The Children of the Heavens.

Ness was laying at the edge of the Tunnel of Sorrows, looking into the water. Like everything else in Magicant, it seemed to reflect some aspect of himself. He dipped his finger into the cool, calm red liquid briefly, before forcing himself up to his feet and making his way through the tunnel. He had done this so many times that he'd memorized the proper path. And without monsters to slow him down, he quickly reached the silver curlicue and put his hand on it.

The Sea of Eden. It was different than it was when he was sent there by his sound stone. It used to be an uneasy sea, the waters slowly changing colors, from blue to red and back again, and sloshing back and forth through some unknown force. Now, however, it was much calmer. The sun shone on the peaceful azure water, and the jagged, green crystals were now clear, symmetrical and straight. He swam through this peaceful scenery, and beached himself on the single islet that was accessible from the water.

This was the place where the power from from his Sanctuaries gathered. He sat down and closed his eyes, concentrating. And he sensed the power of the earth... But he also felt something else... It was kind of hard to put it into words... It was as if there was an evil entity around...

"You think you've beat me, don't you!" Said a harsh voice. Ness's eyes shot open, and he looked around wildly.

"Y-y-you! I... I... You're supposed to be gone!" Ness stuttered.

The voice broke into a raspy laugh. "Ha! The only way you could beat me is to kill yourself!" It snapped derisively.

And then, the sun ahead went out, and the Sea of Eden suddenly snapped back to it's normal state, and the Nightmare's voice started laughing maniacally. But that's not all! The spires emitted a deep blackness, which spread slowly through the water. The water started swirling around the island. Ness looked around in panic. He knew that there was no way he could reach the curlicue now! And what was worse, the islet was slowly sinking. And the darkness, it was everywhere... It was going to swallow him....!

Ness sat bolt upright in his bed, panting and sweating. It was like this every morning lately. For the past two weeks, this was the only dream he'd been having. And every time he had it, he became a little bit more convinced that it was a prophecy.

"Neeeesssss!" Shouted the whiny, juvenile voice of his ten-year-old sister Tracy. "You might wanna come down here! Something really special's on T.V.!"

Ness shook his head. If he was going to stop this nightmare, he had to take some kind of positive action! And the first action he could think of was to start enjoying his summer vacation! He hopped out of bed and bounded down the stairs, without even stopping to change his blue striped flannel pajamas.

"Well you're up early, dear." Said his mother, in her usual sing-song voice. Ness just grinned and shrugged at her in response. She was standing in their new kitchen wearing her normal red dress with an apron and flipping pancakes which were giving off a wonderful warm aroma that wafted over to Ness, making him hungry. He shook off this feeling, headed over to the cream-colored couch, and plopped himself down next to his younger sister.

"Hey there, Trace." He said smiling and wresting the remote control from her fingers. "So what were you shoutin' about earlier? Some cartoon? 'Cause that doesn't seem too important to me!"

Tracy sighed, and pointed to the T.V. "Bro, does that look like a cartoon to you?"

A professionally dressed woman was reading about some CEO who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Soon enough, however, she said "And now, we're here with some breaking news... from space. Here is the great Dr. Andonuts, and his son, Jeff Andonuts, telling us about something that'll be coming to knock on our door very soon."

Ness leaned in closer to the glowing sound box as the camera panned toward a blond boy with hair like a mop, who was wearing a school uniform, sitting next to the Dr. Andonuts, who looked pretty confused. "Well, my dad and I have detected a giant mass of energy heading towards the solar system at incredible speeds." Started Jeff, pausing, to let his father speak and to push his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose.

"It seems that there is an incredible mass of energy headed towards the... Oh!" The old scientist turned red as he noticed that he'd been reading his son's cue cards. "Ahem... It seems to be an electromagnetic storm, heading straight for earth. Now, the earth's magnetic field should save us from the worst of it, but you should expect your electric appliances to malfunction quite a bit starting at nine o'clock tonight."

"WHAAT?!" Yelled Tracy, staring at the news anchor in disbelief. "I can't miss 'The Great Aziz' tonight! This'll be the only time that movie'll be shown for, like weeks!"

Ness simply smiled and tousled his younger sister's straw-colored hair. "You're pretty cute when you're mad, y'know?" Tracy's head snapped around to glare at him, (She hated it when he treated her like a little kid.) but Ness had already gone upstairs to put his clothes on.

"PooLo!" Shouted the young red-haired girl. She was small for a girl of fourteen, and had a face like a mouse, and the teeth of one too. She wore the burlap skirt and short-sleeved shirt of a peasant, but her family was actually pretty well off. She just dressed like this because it was easier to sneak around in. "Your guards aren't very good, are they?" She giggled, as she jumped down from the high window that she'd snuck in.

Poo was trying to meditate. He wore his favorite cloak today, which was a crimson robe adorned with jewels that made him look far older than he really was. He was sitting in the throne room, where almost everything was gilded, and the sun from the high windows reflected off everything, creating a warm golden light. "AnetisTa, you are aware that breaking into the royal palace is a crime punishable by two days in the dungeon, are you not?" He said matter-of-factly, not opening his eyes, or turning around to face her.

Anetis just chuckled a little bit, and sat on the arm of the Crown Prince's throne. "You oughta be a little nicer to me, y'know. After all, I'm the only one left." The young woman was referring to the Official Prince Poo fan club, to which every girl in Dalaam between the ages of twelve and sixteen had once belonged to. Ever since he'd returned from the past, however, this club's membership was shrinking steadily. And now, two years later there was only one member left, and she just happened to be sitting on Prince Poo's throne.

