Mike, Skulryk, and RG walked away from the bakery. Like the others, they had left undetected through the fire escape. Skulryk munched on a bread roll from the bakery, and turned to look back at it, saying "I hope they're ok."
What he saw was plumes of smoke rising from the bakery. He almost dropped his bread roll. Mike and RG turned around to see what he was looking at. Mike gasped, and RG's mouth dropped.
"I hope they're ok..." Mike said.
"Well," RG said "Everyone but Dan and Ness left, and Dan and Ness don't mind being seen by Rockwell. I'm sure they'll be ok..."
Skulryk had set up his camera and was filming the event. Mike grabbed him up. "We don't have time for that! Right now we need to concentrate on what we're trying to do. First of all, let's check with people about the story. Skul, do you know where to go to sell that footage?"
Skulryk turned off his camera and stood up. "I know a few of the news companies... They don't really like freelance reporters, but I'll see what happens."

Several hours later
Skulryk grumbled under his breath as he left the offices of the World Media Network. RG and Mike stared at him.
"No good?" Mike said.
"Nope." Skulryk said. "They say my story isn't believable at all, and I just fooled around with CG stuff... They said it was nice, but didn't believe any of it..."
"Man..." RG said. "Did you sell anything?"
Skurlyk sighed. "I sold the footage of the robbery in the Fourside department store and the bakery in flames. Not for much, just some quick stories before big ones on crap like 'New Pyramid discovered in Scaraba' and stuff..."
RG sighed, then looked up and said "How much did you get for it?"
Skulryk looked down. "I got some cash, but I've already spent it... I need new film and camera stuff, you know!" He chuckled.
Mike glared at Skulryk, but turned away. "Any other news networks we can look into?"
"We've hit every one there is." Skulryk said. "No more... I don't suppose any of the news company presidents owe you any favors, do they?"
"Nope." Mike said. "Still... I have an idea. There might be a way to override the networks and get our message out on a network. We'd need to be careful and sneak in, but we can do it. I managed to do a project like this before for someone on Eagleland News. I don't know if it's the same, but it's worth checking out." He turned to RG. "Sorry, you might want to stay out. This won't require any gunfighting or shooting anything up. Only sneaking around."
RG sighed. "I guess I could stay out, but I still wanna do something."
"If you think of something, tell us." Mike said. After that, the group turned back and headed across Fourside to Eagleland News.

Raltise grinned his infamous yellow-toothed grin, then turned his back to the party. "Well..." he said. "Shall we be going, then?" He began to walk.
"What, we're walking?" Siris inquired.
"Of course," Raltise replied. "After all, Mani Mani isn't too far away."
Siris frowned at this. It was bad enough he couldn't locate Mani Mani, worse that he was in the very same city. "Oh well."
The walk wasn't an eventful one; why ought it have been? Little conversation took place; however, all four (five, if one were to count Cyan's remains) party members could feel the air of tension among themselves.
"Hey, wait for me!" someone called. The party turned around to see Dan running as fast as he could to approach the others.
"Decided to join us?" Luna smirked. A short laugh emerged from the mouths of everybody else, but it quickly died as the grimness of the situation set in. By and by, Siris grew impatient.
"Are we rather close to our destination?" he asked.
"Why yes, as a matter of fact," Raltise said as he stopped walking and looked up at the building whose front door he was facing.
"The Enrich Flavour Building?" Luna asked. "This is where Mani Mani is hiding?"
"Indeed," Raltise responded. "Well, you're on your own now. Take the elevator to the highest level of the building, and there you will find Mani Mani." Raltise then proceeded to disappear.
"Well, shall we proceed then?" Harsemhin said, addressing the group.

