The group made their way to the Onett bus stop. Paithan fished a tattered bus schedule out of his pocket. "If we hurry, we'll be just in time for the last late-night bus, and we can be in Twoson in no time, then it's just a hop and a skip to the lab -"

"Right," Eric grunted, stopping Paithan from continuing.

Amber was trailing a little behind the group, lost in her thoughts. <Is something the matter?> King asked Amber. <I don't think you like this Scientologist idea very much.>

"It's not that..." Amber sighed. "It's just that I don't really feel up to going through the Peaceful Rest Valley."

<Why not?>

"I don't really want to talk about it. It's probably not even important right now." Amber pulled her scarf closer to her face.

"Hey, what’s that?" Paithan murmured, staring at the cliffside. Eric stepped up beside him, squinting.

"Looks like somebody’s up there…" Dan frowned.

"Yeah, but—"

Suddenly, Dan spotted something he'd almost forgotten about: the bus to Twoson was at the stop, and it was about to leave!

He got up and made a dead run for the bus, waving his hands to catch the driver's attention. He yelled to Eric and Paithan. "We gotta catch the bus!" Unfortunately, they didn't hear him.

Dan managed to leap into the bus just as the driver was about to close the doors. Amber, Chase, King, Riley, and PikaChan made it too. "Get some seats," the driver shouted at them. "You kids are crazy!" He shut the doors and spun the wheel, turning down the street that led out of Onett.

"You have to go back!" Dan pleaded. "We left our friends back there!"

"If those guys were your friends, they ain’t too bright." The driver refused to go back to Onett; in fact, he was set against the idea so much that he forgot to ask the group to pay the fare.

Eric and Paithan, caught up in their reverie, were pulled out of it by the sound of the bus speeding away. "Crap! Paithan, hold on. I'll catch us up to the bus!" A red aura surrounded him, and Paithan barely got hold of his hand before he started running.

As he ran, he turned his head to Paithan and said, "This is a little thing I call PSI Rage. I'm a PSI Fighter. I've been holding back because I only use it when I absolutely have to. Hold on, I'm about to stop."

He stopped at the Twoson bus station, running again as the winds in town had died down. The two looked around, and the bus came up, dropping the rest of the group off.

Riley was visibly stunned to see the two in front of them. "H-how did you beat us here? That's impossible."

Eric smiled, "Not with my PSI abilities. How'd you think I healed PikaChan earlier? Magic? I can physically enhance myself and anyone I touch and focus on with my PSI Rage technique."

Eric grabbed his weapon back from Paithan and added, "If you pull this out of your pockets again, I'll pour so much energy through you, you'll explode. Got it?" His tone was much darker, as he prized his dagger more than any other of his worldly possessions.

Paithan, freaked out by the sudden change in Eric's voice silently nodded. "I'll try, but I seriously don't know how most of the stuff ends up there. Sorry."

They started for Peaceful Rest Valley, Amber starting to become very nervous as she asked to walk in the middle of everybody with King. They agreed, and walked on.

Dan stopped the group. "What are we doing?"

Chase raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Going through Peaceful Rest Valley. At Night. With the Scientologists around. Besides, it's midnight. Sleep is good."

King barked in agreement.

With that, they headed towards Hotel Twoson. The Scientologists could wait.

Once inside, they were met with some resistance. "Sir, we most certainly do not allow animals in this fine establishment."

King spoke to Amber: <I hope they at least let Eric sleep out back...>

Amber laughed, and then stopped when she realized only she could here. She couldn't look at Eric the same way from that point on.

Dan stepped to the plate and pulled out his rather large wallet. "I suppose you haven't met my friend... Mr. Pirkle.."

The man looked both ways, snatched the bill, and led them to their rooms. "I hope you will be very comfortable in your rooms. Sleep well...and..." He turned to Dan. "God bless!"

----

The moon was well into the sky when the trio in the woods decided to stop for the night.

Rasheed grumbled slightly to himself, hovering delicately above the ground. He faced the woods, staring lazily into the empty darkness.

"I still say that we should have pressed onward. We were making such good time before you decided to stop, Dio," He muttered, acid coating his words. Dio rolled her eyes.

