"You mean, someone close to you was abducted, too?" asked Deckard.
Karen nodded. "My friend Neil was taken away," she replied sadly.
Deckard nodded back understandingly. "I know how you feel. An alien kidnapped my friend Lexa about a week ago... I couldn't do anything to stop it. I've been trying to find her ever since."
Karen smiled; it made her feel good to meet someone who could truly understand her situation. "Well, now that you're with us, we can try to save both of them together," she said.
"That we can," agreed Deckard. "And it isn't just us; people all over the world have been losing loved ones in the abductions. We have to try to save them all."
Just then, Kato stepped over to them. "Deckard, I trust you still have the Shining Wind Sword that the master gifted you with before you left?"
"I do," Deckard replied, drawing it out. "It's my most prized possession."
Kato grinned. "Then, I trust that you know what this is." He drew forth the Sword of Kings.
Deckard's eyes widened. "It couldn't be!" he exclaimed.
Karen looked at the swords. "They kind of look alike," she said.
Kato looked at her. "That is because they were made by the same swordsmith, hundreds of years ago. The two swords represent the forces of earth and wind."
Deckard frowned. "But, only a member of the royal family is allowed to wield the Sword of Kings. Why do you have it?"
Kato folded his arms. "A lot has happened in Dalaam since you left, Deckard." He proceeded to begin telling Deckard of the last four years' events.
Left out of the conversation, Karen walked away. She felt alone; Zain and Sasha were busy talking to Jeff and Apple Man, and Guy had eyes only for Kyla at the moment. With a sigh, Karen went over to sit down by the wall.
Zain saw her. "Karen, come over here for a moment," he said.
She got up and walked over to them. "What is it, Zain?" she asked.
"I just wanted you to meet Jeff," Zain replied. He looked over at Jeff. "Jeff, this is Karen, the other member of our group."
Karen looked up at Jeff, and their eyes met.
To Zain and Sasha's surprise, Jeff staggered backward, his face gone white; he looked as if he had seen a ghost.
"What is it, Jeff?" asked Apple Man. "What's wrong?"
Jeff didn't take his eyes away from Karen. "H-Her..." he replied, pointing. "Zain, when you said you had a girl named Karen with you... It never even entered my mind that it could be THIS Karen..."
Karen frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Is there something wrong with me...?"
At that, Jeff shook his head, getting over his surprise. "...No, no, there's nothing wrong with you at all, Karen," he answered. "Nothing wrong with you at all."
His mouth curved upward in a warm smile, possibly the most heartfelt smile he had had in a long time. "You have your father's eyes, Karen," he said. "And your mother's beauty."
Upon hearing this, Karen's mouth dropped open in shock. "You... Y-You know my p-parents...?" she stammered.
Jeff nodded, perplexed. "You don't know who they are?" he asked, slightly surprised. "Well, I guess that's only natural, since you were only 1 year old when they had to give you up..."
Before she knew it, Karen was already asking him. "Who are they?" she demanded earnestly. "Please, if you know them, tell me who they are!"
Jeff nodded. "Of course I'll tell you," he said. "I owe them that, and I owe YOU that. But first... Where did you live before you joined Zain?"
Karen blinked. "The Duplora Orphanage," she replied.
"I see," said Jeff, thinking on it. "So that's where you've been all these years... They never told me, so I never knew."
He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "In any case, I'll tell you what you want to know, Karen," he said.
Karen leaned forward intently; finally, finally, she was going to learn who her parents were!
Jeff smiled at her enthusiasm. "Your parents, Karen," he said slowly, "are Ness and Paula, whom I fought alongside in the war against Giygas."
That was it. After so many years of not knowing where she had come from, Karen finally knew the answer. It almost felt like a dream. And to hear that her parents were actually heroes...
Upon finally hearing the names of her parents, Karen stepped back, stunned. "You... You mean..."
She was not the only one who was surprised; Zain and Sasha stared at Jeff incredulously. "Karen's parents are two of the Chosen Four?" said Zain.
"Yes," said Jeff. "Karen's parents were the ones who ultimately defeated Giygas."
"But what does this mean?" asked Sasha. "If her parents were part of the Chosen Four, and she's part of the Chosen Eight..."
"It's one of those peculiar ways that destiny works," Jeff answered with a shrug. "The same way that Kato, the son of Poo, and you, the heir of this Premonition ability, are part of the Chosen Eight... And the same way that Zain, an 'empathic psychic' as you called it, is the leader of the Chosen Eight."
