Meliadoul's Journal
Chapter V: The Quest for Meliadoul




Spring 1, 12:00 Noon
We are at the meeting table. The Winter is over and the group has trained very hard in these last days. I believe everyone has reached a new level in terms of skill.
"King Tandar, thank you for letting us stay here throughout the Winter. We understand how much of an inconvenience we have been."
"Think nothing of it, Xeno. You are friends of my daughter."
"Now that the winter is over, we don't know what to do. Last Autumn, we saw Omeca. It was an unbelievably powerful Mec created by Byron. I think it was only a prototype."
Everyone looks in shock at me.
"Well, think about it. It didn't have magic shields like the battlemecs, it's armor could have been broken with Ivy's Razor Leaf attack, and most importantly, it had limited energy. Battle Mecs launched massive attacks and never once ran out of energy, yet Omeca couldn't sustain it's 5X status very long. I think it was Byron's field test for the teleportation technology. If it is correctly used, he could teleport his entire army of Mecs behind the walls of even Tandar for an unexpected invasion! I fear he has been perfecting this technology. That could be why there are Shields arround Noryb."
Everyone was speechless, as they knew my words were very true. Finally, I said to them
"I'm going to go rest. I need to think. I don't know why Meliadoul left me in charge. I haven't even been with the group as long as the rest of you. But as long as I have to make decisions, I'm going to need rest."
With that, I left the meeting room and returned to my room.

Spring 1, 12:11 P.M.
"Xeno."
I awake to find a bird of flames in the room with me.
"Who are you? Wait...are you that bird from Meliadoul's vision back in Juna that I read about in this Journal?"
"Yes, I am. I am the spirit of fire. I see Meliadoul has entrusted you with leadership of this group. It is quite an honor."
"I don't see why he chose me when there are stronger and more experienced members."
"Do not doubt your abilities. Meliadoul saw something in you and that alone made him choose you. What it is is unknown to even me. Perhaps you should ask him some day."
"Where have you been? He's dead. He and the Dragon and that staff you gave him were all sent into the sun."
"You have no faith in him?"
"I have great faith in him! But there is no way that ANYONE could survive that."
"Do you not know what a prophecy is?"
"It is something that has not happened yet seen by someone."
"It was prophecized that the elemental staff would be used by a mage riding a jade dragon. If Meliadoul has not used the staff, it has not happened yet. Therfore, you must have faith that he will fulfill it."
"Are you saying he's alive?!" I jumped up with great hope.
"I am saying that he has not fulfilled the prophecy. If he is the mage of the legend and that is the jade dragon of the legend and that is the staff of the legend, then he lives."
It wasn't much of an answer, but it gave me hope. The bird faded away and I suddenly awoke from a dream. It was only a dream.

Spring 1, 12:13 P.M.
I come running into the meeting room to find everyone still there.
"We leave tomorrow! The search for Meliadoul begins now!"
Everyone turns and stares at me. I quickly make the points that the flaming bird made to me and they nodded in agreement. King Tandar stood and asked me the vital question.
"Where are you going to look?"
Reality set in and I didn't have an answer.
"That is what I thought. If Meliadoul were on this planet, he would have found shelter in a town over the Winter. If Omeca was as weak as you say, it couldn't have teleported him all of the way to the sun. Perhaps he only got outside of the city of Noryb. He wouldn't have been able to reenter the city with the barrier up, so he would have gone where the heat was."
"And where is that?"
"The town of Hanabi is located on the coast. It is a few days from Noryb on foot, but if that dragon of his could fly, he could make it there in less than one. The coastal town of Hanabi is known as one of the warmest places on land. It would be the best place for him to spend the Winter. The problem is, getting there from here would be quite a journey. You would have to go through a valley filled with all kinds of animals. Fortunently for you, a river runs through it, so you won't have too much of a walk. If you went through it with a few rafts, you could traverse the entire valley in only a day. After the valley ends, you will find very large lake, which you can get accross also using your rafts. On the other side of the lake, you will find Hanabi. It is a paradise in the eyes of many. It has the open ocean on one side, and a lake of freshwater on the other. Hanabi is both a harbor and a resort town. Even if you don't find Meliadoul, enjoy yourselves there, because you have earned it after such a long ordeal with Byron."
"Thank you for this information. I do not know where we will get rafts, however."
"We will supply you with them. Now everyone, if you leave tomorrow, then you should go through the market one last time. Now that it is Spring, many of the stores are open again and the people who create BioMecs have also set up shop. Fortunenly for us, they managed to smuggle many weapons made only in Noryb here, so the shops have been stocked with everything you could get there."
The group thanked him and left the room. As I turned to leave, King Tandar called to me.
"Yes?"
"Meliadoul was the guardian of my daughter Jessica. Now that he is gone, I want her to help you find him. If she stood up to Mecs like I have heard, she is capable of defending herself in battle. As much as it pains me, I want her to go with you. She needs to see the world. As you can tell, I have, because I know about every town. I fear that if she stays here, she will make a poor and ignorant ruler. Will you take her with you?"
"We will."
Now that that's over with, I'm going to the town. We've got things to buy, because we have gotten nothing new since so long ago in Noryb...

