"Wow!" Paithan said. "I've never run headlong into a mob of cultists before! What kind of cult could they be? Do they have strange initiation ceremonies with snakes and candles and fire and big parties afterward with alcohol and football and billiards? Or are they Pacifists? Well, obviously not."

He ran right into the mob and, before he quite knew what was happening, he was surrounded.

These fellows wore blue with blue masks. They carried buckets of blue paint in one hand, waved a paint brush threateningly in the other hand. One in particular stepped forward.

"Are you a... Scientologist?" he asked in a deep, commanding voice. In fact, he was probably speaker for most things for the group because of that voice. Very intimidating.

"Actually, no, I'm Paithan." Paithan looked about the group, scratching his head. "Wow, this is embarrassing."

The speaker coughed. "Well, um, Paithan-"

"Oh please," said Paithan, "call me Pait."

"Oh, is that your nickname?" asked the speaker.

"No, but my uncle called me that once, and then my cousins caught on to it, then my mom started calling me by that name, and then I distinctly remember my grandfather calling me that. Do you know my grandfather? He's funny, but a little daft."

"Um... no. I'm afraid I don't know him." The speaker wondered for a second how they got so far off-track. "Anyway, you're not a Scientologist?"

"No, are you?"

The speaker held himself upright, proudly. "No, I am the Official Speaker for the Insane Cultists of Happy Happyism, Blue Group."

"There are other groups?" asked Paithan.

The man's ego deflated. "Well, uh, not really. I mean, we're a cult, not an organized religion. But we will be someday!" Regaining some of his pride, the speaker looked wistfully toward Happy Happy Village. "And we'll start be taking back our town from those horrid Scientologists." He looked at Paithan. "Well, it was... uh nice talking to you and all. Do come by the village sometime later and check out the cult benefits. We've got pamphlets and everything! Move out men!" he added, calling out to the mob, which cheered and got worked up, glad to be moving again.

When the cultists passed, Paithan looked after them. "I wonder what they’re going to do?"

Paithan thought for a moment. "What if they're going to have a rumble with the Scientologists!? The blue guys have the strength advantage, but if the Scientologosts can use technological weaponry...wait a minute! My best friends in the whole world are over there! They might get hurt!" A worried look came to Paithan's face.

"I’ve got to go help them!" So saying, Paithan took off after the retreating mob.

The group outside the lab was worried. Paithan, Eric, Amber, King, Skulryk, and Lucky had indeed made it out, but Chase, Riley, Dan and PikaChan were still stuck inside. Skulryk sat by the door, Paithan was missing, Eric was pacing, looking out for Scientologists, while Amber was looking to get everyone something to eat with King. It had been only a few minutes, but it seemed like ages. Once again Eric stomped to the lab's door.

"Let me in there, I'll get them out!" He was loud, and his patience was fighting a losing battle. Skulryk glared at the angry young man. It was enough to stop Eric temporarily. But then Paithan came running up, almost out of breath.

"We, we have to get out of here," he was panting, but not too bad.

"Why?" Skulryk was surprised at the news, and he jumped to his feet. Eric didn't wait to hear why before running off to find Amber and King.

"The Happy Happyists are coming, they plan on having a rumble with the Scientologists. There's a lot of them too."

"I can't leave. That's news. Cult versus semi-religion. Rumble in the village! I've got to cover it."

"Maybe you should get a job with a news company first, Skul," Lucky snorted. "There's Eric and Amber. Let's get out of here."

Eric came back up, Amber and King close behind. Paithan was now pacing, thinking of another way out of Happy Happy Village.

What's up?" Eric hadn't been close, and so didn't know. But all of a sudden, the door flew open, and the others walked out. PikaChan and Riley looked worn out, but they said they were fine, but that the lab blew up in their faces as part of the security lockdown. They didn't lose the entire sample though. The reunited group shared what they knew with each other, as the chants of Blue, blue started to become audible. They quickly were in agreement that running was the best choice.

"Where to now?" Eric was suspiciously listening, trying to judge how far the cultists were.

"Well, the only other good labs I know of are in Fourside or Winters." Skulryk noted. "But I don't know about bloodwork."

"Good, let's go to Fourside. Now let's get going, before we're caught here." Eric didn't give anyone else a chance to respond. He just started running. The others, led by Chase, followed suit immediately.

