheeks accented the innocent girlish smile she wore. Noticing that her parents had distanced her in the direction of the carts, she hurried along on her way to join them.

The Bounty Hunter watched from a nearby shadow. He conservatively removed the boat crew garb and replaced it with his usual hodge-podge of ragged clothes. Blain was going to a lot of trouble for this girl, and he hoped it was worth it. Watching Lila run to catch up with the adults, the young man's mind began working furiously to come up with a method of being with her while avoiding notice from her father. Stave was quite a strong man, though educated.

Worrying that time would be lost, Blain leapt to the wall across the alley. Kicking off his foothold, he shot across the way to the previous wall. Kickstepping like this, the Bounty Hunter was soon perched on a roof. He leapt from house to house until the caravan came into veiw. They were moving out, and he noticed Lila sitting near the rear on one of the center carts. As they moved out of sight a more urgent problem presented itself to Blain: how to get down.

****

Riding towards castle Anchyron on his steed Sleipnir, Odin watched as the soldiers came to greet him. They gazed in amazement at the warrior. Larger, stronger, and better equipped, some wondered if this was the same Odin they had known. His countenance and sureness of action assured them it was.

"Goddess has given me the power of an Esper," the noble warrior called to his comrades. "I have been given the charge to protect this castle at any cost."

Mumbles of "He's serving WITH us?" and "Shouldn't an Esper be RULING?" and the like circulated among the throng of knights and sentries.

"I intend to fight alongside you just as I always have," Odin announced to the excited crowd. "I shall not fail Goddess, or my home!"

The men cheered loudly as their hope strode proudly into the castle gate. From the window of a high tower, the Queen watched the spectacle. Something inside her had leapt at the voice of Odin. She dismissed it and sat back down on her bed, gazing at a portrait of her love--the King.

Later that night, the soldier named Phillip sat at the desk in his room. He was writing a letter, but wasn't really sure who it was to. He didn't have any family or any girlfriends like the other knights. A fire burned in the fireplace and he pondered how lucky he was to have been in the right place at the right time. The barracks were overcrowded, as the entire force was present in the castle at once. When the Magi entered, a few of the soldiers were unwanting to share a room with them and left. Still, though, the beds were all taken and so was much of the floor space. Phillip had wandered out into the castle chambers when one of the nobles revealed he was leaving for a few days and was willing to rent out his room. The kind man had seen Phillip and offered the lodging to him. Warm and comfortable, the warrior wasn't quite sure if he was happy or not. He looked at the letter. It basically described his outrage at the needless slaughter of his fellow troops. It also symbolized how alone he was, as there was no one to recieve it. The thoughts looped themselves in the young man's mind. Hearing something outside, Phillip rushed to the window.

"Be quiet, Jak!" called a definite feminine voice. "The guards will hear you."

"Well if you hadn't dropped me," a tiny green figure shot back. "Then I wouldn't have yelped."

An Imp; that was odd. Phillip leaned further out his window trying to get a better glance. A woman in a skimpy outfit was the human figure. She was carrying a rather wicked looking spear that was lashed to her back for easy access. "You there!" the young man called. "Who are you?"

"See?" the girl scowled harshly at her companion. "Now we're in trouble for trespassing."

"Where are you going?" the soldier tried to sound as non-threatening as possible.

"I'm Gwen Figaro and this is Jak," the woman called without fear. The Imp, however, seemed to be attempting to vanish. "I'm on a coming of age test for my clan. We're only passing through."

A fanciful thought entered Phillip's mind. "Can I come with you?" he called. The young man had leave that he had never taken, and after that battle with Espers, Anchyron was the last place he wanted to be.

The girl seemed taken aback. She glanced to the Imp she was with and then looked back to the window. "Uh...I guess so."

"Go around to the drawbridge," Phillip waved his hand in the direction he spoke. "I'll meet you there!" The young man turned away from the window and glanced about the plush room. The fine carpet, rich tapestries, and warm fire were nothing to him anymore. What he needed was an escape from the confines of the castle and his duty to it.