Spring 2, 6:18 A.M.
We are near the Great Tandar River and the King's soldiers have brought out 4 rafts made of a very peculiar wood. When I asked the head Knight why the wood looked so strange, he said because it's not really wood. He told me that it was metal scraps made from the Battle Mecs that we had destroyed at the castle gates and that it only had a wood vinear. When I asked him why, he said it was because metal heats very fast and we would be burned if we traveled in the sun on metal. The wood had been treated specially so that it would resist heat. I finally asked him why it was made out of metal instead of wood, because wood floats. He told me that these rafts would also float and that the metal was needed because the trip down river had a few dangerous places and wooden rafts would be easily destroyed. I thanked him for the information and for his help in making these rafts. He must have spent a big part of the winter working on them, because the wood had to be cut just right and it had to be the right size to fit onto a piece of already broken Battle Mec armor. I'm going to talk to the King now and say goodbyes.
"Good morning, King Tandar."
"Hello Xeno. I'm sorry we could only provide four rafts, but there were only four Battle Mecs and we didn't have any extra materials."
"We are grateful that you have worked so hard. How did you know we would need them?"
"Well, I assumed Meliadoul would want to use them to get to Hanabi in order to help the people there. I remember the story he told us that night last Autumn about how he has to become worthy of the staff. I was going to have them ready by the end of the Winter. But I did not expect to use them in order to find him. But all things have a purpose and this is theirs."
"When we find him, I'm sure he will want to thank you."
"He already has. He was willing to take my daughter with him and she has grown stronger and more mature from this. He has helped the future of my kingdom. Well, since there are only four rafts, you will have to split the group. I suggest you do that now."
"Thank you again."
We gave our goodbyes and I gathered my group. I have split them as evenly as I could. I have also given leadership to them. Raft 1 is going to be lead by Ivy and Mystalic. Raft 2 is under the power of Jessica and Myself. Raft 3 will be led by Lumina and Big Moogle. The fourth and final raft will be led by Rochel and Beedrill51. We are now casting off. The first part of the ride should be very pleasant and most of the group is going to use this time to rest. If the river is as rough as the people say it is, we will need all of our strength to get down it.