Zain nodded. "Actually, when you think about it, all of us have something special. Guy and Kyla are the children of two people who were involved with the Chosen Four, and Deckard... Well, Deckard is connected to Dalaam in some way."
Karen stood there, still thinking about the newly-revealed identity of her mother and father. "Ness and Paula, my parents..." she said softly. "Jeff, where do they live? I want to meet them."
At this, Jeff closed his eyes in sadness. "I... I'm afraid that's impossible, Karen..." he said, trying to keep his voice level.
"I-Impossible?" Karen repeated. "But why? I have so many things I want to ask them..."
"Karen..." said Jeff, feeling worse and worse. "Your parents are... They..." He swallowed. "...They're passed away."

"Fifteen years ago, you were born," said Jeff. "My own father had recently passed on, and I had inherited his lab in Winters... Apple Man wasn't living there yet. Ness and Paula brought you over, so that I could see you." He smiled wistfully at the memory. "You were the most beautiful baby I'd ever seen... Not that I've seen that many babies in my life."
By now, everyone, including Guy and Kyla, had gathered around Jeff, to hear his story. Karen sat in front of him, feeling empty inside. After all the years of wanting to meet her parents, the news that she could never do so had left her at a loss.
"I still remember that day," Jeff continued. "They were so happy to have finally had a child..." He paused for a moment. "They moved into a house in Twoson, in Eagleland, so that they could be close to Paula's parents and the preschool that her mother ran." He sighed. "Everyone was so happy... And I was happy for them. They were my two dearest friends..."
Jeff took off his glasses and wiped at them with a cloth. "An entire year passed, and nothing changed. It almost seemed like paradise; the world was at peace, Giygas had been gone for nearly sixteen years, I was able to pursue my studies and experiments, Poo was emperor of Dalaam, and Ness and Paula had you, Karen. It almost seemed as if our lives after the war with Giygas had been blessed."
With a sigh, he put his glasses back on. "Then everything changed. One day, Ness and Paula showed up at my doorstep... without you, Karen. There was clearly something wrong; they both looked as if they had been chased, and they kept glancing around, as if they were expecting danger to suddenly appear. I asked them what was wrong, and Ness said, 'He's back, Jeff. After all these years, he's back! He's coming for us!'" Jeff swallowed. "Paula wouldn't even talk. I asked Ness where you were, Karen, but all he told me was that you were in a safe place, and that their only consolation at that point was that no matter what happened, you would be safe."
Nobody else spoke; they were all too intent on listening to Jeff to say anything.
"Shortly after that," Jeff went on, "they left. Ness said that he didn't want to put me in danger by them staying there. I asked them to stay anyway, but they wouldn't." He paused yet again. "A month later, I heard in the news that an anonymous couple had been murdered in Twoson. The bodies could not be identified, and there was no evidence as to the identity of the killers, but a few witnesses claimed that the killers were strange alien robots, and at the scene of the crime, it appeared as if a great battle had been fought. Becoming very afraid, I called upon Poo, and together we went to Twoson to inspect the bodies for ourselves. I had planned to use my own techniques to identify the bodies, but it wasn't necessary; Poo took one look at the bodies and said 'It's them.'"
He hung his head, looking at the floor. "And that was it," he said. "After so many years of happiness, my two best friends, the heroes of this Earth who had defeated Giygas, were gone, almost in the blink of an eye. I felt so helpless, because I hadn't even been able to do anything about it. Trying to make up for my helplessness, I tried to find you, Karen, but even my most thorough searches failed."

With that, Jeff looked up at Karen. "I'm sorry I had to tell you this, Karen. I wish they were still alive, but they're gone..."
Karen didn't know what to think, or do. She almost wished now that she still didn't know who her parents were. They were gone, and she would never be able to meet them...
"Wait," she said, suddenly remembering. "My father told you that 'he' was back. Who is 'he'?"
Jeff blinked, adjusting his glasses. "There's only one person your father could have been talking about," he said. "His name is Pokey Minch."
Karen's eyes widened. "Pokey Minch?" she repeated. "I... I know that name!"
"You do?" asked Guy. "Who is he?"
"I've never heard that name," said Zain.
Karen looked at all of them. "He's Mister P," she answered, still feeling numb.
The effect on Zain, Sasha, and Guy was immediate. "He's the guy we fought in Duplora!" Zain cried.
Surprised, Jeff stared at them. "You've met him?" he asked.
