Falling, falling, falling, falling.

Again.

Again? What was she thinking? She'd never done this before. Sure, she'd done other things, but falling from hundreds of feet in the air was a new one, she felt sure. Maybe it was just some freaky deja vu. Like from a dream or something.

Falling.

"I'm falling... Ohhh my GOOOOOOD I'M FALLING! I'MFALLINGI'MFALLINGI'MFALLINGAAAAAAAAAARGH!" she screamed, plunging through an innocent low-flying cloud. "I'MGONNADIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!"

Meanwhile, some people on the ground below seemed to be having a bit of a tiff.

"You WILL pay for these ruined clothing articles, you scamps!" Rustopher was now shouting loudly at the blinking teens, while Chartreuse wiggled his sunglasses absentmindedly and watched with a bemused expression. "AND you will buy me an entire new suit, complete with-"

"INCOMING!" Siris yelled, pointing at the sky.

"Hah! You honestly thought THAT old gag would work, youngster? That's the oldest trick in the book!" The others were now scattering. "In fact, I remember-"

And then he fell over. Meanwhile, something bounced off of his chest, and flew through the air. It was screaming bloody murder, and hurtling towards the them at an alarming speed. Dan and Matt dashed, but Siris had no time. He caught the flying object, and was bowled over backwards.

The girl sat up, and pushed her lavender hair out of her eyes. She quickly stood up, and brushed herself off. Smiling, she turned to Siris.

"Thanks!"

He blinked. His mouth formed into an O of surprise, and started to say something, before the girl was looking around everywhere for something.

"My sword! Where is it?! Oh come on, it can't be lost..."

Dan and Matt, who had been standing safely away from the crash site, figured it was safe now, and started to creep closer, when something 8 feet long, and very pointy, buried itself into the ground in front of them. The two took one giant step back, and stayed there.

"Yaay! Here we go!" The girl grinned, pulling it out of the soil with one tug, and securing it in her sheath on her back. Chartreuse raised his eyes, and stared casually at the girl. She was dressed in a high-collared, long-sleeved Chinese silk shirt, a medium-length skirt, and some comfy boots. Her lavender hair swished down around her waist, and her eyes seemed to be changing colors.. He frowned slightly, and turned his attention to Siris, who looked like he was trying to figure something out.

"Luna?"

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Luna? Whozat?"

"You?"

"No.."

"No?" Siris stared at her face. Her eyes, he face shape, everything shouted Luna. He tried a different tack. "Do you have a twin?"

"...Look buddy. My name is Chione. Chione Dia." She grinned and continued. "C-h-i-o-n-e. Please don't spell it wrong." She paused, and looked at Siris's confused features. Something in the back of her mind, the very, very back, was telling her she knew this guy. A picture flashed through her mind for an instant, but she shook her head vigorously, and resumed grinning. "So. Can you or one of your frightened friends tell me where I am? I just fell out of the sky, and I'm a little lost."

-----

Kapeka lay on her bed, numb with shock. This sort of thing happened to other people, not her. She didn't believe it, couldn't believe it, and didn’t want to believe it. No, she just simply wouldn't believe it. It hadn't happened.

Then what were these memories, horrible, clear, sharp memories, doing in her mind. She didn't want to remember, it was too awful to think about.

She sighed. What she needed was something to take her mind off the whole matter. She turned on the TV, only to see her brothers twisted, mangled body being pulled out from underneath the wreckage of L'hotel du Summers. That did it. She suddenly remembered the entire incident with startling clarity.

They had reserved a room at the hotel and were staying for the night, their last day of vacation just a week away. They had been having fun so far, the museum, the beach, the thrift shops. However, she didn't know that this night would be very far from fun.

GMOE had noticed it was a little hot, and they heard screams, so he opened the door , and all of the sudden, the entire room was burning, and smoke was everywhere. They had ran for the exit, but he had not been quick enough, and a large piece of masonry had landed on him.

"Kapeka!" She heard him say, just as the masonry fell. Horrified, she had rushed over to save him, but it was already too late.

"Brother, are you all right? Please tell me you're okay, please get up!" Came her desperate plea, through the din of the hotel.

"Kapeka, I'm a goner, take my things and go, save yourself!" He had managed to choke out, entrusting his things to her.