----

Seong-un, panicking, drew away from the advancing mushrooms. He looked at his ring, full of hope.

This ring ... it boasts secrets I can only fumble for. It's more than it seems.

He stared down the Shrooom!!! as they continued to approach him. He pulled his ring off his finger.

"Ring ... there's something about you. You have powers. Please, give me a power that can defeat these mushrooms."

Seong-un's ring's jewels glowed and released a light which spread about his body. The light, originally transparent, began to take on a color. Red.

The red light engulfed Seong-un, manifested itself as fire, then burst towards the Shrooom!!!. It clearly toasted them.

As the fire about his body subsided, Seong-un narrowed his eyes, first to avoid taking in too much of the spores the burning mushrooms were giving off, and then in complete skepticism.

He dropped his ring, not thinking. His mouth opened wide.

What is going on?! he demanded of his subconscious. But his subconscious did not answer.

Kicking the smoldering mushroom parts around a bit for good measure, Seong-un again focused on the beam-line coming from his ring.

Please, where are you taking me, ring? Seong-un asked in his thoughts. And as he thought that, his subconscious vocalized three words of primitive language. As he walked, a rip in the space-time continuum opened.

He fell into the rip, which closed.

----

Luna's vision swam. Her mouth was dry, and her tongue moved uselessly. It took quite a few tries for her to regain her voice, as she stared directly into the eyes of the white-haired boy hovering over her. Trying not to faint, she uttered his name in a tone of overwhelming disbelief. "...T...Talus...?"

Talus nodded slightly, his brows knitted in concentration. Something was bothering him, deep within his memories, but he brushed it aside. He found his voice, as well, and slipped out of his hypnotic state of concentration. "Yeah, my name's Talus... but how did you know?"

His eyes, his face, his hair... it all brought back memories. A little over five years back, she had seen this same face writhe in pain and sadness as he was cut down on the deck of a ship called the S.S. Thed. That same youth, who's hand she had held as the life had slipped out of him... as he'd admitted the feelings he held for her, the feelings that had been too little, too late. She had cradled his head in her hands as they went to bury his body on the Path of Light island, and been the last to return to the boat after he was buried. But here he was, sitting on the couch, directly in front of her. It had to be a miracle.

Then the weight of what he'd just said hit her like a sandbag.

"How do I know?" she replied, dumbstruck, sitting up on the couch. "What do you mean?" Luna paused, before staring at Talus again. "You... you don't remember me?" She noticed Ness, and motioned to him.

"Do you remember Ness?"

"Of course I do... I met him years ago, before I died... during the path of light incident." Talus frowned. "Are you okay? Maybe you're still a bit woozy from your faint..."

Ness was starting to frown, as well. "No, Talus. Something's wrong. You should remember Luna. You should definitely remember Luna. Because-"

Luna screamed, pointing at the corner of the room, where a certain Nightmare Demon was finishing off the remains of what appeared to be a pie, and hurriedly cracking open a bottle of Schmitt's. On hearing the scream, he lowered the bottle from his lips, and did a full-fledged grin for her, exposing all of his yellowing teeth, his yellow and green Hawaiian shirt and shorts combination giving it a strange effect. He called out.

"Hello, young mistress! I am pleased to see you have awakened! Yes indeed!" Luna choked out her words, struggling to move as far away from him as possible on the couch.

"What... what is.. THAT... doing in... why is he... HOW is he... WHY IS RALTISE ALIVE AND IN MY APARTMENT!?"

Everyone looked at each other, and Talus shrugged. "Well, to make a long story short, he was in Hell, and bound to others in eternal servitude. But he came with me when I came back, and he's finite now, so he really can't do anything. He can't hurt you..."

But Luna wasn't listening. Raltise had stood up, and was approaching her, still grinning, and obviously enjoying the effect he was having on the stricken girl. Luna was sweating and shaking, and her hands were reaching for her sword. Talus stepped in front of Raltise, blocking his path to Luna. His eyes flashed angrily, and he spoke with a voice full of menace and ice.

"Leave her alone, Raltise. Don't come any closer." Raltise's grin faltered, and he crossed his arms, apparently pouting, and sought consolance in his bottle of Schmitt's. Luna relaxed, her face full of relief, and Talus smiled at her.