When he was incinerated by this World's Anthadd (since there isn't actually an 'Anthadd', Harsemhin is the closest representation), Cyan was freed from the power of the dishonourable thoughts in him that could over-ride his logic under the right circumstances. He didn't feel any pain and was glad for that, but what came after was worse than he imagined the temporary pain could be.
"Where am I now?" he wondered to himself, aloud. "It's cold, dark and dreary ... and I couldn't have survived that attack, so I guess I'm dead ... but this isn't Heaven and certainly can't be its opposite."
"You're right."
"It isn't either."
"You are in a limbo."
As he heard the voices, Cyan noticed the area around him brighten a little and he felt his hope return. He turned to see three familiar figures approaching; two humans - a boy and girl - and a rather large cat.
"I haven't seen either of you in quite awhile, or Cantomon for that matter."
"Barely any time has passed for us," said the girl.
"Just like during our first adventure," added the boy.
"You aren't really here, are you?"
"No. We are only here in spirit, just as yours is not restricted to this plane or the bottle what's left of your body resides in," explained Cyan's partner.
"I'm not trapped here entirely? Do you know why I'm not dead or why I came here?"
"Why you're here is simple. You let your hatred and want for revenge take control of you, again," explained the talking cat, simply.
"You're not really dead because you were killed by a power derived from the Great Fire Bird, the Phoenix," said the boy.
"You're here because you must wait for the time when you can be returned to your body," finished the girl.
"I wondered how I could have been defeated when my fate has already been predicted," stated Cyan.
"Your fate from our world has no relevance here. You are responsible for your own destiny," said the girl, plainly.
"When you return you must help restore balance to this last world before you can return home, though the choice to will have to be made later," said the boy.
"If I can I think I'll return. I miss all of you too much," said Cyan, sincerely.
"We'll wait for your return," both humans said before vanishing.

Cyan ws now alone with his partner. "I must leave soon, too," it said, sadly.
"I can't believe I managed to let that happen again.... I've already done enough damage that way."
"You can't stop it. Just like I can't stop my change, either."
"If it wasn't for those images I saw, though ... I'll make Mani Mani pay for doing that to me again."
"Be careful, do not cause it yourself."
"The power of the Phoenix has helped me. I can control my urge for total vengeance now."
"That may be, but Mani Mani is not the top of this chain."
"He's not? Who, then?"
"You'll learn that, given time. My time is over, I'm gone."
"I'll see you soon ... and thanks."

As his partner vanished, Cyan turned his attention elsewhere, attempting to leave the confines of his limbo.

"I know!" cried RG "I can point guns at people and give you cover... because if you're caught, you'll need backup!"
"Alright, just try not to kill anyone, agreed?"
"Agreed!" smiled RG as he quietly loaded his semi-automatic pistols. This was going to be a funner day than he expected. Mike might get a little mad, but it would still be worth it.

Cirra gulped, as she looked around the shadowy lobby of the Enrich Flavor Building.
"I suppose we had best," She said, and then paused slightly. She drew in her breath quickly, the icy air enveloping her. Neon light bounced off her face as she started to speak.
"Dan....Siris...Luna...I've been lying to you. You too, Harsemhin." She added, for good measure. He caught her eye, and nodded.
Might as well tell them now, he thought, looking at her. She smiled, grateful for his support.
"My name isn't Rita, and I don't even live in Fourside. My name is Crown Princess Cirra, of Altus, sister country to Dalaam." She said, curtsying. "I don't know if you've heard of it; we tend to keep to ourselves much. However, recently, four assassins attacked our palace. I don't know if you could call them that really, they were just some UFO's." Luna opened her mouth to ask a question, but Cirra preempted it. "Yes. Nayc, Nath, Nual, and Eon. The very same four. My father and mother are dead in the palace; my sister is heaven knows where. Another dimension, right next to me, i don't know. She disappeared during the attack; that's really all I want to tell. However, i managed to escape, and decided to settle down. Really, I would rather be working as a parking meter cop....It's just been too busy lately. I'm sick of it. I wanted to say I’m sorry for lying to you, and if this helps us at all in figuring out Mani Mani's plan, then I’m glad to be of service." She curtsied again, noticing the slightly gaping mouths of those around her. Even Harsemhin was slightly startled.
I’m deeper down the rabbit hole than I thought...Altus, destroyed? He thought, puzzled. But Why? however, he brushed off his musings, and indicated toward the elevator at the end of the room.
"We need to move along. Who knows what Mani-Mani, OR Raltise is up to right now."
Cirra bit her lip, and nodded slightly. Her pale skin seemed especially white as she stared solemnly forward. "Then we should go."
The group walked to the elevator, and Harsemhin pushed the button to go up. When the doors finally opened, they walked inside. Before they did, however, Harsemhin leaned over to Cirra.
"I don't care if you ARE a princess, I’ll still picture you the same way. Lovely Rita, meter maid."
She grinned softly at him, and chuckled. It was exactly what she needed to hear. "Thanks Harse."