Terrified by the fact that she had lost her brother, Kapeka had found the nearest window, flew through it, blinded by guilt and sadness, and raced home. That had been a while ago, and here she was now.

She almost started crying again. Her brother and her were in some tough times, not being human, and she wasn't sure she could handle them without his easy going smile, and assurance that everything would work out in the end.

She would never see him smile again. She would never go to the arcade and play video games all day with him. She would never go on those crazy, pointless, fun adventures, like their attempt at world conquest, with him again. She would never walk down the street, him by her side, listening to him explain things and tease her. Those times would never return. He was gone forever.

Suddenly, she felt a wave of fury come over her. She wanted to find the person responsible for the fire. She wanted to kill him, torture him, to hurt him. But, she knew that this was just wishful thinking. Her brother was the one with the guts. She herself was nothing but a wimp. Unless she got mad.

She sighed again. She decided that it wasn't good to dwell too much on these things, so she decided to go out. She was actually rather hungry. Pizza was a good remedy for that. So, she decided to go for Pizza, walked over to the window, opened it, and jumped out.

Flying over Threed was very soothing. Flying always was. But, the Threed Branch, or even the Twoson branch, of Mach Pizza, was too close to those feelings she was trying to escape. The Onett branch, however, was good enough, so she decided to go there.

Upon arrival, she was confronted with a group of odd people, (Whom she ignored,) and walked directly up to the building. She considered using the door, but decided to share her bad mood by breaking through the glass. She walked up to the vacant cash register. She took inventory of her cash, and found she had but a $100 bill with her. She looked at it. All she wanted was Pizza, and possibly a drink. Not change.

After waiting 5 minutes, she walked over to the hole, spotted Matt in his uniform. "Well, are ya gonna serve me, or do you wanna see this place go up in flames?" She said icily.

-----

Skulryk had winced as he handed over the airfare to Summers. Even though he could afford it now, his old thrifty habits would die hard. Summers was an expensive trip.

The plane trip was short, but boring. The airline offered some recommended reading, but it was something Skulryk simply couldn't stand. It was an autobiography entitled "You Wish You Had My Life", by a Rustopher Bonham. Just some ramblings by an elitist old man on how low today's society was; it reminded him of his freshman year English teacher in High School. Skulryk made a mental note to possibly write a particularly bad review on it in the future, if he could ever get through the book.

He spent the rest of the trip listening to some music, and wasn't as disappointed by the airline's choice in music. He also made a mental note to start listening to more Van Halen, as it was some pretty interesting stuff.

He stepped off right into the 90 degree day of Carillon Airport. He wasn't quite ready for it, as he left a much colder city of Fourside wearing a sweatshirt. He'd forgotten how hot Summers was.

Skulryk had little trouble getting his stuff, as all he brought was his camera case, some clothes, and a portable coffee maker. Caffeine was one of the vital parts of being a reporter, and after many sleepless nights, Skulryk had perfected his own blend. No Starbucks four-dollars-a-cup gourmet coffee for him.

Skulryk left the airport and took a taxi to the Summers strip of road that went alongside Carillon Beach on Route 40. He generously tipped the cab driver, and lugged his stuff out as he stepped out onto Route 40.

The heat of the summer day was already pretty hot for Skulryk, but the fire, which was still smoldering despite the constant attention it had received from firemen.

Well, I'd better get started... Skulryk thought, and began to look around for people to start interviewing.

-----

Chartreuse looked around the group with quiet amusement.

"Should we start charging admission to this party or what?" He asked, breaking the tense silence. The newcomer, Kapeka, scowled at him.

"I would like my pizza, and here stands the only worker in the place who seems to be moving!" She snarled, pointing at Matt. Matt raised his hands defensively.

"Hey, normally I would serve you, but something much more important came up!" He replied, indicating toward the group.

"I don't see what's so important about standing in the street-Hey, watch that thing!" Kapeka snapped suddenly as Chione 'accidentally' swung her sword in Kapeka's direction.

Chartreuse ran his fingers through his hair, nodding slightly. "We really should get off the street; we're drawing enough attention as it is, and this isn't exactly an innocent family reunion we have on our hands here."