Before he could respond to her badgering, the wooden doors of his chambers creaked open, and Poo's master Kato hobbled in. Kato was old. His face bore the deep lines of his seventy-two years, and he was bent over, walking with an oaken cane. Despite his apparent frailty, he commanded great respect, and the creases in his face seemed to hold an infinite power. Being in his presence usually inspired an incredible sense of awe, and neither Poo, with his royal airs, or Anetis, with her incredible brashness were an exception. Both Poo and Anetis jumped up at once, and bowed respectfully in front of the Master.

Kato smiled benevolently at them. "Ah, PooKurn." He said, in his crackly voice. "It's good to see that you're well. And AnetisLiss, it seems that our guards will never be any match for you, doesn't it? Your dedication to the prince is truly amazing, and I can't for the life of me see why he wouldn't want to marry you."

Anetis swiftly moved her gaze from the floor just long enough to grin at Poo, who didn't respond. She was feeling happy, but had a strange premonition that she was about to be dismissed. And she was right.

"I'm sorry, but however much I would like to chat with you, AnetisLiss..." He began. And he truly sounded sorry, not as if he was just making it up so that she'd feel better about being sent away. "I do believe that it is most urgent that I speak with Prince Poo. And it is important that I do this while we're alone."

"Ah, of course." Replied Anetis cheerily. "Who am I to meddle in the affairs of nations? I shall leave you two to yourselves. Goodbye KatoSum, and goodbye PooLo." She bowed out of the throne room and followed the opulent scarlet rug out of the palace, but not before blowing a kiss to Poo.

Master Kato chuckled at her last gesture as she closed the door. While he was doing this, Poo got up and headed back over to his throne, where he sat down. "You know..." He began, with the air of giving advice to the Crown Prince. "I really think that you should marry Anetis, PooLiss. You're already sixteen years old, and Anetis would make a wonderful wife, considering how dedicated she is." Kato wandered over to his customary place next to the throne.

Poo shook his head calmly. "Please excuse my irreverence, KatoSumt, but my journies into the western world have taught me that we tend to marry far younger than is necessarily healthy here in Dalaam. I am not concerned with marriage as of yet, and should I become so concerned, I doubt that I would choose Anetis to be my empress. She is very volatile, and lacks the demeanor for such a vital role. The people of Dalaam would likely suffer if she and I were betrothed." He said all of this at a very measured pace, and it sounded even more like a scripted speech than did his usual way of talking.

Master Kato simply shook his head. "I disagree, PooKurn." He said simply. "In this ever-changing world we live in, the more static the succession of the monarchy, the greater the risk that Dalaam will fall into stagnation. Anetis would provide a lively empress and energize the people of this country. Also, her family is a wonderful model for the population to follow; They've adopted many of the ways of the west, while still retaining their heritage, and being an upright and proper Dalaamese household." He smiled and shook his head again, before speaking once more. "But I don't have any real power over such things, and regardless, debating the future of this country isn't why I came to see you."

Poo nodded, and crossed his arms, opening his eyes for the first time in hours, and directing them to his left. "Yes KatoSumt." He said gently. "You are an expert at keeping your feelings from your face. But you have trained me very well and I could sense an aura of worry around you. What is troubling you?"

Kato heaved a sigh, and shut his eyes wearily. "A number of things, young master. You couldn't know how many. But the most recent one, and the one I wish to discuss is a premonition I had." He paused and looked at Poo, who nodded for him to continue. "I'm sure you've heard of the approaching storm, correct? An electromagnetic storm, and a big one, too." He grimaced as he continued. "It's supposed to do very little to the inhabitants of earth. However, I feel that this storm will bring destruction on a scale that not even the Universal and Cosmic Destroyer could bring." Having finished talking he simply closed his eyes and waited for the prince to respond.

"Yes, I too have been haunted by several bad premonitions, though none as explicit as yours, Master Kato. But if it is a storm, then what are we to do? Are we not powerless before the forces of nature? What could possibly be done to stop a large storm from beyond?" Poo said, propping his head up on his arm, which rested on the arm of his throne. His expression, eyes closed a sort of half-frown gracing his visage, it was clear that however resigned he was to whatever fate the future held, he surely was not pleased with it.

Before responding, Kato stroked his gray beard for several moments, deep in thought. "You traveled with the young Paula, correct? I have heard many things about her remarkable psychic powers. I wonder if, in your time together, you learned how to communicate through telepathy like she can? Because if you did, you could contact your other friend, Jeff. He is very wise, and could probably think of something to ward off the coming calamity."

Poo, however, shook his head sadly. "I regret to inform you, KatoSumt, that I was unable to reproduce Paula's telepathy. I think that this is because she is an adept, her powers are inborn, and she can wield them without training. I do not have as much intrinsic talent as she does. My powers are the result of my years of training under you, and as such are very different in nature than Paula's. For example, though I could not use telepathy, I could never get Paula to sense the auras that are given off by all living things. However, I know how to get to Andonuts Laboratory, and am able to teleport, so I can go there physically, if you wish."

Kato smiled as Poo got up from the throne and headed towards his chamber, which was separated from the throne room by a small, wooden gate-like door. As he opened up the door, Kato called out to him. "I wish you luck, PooLiss. And I thank you for doing this for me."

Poo looked behind him, and did something that he rarely ever did; He smiled. "I am happy to help you, KatoLiss."

Several minutes later, Poo pushed open the door to his room. He was wearing his training gi, and had a sheathe at his side that was crafted from fine red leather, and contained the Sword of Kings. He started running towards the open wooden gates of the palace. He was picking up speed... He was running must faster than he should be able to... Everything was a blur now... He could feel himself rush past reality... It was beginning to warp around him... and he was gone.