"Well actually, maybe you CAN use your guns." Mike grinned slowly. The group was almost at the TV station.
"Uhh... what do you have in mind?" Skulryk became a bit apprehensive. "You don't think that he should start tearing the place apart, do you?"
"Well, not exactly." Mike paused for a second. RG could only grin.
"Yes! I get to shoot up a place!" RG was so excited that he had accidentally fired off a round from one of his pistols. "Oh... sorry."
"Right... anyways, RG, you and Joe are going to serve as... a diversion of sorts. Skul, I'll go with you. I'm assuming that you know where the broadcasting room is."
"Yes, I've been there once before, a long time ago."
"Okay. Splitting up into even smaller groups will help us. I'm sure you don't mind, right RG?" Mike looked to his right, eyeing RG as he walked.
"Yeah, I guess. Just so long as I get to SHOOT STUFF!"
"Good. Well, we're almost there. I suppose that we should get psyched, eh?"
Minutes later, the group arrived at the Eagleland News building.
"Alright. I guess that we'll execute our plan. RG, try not to kill anybody. Just draw their attention."
"Right!" RG chambered a round. Joe blinked.
"WAIT!" Skulryk looked around. "I want to get this on tape. ... Wow, part of an invasion-type mission. This'll look good." He walked across the street and into the bushes. He set up his camera and walked back to Mike. "Well, let's go. I'm set."
"Okay. Let's do this. You have everything we need, right?"
"Yeah."
"Alright. Go!"
RG and Joe ran into the building. RG squeezed a few rounds off, frightening the people in the main lobby. Mike looked around, then snuck in with Skulryk close behind.

As the group was lookng for Mani Mani, Cyan winked into semi-existence nearby. He didn't have a physical form, he was barely conscious that he existed there at all. All that really existed of him there was his mind, though he felt as if he did have a form.
Cyan watched as Raltise revealed himself and began talking to the group.
There's something I don't like about him for some reason ... Cyan though to himself.
As the others agreed to go with Raltise, Cyan couldn't help himself but to speak out. "Come on, you can't honestly be trusting him!?" he almost shouted.
No one took any notice, though Harsemhin looked about though he'd heard something faintly for just a second.
Seeing no better alternative, Cyan followed the group as they approached the Enrich Flavour Building.
Realising that he couldn't interact with them at all, Cyan simply listened to Cirra's story silently, commenting to himself a couple of times before following the group up the elevator.

Mani Mani giggled nervously.
"They're nearing me... nearing me too quickly. And the UFOs can't help me now!" he cried in worry. "Gahahahahahah... away away! And someone else... I sense they're going to rush me. Sense they're going to replace me."

"Siris," Dan asked courteously, "have you sensed anything of a Mani Mani-ish sense recently?"
"No."
The elevator was quickly becoming troublesome; the temperature was rising drastically as a result of the five's own body temperatures combining with the others to produce less air circulation.
Cirra breathed heavily.
"Are we almost there yet?" she mused.
Luna surveyed the closest thing to an ideolocator in the elevator, then replied, "We're only passing the twenty-fifth floor now, Cirra."
"Wait a second!" Harsemhin warned. "We're going faster now!"
"We are?" Siris looked at the elevator ideolocator. His face blanched. "We are."
"Mani Mani?" Dan questioned.