"Remind me why you told him to come?" Jak questioned as he and Gwen walked around the fortress to its front.

"There are weird things out these days, Jak," the girl replied seriously. "A military companion would be useful to have around on a journey like ours, don't you think?"

"And you thought he was cute."

"And I thought he was--HEY!" Gwen scowled at her friend. "Shut up."

"A female warrior is still a girl at heart," the Imp droned philosophically.

****

The three did meet up at the drawbridge, and after journeying through the desert for two hours, Gwen insisted they set up camp. An hour later, the warm fire roared and crackled as the two warriors sat awake and talked. The Imp had long since fallen into deep slumber a few feet away from Figaro.

"And that's why I'm rather upset with the way of things," Phillip finished a story. He rubbed his hands together near the fire for warmth. When the hot red feeling spread to his skin, he pulled back to his seat.

"Must have been rough growing up without a father," Gwen spoke from the other side of the fire with sympathy in her tone. "Though much like you, my duty to my people wouldn't allow me to see much of my mother. I wonder if dad had wanted a boy."

"Not from what you've told me of him," the knight chuckled slightly. "It sounds like he's proud of everything about you."

The young woman sighed wistfully, glancing up at the stars in the night sky. "Though I'm happy with my life, there are still very rare moments when I wish I wasn't expected to be a warrior and clan leader." She turned her attention back to the fire, and then to Phillip. "And WHY am I telling this to YOU?" she snapped. Mysteriously frustrated, Gwen began to smother the fire with sand. "We should sleep now."

Phillip blinked in confusion. The young man then spoke as he warily began to aid Figaro in her task. "Indeed, we still have much desert to cover tomorrow."

****

Only a few miles east, along a small path through the mountain range, another campfire was coming to a close. The members of the trading caravan bound for South Anchyron were gradually dispersing to their own carts to sleep. Two particular caravan members talked as they strode to a cart on the far end of the line. "That was fun, daddy."

"Sure was, Lila," Stave smiled. "Caravan campfires usually are. Though I wouldn't expect you to remember--the last time you were in a caravan was when you were a wee little girl."

Reaching their destination, Stave opened the door for his daughter and she crawled into the cart. He looked up at the sky for a brief moment before climbing into the small area with his wife and daughter.

Not too far away, on top of the next crest, a young man huddled to himself. The frigid night winds whipped about his body, causing him to shiver and his teeth to chatter. "Blain," he spoke. "Why in the world are you doing this?" There was obviously no answer, and the warrior closed his eyes in an attempt to sleep. "That caravan better hope they don't get attacked at night. I'll be frozen stiff and won't be able to help." He smiled even though there was no humor and put his head on the cold ground.

CATASTROPHE

Still confused at Gwen's sudden outburst the night before, Phillip pondered the situation to himself as they traveled. The girl had seemed nice enough, talking about herself and asking about him. Then in the middle of saying something, she got angry and stopped talking. The young man couldn't understand it, though he rarely understood women, and decided to write it off as an isolated incident. Since they had woken up, she was acting fine again.

Jak wiped the sleep from his eyes. He was once more perched on Gwen's shoulders. After waking up that morning, he had walked for the distance of about a mile before becoming tired. Since then he had been dozing on his companion's shoulders. During the course of his slumber, the trio had left the desert and almost finished passing through the mountain range.

"Awake so soon?" Figaro questioned sarcastically. "I'd expected you to sleep for at least five more hours."

"Shut up, Gwen," the Imp smiled. "Just cause you fell for my tired act is no reason to be bitter."

Dropping the green being to the ground, the girl continued without missing a step. "We're almost to South Anchyron already."

"Why in the world are we going there?" the Imp asked, scurrying along to catch up. "Now we're going to have to backtrack. Unless you want to include SWIMMING on our agenda."

"Phillip said that we'd need supplies. Phillip was right." Gwen glanced forward at the man walking several yards in front of her and the Imp. "Unless of course you want to continue the journey with a rake and maybe a few turnips from Kohlingen. Now come on!"

