Midia emerged from the forest and shaded her eyes as the sun loomed before her. It was actually the first time she had seen the sun in quite a long time.
Hiro and the others appeared next out of the woodland and were also stunned by the sudden brightness.
"This is the main path... where is this 'Takkar'?" the strange dancer asked.
Hiro sheathed his two swords as he scanned the area. They were currently in the grasslands located slightly to the north of Takkar. It would not take that long to reach the village now that they were in familiar territory. The day seemed pleasant enough with only a few clouds cluttering the azure skies above. The party, with the exception of the newcomer, was in decent shape considering what they've been through already. General weariness was the only true weakness the group currently had to worry about as Lucia had attempted to heal each of them whenever she had the strength to do so.
"The town is to the south... shouldn't take long to walk there and I doubt any wandering packs of monsters will attack a party this large," Hiro responded.
"You'd be surprised... I've seen hordes of creatures attack entire armies on the march back where I came from," Midia muttered. "You take the lead, Hiro."
Hiro nodded and started to lead the group toward the settlement at a moderate pace. Lucia remained at his side, occasionally glancing back at the elven female. Kuyo supported the feeble old Gwyn as they followed behind. Midia remained at the rear.
"And where would that be, Midia?" Kuyo nonchalantly asked.
The dark elf heard the question and quietly responded, "Elsewhere..."
A silence befell the small cluster as they traveled to the south.
Midia felt quite uneasy by the lack of talking... she started to stare off into space...
"And what might you be pondering about at this moment, young Midia?" she heard his enigmatic voice utter.
She was silent for several seconds before a response formed in her mind. It was generated in a faint whisper.
"Memories..."
Memories flooded back into her mind...
She recalled her last moments on her true home... a world enshrouded by darkness that was destined for destruction. Midia recalled that time as if it had only happened yesterday... she had no idea how long ago the event had happened.
In the midst of the hurried evacuation of her world, Midia had unfortunately been 'sidetracked' as her settlement was leaving. The king had recently been killed... reportedly through the actions of something that was known only as a legend to her... and a large collection of his loyal knights and warriors would not abandon their world unless the monarch returned to command it.
She was taken amongst the hostages... other denizens of the dark sphere... and held within the late king's palace. No one could convince the knights to leave or at least to release their captives... not even the daughter of a deceased baron. It was at that moment when this new baroness had tried to persuade the guards that the entire castle shook violently...
...A profound darkness swept over all of them as consciousness left her...
An immeasurable amount of time passed in total blackness... an unending sleep interrupted only by strange dreams and nightmares...
Midia 'awoke' to find herself in a swirling mass of shifting colors and dark energies. She stretched her arms as she accustomed her eyes to the strange surroundings.
"How long... where am I?" she muttered as she looked around. All around her were the same individuals who were present in the king's chamber... all apparently asleep.
"What is this place?" Midia spoke as she noticed the lack of any sort of floor beneath her feet. There didn't seem to be any exit to the colorful 'chamber'.
A few tense moments passed as she slowly floated to the nearest knight and tried to wake him. The armored man didn't respond when she shook him.
"Am I... alone... forever stuck here?" Midia sadly lamented.
She contemplated her fate for several silent minutes... until a response came out of nowhere...
"You can be free of this trap... do you wish to stop the source of the calamity which befell your world?"
The voice was that of a mystical female. Midia could not locate the speaker anywhere in the region.
"I... I..." she stammered. "What was responsible for this fate?"
"A vessel of pure evil... a sword... and right now it is about to decimate another world... a peaceful world... the Human world," the voice answered.
Midia's eyes opened wide. She knew about the planet populated by the humans... both her home and the globe of the human race represented two of the spheres in the legend of the three worlds. She had heard how the late king had attempted to conquer both that world and the land of dreams... the place where her own realm was relocating.
"Why could it not be a peaceful relationship... why did the king have to try and take over the other domains?" the dancer mumbled aloud.
It appeared that this was reaction that the bodiless voice wanted to hear.
"The vessel was an influence on your king, though his own selfish desires also motivated his actions... are you willing to fight against such evils to protect the Human world?"
Midia slowly nodded. She knew that such an injustice needed to be stopped before another world suffered.
"In doing so, I shall reward you... you will learn about the fate of the rest of your kind... and learn more about your own race..."
The dark elf's eyes widened. She did want to discover the destiny of her fellow denizens of the dark world... but the second half of the promise seemed quite strange.
Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt a bizarre tingling on her fingers. Each slender digit, other than her thumbs, was suddenly adorned with an ancient golden ring.
"Eight Dimension rings... your trip should seem instantaneous... I will prepare for your arrival..."
"Trip?" Midia began to ask when a bright light abruptly surrounded her.
A pair of figures sat enshrouded in darkness. The only illumination came from a flickering fire positioned right between them.
A quiet conversation between the duo was interrupted by a hearty laugh from one of them. The flames illuminated the face of a chuckling bearded individual.
"Ho, ho, ho... you've certainly earned your rest, lad. We all were able to watch your deeds and a couple of the boys were already betting that you'd turn-"
"Gentlemen?"
The other form leapt to his feet immediately. The fire lit up the fine features of his face.
"Do not worry, my friend. Nothing dangerous can ever enter here... I can't place the voice though," the sitting man spoke. "Who are you?"
A pair of humanoid shades appeared in the darkness. Both floated above the ground silently.