"Need guardians," Mani Mani stammered. "All coming to get me. Need those coming to get me to guard me; don't want to be replaced. Aaahahaaahaa... need to lay off the ice coffee. Ahahaa... Hurry up, enemies. Hurry up, you need to keep me safe. Death is being guarded for eternity. Scary, but it's forever. Hahahaa..."
Mani Mani's eyes worriedly darted across the room. Spirits resembling those he had ruined appeared to come out of the woodwork.
"Paula... Jeff... Andonuts! Get away! Get away!" he pleaded to nothing but illusions he had forced on himself. "Get away, bus driver! Away, Boruhesu..."

"...way, Boruhesu..."
"Huh?" Luna suddenly stiffened. "What was that?"

Monotoli filed his story with the editor of the Fourside Post, Lucky Tonzura.
"Have you heard anything about the disappearance of Enrich Flavor?" Lucky asked Monotoli.
"Nope." Monotoli shook his head.
"There's your next assignment, then: investigate the disappearance of Flavor from Fourside." Lucky giggled at his horrible joke.

It wasn't possible! How could Mani Mani have sent him here? And why was Rockwell sent with him? Was it because of the teleport?
Rockwell still had only one thought in mind, despite the change of scenery. "All who oppose Mani Mani must die," he growled, and rushed Ness.
Ness dodged, and SMAAAAAASHed Rockwell with his bat. I've got to take cover.... or find the center of this illusion. If I can find the center, I can escape, like I did the other times. Ness ran away, to figure out the layout of Moonside in this incarnation.
"You won't escape me!" cried Rockwell, chasing after him. From behind the café's wall, a couple of objects painted dark red seemed to tilt forward, as if watching from behind the wall...

Kyle sighed. "I don't get it, it worked before. Maybe Mani Mani's just inactive."
"I wonder why he'd stop using his power like that?" said Matt. "Doesn't he need to keep his hold over Fourside?"
The three boys walked on silently, Kyle attempting to pick up on even the least bit of dark energy. Maybe I have to do it subconsciously, without trying...
"Hello there," boomed a voice from behind them. All three spun around to see a man in a black bodysuit, staring at them from crimson eyes.
Kyle started slightly. "Wha.... aren't yo.." He cut his sentence short as he saw the man's eerie grin.
"You're looking for Mani Mani." Not a question. "I happen to know where he is." The voice was smooth and inviting.
"Wait, who are you?" asked Matt, worried how this man knew about Mani Mani.
"You may call me Raltise," spoke the stranger. "Come on now. We want to make it in time for the climax, don't we? Yes, we do. Yes." The boys stared at each other. TsuramiSea muttered something under his breath. Raltise's eyes narrowed. "Now, what was that?"
Tsurami flushed. "Ahm.... nothing."
"You said something," demanded Raltise in a steely tone.
"I mean to say, I said nothing that you'd find important," appended TsuramiSea carefully.
Raltise glared at him, then continued, "Do you want to find Mani Mani or not?" rather harshly.
"Yes...." trailed Matt warily.
"Then your best bet is to follow me," flipped Raltise. He assumed a casual stride and headed down the street.
"What?" whispered Kyle to the others.
Tsurami stared at Raltise. "He reminds me of someone," he confided with a hint of amusement. "But do you think he REALLY knows where Mani Mani is?"
"Do we have any other choice except searching haphazardly?" pointed out Matt. The other two sighed. "Back at the café, he seemed to have some idea what was going on. So, he's probably telling the truth."
Some nagging thought struck Kyle. "Are you sure we're ready? Maybe we should find the others."
"Hurry, I'll only give you three this chance once!" called back Raltise severely.
Matt broke forward to catch up with Raltise. Kyle and TsuramiSea's eyes met. TsuramiSea shrugged, and went after Matt. Kyle followed, figuring that they might as well find out where Mani Mani was.