Spring 2, 10:51 A.M.
We've been rafting for hours now. Fortunenly for us, there is a lot of space on these rafts, for stretching. Due to our new strength from a Winter of training, we aren't doing too badly in the sun. Had we done this last Autumn, we most surely would have had trouble. The rapids won't bother us for atleast another half hour. Wait, I see something behind us. It's a raft. I wonder who could be on it? It can't be some of Tandar's men, because they don't have any more rafts. They're closing in on us.
"Who is the leader of this group?"
I stood up and shouted.
"I am!"
They came between our four rafts. We had been traveling very closely together to prevent separation, so it took a bit of moving to get them between us. Their leader looked like a Knight. He and I began to shout across rafts.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Xeno. And you are?"
"My name is not important. I want to know why you are traveling this river."
"We need to get to Hanabi."
"Do you know your way down this river? It gets rough ahead."
"I know."
"Is this your whole group, or have you gotton split up?"
"This is all of us."
"Well then, how prepared are you?"
"We are prepared. We have many supplies and we will survive this river."
He looked at our weapons and said.
"Nice weapons. Are you a fighting group?"
I caught on to what was going on. Better not let him know more than he needs.
"No. We are merely traders. We don't even know how to use them."
"Good. Hand them over. They would fetch good money for us."
"Are you thieves?"
"We prefere to call ourselves profiteers. We like it when we make 100% profit off of our weapon sales."
"And you honestly expect us to give them to you?"
"You have no choice."
They each jumped onto our rafts. 2 of them went to 2 rafts and only one to the other 2.
"I suggest that you do it. Many people have died in this river due to rapids. We'd hate to see you get tossed overboard."
"Guess what?"
I punched the Knight in the chest and he doubled over.
"We kinda lied about not knowing how to use them."
"That makes two of us then."
I got hit in the back of the head. I turned arround and saw nothing.
"My friend here is in Invis. You can't fight what you can't see."
He was then surrounded by the healing aura of Restore and regained all of his strength. I quickly backflipped onto the second raft, which I command. I then shouted
"Korts, now!"
Korts pulled back on his bow and sent a flaming arrow into their raft, which was now drifting. It obviously wasn't made of metal, so it burnt and was destroyed when it hit a rock.
"You can't run away now."
Perhaps I'm being too overcondfident by forcing them into a battle, but from the looks of them, I'd say we've got them outclassed. They appear to be as strong as we were last Autumn. That means we've got a Winter of training on our side as well as outnumbering them. This shouldn't be too hard. Ofcourse, the hard part is going to be getting to them. We can't attack what's on another raft with our fists or swords. We're going to do a lot of dangerous raft jumping in this fight, and I hope no one falls into the water, for they would surely be lost. Well Meliadoul, I hate that you have to miss it, but I guess it's time for battle.

Spring 2, 10:55 A.M.
I was right. They were incredably weak. I can't believe we defeated them in only a few minutes. Our training has truely paid off. If only you could see us now... Well, the rapids will begin to toss us arround shortly, so we're just waiting for the big stuff to happen.

Spring 2, 11:20 A.M.
Whoa! The river has turned on us! We are struggling to keep the rafts together, but it is not very easy. Had those "profiteers" defeated us and thrown us into the river, we would never be found! We can stay together due to our strength alone, for we have the strongest on each raft, using poles to stear us away from the rocks. I fear the river will overtake us if we are not at full strength. I think I can see the great lake up ahead, but very faintly. It will take us a bit of time to reach it.

Spring 2, 12:04 P.M.
We survived the Great Karkan River! It was named that because the mountain range that runs between Tandar and Hanabi is the same one that Karko Canyon is located on. We are now floating in the lake and resting. We have exhausted ourselves from the trek down the river. I think we are going to all take naps.

