"This is Lunar."
The Star Sentry stood at the edge of a precipice at the top of his tower, motioning for Alisia Dragoon to stand beside him. She slowly walked out to peer over the ledge.
"This... is amazing!" she exclaimed at the view.
All around her she could see lush forests under the azure skies. In one direction, it looked like there was a desert. Far off to the north she could just make out the shape of several snow-crested mountains.
"Its beautiful... much different from its appearance. I always thought the moon was but a celestial body endlessly crossing the expanse of the night skies. I bet the scholars back home will be surprised when I tell them the truth..." she trailed off, "that is, if this indeed is the moon and not just a dream or an illusion."
The Sentry pointed at the Blue Star far away and shook his head.
"If this is really happening to you, I think it would be better not to divulge it yet," he replied. Then, still a little doubtful of this girl, added, "Of course, maybe this is but a dream..."
Alisia was staring out to the south, thinking she could just make out a large body of water in that direction.
"Is the moon... Lunar... inhabited?"
The Star Dragon walked back toward the portal inside, motioning for the mage to follow.
"Maybe you'd like to look for yourself while you explore this world," he replied, changing the subject slightly. "You are looking for something here, after all."
The amazement dissipated for a moment and Alisia snapped back to her senses as she trotted over to the titan.
"Yes, that's true... I must find them," she answered, thinking of both the evil mages and her separated friends.
"Then let us voyage to the bottom of this tower."
The two of them began to descend the stairs to the lower floors.
Alisia saw a few strange caped and floating figures as they left the tower.
"Those are my guardian Blood Lords... they have been hypnotized to protect this tower from all who enter it. We have nothing to fear from them."
The figures floated silently with their arms crossed as the duo walked through the open doorway into brilliant sunlight once again.
Ahead stretched rolling plains and lush forests beyond the marble and concrete base of the spire. To the left stood a blue statue displaying a beautiful woman cradling a golden harp in the shape of a crescent moon.
"That is a statue of the Goddess Althena. If you are weary, merely approach one and utter a prayer to the goddess and you may be healed," the Star Sentry spoke.
"Althena... I've never heard of such a goddess," Alisia replied, adding one more feeling of doubt to the Star Dragon's mind. Fortunately, his dubious expectations were lessened a bit as she continued.
"We normally prayed only to the guardian dragons in our shrines."
"Hm... well, they may work either way. Anyway, you are now on your own. I suggest you try going south first... the Forest of Illusion to the west and north may be too treacherous for you yet," the Star Sentry responded. "You may return here if you wish, but if I am not present you may have to deal with the Blood Lords..."
Alisia nodded and checked her pack momentarily. Everything was still there. She took a sip of healing potion, not ready to try the 'goddess' statues yet, and waved to the Sentry.
"Thank you for the information... and for not lopping my head off before," she said smiling and walked southwest toward the plains.
The Star Dragon raised a gloved hand in farewell and thought to himself.
"If she is who I think she may be, then hard times may be coming for these two worlds... hope goes with her. If she isn't... well, she's not going to be a threat to security for long."
With that, the Star Sentry vanished.
Back on the Blue Star, the arctic winds beat relentlessly on the walls of the Crystal tower.
There was movement all throughout its insides. On the ground floor, Guardians cleaned up the remains of their fallen comrades. Others worked on patching up the hole in the side of the spire.
On the top floor, Hiro paced back and forth impatiently with his hand on his sword's handle.
"How much longer, Lucia?"
The Guardian was currently floating beside the slowly rotating teleportation crystal. One hand, glowing with power, was gently applying pressure to one of the device's sides. She looked at her love.
"Hiro, please be patient. If the damage isn't repaired, anything could happen if we used it."
"Such as being sent elsewhere like they were."
She nodded back to him.
"Or worse..."
He stopped pacing and shook his head.
"If only I was faster... I wouldn't have missed so badly," Hiro mumbled to himself.
As Lucia continued her magic, he started to think about each of those who had entered the crystal. The two hooded figures had attacked him physically before proceeding. Perhaps they somehow knew him... or just were in too much of a hurry to get away from their pursuers. The others were a puzzle to him. Birds, lizards, flaming mass... and then that small dragon with the strange girl on it.
Something Lucia said earlier came back to him.
"Lucia! Could the little dragon be that 'fifth' dragon that you mentioned before?" he quested.
She pondered for a moment.
"It's possible... I definitely felt the Dark Scimitar go past us and through to Lunar... perhaps he was chasing it. But I have no way to be sure. The Fifth dragon was deliberately created to remain hidden from any detection, good or evil, until its spirit awakens and it reveals itself. That includes blocking out my powers of detection-"
"Like those you used to reveal the Fake Althena before?" Hiro interrupted.
Lucia replied, "Yes, those. And I doubt that the dragon will revive unless the dark blade itself awakens fully... which would be disastrous to both Lunar and the Blue Star."
She sighed and looked back at the crystal.
"The dragon's dormant form could still be here on the Blue Star, unknowing of the voyage of the sword. Or worse... it could be dead..."
Hiro quickly interjected, "It's too early to give up hope. Zophar was defeated by hope and belief in the power of humanity... we shouldn't expect the worst already. Besides, even without the dragon, can't we conquer this vessel of evil ourselves? Wouldn't the four other dragons and the Sword of Althena prove to be a match for a single blade?"
"Well...it might be possible-"
"Then we'll do what we have to find the sword and keep it from awakening," Hiro interrupted again.
"But what if it does?" Lucia pondered to herself as Hiro stared out an crystal window toward Lunar.
The Blade Wizards staggered out into the Blue Spire's courtyard, covered with various shades of color from the life fluids of the creatures they had encountered. Both had suffered a number of wounds.
"I think we are very rusty in our spell practice, brother," one spoke, kneeling on the stones of the ground.
"Yes, I know... those crystalline knight beasts were quite formidable. I wish we still had that sword..."
Up ahead loomed a great fountain portraying a woman, behind which stood another staircase leading downwards to the Blue Labyrinth.
"I know the feeling. I can't even feel the presence of the sword anymore. It may have not even landed on this world..."
Both sighed in sync and stared out over the horizon, resting their weary bones.
"I suppose we had better press on... slowly this time."
"Yes," the other replied. "I hope we can find some allies on this world... maybe the master or his ally Zophar had followers here as they did on Earth."
With a groan or two, the twins wandered towards the opening.
The winged figure swooped down over where Pentagulia had once stood. Seeing nothing of the ruins that were under the discomfortingly calm waters below, it soared on to the east, emitting another screech.