"There's no need to worry... he can't hurt you anymore." he stopped, and sat back down on the couch, knitting his brow again. Anymore? What the Hell? Who is this girl?

Luna, meanwhile, had her eyes concentrating on the youth's face again. "Talus..." she asked softly, tears pooling in the corner of her eyes, "Do you really not remember me? Not at all?"

He turned and looked at her. Her eyes were filled with pain. He wanted to stop it, but lying wouldn't make the situation any better. His head ached, and he shook his head. "I'm sorry... I really don't have the slightest idea who you are."

Eyes clenched shut, Luna slid off the couch, with one hand over her mouth.

"Luna!" Venus cried, but she was already gone. The bedroom door closed with a slam, and the sound of it, and the connecting bathroom door being locked could be heard. Talus opened and closed his mouth, and turned to Ness.

"Why did you say I should know who she is?" he asked, and Ness sighed, and shook his head.

"Talus... in your last breaths, you told her you had fallen in love with her. If you remember anyone, you should at least be able to remember her. It doesn't make sense."

Raltise absorbed himself in the drinking of his precious beer. But a distant rumble caused him to blink, and blanch. He began drinking faster.

Talus leapt from the couch and strode across the room with incredible determination. Raltise, who had been nursing his drink in the corner, was caught completely unaware as the boy grabbed him by the collar, shoving him against the wall and lifting him into the air. Fierce fire shone in Talus's usually warm eyes -- he furrowed his brow in anger, and his nose wrinkled in a scowl. He gritted his teeth. "Raltise, you know something! Tell me now! What in the HELL is going on here!?" His hand slipped from the collar, instead encircling Raltise's throat, and he began to tighten his grip. The Nightmare Demon gasped, spittle flying from his mouth as he struggled to speak.

"What the Young Protector says is true! You...know her because you fell in love with her! They were your last words!" He kicked helplessly in the air. Talus's anger skyrocketed.

"Then why don't I remember!? Why, why, why!?" He slammed his free hand against the wall with each word to give it emphasis. The painful memories locked away in his subconscious were stirring now, trying to break free, yet held in check by Hell's curse. The frustration was unbearable. His eyes wandered slightly, as if he were thinking of something else, and then he slammed Raltise's head against the wall with renewed force.

"And where the Hell are my glasses!?"

Raltise's face became a mask of pure terror as he realized that his carefully laid plans were in jeopardy. He desperately made an attempt to bring the bottle of Schmitt's to his lips before speaking, but the words began to slip out.

"They're....right..."

An explosion shook the apartment suddenly, plaster and drywall crashing in all directions. Talus dropped Raltise and dove aside, the Nightmare Demon scurrying away as well. Once the dust cleared from the air, a gaping hole was present where the entrance to the apartment once stood. Two ethereal figures on horseback trotted into the room through the gap.

"Raltise! We've been looking for you!" Famine exhaled a cloud of putrid smoke, tapping the butt of his cigarette lightly. A stream of ash dropped to the floor. Raltise went visibly pale, if that was possible.

"Why...my fellow demons! What brings you here? Yes, yes...does Hell require my services once again?"

Ness frowned. "Once again?" He voiced. No one paid him any heed. Death pointed a bony finger at him. Famine looked back at his companion, nodded slightly, then looked back to Raltise.

"You're an inconvenience, Nightmare Demon. You may have been our leader at one time, but now you're nothing more than a useless Finite. And those that have summoned us wish for your demise. Rasheed and Dio are their names. You've heard of them, haven't you?"

Raltise frowned, the gears in his head turning. He flashed a malignant yellow smile. "Ah, so they are the two specters! Quite interesting, yes!"

All the while, Talus had been taking this in. He frowned. "...Leader? Rasheed and Dio? ...What in the world...Raltise, who are these two?"

The unearthly one turned to his master. "Famine and Death, Horsemen of the Apocalypse." He stated succinctly.

"Oh, yes...Horsemen of the...what!?" His face immediately turned to a mask of horror. "We've got to get out of here! Raltise, stall them!"

"I'm afraid that won't do you any good, kid." Famine's horse darted forward, coming to a halt before Talus. He leveled his scales at the white-haired boy. Talus's pupils dilated as he realized what was coming...