"We're traveling with a human, Rasheed - She's going to need to sleep once and a while," She shot back with a sneer. Rasheed grumbled something incomprehensible at this, but the argument was settled. Triumphant, Dio turned to the pile of logs that she had collected earlier.

"It's too cold tonight, Rasheed, and we need to start a fire. Where are the matches?"

Rasheed stretched himself on the ground, still refusing to face the others.

"We didn't bring any," He snapped, closing the lids of his eyes firmly. If he could just shut his eyes tight enough, he grumbled mentally, then maybe they would get the point and shut the Hell up.

Dio's jaw dropped. She stared at Rasheed's recumbent form for a moment before looking back at the cold logs. Exasperated, she threw her arms up into the air.

"Great. This is just great! We're stuck in these stupid woods and we don't have any matches! What the f-"

"I can help," Tracy interrupted, making her presence known. Dio stared at her blankly, having forgotten that she was there. Once the initial shock wore off, the green ghost indicated toward the pile of logs with a quick glance.

"You can light those?" She asked, generally interested. Tracy nodded, a bit of her pride leaking through.

"Yup! I learned how to do it a few months ago!" So saying, the girl closed her eyes and pointed her fingers at the flame. Dio gazed onward as sparks shot from the pale digits, racing toward the chunks of wood. A bright burst of flame shot up into the air upon contact, scorching the night sky.

Dio settled herself next to the flames, basking in the warm glow. Tracy quickly followed suit and sat beside her. A lazy silence settled over the fire as each woman stared into the flame, listening to the sound of their own thoughts.

"Where did you come from?" Tracy asked suddenly, pulling Dio back into reality. The green ghost managed a weak grin, but it faded as she responded.

"Hell," She said simply, her eyes locked on the flame. Tracy's mouth formed a small O in response. Careful not to frighten the girl, Dio elaborated gently.

"It's not so bad, really. It's only the punishment itself that-"

"Punishment?" Dio looked at Tracy softly, calculating a response. Finding one, she stared back at the flame.

"When you reach the underworld, you are given a punishment that reflects the crimes you committed in your life. Oh, some aren't bad, really; the physical ones, at least. Physical pain, after a while, can be endured. It's the psychological suffering that really breaks you down." Dio paused for a moment, thinking back to her long stay in the underworld. Countless people had come in her time, but there was one punishment that always stuck out in her mind.

A few years back, Dio had come upon a woman who had recently been condemned to hell after stabbing herself through the stomach. It was only a matter of time before Dio learned the woman's story: A high born woman of Altus by the name of Scarlet, she had fallen in love with her younger brother in her childhood and carried her feelings all through her adult life. It was only a matter of time before the man, a knight known as Saffron, fell for a mysterious Fire Shaman woman called Anna. After a time, the two were wed, and lived happily together. Scarlet, realizing that her passions could never be fulfilled, challenged her brother to a duel of death in order to prove his love for the shaman. Upon her brother's victory, Scarlet's world collapsed. She ran herself through, unable to escape the torment of her hidden lust any longer. This was when her real suffering began, for the punishments of hell are just and brutal. Just as in life, when Scarlet had dreamed every night of a life with her brother, she was now forced to dream nightly of the happiness of her brother and the fire shaman.

Dio shuddered slightly, staring blankly into the flames. Scarlet had tried to stand against the pain; just like all the others. But like all the others, Hell had broken her down, leaving behind only a shell of the person that had entered when it was through. Scarlet had suffered in life, and now she would suffer in death. Just like all the others.

The crackling flames calmed Dio briefly as she searched further into her memory, digging up memories that had laid buried for years. She remembered first entering Hell, first seeing the cell she would be confined to, first meeting Lord Golgothas -

Lord Golgothas. Dio shuddered slightly at the thought of the demon warden, unable calm the fears that rose in her heart. Among the fears was a stronger force, bubbling to the surface as her thoughts continued. Despite her fear, she hated Lord Golgothas more than anything, or anyone, she had encountered in her entire existence. The warden of souls, it was his job to create and enforce the punishments that plagued the inhabitants of the underworld. Countless men and women were broken by his whim, their lives bearing no more importance than leaves lost on a gale.