As he ran quickly to reach Gwen and Phillip, Jak silently noted that the girl was speaking of towns that she once barely knew existed. Her and that knight must have spoken to each other quite a bit for her to seem that sure of which towns were trade cities and which specialized in farming. The Imp wiped sweat from his brow and clenched his beak as he exerted himself to speed up.

Phillip stopped walking at a spot where the path went down the final hill into the valley that led to the city. Gwen stood beside him, though a few moments passed before Jak joined the two. The Imp leaned against the girl's leg and looked up into the blue afternoon sky. Something else entered his sight.

"I...isn't that an Esper?" he asked nervously. "It..that Esper is heading for that caravan...." the emerald hued creature pointed to the valley where a row of carts moved along the plains.

Phillip said nothing, a rageful scowl crossing his features even faster than it took for him to break into a sprint down the path. Gwen followed the soldier into the valley. "Come on," she commanded Jak. "We need to help them."

****

Oblivious to the creatures approaching overhead, Lila happily whistled while sorting some blankets her father wanted to sell. They were absolutely beautiful. Fantastic designs ran across fabrics which were every color of the rainbow. The young woman folded each blanket neatly and placed it on the rack with similarly colored ones.

A roar ripped through the caravan, bringing a great wind and knocking over a few carts. Lila shielded her eyes with her left arm and stepped away from her father's stand, hoping to see what was going on. Just as soon as she did, though, Stave ran to her and pushed her back. "Espers," was all he said.

As her father returned to his position, Lila pondered. The girl knew that it was dangerous, no doubt life threatening, to go out into the open. However, the urge to see Espers was so strong that she was unsure which choice to take. The draws of curiosity finally won out, and she trotted up a few carts and peered along the side of the caravan.

There were two Espers standing like statues on the plain. They were both very dark and very large. One of the monsters had a huge skull for a helmet. He was heavily armored and his cloak fluttered in the wind he had created. The second Esper was just as heavily armored, though his mail jutted out at odd angle to form spikes in numerous places. The plates were crested with lines of red, and he held a whip at his side. A number of dragons circled above the two towering figures, emitting piercing shrieks and horrible roars.

Lila desired a still better view, and moved a few steps away from the cart stands. Once again, though, she was pushed back. This time a huge burst of flames erupted in the spot where she had stood only moments before. The dragon who had attacked ascended back into the sky. Its great scaly wings beat against the air, making deep sounds with each flap.

The voice of the man who had saved Lila entered the girl's ears. "You okay?" he asked. "You shouldn't jump out in the open like that."

Her head turned towards the speaker as she stood up and brushed off her dress. As the realization of who had spoken entered her mind, she gasped. "Blain?"

"You bet," the young man winked. "Told you I would see you again."

Smiling girlishly, Lila's mood was interrupted by a thought. "Father...he--"

"Stave!" Snapping out of his swoon, Blain did a backflip to land on his feet and ran down the row of carts. The bounty hunter yelled, leaping into the air and drawing his long dagger. He whipped it quickly sideways, thus slashing a dragon's face. Acrid green fluid trailed the blade as Blain's feet landed on the ground, making a scrunching noise in the dirt. "Watch yourself, old man!"

Stave turned to face the young man who had saved him from being clawed in the back. "I don't need help from a rabble pup like you, Blain!"

Facing another beast with his dagger, Blain spoke over his shoulder. "I'm honored," the hunter managed a grin. "You remember my name."

The large merchant wrestled with his own dragon, attempting to grab its head. "It's all we can do to make Lila shut up about you," he shouted back over the roaring.

The young man dashed from side to side, slashing dragons each time he turned around. He hoped he could wear them down by attacking quickly, numerous times. "Perhaps saving you from dragons is part of the courting ritual?"

Stave growled at his reptilian opponent and snapped its neck in two. Dropping it to the ground, he flashed Blain a look before turning to a new attacker. "If you don't watch yer mouth, then I'll make sure you end up like that last dragon."