Skulryk and Mike ran into the building. There was chaos through the hallways, and making it through was easy. An intercom shouted over the chaos "Your attention please. There is a terrorist situation in the building. Please walk, do not run, to the nearest exit."
One worker was trampled by several others as they ran towards an exit. Mike and Skulryk slowly made their way past them. "Are you sure you know where you're going?" said Mike.
"I... I'm pretty sure." Skulryk said. It had been a while since he had been to the building. "They must have remodeled or something... I don't recognize this place..."
Mike sighed, staring at the chaos they had produced, but Skulryk said "There it is!" They made their way to the broadcasting room, which was wide open.
"Alright..." Skulryk said. "Here's what the 3 Eagleland News stations are currently showing." Skulryk pointed to a set of moniters. "And here..." He picked up some cables. "Are the cables that send the signals for those stations."
"Ok..." Mike said. "So... what do I do?"
"Just get ready for the interview. I'll set this up. Oh, you might want to block the door, too..."
Mike shoved a table up against the door. Skulryk set up the cables using some of his new equipment. "Ok, ready?" Skulryk said.
"Ok." Mike said.
Skulryk turned his camera on. All 3 screens lit up with Mike's face on them. Skulryk held the camera, and said "Tell your story."
Mike was a bit nervous, but began his story. Across the nation, people watched in wonder as Mike relayed his tale to them. However, Mike wasn't very far when a loud pounding came on the door.
Skulryk became pale in the face, but ran over to the door, putting stuff in front of it to hold them back. They had caught on to them, obviously. Maybe they had caught RG and Joe... Don't think of that, he thought. The security officers of Eagleland News had began firing. Skulryk said a quick prayer, then, realizing there was no more furniture, grabbed some electronic equipment to block the doorway.
"So much for channel 33..." he said, as he moved it's main control console to block the door. Security was still getting through, however. Skulryk took his dagger out and jammed it in the machine, in frustration.
Sparks flew from the machine, ranging in color from white to blue. Skulryk slowly backed away, but lances of electricity shot at various places in the broadcasting room. As one hit Mike and Skulryk, they both blacked out.
Skulryk awakened in what appeared to be nothingness. A black void enveloped what was below them and what was above them, as if there was no concept of the ground or the sky. They were not falling, however. Skulryk stared around. Shapes glowed, like the afterimage of a camera flash. Skulryk could not make any out, but he sat up and rubbed his eyes.
They appeared to be buildings, but they glowed in many different colors. The people seemed like the residents of an insane asylum, blabbering amongst one another about inane things. What should be stationary was not... Signposts, fireplugs, and many other objects ran through the streets, causing destruction.
As he stood up, he saw he had his camera and his dagger. Just what is this place? he thought. He saw Mike standing up, several yards away. He called to him.
"Just... where are we?" Skulryk said.
"I have no idea." Mike said. "It's a very strange place, that's for sure. Is your camera still working? It seems to be broadcasting..."
"What do you mean?" Skulryk said.
Mike pointed to a television which was running past. They could see what appeared to be the output of the camera on it. Its station read "55", which was the sports channel owned by Eagleland News.
"This is freaky." Skulryk said.
"You're telling me..." Mike said. "However, test your camera."
Skulryk tested his camera, to find that it was still on and recording. However, it seemed as if it were recording backwards! He looked through the eyepiece to see his eye staring back at him. "Yaah!" Skulryk said. "This is... this is a strange place."
"Wait..." said Mike. "Try holding it the other way... like put your eye where the lens is."
Skulryk looked at Mike as if he were crazy, but did it anyways. It was just like the camera should have been. "It works... but how did you know?"
Mike shrugged. "This is a very odd place. You can never fully figure it out. However, I think I understand some things..."

There were shells up to RG's knees, and the bad thing was, the cops were firing back! He knew Mike said not to kill anyone... but was there an alternate choice? RG knew what had to be done. He pegged off a few officers, trying only to strike them in the arms and legs, just to injure them, not kill them.
What the? RG thought as he stared over to where Skulryk and Mike were supposed to be filming. They weren't there at all. Where could they have gone? They better not have ditched them, even though the cops had the worst aim ever. But it had just gotten bad! The SWAT team stormed into the room, loaded with so much ammo it wasn't even funny. RG's ammo couldn't even match theirs. The SWAT all fired at once, wasting the cops, and sending millions of bullets towards RG. He fell back onto the wall.
When RG woke up, he didn't have the slightest idea of where he was. I wonder what this place could be? He thought to himself as he began walking down the multicolored streets of this strange new place. Then, out of nowhere, he saw Skulryk and Mike!
"Where were you two idiots!? Are we dead or what?"
"Idiots..." Skulryk started.
"Yes idiots! Were you going to just leave me there to die?"
The boys talked for a little while longer, and finally decided that they should just keep filming, and figure out their problems later.
As Skulryk yelled, however, another shot of electricity lanced out from the console. It grabbed everyone in the room, just as RG shoved a table across the door.
There was a great spinning black void... and they were all back to wherever Mike and Skulryk had been before. RG looked around, amazed. "What is this?"
"Some kind of backwards world," explained Mike. "C'mon, let's see what we can do in here." They hurried off to explore.