Raltise dove through the air, knocking Famine off his horse. The two struggled on the ground before Famine delivered a solid headbutt, sending Raltise reeling. Ness sprung to action, sending a wave of PSI Rockin' toward Death, knocking the horseman against the wall, for he had not been paying attention. Talus darted for the door that Luna had disappeared through, banging on it fiercely.

"Luna! Can you hear me?" No response. He banged louder. "Answer me!" He shouted. Nothing. He cocked his head to the side, where he saw the horsemen recovering from their attacks, their opponents sprawled against the floor. "Forget it, there's no time!" He shouted. He backed up, cracked his neck, and delivered a swift yet powerful kick to the door, sending it off its hinges. He darted into bedroom, then to the locked bathroom door, and banged on it as well.

"Luna!" He shouted. He placed an ear to the door, and he could distinctly hear sobbing on the other side. "Ah, hell..." He muttered, backing up once again and ramming the door with his elbow. Surprisingly, the fortified wood gave easily under his weight, and he careened into the bathroom, stopping short upon entering. He gazed down, where before him, curled up on the floor, her arms around her knees, sat Luna, her head lowered. He could tell that she was crying. She looked up as he entered, tears streaking her face, along with a look of confusion.

"Come on!" Talus yelled, reaching down and grabbing her arm forcefully, physically pulling her up and out of the room.

"...Wait!" She protested, not at all knowing what was going on. The two dashed out into the living area once again, where Teddy and Jimmy had taken to pulling Ness back from Death's grip. Venus was huddled near the window, trying desperately to lift the pane. Luna frowned. "...What did you do to my apartment!?" She shrieked, her face turning red. Venus at last succeeded in opening the window.

"Quick! Down the fire escape!" She cried. Talus protested.

"No good! We'll be overrun anyway."

Raltise suddenly rose, as if in perfect health. "Fear not, Young Master!" He cried, reaching into the pocket of his shorts. He pulled the Dali's Stopwatch from it, cradling it in his hand. He held out his free hand toward the demons on horseback.

"Well, gentlemen! It has been a pleasure, surely, but sadly, we must bid you...Adieu!" With these final words, Raltise clicked the stopwatch three times rapidly. Waves of dark red energy rippled from the face of the watch, encircling Famine and Death, encasing them in a time anomaly. Raltise turned to the rest. "Quickly, now!"

Venus climbed out, followed by Teddy and Jimmy. Raltise pushed Ness out of the way and followed them down. The Young Protector stepped through after him, Paula cradled in his arms. Talus pulled Luna toward the window, urging her out. Bewildered, she climbed out as well. Talus took one last look at the two horsemen, noticing the dilation of time about them pulsing as the stasis began to weaken. He then followed her out.

----

Pestilence gulped, pulling at the collar of his suit. "Oh mighty summoner, Famine and Death were last seen in Fourside," He paused here for a slight grin, "Practicing their art.

Rasheed scowled at him tersely. "I'm in no mood for your humor, Pestilence. Time is of the essence, so let's get to the point. I summoned you here so that you could take out a troublesome group of children in...Tracy, where are they now?"

Tracy gave Rasheed a quick sneer. Since reviving the duo, a change had come over her. Her demeanor was cold and ruthless; every part of her body gave off an icy chill. She placed her hand on her hip, staring boldly at the man before her.

"How the hell should I know? What is it, my job to track a bunch of kids?"

Rasheed paused. Although Tracy's change would be important to him later, now he would have to keep this new information on the backburner. "Use your power, Tracy. One of them is holding a vial of blood I planted on the scene. Track it."

"Everyone has blood in them, Rasheed. It's not helpful to tell me to track 'just blood.'"

Seething, Rasheed offered a quick retort. "It's goats blood - How many goats are in Eagleland? If you're as powerful as you say you are, then just do it!"

Gritting her teeth, Tracy closed her eyes and focused on the blood sample in question. Eagleland scenery flashed through her eyes, zooming toward its destination. The search soon yielded a crowd of teens on the bridge to Fourside, one holding a vial of blood. Dan, her mind informed her. Dan was holding the blood.

"They're on the bridge to Fourside. Think you can handle it?" Tracy snarled, snapping open her eyelids. Rasheed curled his lip arrogantly.