"I am not moving from this spot until you deliver a replacement suit to me promptly!" Rustopher shouted, bringing silence to the group. A few moments later, Siris finally spoke.

"Look, why don't we go find some place else where we can discuss what brought us here with a little more privacy-"

"Oh, I will tell you what brought me here!" Rustopher interjected loudly, tugging at his suit. Siris rolled his eyes.

"When we get there, we can talk about your new suit too."

"Well wherever we go better involve driving, because I know that Narcy would be furious if I left her car in the street. This thing's been her pride and joy for years!"

"I guess we could drive to Fourside to bring it back to her..." Matt said lamely, thinking about how sad his suggestion must have been. Just as he did, Chartreuse snapped his fingers.

"Hey, I know how to get rid of the car! I just dropped Indigo off at the library-"

"Indigo! Who would name their child that? That is a bloody color!" Rustopher interposed, hands on hips.

"My parents had a warped sense of humor," Chartreuse shrugged. "Anyway, I can drive it over to the Library, and she can drive it home when she's done for the day. I guess we could use that to drive up away from the streets, where it's a little less crowded. Unless none of you want to go, then i'll just come right back."

"I'll go," Said Matt with a shrug, gaining a nod of support from Siris and Dan. Chione peered at the four people before grinning.

"Sure, I'm up for it!"

"Well, alright Rustopher, I guess you'll just have to wait here."

"I am not allowing you ruffians to leave my sight until i have acquired my garb!"

"Fine," Chartreuse said with a wave of his hand, "You can sit on the stick." He said, directing towards the car's transmission with his eyes.

"I will do no such thing!" He yelled, "I demand to sit up front!"

Chartreuse shut his eyes, suppressing his anger. He opened them after a moment. "Kapeka?" You gonna come along?"

Kapeka shook her head adamantly. "I don't trust you people, and all I wanted is a Pizza. I will wait here until someone wakes up or joins their shift."

"Hey, fine with me. Now we need to hop in before I get ticketed for leaving my car in the street!"

Once they had reached the library, Rustopher stepped out of the cramped car as quickly as he could. It was quite a chore for him to be comfortable in the car, as his head continuously brushed up against the ceiling, slamming with every bump of the car. Unfortunately, there were many.

Chartreuse drove the car into the Library's new parking, parking it close to the building. He walked inside for a moment to converse with his sister, and the others waited outside while he explained the situation. When he came back, Chartreuse waved at the library window. A smiling woman wearing a purple shirt and blue jeans and her blond hair in a bun waved back for a moment before moving away.

"That's Indigo?" Siris asked, gaping. "She looks prettier than she did as a ghost!"

"Are you saying I don't?" Chartreuse pouted mockingly, "And anyway, she needs to get back to her shift, so we should leave her be. She has a curating job there, actually. But i'm getting off track. Now that we're all here, we need to talk about what brought us together."

-----

Christina took a leisurely walk through Summers. Although smoke was everywhere and it seemed like the crowds were ready to break into a riot, it was a nice walk. When she got to the former L'hotel du Summers, firefighters were everywhere. Reporters were everywhere as well. Every major news organization, ranging from the well known Eagleland Broadcast Network to the lesser known Cultist Review was present reporting on the situation. A reporter who looked like he had just arrived to Summers seemed to be looking around for somebody to interview. Christina decided to hold off on talking to him and went straight to the hotel. Before she could get to the hotel, however, a policeman whose badge said Onett Police Force stepped in.

"Excuse me, young lady, I can't allow you walk past this roadblock." The policeman had the clipped voice of a Marine Corps sergeant. "I just wanted to know what was going on, sir." Christina eyed the badge and a puzzled look came across her face. "Err, excuse me for asking, but why is an Onett policeman enforcing a roadblock in Summers?" As soon as she asked, Christina realized that the Onett police force was world famous for their roadblocks. She had to stand and wait as the policeman explained why he was here.

"Young lady, I am a member of the elite Onett Roadblock Brigade of the Onett police department. When the building exploded into flames, a group of us were dispatched here to keep onlookers away from the scene. We can't have a lot of people running around trying to figure out what was going on. Anyway, you can see that my brethren are doing their jobs well with keeping everybody out. Only selected members of the media are allowed in since they can raise such a stink about us not letting them do their job. The 'freedom of the press thing', you know. Are you a member of the media?"