A scene surfaced in Dio's mind as she stared deeper into the flame, allowing its warmth to sooth the chill of the haunting memories.

It hadn't been so long ago, by her standards. Years, months; it didn't matter when every day was the same as the last. Dio had been wandering through the halls of the underworld when she came upon Jackie's cafe, dimly lit in the shadowed caverns. Although she rarely frequented the bar, Dio stepped in on this night for a quick drink. Aside from Raltise, the waiter, there was only one customer in the room. The person was slumped over the bar, a curtain of flowing white hair covering all but a pale hand clutching a creamy, brown liquid. Dio slid into the seat next to the mystery person, raising her eyes toward the barkeep. The waiter slid over, his crimson eyes locked on the two customers.

"Yes, may I take your order?" He cooed, his voice strained by his own stress. Dio shook her head slightly.

"Give me a few shots - of anything. Something exotic, like they'd have in Scaraba."

Raltise nodded, jotting down the order on a piece of paper. He retreated to the back room, presumably to fetch the drinks.

Dio squirmed uncomfortably in her seat for a moment, desperate to break the silence between her and the stranger. At a loss for anything good to say, she attempted a quick conversation starter.

"So, how's the weather down here? Enjoying the smell of sulfur much?" Dio asked, filling out the sentence with a bout of nervous laughter. The person remained silent for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle.

"You could say that."

Dio identified the voice as female, but that didn't help her much. There were just as many males as females in hell, and cutting the number of options by fifty percent did hardly any good.

"So," Dio pressed onward, "What are you in for?"

The girl paused again. This time, she crooked a finger around the lock of white hair which flowed on the counter, pulling it back until it was pinned behind her ear. Turning to face Dio, she made her best attempt at a smile.

Dio gazed on in horror at the visage before her. The girl's skin was a pale grey, shining almost silver under the fluorescent lights of the par. Her eyes were a deep violet, contrasting roughly with her pale face and hair. It was not this that surprised Dio, but the girl's surprising youth. Despite the sunken cheekbones and dull skin, hard from abuse, the girl could not have been any older than 20.

"What am I in for?" She echoed, more to herself than to Dio. Again she laughed. "I guess nothing more than being human."

Dio paused, unsure if the stranger was going to go on. After a short pause, she spoke again.

"I was your typical teenager, I suppose. I never thought I was worth anything to anybody, no matter how much people really cared about me. I used to brood about, trying to place the root of my anger and sadness. In reality, I wasn't the monster I thought I was; I had gold hair, green-gold eyes, and good skin - the dream of youth." The woman paused to run her fingers through her snow colored hair, stopping to comb out a silken cobweb. A spider surfaced between the strands, only to be flicked away by a slender finger.

"Typical to my age group, I found solace only in blaming others for my pains. If only I had limitless power, I used to think, I could make them suffer to no end! It became my obsession; gaining power to right the wrongs that had been done to me, to make others suffer in the way that I had through my whole life!"

"Had I been left alone, I would have come to realize that everyone feels alone and unwanted; it is merely a stage that people go through, in order to reach happiness. A means to an end, really. But it was not to be, for one day, my prayers were finally answered."

"I was approached with an offer by Lord Golgothas, the warden of this place. He would give me the infinite power of death and decay, but at a terrible price. I was foolhardy, and desperate to grasp the one thing that I believed would right all of the problems I had in the mortal world. The instant they were proposed, I accepted his terms. From that day forward, I was imbued with the power of almighty judgement, and I used it to the best of my ability - I destroyed everything I had ever known, sure that my pain would melt once the damage had been done. However, when the destruction was through, a terrible truth came to me - For all of my sufferings, for all of my pain, and for the terrible price, all I had gained was an endless expanse of rubble. It was then that Lord Golgothas came to collect his prize."

Dio stared at the girl, awed by the tale. Her drinks long forgotten, she stared at the strange woman in earnest.