Watching the humans run to and fro trying to save themselves, Thanatos grinned sadistically. "Your dragons please me, Zarthes."

"Yes," the Dragonmaster spoke in his washed out voice. It was the type of tone that could grate a human's mind. "They live only to please you and Master Doom."

Pleased even more, the Death Esper grinned wider and chuckled. "We hardly need to lift a finger." This, however, was not Thanatos' style. The imposing figure threw his cape back to reveal the sheath of a huge sword. He slid it from the casing and held it straight in front of his body. The jet black metal glistened in the daylight. The air around the blade almost seemed to darken. Thanatos gripped the hilt tightly and flames burst from the caravan wagons.

Blain's ears caught a frightened scream coming from the line. He recognized the voice as Lila's and swung around to face Stave, who had also heard her. "Don't worry, I'll save her," the Bounty Hunter spoke seriously. He was then gone like a crossbow bolt.

Knowing that Blain was the only one who could reach Lila in time, Stave didn't object. He did, however, pretend to. "Stay away from my daughter!" he called to the sprinting youth. Then, whispering to himself, "Keep her safe."

Gwen came to an abrupt halt, causing Jak to tumble from her shoulders. The Imp landed and bounced a few times with an impish grunt. Phillip's arm was stretched out sideways to block the young woman's path. "Careful," the knight warned. "Espers are dangerous."

"I know," the young Figaro replied. "We've seen you fight them."

Not taking pause to figure out how the two had seen him, the young warrior resumed his charge. Gwen and Jak followed. How would Phillip let the two know that their weapons couldn't damage the Espers? He was not looking forward to the telling moment when the unharmed beast would fell them because they had no way to attack.

One of the smaller Wyverns spotted the running green Imp as easy prey. The winged reptile swooped down the ground level and squawked at Jak. Whipping a tiny dagger from his pouch, the green creature leapt towards the assailant and stabbed it in the eyes.

The Wyvern was finished as Gwen impaled it to the ground with her pike. "Great...dragons," Phillip gazed into the sky forlornly. "And they're coming towards us." He started to run forward but was forced to a halt rather than running headlong into two other figures.

"A knight? Where'd you come from?" asked a rather ragged looking young man. A frightened girl held tightly to his arm and wept in fear.

"Right now, we need to be anywhere but here," Phillip clenched his teeth. "Let's GO!"

The five of them beat a hasty retreat back towards the mountains where they could find shelter in the low hills and crags. It wasn't too long a wait, though, until the Espers disappeared from the attack and the dragons began to fly back to where they had come from. That time had been spent calming down the girl, whom Phillip had heard the young man refer to as Lila. After a little while, she had fallen asleep in his arms.

"I'm Phillip," the knight introduced himself. "Of Anchyron."

Starting from her thoughts, Gwen followed the man's lead. "I'm Gwen Figaro of the Figaro Clan."

The rough looking youth glanced up from the girl in his arms. "Anchyron I have heard of. I'm afraid I do not know of a Figaro." He looked at the two again, seeing no recognizable reaction. He then realized he had forgotten something. "Oh...I'm Blain, a bounty hunter."

"Blain?" Phillip looked at the young man. "You're the one who found the Magicite!"

Remembering what the knight had told her about such things, Gwen silently mouthed the word 'wow'. Jak leapt to his feet and bowed lowly. "I am Jak. Lady Gwen's personal bodyguard." The said lady stifled a laugh.

"I did not expect you to talk," Blain smiled. "Though I'm sure you are a fascinating creature."

"I assure you that I am," the Imp continued. "Gwen and I are--"

Not paying attention to the Imp any longer, the young bounty hunter spoke once more. "This is Lila. She is a trader's daughter and a member of that caravan."

The low hanging sun was casting long shadows from crag to crag. No animals moved about; no birds sang. Gwen stirred uncomfortably before she finally stood up and stretched. "We are on a journey," she explained. "And would be glad to have both of you along."