"No..."

"Then I am going to have to ask you to leave. Please leave." The policeman stopped talking to her.

Christina looked around and noticed that another person was being hassled by the policemen who were doing their job. He, however, looked like a reporter. This reporter was the same one that she had seen when she came to investigate originally. She approached him.

"Um.. hello. I wouldn't try talking to them anymore. They just seem to ignore you when you talk to them after the first time." Christina looked at the reporter. She decided that it was safe to talk to this person. "I'm Christina Evanhouse."

The reporter stopped trying to get by the roadblock that was set up to deter anybody trying to get into the hotel. He turned around and looked Christina over. "Hello, I'm Skulryk, freelance reporter. I just came here from Fourside to get the whole story on this incident, but they wouldn't let me in. You wouldn't happen to know what's going on, would you? Any feelings on the subject?" Skulryk had a pen poised and ready hovering over a pad of paper.

"No, I'm sorry. Even though I live here, I don't know what's going on. I don't watch enough TV, apparently. I don't know enough about the situation to have an opinion yet, either." Christina had an apologetic look on her face. At that moment, her cell phone rang. Nearly every reporter in the area stopped reporting and answered their cell phones. Christina did the same and started talking. The look that went across every reporter's face in the area was rather hilarious if one stopped to think about it. "Hello?"

"Christina, this is your mother. Your father came home and he's waiting for you here at the house. You should come home and talk to him."

"Okay mom, see you in a few." She closed her cell phone. "I'm sorry... Skulryk was it? You must forgive me, I'm horrible with names sometimes. I have to get home because my dad came home. If you'd like, you can come up to my house sometime and interview my mother. She seems to know a lot. My house is over the bluffs. It's the only one there, you can't miss it."

Skulryk nodded. "Well, thank you for the invitation, but I really should stay here and try to figure out what's going on. It was nice meeting you." He put his pen and paper away, slightly disappointed.

"I'm sorry." Christina walked off, heading for home. She wanted so much to see her father.

-----

Poo's ghost wandered, despondent. His ectoplasm was a milky white with black stripes, representative of the karate gi he was accustomed to wearing.

He had not stood up to his duties as Prince of Dalaam. He no longer deserved to be there.

As he flew near the sea, he wondered why he was stuck between the plane of the living and the plane of the dead.

Ships passed by him, passed through him. He wanted to cry when the people on the ships recoiled in fear from him, but for some reason the tears refused to come.

At times, he tried teleporting to Onett, to Twoson, to Winters, to meet his friends. But he couldn't.

"In my undeath why I cannot use my PSI?" he wondered. Poo continued to float, a sad ghost, aimlessly throughout the world.

-----

Siris reached into his bag and once again pulled out the newspaper. He presented it to the group.

"I think that this fire may have something to do with it."

Matt pointed out the familiar headline. "Paradise in Flames. Yeah, you mentioned this earlier."

Chartreuse squinted as he skimmed over the article. "What makes you think this has anything to do with anything?"

"I don't know..." replied Siris, shaking his head. "Almost like a gut feeling. I can't explain it..."

Rustopher scoffed. "The urchin thinks he's a prophet, eh? Rubbish."

The group ignored him, and Siris continued. "It's difficult. I know there's something in Summers, I just don't know what. I feel it whenever I hear about the fire..."

"So, your saying that there is a reason for this 'meeting,' and it lies in Summers?" summarized Dan.

"Maybe..." shrugged Siris. "Could be anything..."

"Well I'm not one to believe in destiny." added Matt. "But I admit, it's hard to believe that this is all just coincidence..."

"Yeah, this is pretty uncanny,” added Dan

Chartreuse nodded in agreement. Scratching his chin, he leveled with everyone. "Either way, I think we should check this fire out. You seem pretty serious about this Siris, and it's already awfully suspicious."

Dan grimaced. Just when he thought he could catch up with his studies. "So I suppose were off to Summers, ASAP."

"What!?" bellowed Rustopher. "None of you are going anywhere until my suit is replaced."

Everyone had pretty much had it with Rustopher. Luckily, Dan stepped in to quiet him down before a brawl started.