"What was the price?" She whispered with baited breath. The girl smiled forlornly, turning her head into the brightest light. Her purple eyes lacked the vitality of any normal human; the luster that marked each individual's globes was gone, replaced only by clouds of gloom and dismay. The wrinkles around her face could be seen clearly now, betraying her hidden youth. In the fluorescent light of the cafe, the girl was no longer a human, but a living, breathing corpse.

The girl's smile vanished as she responded, fingering the edge of her glass.

"My Soul."

A light snore dragged Dio away from her memories, and into the direction of the sleeping girl beside her. The green ghost smiled as she gazed on Tracy, fast asleep by the fireside. In a way, she reminded Dio a bit of the mystery woman; both were young and headstrong, hell-bent on revenge on a world that had done them no real wrong. Against her nature, Dio patted the slumbering girl on the head gently.

"Sleep tight, Tracy."

----

The next day, the wake up call jarred the occupants in both rooms.

As they met in the hallway, Chase yawned. "Man, I hope they have a continental breakfast or something. I'm starved."

"You called, young sir?" The concierge ran out of the back room, pushing an enormous food tray. "I do hope this is sufficient, Master Daniel?"

Dan was already digging into a waffle. "Yeah, sure." He, with a practiced ease, dug into his wallet with one hand and plucked out the first bill he could grab a hold of. "Take it, we've got to eat a quick breakfast."

The concierge ran off, leaving them to eat. Within 25 minutes they were done, ready to head to Happy Happy Village.

While the rest of the group prepared for the day, Riley stood staring out of a window. He'd already gotten his own breakfast earlier when he awoke and couldn't get back to sleep.

"So what's with you going all silent?" he spoke into the glass.

I'm not sure ... it's just something I know is bothering me...

"What did we get into?"

I'm not sure, but it might be bigger than I thought...

"And you're sure you're not distracted? You'd never been this quiet before."

I'm just fine, the voice replied indignantly.

"I'm just worried since I still don't have my equipment."

We didn't exactly expect to get a driver who wouldn't stop anywhere.

"Yeah ... whatever."

Are you sure you're not the one who's distracted? Are you worried you might have to rely on your father's legacy?

"Don't bring that up," snapped Riley. "You know better than to bring him up."

And using your dad's equipment isn't a problem?

"I've told you that's different. Dad's things are ... special... You know that too."

A sound behind him caught Riley's attention, but there was no one there when he looked.

"Was someone there, or did I imagine it?"

I ... don't know...

"See? I told you you were distracted." Riley pushed himself back from the group and rejoined the others, who were preparing to leave.

--------------------

Dan and Chase were standing in the lobby waiting for the others as Riley approached.

"Morning Riley. Have a good night?" asked Dan.

"Not really. We ready or what?" Riley added in reply.

"We're supposed to be meeting to leave in a few minutes," explained Chase.

"What about the weird girl with the ears and tail?" asked Dan. "I haven't seen her yet. We should get going soon so we can make the valley before nightfall." He shuddered at the thought of travelling at night with Scientologists about.

"It's not that far is it?" corrected Dan.

Certain PikaChan would be left behind if she was still asleep or something, Riley went to check on her.

--------------------

After knocking on the door to make sure he didn't walk into an embarrassing situation, Riley pushed it open carefully. Being a deep sleep, PikaChan was still asleep, despite the wakeup call, and noise of the others waking up. Debating what to do, Riley decided his best bet was to just try waking her directly. He realized this was a mistake a moment later when he found himself staring down the katana again.

"What were you trying?!" she all but yelled. Riley couldn't find any motivation to do or say anything, then PikaChan heard a voice in her head.

Heza! Stop! it commanded.

PikaChan looked around. "How do you know my name?" she asked aloud. Riley instantly realized what was going on.

He means well, even if it's hard to tell at times. Please realize this!

And then the voice was just gone. PikaChan looked down at Riley, backing away slowly from the tip of the sword. She sheathed it again.

"So what did you want?" she asked, trying to be less annoyed.

"The others are leaving, if we don't go now we might be left behind."

PikaChan realized the logic in the suggestion, and the two were shortly walking back to the lobby.

Since when could you go into someone else's mind? asked Riley in his mind.