"Zain saved Karen and Guy from him in Duplora," Sasha answered. "That's how we met them, after he ran away. Mister P works for the dark one!"
"Oh, no," said Apple Man. "If that's true, then he's doing it again..."
"Doing what?" asked Deckard. "What is this man doing?"
"Serving the side of evil, to further his own purposes," Kyla's father answered. "He did it before, and now he's doing it again."
"But who is he?" asked Kato.
Jeff sighed. "I can't tell you everything about him," he admitted. "Only what I was told of him. The only person who could tell you everything is dead."
"You mean my father," Karen corrected numbly.
With yet another sigh, Jeff nodded. "Yes, your father," he agreed. "From what I've been told, he and Pokey were once next-door neighbors... They were friends, even. But even then, Pokey was always ambitious. He acted like he was better than everyone else, and he was always condescending toward other people his own age, including Ness."
He paused, adjusting his position. "Then one fateful night in the year 199X, everything changed. Pokey's brother became lost at the top of the hill in Onett, and Pokey enlisted Ness' help to find him. They managed to find him, but then... They found a strange meteor on the hilltop."
Zain's eyes lit up. "It was the night he learned of his destiny, wasn't it?" he said. "The same thing as what happened to me, that night last week."
"Yes," Jeff confirmed. "It was that night. I hadn't become aware of my own destiny yet, at that time."
"Wait," Sasha interrupted. "You told Zain his destiny at the meteor. But who told Ness? Didn't someone have to?"
Jeff shook his head. "I honestly can't tell you who told him, Sasha," he admitted. "Ness never told me that. The only thing he ever said about it was that he was shown his destiny by 'an emissary from the future'... And more than once he said something about 10 years in the future."
"10 years..." Guy repeated. "At that time, ten years into the future would have been the year 200X."
"Right," said Jeff with a nod. "Apparently, Giygas had conquered the world by then, and everything on this planet had been enslaved. But we stopped that future from happening by defeating Giygas before he could carry out his plan. That's why the planet is still free now, 20 years after 200X."
He slowly shook his head. "Anyway, we've gone off topic. After Ness found the meteor, he was informed of his destiny to lead the Chosen Four and save Earth from Giygas."
Jeff looked solemnly at everyone. "That was when Pokey changed. Being as ambitious and selfish as he was, he could not abide that Ness, someone he had always seen as inferior, had a remarkable, grand purpose... While he himself did not. He resolved to make his own grand destiny, and to be greater than Ness at any cost."
He smiled sadly. "The problem with that was that everything he did was wrong, and that it caused him to cross paths with Ness again, multiple times. Each time Ness met him, Pokey had weaseled his way into a high-ranking position under a corrupt leader, and each time, Ness defeated that leader, thus depriving Pokey of his power. No matter what Pokey did, Ness was always there to stop him. Finally, we found him in the service of Giygas himself, at the final battle. We defeated him there, too, and I never saw him again. But one night, after the final battle was over, and everything had settled down, Ness received a letter from Pokey, and in it, Pokey swore revenge for everything Ness had done to him."
Jef paused, feeling a bit sadder. "But Pokey never resurfaced after that, so Ness eventually forgot about the letter. Who would have thought that it wouldn't be until 16 years later that he reappeared to take his revenge...?"
At that, Karen suddenly recalled the words that Mister P had spoken to her...
No matter what I did back then, HE always got in my way... HE always stopped me. Carpainter, Monotoli, even Giygas... Every time I made something for myself, HE was always there to rip it away.
Even now, he stares at me through your eyes, taunting me, getting in my way.
I hate him. I hate him! I will destroy every last remnant of him in this world, including YOU!
"He... He killed them..." Karen said softly.
She finally understood. Everything... Everything that has happened to me is because of him. I had to live in that orphanage because of him, and I lost my first friend because of him... I was denied the right to know my parents because of him! Because of Mister P... No, because of Pokey Minch! HE'S responsible for everything bad that's ever happened to me!
As Karen's entire being was flooded with anger, something snapped within her. She stood up instantly, startling everyone.
Her telepathy suddenly came back on of its own volition. She felt a tremendous power build up within her, and she suddenly realized that her PSI ability had radically expanded; strangely enough, she now knew abilities that she had never known before. She also realized, with some surprise, what she had to do next.
As everyone watched, Karen's black eyes turned red, and pent-up energy began to crackle around her.
Zain's jaw dropped. "Karen... You have empathic PSI too?" he cried incredulously.