"But Summers is where ALL the best suits are made!" explained Dan, obviously humoring him. "Why the have the infamous...er...Chateau du Summers!"

Rustopher was generally satisfied with this, and calmed down for a moment. But it wasn't long before he piped in with his know-it-all voice "Well then. Do you geniuses have any means of getting there?"

Siris, Dan, Chione, Matt and Chartreuse all stared blankly at each other. Of course, they neglected to think out the details.

"There's no need to go there. What you seek is coming here."

The group turned in unison, six pairs of eyes staring upward at the rooftop of the library. A figure, shadowed in the light of the sun, stood solemnly, his arms folded. Siris held his hand up to shade his eyes.

"Who are you?" He inquired, squinting at the distant individual.

"My name isn't important. But I can tell that you obviously have some sort of...gift. You were involved with the Fourmoon incident, yes?"

Siris shuddered at the memory. Chione glanced at him curiously, then turned her gaze back to the roof.

"Well, I'll take that as a yes." The figure momentarily backed away, disappearing from view. Then, with a bound, he leapt off the building, plummeting the twenty feet to the ground and sticking a perfect landing a few feet behind the group, who turned as he descended over them. He remained with his back to them, this boy with sharp white hair, his delicate brown eyes taking in the visage of the city below. He adjusted his thin-rimmed blue spectacles and spoke.

"My name is Talus." He paused, allowing them to take this in. He tilted his head slightly, making eye contact with Siris in particular. "And I know who you are."

Talus turned, smiling warmly. "Yes, who doesn't know? You were one of the few people who saved the world from a great evil." He nodded to Matt and Dan in turn, as well. "But I'm sure you have sensed something a bit...unusual as of late. The fire at L'hotel du Summers. Something about it seems all wrong, am I right?" He addressed Siris in particular this time.

Siris responded slowly, hesitantly. "Well, yes...there is." He frowned, recalling the uneasy feelings he was getting.

"You're very perceptive, then. That fire wasn't a freak accident. It was caused by the red-eyed demon. I'm sure you know him well."

The three Fourmoon survivors inhaled in unison, and Matt whispered a single word. "Raltise..." Siris and Dan nodded in unison. Rustopher interrupted.

"Now, you ruffian! I demand to know the meaning of this! What right have you to interrupt such important affairs as myself acquiring a new suit? Explain yourself!" Chartreuse snorted disdainfully and yanked Rustopher back into line.

Talus closed his eyes. "I was told of his coming a year ago. Once you had sealed him off. A man by the name of Jackie Boruhesu told me. He's since gone out of the café business, mind you, but he was kind enough to warn me of a danger he felt was imminent, and to also enlighten me to a well-known prophecy..."

Siris whispered. "The passing of time will shatter the nightmare rock, and reveal the path of light." Talus nodded.

"Exactly. When you last left him, the Nightmare Rock had him imprisoned, but not defeated. He has somehow broken free of Null and manifested himself on this plane of reality once again. As who, I cannot say. All I knew was that he would be showing up at that hotel. He has undoubtedly taken a new form; had I the ability to sense people as you do," he nodded to Siris, "it would not have mattered for he has most likely shielded himself well. The power of the Nightmare Rock is great, and as time passes, it will shatter, releasing him all the more and making him stronger."

Chione interrupted. "How do you know all this?" Talus smiled.

"I study ancient folklore. This isn't the first time that the red-eyed demon has appeared, nor has he been the first evil to be imprisoned in the Nightmare Rock. However, while others did not succeed in escaping...the demon did. And with the power of all this accumulated evil, there will be little we can do to stop him."

Dan frowned. "What is he after? There's no way he's going to try to rebuild Fourmoon...is there?" Talus shook his head.

"No. What he desires is nothing more than ultimate power. That's the second half of the prophecy -- the path of light. No one knows its location, or what power it holds, but rest assured if the red-eyed demon were to lay his hands on it...there would be no hope, for any of us. But that's not why he's come here..."

Chartreuse quirked an eyebrow in curiosity. "Why, then?" Talus' head slowly tilted upward, gazing toward the hilltop, where Ness' house resided.

"Simple. He wants revenge."