Blain said nothing, looking again at Lila. He simply nodded in agreement.

"We shall begin at first light tomorrow, then." Phillip stretched as well now, readjusting his swordbelt and checking the fit of his armor.

It was at this that Blain spoke, and was very determined in doing so. "If it is all the same, Phillip of Anchyron," the hunter's eyes explained there was little choice. "I would prefer to be past the caravan site by the time Lila wakes up. It shall be far easier on her nerves if she doesn't have to be there when we walk past the wreckage--taking into account the chance of her family's death."

Nodding in assent, Phillip gathered up his pack and began walking without another word. The party followed him, Blain cradling Lila in his arms.

****

King Anchyron turned up the volume knob on the radio. The coach he had been travelling in had been delayed by some road obstacles and thus he had not made it back to his kingdom on schedule. Anchyron, Doma, and Garamonde were currently lodged in a farmer's house near Kohlingen.

Various news stories played themselves over the radio, the three royal figures only half listening. The owner of the house was off to the side preparing a meal for them. It was not every day that two kings and a knight strode into one's dwelling. Anchyron recalled the man saying that his name was Will.

"...a caravan en route to South Anchyron was destroyed today by a group of Espers." All the figures in the room perked up at the radio's current message. "There was nothing extraordinary among the goods; it is a mystery as to why this merchant line was assaulted. This reporter guesses it was just another random act of violence."

"Random? We know very well there is no such thing with Espers," Doma raised an eyebrow at his two companions. "But I suppose thinking that Espers are mindless monsters keeps the populance somewhat at ease."

The High King of the land had a seperate ponderance as he balanced his chin by a finger. "We had Empire organizers in that caravan," Anchyron said gravely. "The Espers know."

"All due respect, sir," Garamonde stood up roughly. "There is no way in the abyss they could have gotten into our intelligence system."

"In a related story," the radio continued, oblivious to the conversations of men or monarchs. "It is reported that an Esper-like creature appeared in Anchyron. Claiming that it came for the benefit of humanity, the creature revealed herself as a 'Goddess'."

"That's how," Anchyron frowned. "That...Goddess told them."

"But sir," the knight again spoke, this time holding out a parchment. "The letter that your wife sent...she claims--"

"She could have easily been swayed by outlandish promises." The King sipped from a goblet of wine recently placed within his reach. "Being told of Espers that would help, blind to the fact that perhaps they would sooner be a hindrance."

"The letter also reports that these...Goddesses created the Espers." Greeted by an uncaring glance, Garamonde expanded the idea. "Why would the beasts send their creator as a spy?"

Blowing out a huff, the King grinned mirthlessly. "So the Goddess spies and gives orders at the same time. This changes nothing." He then turned to look at his friend, who had tuned a very attentive ear to the radio once more. Doma appeared quite shocked by the news.

"...Doma Castle. A vagabond from a nameless group of nomads found the Magicite that King Doma had ordered to be placed deep in the dungeon. In the events following, the man used his newly gained Esper power to massacre the pursuing Doman troops and level one of the castle towers." Reception fizzling, the Eastern King pounded his fist on the table in frustration. A few moments later, the words were once again understandable. "....vagabond escaped from Doma and has since eluded capture."

Grief washing over him, King Doma slumped in his chair. "The last thing we need," he mumbled. "The world has gone to hell." The lines of worry stood out on his forehead and his exhalations were audible.

"Your majesty," the dutiful knight moved to help Doma. His aid was waved away.

"I am deeply sorry," Anchyron sympathized. "Domestic problems are the last thing we need right now." The High King placed his goblet back on the table and twirled a lock of his hair between hardened fingers. "I hold fast to the ideal that a Human Empire could be the solution. Unifying our troops as one force to quell the threat of Espers and Magicite."

"Save your speeches for the likes of Edwin," Doma forced a slight grin. "The truth is, we can't have an Empire if our intelligence network can be discovered by Espers."