"I assume that the horsemen can take care of it; this should give them a chance to retrieve their vacationing comrades." Turning on heel, Rasheed glanced at the two horsemen behind him. Pestilence's face remained frozen in a state of cool arrogance, but War had the common sense to seem interested.

"Aye, where do you want us to be goin'?" War inquired, hefting his blade in a show of enthusiasm. Rasheed smiled despite himself. Leave it to War to express desire for battle.

"I need you to make an appearance at the Three-Four bridge and bring me the one holding the blood. While you're at it, see what Famine and Death are up to. Perhaps they've already found the group that Tracy sensed earlier. I do hope so; it would certainly expedite our plans."

War nodded eagerly, then chanced a glance back at Pestilence for assurance. Pestilence looked up from picking at the stump where his finger had been. He flashed a wry grin, displaying the bug caught between his bottom teeth.

"Well, we'd better get a move on. We don't want to keep Rasheed waiting."

With a clatter of hooves and puff of black smoke, the duo vanished into thin air.

-----

Dan stood on the Three-Four bridge, breathing in the fresh winter air. Dew had formed around the vial of blood, which he kept close to his body on his person, although he wasn't sure why. The blood had been useless so far, and more and more he got the feeling that they were on a wild goosechase.

"Ok guys, we're almost at Fourside," Riley commented. "Once we find a lab, we can analyze this blood and find out who's behind this nefarious scheme."

Chase sucked in a breath of air in preparation for his comment. A puff of smog appeared at his mouth upon the air's release. "Guys, do you get the feeling that this blood is kind of...pointless?"

Skulryk faced the remaining group members and nodded. "I mean, what have we accomplished? We've fought Scientologists and Happy Happyists, sure, but we don't know anything about Ness' house! We've come up empty-handed, for all the effort!"

A sharp clatter of hooves preceded the following comment. "Yes, you certainly have. As a matter of fact, I'm impressed! I don't think I've ever seen a group of such pathetic failures!" The tall shadows of two horses embraced the group as they turned around to face the mysterious speaker.

Two horses, one of red and one of white, stood before them, each with a perilous rider on board. The white horses' rider, who had been the speaker, gazed upon the group with a sarcastic grin. His dead eyes glimmered with contempt as he raised a rusted bow that was clasped in his sickly, green hand. The index finger was gone from the knuckle up; in its place was nothing more than a stump, crusted over with dried blood and scabs.

"Which one of you is Dan?" He asked, raising a slender eyebrow. Dan pointed directly at Chase.

"That's Dan, right there."

A cruel sneer played across the rider's lips. "You liar. Little boy, do you know where liars go?"

Dan shook in place as the rider placed an arrow in the ancient bow. "To the movies?" He stuttered, close to convulsing. The horseman smirked in amusement.

"To HELL!" The rider let loose a volley of arrows, forcing Dan and all those around him to retreat. Amber, King, Skulryk, and Chase quickly ran to the other side of the bridge, desperate to flee the barrage of weaponry. Surprisingly enough, the man on the white horse smiled. He nodded to his comrade atop the red horse.

"War, they've split themselves up. I guess they're tired of each other - don't you think?"

War nodded, understanding where his partner was leading. A line of blood dripped off of his chin as he nodded in earnest.

"Aye, Pestilence, they must be a wee bit unhappy to do such a thing!"

Pestilence's grin turned dark. He snapped his eyebrows upward once quickly, turning to the group closest to Fourside.

"Why don't you give them a hand, and split them for good?"

War grinned evilly as he lifted his gigantic sword above his head. The mammoth blade flashed in the sun as he brought it crashing down in front of him, onto the bridge below. As the blade connected, a rumble cut through the air. Pestilence and War stepped back onto the Fourside half of the bridge, Dan and his friends in tow.

"The bridge!" Pikachan shouted, "It's breaking in half!"

Pestilence flashed a grin of approbation at his comrade. "I must say, War, that's some of your best work. Look at the clean, smooth cut you made!"

War blushed, the tone of his skin matching his beard with chameleon-like ability. "Aww, it was nothing. You're quite good at plaguing people, you know that! We all have our skills!"