Spring 2, 2:57 P.M.
I seem to have slept longer than I thought. It is obvious that we overworked our bodies, but in the time we were sleeping, the current (caused by the river, I assume) pushed us convienently in the direction of Hanabi. In fact, we're on the lakeside beach now. Although it's true that we were only on the rafts for a few hours, it seems like days when you have little space. This beach is a bit of a paradise. Oh great. The sky's growing dark. Guess it makes sense for it to rain now. Hasn't rained in a while, after all. Hey, that's odd... The cloud up there... It's only half dark. How strange.
Suddenly, right before me, I see the shadow of the dark cloud. But it's different than most shadows. It's much darker and it's taken on a round form. Whoa, it's rising! How odd! It's taking the form of a human!
Before I realized it, there was a woman infront of me, who had emerged from the dark shadow and seemed, in my opinion, very mean looking. I wouldn't want to run into her when she's angry...
"Hello, I'm Xeno. Nice entrance. Now who are you?"
Before she answered, I looked up to see the half of the sky not covered in dark clouds, but in white clouds. A ray of light cut through them and flashed on the ground. After my eyes regained their sight, I looked to see another woman. This one seemed opposite of the other one, what with her seeming much less, well, dark. I again introduced myself.
"My name is Xeno. Who are you?"
"I am Spectra, divine knight of the elemental gods."
These words were spoken from the lighter of the two.
"And I am Shade, dark knight of the elemental gods."
A dark knight? She must be skilled like Moogle. They both seem very powerful.
"A dark knight, eh? Well then, you might want to talk to Moogle."
Moogle makes his way between the party members, as does Lumina.
Moogle was the first to speak.
"Your a dark knight too? I thought I was the only one."
She ignores this comment, looks him over, and says
"For a dark knight, you do not appear to be very strong."
"Hey, I'll have you know I'm undefeated in battle! I can move the moon whenever I feel like it! If anyone here's weak, it's certainly not me!"
"You are ignorant. A dark knight gathers strength not from battle, but from spirit. Even a novice would know that."
Meanwhile, Lumina and Spectra are talking to eachother.
"Hi, I'm Lumina."
"I know of you. You are a light mage."
"Yes, I am. You are a divine knight. Is it true? I thought divine knights were merely myths."
"You see me before you."
Meanwhile, I stand there, very confused as to who these people are and why they are here.
"Excuse me, but what business do you have with us?"
Spectra replied.
"The four elemental gods of Juna have told us that this group will fulfill the prophecy of the elemental staff."
"Well, we would have, but..." I explained to them the story of your teleportation and how we got from there to where we are now.
Spectra sighed.
"I see. So you are without your leader. This just makes things harder."
"What do you mean?"
"We were sent to test your strength. If this group is truely destined to wield the staff, then we need to make sure you are worthy. Shade and I will test your abilities. Defeat us in battle if you can."
"I don't see what this proves."
Kazin, the wizard who constantly messes things up, steps up
"Xeno, don't worry about it. They're just a couple women. It's not like they're gonna hurt us."
At that moment, Kazin was covered with the dark energy that is released with Terrastab and was thrown down into the dune behind us. Shade simply smiled.
"Kazin, that was a stupid thing to say. I don't see what our battle will prove."
Shade replies
"It will prove wether or not you are worth our time. If you fail at this, then we will tell the four elemental gods of Juna that you are not skilled enough for the path ahead. They will undoubtedly abandon you and you will recieve no more help from them."
I was speechless. I began to walk towards Hanabi, ignoring them. As I walked, I called back to the group,
"There is no honor in a battle sparked over pride and doubt. If the elemental gods did not have faith in us, they would not have gotton us this far."
I then felt a shocking surge of pain and was pulled back to them by the same dark energy that Shade had used on Kazin. Spectra said, with very little emotion,
"I don't recall asking if you wanted to fight. I admire your honor and values, but if you leave now, you will not only turn your back on the elemental gods, but on Meliadoul as well. He has worked hard to claim and defend the Elemental Staff. If he lives, then his work will have been in vain, for without the elemental gods, the staff is a useless stick."
"You have no honor. Forcing someone into battle and threatening those you don't even know to be alive. I do not wish to fight, but you give me no choice."
The knights unsheathed their swords, the wizards their staffs and rods, the archers pulled the first arrows from their quivers and lined up their bows, the ninjas cracked their knuckles, the mecs and snipers loaded their guns, and we entered battle.