I didn't realize I could, either. But I can't actually leave your mind, I can just ... 'suggest' to people they're hearing me.

Uh huh.

They caught the others just as they were heading out the door, and things were quiet again until Paithan started to wonder why Amber had been on edge recently ...

Amber was muttering to herself. "I don't know.. I don't knoooow..."

"Don't know what?"

Amber jumped as Paithan spoke right in her ear. She hadn't noticed him walking beside her. "Don't do that!" she told him, exasperated.

Everyone stopped and looked quizzically at Amber. "Is everything okay?" Dan asked. "You've been a nervous wreck ever since we got into Twoson."

"It's... really, it's nothing." Amber waved and shrugged and tried to pretend she wasn't really worried about the fact that they were heading straight for her old house.

Dan frowned, but decided not to press the issue. He trudged on, leading the group onward to Happy Happy Village.

Just after crossing the first bridge, however, he turned and looked back. Everyone else had crossed the bridge, but Amber hadn't set foot on it at all. Dan told everyone to wait and went back over to talk to her. King followed him, despite his requests for the dog to stay put.

Dan was truly concerned at this point. "Look, seriously this time. Is everything okay?"

Amber's eyes looked over Dan's shoulders as she talked, as though she was expecting a monster to leap out of the river. "I don't think we should go this way," she said.

"There's no other way to get to Happy Happy Village," Dan replied. "It's not too far from here."

Amber was on the verge of panic now. "Oh, well.. what if that girl came back again? I think we'd need a lookout, don't you? I'll just stay here and I'll come tell you if she's on our trail and you can -"

King barked at her. <Amber, just tell us what the problem is!>

Amber glanced down at King, biting her lip, clenching her fists. Then she closed her eyes, squeezing out tears that ran down the sides of her nose. She fell to her knees in the snow, holding her hands to her face. Dan knelt beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I used to live here," Amber whispered. "My mother died a few weeks ago. Then my father.. he changed. He started to yell at me for no reason. He hit me sometimes. I ran away because I was scared. I'm still scared. I'm not ready to go back yet. I don't know if I'll ever be ready."

She opened her eyes. Dan gave her an encouraging smile. "You're not alone right now. We can sneak you past your house if you want. And even if your father comes after you, he's probably smart enough not to try anything with all of us on your side. Alright?"

Amber nodded, swallowing a sob before it escaped her lips. She knew Dan was right; she had nothing to worry about as long as she was with her new friends.

<So you're okay?> King woofed.

Amber leaned over and hugged him. "I think I am. Thank you." Dan helped her out of the snow, and they went to rejoin the group.

"Sorry about that," Dan said. "Shall we continue?"

And continue they did, over the hills and the second bridge. Amber spoke up as they were coming around another hill. "My house is just around the corner here."

Dan looked over to King, then to Amber. "Ask him to go first and check it out."

<Tell him to ask himself next time.> King snuck around the corner without a word from Amber.

A moment later, he came back. <You'd better come see this, Amber. It doesn't look good.>

Warily, Amber went around the hill, expecting to see the one-story house she grew up in. Instead, she saw a pile of crushed wood and broken glass. The house had been destroyed.

The others came around the hill, stopping silently when they saw the wreckage.

Riley was staring at the wreckage when the voice spoke to him again. Look up, it said. He did so. A black speck was falling towards them. He pointed up in the sky and shouted, "Look!"

It took a moment for everyone to find the falling object; another moment, and they could all see that it was a person, and that he was spinning.

The person spun to a halt in front of them, all dressed in black, complete with a top hat. His full blond beard hid his face from view; his glasses did likewise to his eyes. "Pictures taken instantaneously!" he declared.

"I've already got that covered," quipped Skulryk, hoisting his video camera.

The person - presumably a cameraman himself - took no notice of Skulryk's comment. "Hello, Amber. I have a few things to tell you, and I have to tell you quickly before I go again. Your father is alright, but he's not exactly himself at the moment. He destroyed the house in his rage; my compatriots and I took him to a safe place, where we're keeping an eye on him."

"Your compatriots?" Amber echoed.