She looked up at him, and Zain saw the anger in her eyes that others had often seen in his own. "I have to go," she said emphatically.
"Go?" Jeff repeated. "Go where, Karen?"
Karen answered without pause. "To where it all began." She stepped away from the group, and raised a hand to her forehead. Gathering her newfound power, she used one of the abilities she had gained. "Teleport Beta!"
Everyone's eyes widened as Karen began to spin into a whirlwind, and there was a loud crack as she disappeared.

"It does not make any sense," said Guy. "During the entire time that she was with us, Karen never displayed such power. Her powers were formidable, but this is something else entirely."
Sasha nodded in agreement. "And she never showed any of the empathic abilities that Zain had! What's happened to her?"
Kato put a hand to his chin, deep in thought. "And she now knows how to teleport with PSI," he said. He recalled the words of the old master regarding the power of teleportation: When you have mastered the power of teleportation, you must return to Dalaam, with Zain and your other companions. But it was Karen who had used it; Kato himself still didn't know yet. So, he could not act on those orders yet.
Then Jeff spoke. "Actually, it does sort of makes sense, if you think about it..." he said thoughtfully.
"What do you mean?" asked Kyla.
Jeff glanced at everyone, who were waiting for him to explain. He did not disappoint them. "30 years ago, Ness gathered the power of eight Sanctuary locations, the same as we are doing right now," he said. "However, unlike the current Sanctuary locations that empower each one of the Chosen Eight, the original 8 Sanctuaries were for Ness alone. When he finally visited each one, and the melody of the Earth was completed, Ness was gifted with the power of the Earth itself." He paused for effect. "This power made him far stronger than he had ever been before. Originally, Paula's PSI had been superior among the four of us, but with his new power, Ness outclassed even her."
Zain blinked. "So what you're saying is that Ness became the strongest person in the world," he said.
Jeff nodded in confirmation. "Yes, I suppose you could say that. In any case, this power had altered him; although he was still the Ness we had known, he was never quite the same after that, physically OR mentally." He stared off into space thoughtfully.
Apple Man picked up where he left off. "I think I understand where you're going with this, Jeff," he said. "The incredible power from the Sanctuaries that Ness received... It must have been passed on to Karen."
"Yes, that's it," said Jeff. "She must have received the power of the original 8 Sanctuaries through heredity... And for whatever reason, that power must have lain dormant in her, until now."
Sasha looked at him, puzzled. "But did Ness have empathic PSI?" she asked. "Before she left, Karen's eyes were glowing red, just like Zain's."
"That, I'm afraid I don't understand at all," Jeff replied. "If Ness ever had this 'empathic PSI,' he never showed it. I had never even heard of empathic PSI until just a couple of hours ago, when you and Zain told me about it."
Zain looked up thoughtfully. "When Kaatz told me about being an empathic psychic, he called me a 'rare person,'" he said. "Empathic psychics must be even more rare than normal psychics. So if I'm one, and now it turns out Karen's one... What are the odds of that?"
"That's the way destiny works, Zain," said Apple Man. "Seemingly impossible coincidences, and seemingly unrelated events." He smiled. "When I first met Ness back then, I had no idea that he was actually a chosen one of destiny. He gave me a hamburger and helped fund my research. It wasn't until later that I learned about the Chosen Four."
Guy frowned, adjusting his glasses. "In any case," he interrupted, "we may have explained Karen's new powers. However, the question that remains is, where has she gone?"
"To 'where it all began,'" said Kyla. "But where is that?"
To everyone's surprise, Jeff quickly provided the answer. "That's easy," he said. "There's only one place she could have gone."

* * *

She now stood on the side of a large hill. It was nighttime, and it was quite dark outside. Behind her, at the bottom of the hill, lay a town, its lights like stars in the surrounding darkness.
Wondering what town it was, Karen focused on it, feeling the minds of its inhabitants, and easily procured the answer. Onett...
That's where I am now, she thought to herself. She was outside the town of Onett.
She still wasn't sure what had compelled her to come here... Or even HOW she had come here. Although she had several new abilities now, she had no idea where they had come from. She wondered if the overwhelming anger she had felt just a moment ago was responsible for it.
That caused her to think of Zain and Guy and the others. I hope they're not too worried about me, she thought. With some surprise, Karen realized that she could still feel their minds, even though she was now in a different country. Although she still was unable to read Zain's mind, the minds of the others were filled with concern for her.