Spring 2, 3:20 P.M.
That was the fiercest battle ever... It was going good for a while, although Spectra and Shade proved to be fluent in all kinds of attacks the likes of which I've never dreamed, like that odd barrier and the use of the scythe of death... But that final attack by Spectra was immensly powerful! It could rival Fusion! Only a few of us were standing after the blow, and I wasn't one of them. It took me a moment to come to.
"I guess...we...showed you...huh?"
Spectra, out of breath herself, gathered white energy in her hands and focused it on everyone, and we were all miraculously healed, even the mecs!
"Thanks. So, did we pass the test?"
"You survived. That is admirable. Very few can survive my trump card."
"I guess thats a good thing... So this entire test of yours resulted in what? We got beat up and you know that we can weaken goddesses?"
"That was not the point of the exercise at all..."
Shade walked to Moogle.
"You used strategy in that battle. You could have strengthened yourself by blocking the sun, but you knew I would grow in strength as well. Why did you care?"
"....because I did. I don't need to give you any reasons, but if you really want to know, its because I didn't want you to hurt my friends."
"So the knight has honor yet... Perhaps you have hope as well. The potential exists, but do you truely know the source of your power?"
Shade walks back to Spectra and stands there in silence. Spectra finally says
"You've proven yourselves worthy of the staff. But your chain of power lacks the crucial link."
I replied in a single word
"Meliadoul."
"I suggest you find him. Afterall, if he really is worthy of the staff, he wouldn't let a little thing like death stop him."
Shade finally puts in
"Afterall, I'd know."
The flash appears and they are gone as fast as they had come.
"That was unreal...hey, I can see Hanabi from here!"
We begin to walk towards the town, but Moogle stumbles and falls in the sand. We turn to see what the problem is.
"Whats wrong Moogle? Were you injured more severely in the battle than we thought?"
"No...I tripped over something..."
He reaches down and pulls up a small object. It is a dagger with a blade of a dark-crystiline origin. Its hilt has a dark stone in it and an inscription around it saying something I can't make out.
"How strange.."
Moogle looks over the sword.
"This dagger.....its full of darkness... it feels incredable in my hands. It must be a parting gift from Shade."
He quickly puts it in his belt rather than his sheath.
"Although it seems like a gift from Shade, I'm not sure if I trust it. I'm gonna keep my trusty Darkedge around just incase this thing isn't all I think it is."
I shrug and we continue into Hanabi.

Spring 2, 7:54 P.M.
This town has been amazing! I didn't write anything in your Journal when I got here because I immedately began investigating. But before I bore you with details about my work, I'll tell you about the town. Its unreal. I've learned Hanabi is in fact a major resort town, and for good reason. The beaches here are warm year round due to a natural warm current, which makes the climate perfect and the waters just as wonderful. Since the sun sets in this area take a longer amount of time than they do everywhere else, the water here is always a shade of orange, which makes this town all the more magical. I now know why people risk their lives on the river to get here...
Anyway, about my looking. I checked the townsquare first in hopes that I would find you or the dragon somewhere shopping. No such luck, as you know. Although I've seen many amazing weapons, including a sword that can heal its user and a bow that can never miss! But the prices here prove that it is a resort town! Rochel has taken advantage of this towns popularity and has been showing off his skills and making money doing so. Ivy has been looking over the plant life in the area, I suppose someone who relies on nearby forestry has to do this everywhere, or maybe its just her passion. Jessica went shopping moments after checking in at the Inn and I haven't seen her since. Lumina is enjoying the sun on the beach. The majority of the party is shopping and tanning. Beedrill51 and I did all of the real looking. We checked the Ninja Shoppe while I was buying Shurikens for future use and the man there was not very helpful. If you were here, then this guy would have remembered seeing a large green dragon. It seems all ninjas don't share the passion afterall. Either that or this guy never saw you, which scares me. If your not here, then where are you?

Spring 8, 12:52 P.M.
Well, its been a day now and we've all stocked up on all kinds of new equipment and accessories. I heard rumors earlier that there was a town nearby called Hydra. Its where all magic originated and was a major opposer of Noryb in the war. We think you might have gone there, since it is a great place to learn magic. We plan to go there later.