"They seem to know exactly where to look," Anchyron replied coldly. "It is fairly obvious because of the fact that any Empire information is communicated between the two royal houses. We need to have a network that wouldn't be suspected."

There was a small sound as Will stepped forward. "Pardon if I'm speaking out of turn, m'lords." The farmer bowed deeply when he spoke. "I would be willing to collect information for this Empire. Perhaps a network among seemingly common folk would be able to go without suspicion?"

"Yes," Anchyron's eye had a strange glimmer. One who had remembered such a thing from days past would claim it as hope. An awkward smile appeared on his visage, "I do believe you can help us."

****

The purple robe hung from the seated figure, moving not an inch. It suddenly whipped from its position as Ultros flung a platter of food across the room and then shattered the tray into a million peices with his magic. "He spared our lives."

Phunbaba looked up from where he was gnawing on the bone of a large animal's femur. "Isn't that good?"

"No," came the Esper's reply. "It's bad. Very, very bad." The master stood and paced about the room. A glowing aura shown around his body. "We did not even die honorable deaths--but were pitied by our enemy. The next time we meet we must crush Thanatos like a bug."

"The power that would take is unimaginable," DoomGaze flowed as shadow out from his hiding place. "He defeated you, great Ultros."

"The power exists," the violet robed figure growled, sitting back in his throne. "I shall take hold of it and use it against our adversary. We need to earn the favor of Master Doom....and being spared by pity is not the way to do so." There was silence in the room. There was silence except for a radio in the distance squawking off the news stories of the day. A particular scoop caught the ear of the robed Esper and a grin found its way to his face. Ultros stood once more and spoke to his monsterous servants. "We're going to Doma."

MORROW

Anchyron's High Military Officer stood with his hands on his hips. Larson, at his side, stood in salute to the man before him. Cid, the head of technical science, was holding a long metallic cylinder at his side. The engineer was explaining the use of his newest invention, the two military men opposite him listening intently.

"Magicite shards placed in this end are charged by high energies," he spoke excitedly from a cleanly shaven countenance. "A beam of that power is then transferred through this shaft and fired to a great distance. I call it a 'gun'."

"So this...gun...it fires magical energy that we've taken from Magicite?" The High Officer stroked his short beard in thought. "What good is this?"

"The troops, sir," Cid faltered only for a moment before continuing on at his fast pace. "The ones who are not Magi. Using guns, they can help damage the Espers. All they need to do is use guns of the proper element, just as the Magi are chosen. Guns of fire and ice have already been produced--there was a small problem with the electricity of the bolt guns. However, in a week or two we will also have those weapons fully ready for battle. Also, when funding is high enough we believe that we can outfit mechanical suits of armor with these guns."

"Perhaps we could have a demonstration?" Larson questioned. He had been near enough to an Esper in the previous battle that he wanted to make sure any claims Cid made were absolutely true before he took a 'gun' into battle.

"Indeed!" The eager engineer trotted a few yards away. He spoke into a small reciever to his men on the other side of the training field. "Is the target ready?" A response squelched through; Larson assumed it was a positive one when Cid held the gun up to aim. After a two second hum, the sound of energy cutting through air could be heard. The target that had been set up exploded into a fiery blaze and the technical soldier skipped back with a smile on his face. "Is that satisfactory?"

The Commanding Officer of the Anchyron army grinned widely. "Excellent," he beamed. "Outfit all footsoldiers with these guns by the end of the week."

"Sir!" Cid saluted starkly. "My researchers and I are almost ready to unveil our top-secret project. Perhaps the next time we meet...?"

"If this is the same top-secret project that will allow us to win this war with the Espers, then I would have to agree." Saying no more, the High Officer signaled to Larson and the two men strode from the training field.

****

The city of South Anchyron bustled with activity in the cloudy afternoon. A knight walked confidently down the streets and avenues filled with people and trading carts. He was accompanied by a strong looking female and two others. One of the others looked to be a bounty hunter, clad in rags and sewn together nothings. The fourth person in the group appeared to be just an ordinary girl; a small Imp could sometimes be seen among their number.