The elevator screeched to a stop. The door opened, and its passengers gratefully disgorged themselves from the elevator.
"The highest floor of the Enrich Flavour Building," Luna noted. "I wonder if it's as dangerous as I've heard it has been."
Siris moaned.
"I still can't sense anything. We somehow followed Mani Mani here, yet we can't even be sure he is here..." he muttered.
Dan quickly surveyed the elevator foyer, and found one door besides the elevator, which they could all hear clanking loudly and slowly. Clanking down to the lobby, they assured themselves. Down to the lobby.

Mani Mani shrieked in pain. "Get away!"
The ghosts of his past had become even more prevalent. They were becoming more opaque, more real. Yet he knew that they were merely ghosts. Ghosts summoned by his own illusionary powers.
Yet he did nothing to fight them. He merely let them continue on assaulting him. Ravaging his senses. His sanity.
"You're not real!" he argued. "Not real! Get away! You can't hurt me! Not real!"
He cowered; the fear began to radiate from him. Fear that was not cloakable. Fear that someone with the right abilities could sense...

Siris jumped.
"I'm sensing something!" he informed his allies.
"You are?" Luna whirled around.
"I'm hearing some pained cries," Cirra announced. "Very pained cries, I might add."
"I'm hearing something mysterious," Harsemhin muttered. "Kind of a clankety-clank sort of sound..."
"Aggravate the ignorance of the countersign and you shall perish!" the Sentry Robot explained in a monotone.
"Ignorance of the countersign?" Harsemhin mused. "Not knowing how to count backwards? Is anyone that dense?"
"I'd much rather not know," Cirra informed him.
"Say the password in 10! 9 8 7 6 5 4 321..."

Monotoli stalked out of the Fourside Post's headquarters, his pressman's hat tilted forward. He had a mission given to him by the editor. He had to find Enrich Flavour. Or die trying.

Dan stepped over the wrecked Sentry Robot. Dispatching had been, amazingly, quite simple. It was merely a matter of disabling its beams and visor.
"Hurry up, you guys!" Dan motioned for Siris, Harsemhin, Luna and Cirra to follow him. "Hopefully we can serve as the first phalanx against Mani Mani," Luna commented.
"I'll keep you safe." Siris smiled.
"And I you." Harsemhin winked at Cirra, who merely acknowledged Harsemhin.
Luna and Dan rolled their eyes following that weird show of gratitude and affection.
"We do have to get going!" Luna argued.
"Good point." Harsemhin blushed slightly.
"Let's go!" Siris cried.

Ness' mom sat patiently at home.
She gazed longingly at a picture in the album the travelling photographer had brought for her. A deep sigh permeated the house.
"It's so sad," she sobbed. "Of those four..."
"They're all dying," Tracy mused. "Will Ness be next?"
"Don't think like that!" Mrs. Lee berated her daughter. "We've got to stay strong; we have to believe; we have to know that Ness will avenge all the deaths that have been inflicted."
Mrs. Lee led Tracy to the couch. King followed and jumped beside them.
"We must believe that Ness is strong enough, Tracy. We have to. Or else all is lost, or else the world may die."
Tracy burrowed her head into her mother's shoulder. A few tears dripped from her eyes, staining her mother's dress, staining the couch. King howled.
"We have to believe, King," Tracy whispered. "We have to."
King yelped in concurrence.