"Yes, I think you've met two of them.. one of them gave you that trenchcoat. Now, you know how you can talk to animals? Well, your mother had that power too. Not only that, but she could control them sometimes. That's how she got along with your father so well. You've inherited her skills, but you need to learn to use them at some point. Someday you'll master them, and when you do, it'll help you in your quest - not to mention that you'll be able to calm your father's fury."

"What quest?"

The cameraman displayed no emotion on his bearded face, but his tone became darker. "I'm not going to lie to all of you. Something terrible is happening, something that threatens life as we all know it. I can't tell you more than that at this point, but don't worry; you're on the right track."

"Hey, wait a second," Dan said. "I've been through here lots of times before, and there was never a house there. What gives?"

The cameraman snapped his fingers, and the wreckage of the house became invisible. He snapped again and it reappeared. "Oh," said Dan.

"Now, one more thing before I go..." The cameraman produced an antique tripod-mounted flashbulb camera from out of nowhere. "Everyone say 'Fuzzy Pickles!'"

Nobody in the group found that they could keep themselves from smiling.

The picture slipped out of the back of the camera. The cameraman studied it with his bespectacled eyes. "Wow, what a great photo! I'm sure it will bring back the fondest of memories..." And with that, the cameraman's equipment disappeared, and he spun straight up into the sky again.

<So...> King said after a long pause. <You can control animals?>

Amber shook her head. She was taken aback by what she had just heard; she felt bewildered, but also happy, at the news of her father. "Don't worry," she said, still staring at the wrecked house. "I don't have a clue what he was talking about."

By the time they reached Happy Happy Village, Paithan had finally gotten bored with pointing out things in the sky, asking aloud whether or not it was that picture guy. He'd pointed out a small bird, an eagle, three ducks, two clouds, and a plastic bag flying in the wind. When he saw that big purple snake thing in the sky, he had lost all enthusiasm and didn't bother to point it out.

He found a new fascination upon entering the village. As he walked into the village he was immediately pulled back by Dan. Dan also had the foresight to clap his hand over Paithan's mouth before he could start asking questions.

Paithan had never seen so many people in white coats before. Well, there was that one time Uncle Fingertrap had his foot ran over by a car and Paithan visited him in the hospital... But this was outside.

They were everywhere, in groups of no less than three. Two of the three in each of the groups wore glasses. They were experimenting, it seemed. One group had the mundane task of measuring a blade of grass, cutting it, dissecting it, and looking at it under a microscope. Paithan knew this because he just saw the group do all three in about ten seconds. Another group was climbing a tree, taking leaf samples. And another one was analyzing the corpse of a little bird.

Paithan's eyes widened.

"Yes," said Dan. "That's probably what they'll do to us, if we're not careful. You understand?"

Paithan nodded his head slowly. As much as it might be interesting to be measured, cut up, and looked at under a microscope, he didn't want that to happen to his friends. Dan let go of him.

A bell rang and the Scientologists immediately packed up their equipment and headed for their main hall in an organized fashion.

"Good riddance..." muttered Riley. "Now they'll be out of our hair."

Dan, who was standing next to him, nodded his approval. The group was generally relieved that they could make their way to the lab without a slew of Scientologists slowing them down.

Standing at the front of the party, Chase pointed down the road at a small building. He could just make out the dull blue letters printed on the front.

"H.H.L." he recited. "Happy Happy Labs. Looks like the place."

As they drew closer he could make out a smaller sign, hanging from the gutter. Bold red letters were traced across that read:

No shoes, no shirt, and no service.

No solicitors.

No pets.

And definitely no Scientologists. Or Jehova's Witnesses, for that matter. Or any combination of the two.

"Finally!" grinned Dan. "Someone with some sense in this town."

Chase wasn't so sure. "...any combination of the two?"

Dan shrugged. "Well, he's still heads above everyone else here."

"I suppose you're right..." complied Chase.

"Well, you guys go ahead." stated Amber, rubbing King affectionately behind his ears. "I'm going to wait out here with King."

King barked happily. <"Thanks! It'd be creepy out here all alone.">

Dan nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

One by one, each of the others filed into the building.