"It looks as if we shall have a hard time going unnoticed," Blain said in consideration.

"Sometimes crowds are the easiest places to hide," the young knight passed on. "I don't think we'll be troubled. Even if we are, it's not that big a deal."

"There has been talk of people speaking with Espers," Blain frowned. "Citizens are always prone to jump to superstitious conclusions."

Unnable to contain herself for a second longer, Lila laughed. "Blain?" she smiled largely. "Why are you talking funny like that? These people are friends."

Blain tried to look as if the girl was making a joke. Gwen smiled wryly as if a suspicion of hers had just been confirmed, and Phillip stared dumbly at the party.

The teenaged female giggled once more. "You can talk in your normal voice for goodness sake."

"I couldn't be sure," the warrior slumped his shoulders in frustration.

"They saved us from the attack," Lila reprimanded. "That should have given you a clue."

"I was just tryin' to be careful, Lila."

"It's quite alright," Phillip finally laughed too. "We understand."

Jak peered over his master's shoulder, shaking his head in pity. "Humans," he sighed.

By now a few peddlers had turned to watch the youths laughing in the street. There were more than a couple windows open, housewives and innkeepers peering out. "We're sorry," Gwen called to the watchers. "No need to be disturbed." She then suggested to the party that they hurry along on their way. Attracting attention was one thing, appearing to lack sanity was another thing entirely.

****

King Anchyron stood outside his castle as Doma and Garamonde climbed back into the carraige. The man waved and smiled, hoping they would have a good journey. "Thank you for joining me."

"My pleasure," the king of the east made a small bow. "But I've been too long absent from my kingdom. Let us hope the Empire will come into being soon."

"Give the queen my regards," Anchyron smiled. "A safe journey to you."

The large knight in the carraige signaled and the mechanically driven wheels began to turn. The carriage gradually gained speed as it rolled off towards Doma. When the cart finally disappeared on the horizon, the King turned to enter his castle.

Turning back from a high window carved into the stone wall, Queen Anchyron wiped her lips daintily with a napkin. Her cup clinked as she set it back on its saucer. "I'm afraid our tea must be cut short, Odin. My husband has just arrived and I should be down to greet him."

Slightly disappointed but hiding it well, the huge knight Esper stood from his chair, bowing low. "It has been a pleasure, your majesty." Taking the queen's hand, Odin kissed it gently and then left the chambers. The queen watched him until he had shut the door. She sighed heavily and fell back in her chair, unsure of what she had been thinking. Gathering her robes up quickly, Queen Anchyron hurried to the courtyard where the king would be waiting.

****

Gwen Figaro walked assuredly across a street in South Anchyron. The young woman's spear was still lashed to her back skillfully, and the green Imp sat atop her shoulder. Jak's small arm was held around the back of the girl's head. The blonde hair from her topknot would brush against the creature's face every few steps. Gwen's top was a brownish fabric, not thick enough to keep out any of the elements. It covered enough of her to be decent but allowed veiw of her neck and midriff. From the back, it allowed anyone to see the slight build of her body.

Beneath her waist, Figaro was clad in a skirt of sorts made of the same fabric, though dyed in places. On the left side, the skirt hung to the girl's knee, while the right side only covered down to mid-thigh. A tattoo band rung her right bicep, and there was an shape on the girl's left leg that Phillip couldn't recognize. The woman didn't seem to mind how much of her skin was revealed; the knight guessed that it was customary in her clan to dress so.

Stopping in his tracks, Phillip shook his head slightly from side to side in frustration. Gwen strode in front of him and he watched the gentle glide of her hips. Stopping himself once again, the warrior asked himself why he was thinking such things. Not that she wasn't incredibly attractive, but the knight couldn't convince himself that Figaro clan members could marry outsiders. "She probably doesn't even like me," he thought. Writing it off as an effect of spending his teen years in training, almost devoid of female contact, Phillip picked up his stride behind Gwen.

"Phillip," the young woman asked over her should