Upon feeling their concern, Karen hung her head, feeling guilty. She hadn't wanted to just abandon them, but the compulsion to come to this place had been so strong... She would rejoin them later, but she had something to do here first.
Karen looked up, to the top of the hill. She felt that there was something up there, but it wasn't the reason she had come here. Maybe later she would go and see it, but first she had to fulfill her purpose for coming here.
Finally, she looked in front of her. Before her sat an old house. It was all boarded up, and the paint was peeling. It wouldn't be many more years before it collapsed entirely. There was a battered and rusty mailbox nearby, but the name on it was faded and could not be read.
Karen suddenly understood where she was. "This... This was my father's house," she said to herself.
Slowly, almost reverently, she approached the house. Without thinking, she materialized a hammer of psychic force in her hand and smashed the boards on the door.
This was why she had come here. It was time to see what was inside.

Meanwhile...

On board the mothership, Giaguo's eyes widened as he suddenly felt the mind of Target Priority Three once again.
Kaatz and Mister P stood before him. Kaatz was in the process of explaining his plan, while Mister P had just arrived in the chamber. "What is it, Master Giaguo?" asked Kaatz.
"It is Target Priority Three," the master answered, his voice adopting an aura of pleasure. "She has begun to use her telepathy again. I know where she is."
The effect on Mister P was immediate. "HER?" he cried. "Please tell me where she is, Master Giaguo! I want to finally finish this!"
"Very well, Pokey," said Giaguo. "I will give you another chance. She is now in the Earth town of Onett."
Mister P grinned, an evil glint coming into his eyes. "Onett, huh... Then I know exactly where she is." He laughed. "I won't fail you this time, Master Giaguo."
He turned and left the chamber. As he left, he murmured to himself, "You won't escape me this time, Karen. Not this time..."
After he was gone, Kaatz sighed. "I don't know why you trust him so much, Master Giaguo," he said.
"In spite of his shortcomings, he is useful at times," the alien replied. "And I still have yet to figure out how he managed to control Giygas-12162*203*616*-630. Such a thing should have been impossible, and yet he did it."
His voice took on an aura of impatience. "Enough about him," he said. "Show me the plan you have prepared."
Kaatz smiled. "Of course, Master Giaguo."
He explained his plan. After he was finished, Giaguo thought for a moment. "It is a good plan," he said, pleased. "And I believe that it may actually work."
"Then I will carry it out at once," said Kaatz. He turned to go.
The master stopped him. "Wait," he said.
Kaatz turned back to face him. "Yes, Master Giaguo? What is it?"
Giaguo's eyes narrowed. "I think that I will come with you this time, and handle this matter personally."
Kaatz's human eye blinked. "You're going to leave the mothership?"
After a pause, the alien replied, his voice taking on an aura of certainty. "Yes. This matter is important. I wish to personally ensure that nothing goes wrong."
He pressed a button inside his tank, and all of the fluid inside it began to drain out. When it was all gone, Giaguo transformed.
Kaatz stared as the tank opened up, and a handsome human man stepped out of it. He had tanned skin, brown hair, and a mustache and beard. He was dressed in a regal-looking black cloak.
Giaguo smiled, something he had been unable to do in his natural form. "This form should be sufficient," he stated; although his voice was no longer as otherworldly as it had once been, it still carried the same force. His eyes were deep black, hinting at the completely-black eyes of his regular form.
"It's quite kingly," Kaatz complimented.
"That is good to hear," said Giaguo, flexing his newly-acquired fingers. "I would like to make a good impression when we meet Zain and Target Priority One."
Kaatz frowned, wondering about something. "Master Giaguo, if your race has the ability to shapeshift, why do you usually remain in your natural form, which needs an environment tank? Why don't you use another form more often, so that you have more mobility?"
The master folded his arms, walking over to Kaatz. "That is a legitimate question," he said. "And the answer is this: though my race is able to take other forms, it is uncomfortable for us to remain in those forms indefinitely. We prefer to remain in our natural form, because it is the most comfortable."
He paused, pacing back and forth. "Unfortunately," he continued, "in my natural form, I must breathe the liquid atmosphere of my home planet, while nearly all of the subservient races on this ship breathe a gaseous mixture. Since there is only one of me on this ship, and there are thousands of them, it is more economical to have the ship be filled with their kind of atmosphere, and for me to live in the environment tank, which is filled with my planet's atmosphere."
Kaatz nodded. "I understand now, Master Giaguo."
"Good," said Giaguo. "Now, enough talk. Let us go and carry out this plan..."

To be continued...