Pestilence nodded, as if considering this. A grin formed on his lips again as he snapped his head up to stare at the group of teens in front of him. Hearing the bridge crumble behind him, He snapped the reins of his horse twice.

"Well, you noble youths, I suggest that you start running soon! The horses of hell can run quite fast!"

Chase's jaw dropped in horror as the weight of the comment struck him. Grabbing Amber's wrist, he turned to flee. "Quick, we gotta go!"

Running as fast as his legs could carry him, Dan sprinted ahead of the group as though the devil himself was on his tail. Although he might as well have been, Dan thought grimily. The sound of running horses shook the air like thunder as Pestilence and War ran behind them, set on a backdrop of the collapsed bridge.

"By the way, boy," Pestilence shouted after Dan, "The blood you have in your hand is from a goat! It was a diversion! For all that effort, it could have been Kool-aid and you still would have had the same result!" An vicious laugh finished off the sentence as the thunder of hooves grew closer. Hitting his hand against his forehead, Dan tossed the container of blood over his shoulder. He heard it shatter against the pavement, but he didn't have time to look and be sure. His only option was to keep his eyes straight ahead, charting a course for the soonest possible escape.

"Hey!" Amber yelled suddenly over the din, "There's a group up ahead! Maybe they can help us out!"

Dan squinted, peering ahead at the crowd of people fleeing from a nearby building. He identified Ness and Paula in the middle, other familiar faces by their side. Cupping his hands to his face, he let out his loudest possible yell.

"Hey Ness!" Dan was satisfied to see the young protector turn around mid-run with a look of surprise on his face. Grinning, Dan whipped his head around to face his companions.

"It's help!"

"Dan! Is that you?" Ness ran towards Dan as the rest of their groups followed them.

"Ness! We're in a bit of trouble." Dan pointed behind him to the two horsemen who were giving chase.

Paula caught up in time to see Dan pointing. "Oh, no.. more horsemen?"

"More horsemen?" Dan couldn't believe it until he thought about it for a moment. "Oh, of course. Four horsemen. The apocalypse and all that."

Any other conversation was stopped short by the appearance of Death and Famine bursting through the wall of the apartment building. They floated down, landing before the group. War and Pestilence galloped up from the bridge, and the reunited Four Horsemen encircled the entire group. Skulryk was on his camera again, catching the event for posterity.

"Looks like an unfair fight," Pestilence muttered.

"Yes," Famine agreed. "Four of us and only thirteen of them."

"Hmph!" An angry voice caught the attention of the group. Dan and Skulryk jumped back as they realized that it belonged to Raltise.

Raltise was intent on the horsemen. He raised the Dali's Stopwatch again, intending to help the group escape once more.

"Don't use that!" War shouted. "That is a treasure of Hell. I order you to give it to me!"

"Never!" Raltise shouted back. "You think you can order me? You can't handle ordering me! No orderer of me, you! I deride your ordering abilitOWWWWW!" Raltise screamed as an arrow buried itself into his ankle, forcing him to drop the watch. Pestilence hefted his bow as he watched the timepiece bounce across the pavement towards Death.

Luna glanced around nervously, her eyes still damp. "I wish you would've told me what was going on, I would've brought my sword.."

"Good thing one of us was thinking, then." Luna turned to see Teddy brandishing her sword. She reached out to take it from him, but he was already leaping towards Death, the nearest horseman, swinging the blade through the air. Death turned silently to avoid it, but Teddy still found a target: the horse. The metal rang out with a clear tone as it sliced through the steed's neck. The horse looked unharmed, but nevertheless it reared back. Teddy sliced upwards as he landed, but the sword bounced off Death as though he were made of titanium. Talus grabbed Teddy and pulled him away from Death's hand, again drawing astonished looks from Dan and Skulryk, though the camera lens never faltered.

All was silence as Death reached down, took the watch, and dropped it into the folds of his cloak.

The horsemen looked down on the group. Then, one by one, they broke away and rode off down the street.

The group continued to watch silently as the horsemen disappeared around a corner. Then they all broke into a chaotic discussion.

"Talus! I thought you were dead!"

"WHAT is Raltise doing here?!"

"Give me back my sword!"

"Wait, so he wasn't really Death?"

"Hey baby, you're pretty good-lookin.. oww! Stupid dog bit me!"