"I know I should not have disturbed this peaceful location but I fear that I need your assistance," the female voice uttered from the shade on the left. It appeared that she was addressing the individual that was standing up.
The tall figure's head shook.
"As my friend had just said I desire to rest finally..."
The shadowed shape nodded.
"I understand... but your world is in terrible danger again... I do not plan on totally removing you from your deserved repose here... you shall not receive life again as I know you have no reason to desire another break of your calmness..."
The cryptic voice of the standing creature replied, "Exactly... and there are plenty of heroes still living on Lunar... even without the goddess... that can deal with whatever danger you speak about."
The shadow continued.
"I do not mean Lunar... I mean THIS world... though Lunar and beyond may fall first. Please, I need you to serve as a guide to my companion here as she travels on Lunar. She must assist the world's protectors or no one will be left to save the planet. I can only make one offering to you."
"And that offer is?"
The area around the floating shades began to brighten as the mysterious voice spoke once more.
"A connection with your past."
Midia was suddenly aware of her surroundings... but it felt like she was dreaming. She heard voices and felt strange warmth about her but was somehow unable to open her eyes.
The same voice that asked her the questions before had just spoken. An uneasy silence followed as she detected that everyone's attention was directed toward her.
"My... past... she's..." a strangely enchanting voice murmured.
"Yes... join her as an escort and you will receive the opportunity to learn about the past you have lost."
No response resounded in her pointed ears for several minutes. Her eyes slowly began to open and she could detect a pair of figures near what looked like a campfire.
"Don't just stand there, lad! I know how much you've always desired to learn just that... reach out and grab the opportunity while you have the chance," a grizzled voice spoke. "Plus, the vessel of your answer looks quite-"
"She's beautiful," the enigmatic voice whispered.
Midia strained to focus on the speaker. His voice sounded so elegant...
"I shall mirror the actions of our enemies and intertwine your souls, if you so desire to help us... as time passes your relationship with each other shall grow and you will become a more tangible element of her. You'll share thoughts, power and life... and will learn what you desire from each other. A part of you will remain here where you belong... but you will also be present at all times with her."
A slight pause...
"Are you willing to undergo such a connection and aid my cause? I must warn you that may be detectable due to the sheer power of your brilliance. I will tell you the particulars of the events that have already happened on Lunar after your answer."
By now, the dark elf was feeling quite tense...
"I... I will join her," the charming voice responded.
"Good choice, old friend," the other speaker added.
"Very well," the mysterious voice replied. "Awaken momentarily, my child, and gaze upon your own answer."
Midia's heavy eyelids finally snapped completely open. Her enhanced eyesight rapidly focused as the tall figure, clad in a magnificent white cape and gray-toned mail, started to walk toward her.
Her orbs of sight scanned his handsome form slowly, finally staring straight into his own captivating eyes beneath a head of fine pale hair.
"M... my name is Midia..." she softly voiced.
A fantastic white light began to obscure her vision before she could completely examine his form.
"I am..." he started to say when the 'memory' seemed to end abruptly with a loud yell...
"MY GODDESS!"
Midia awoke from her stupor to find herself standing several yards away from a wrecked stone gate. Apparently Hiro was the one who had cried out as he rushed into the city.
The dancer slowly followed behind the green-haired woman known as Kuyo as they entered what apparently used to be the town of Takkar.
A few townspeople and guards shuffled about through the wreckage. Bodies were slowly being gathered in one corner of the village. A scent of death completely surrounded them.
"This is terrible," Lucia whispered as she regarded the statue of Althena nearby. Nall had crawled up onto her shoulder and glanced about with a frown on his tiny face.
"Hiro, go find out what caused all this destruction," the old half-breed said. The brown-haired boy nodded and quickly ran off toward the desecrated temple.
Midia looked around in horror... she had never seen such complete devastation before...
"Memories will have to wait till later..." he spoke.
The dark elf nodded.
"Lucia... have you ever seen destruction beyond this magnitude before?" Kuyo quested. She apparently seemed quite uncomfortable in such surroundings.
Lucia looked to the Blue Star far above.
"Only once... though it nearly happened again recently..."
Hiro ran back to the group with a sickly expression on his face.
"It was supposedly a giant lizard-like creature... it ripped most of the town to pieces. The only survivors were hidden within the shrine."
He paused and took a few deep breaths.
"Supposedly Leo came by afterwards and headed north toward Nota to call for help."
"Hiro, do you think we should stick around and try to help the remnants of Takkar until assistance arrives?" Kuyo quested, trying to act passionate for once.
Hiro considered it for a moment.
"As much as I'd want to try and catch up with Leo, we better stay here for the time being and rest up. We'll give them a hand until either he comes back... or perhaps Nall could fly us to Nota to meet up with him."
Nall tried to flap his wings again. There was barely any pain in his expression.
"Might take awhile for the latter, Hiro. Flying around as a kitty is a lot easier than doing so as a dragon... not to mention the strain of transforming back into such a form," Nall responded.
Lucia shook her head after viewing the area again. A few tears dropped from her eyes, prompting Hiro to embrace her. Gwyn and Kuyo looked at each other with sad expressions.
"Very well, we'll stay for now," Hiro answered.
Midia looked closely at the nearest corpse... half of the body of a child...
"This... what can you say about this?" she whispered.
His voice slowly responded.
"An injustice akin to those of my far past... we shall avenge it..."