Spring 8, 3:16 P.M.
We're near the towns docks. We were looking into a form of water transport when we found that jetskis are in use here. These strang contraptions are like small mecs and they run very fast on the water, much much faster than our traditional rafts. I talked to the man here and he says we can rent them, but not buy them, which is sad for us in that this more likely than not will not be a round trip. It is a pity, as I'm looking at two men out in the bay going very fast on them. Odd, they're coming in my direction. They're not stopping!
I stand back and see the jetskis! They are on rise over the water and land on the dock! This has attracted the attention of the group. These two men are in mecs and are looking at me.
"Are you followers of the late Meliadoul?"
"What do you mean late? We know he's alive!"
"So you are. Byron has put a bounty on each of you as well. 750$ a head is quite a fee for a group as large as you!"
I thought we were through with the bounty hunters, but it seems we aren't so lucky. We truely wish you were here, for you were a great negotiator. Looks like we're in for a battle.

Spring 8, 3:51 P.M.
That was not one of our better battles. Its hard to fight what you can't see. Although Hybrid was helpful. Kazin and Beedrill have gained the ability to merge into a being known as Hybrid, who I believe is the god of Faith and Trust. Hybrid is very powerful and I'm not sure if we could have won this fight without his assistance. He disappeared when Beedrill and Kazin reverted. I do hope we can see him again. With the mercenaries and bounty hunters after us yet again, I'm not sure its safe to leave town until we're fully stocked with equipment and back to peak health. The group seems to be taking the situation lighter than expected, but I'm not going to stop them. Afterall, we are at the beach.

Spring 9, 1:04 A.M.
I'm awake. I was sleeping nicely until the room filled with light. I had a visitor. It was Spectra.
"Spectra, welcome. Sorry if I'm not excited, but I'm sort of tired at the moment."
"Do you recall the test we gave you?"
"Yes, it wasn't that long ago."
"You passed the test and Shade and I believe you can fulfill your destinies. But not yet. You still have some unfinished business to attend to."
"What type of business might that be?"
"Gather your group and be ready by dawn."
Another flash and she was gone. I don't know how Meliadoul could stand these vision things, but its really getting on my nerves.

Spring 9, 6:42 A.M.
Well, we're waiting out here. The group is assembled and ready, though a bit annoyed. Its hard to trust someone who threw a small star into you. Well, here's the signature flash, only its joined by Shade's entrance as well.
"Okay, so whats the business you had to talk to us about? Forgive us for being skeptical, but you nearly killed us."
Shade was silent. Spectra spoke.
"I understand your doubt, but we're here as allies."
"What is it that you want to do for us?"
"We want to take you on a little trip. It was good thinking to come to Hanabi, but Meliadoul is obviously not here. Instead, we're taking you to places I'm sure you remember to finish a few things. Hope your ready."
There was another flash. I expected Spectra to be gone, but instead, I found myself in some strange forest. I don't recognise it at all.
Ivy immediately catches on, however.
"We're in Karko Canyon! This is the forest near my home!"
I remember hearing Meliadoul talk about the experience here back at Tandar Castle.
"So this is the site of the great casting of Fusion?"
"No, that is."
Ivy points off into the distance. Although you could tell winter snow had caused a bit of a mudslide, the great crater was still there. It was much larger than I thought!
"So what are we doing here? Any ideas Rochel? ...Rochel?"
He wasn't there. I turned to find that Rochel wasn't the only one missing. Lumina wasn't there either. Moogle was gone as well. I looked over the group and found that Beedrill51, Orlandu, Big Moogle, Kyle, Mystalic, Korts, Krelian, and Victor were also gone.
"Hey! Where are you guys?"
I got no response. Ivy turned to me after looking around herself.
"What exactly did Spectra tell you last night?"
"Not much really. She just said that we had unfinished business to attend to."
"Unfinished business? What could we have possib-"
She seemed as if she was cut off.
"What is it?"
"We're here to finish unfinished business all right...there she is."
Ivy pointed and I turned. There it was, something we had left behind. The Arachnid Queen.

Spring 9, 6:45 A.M.
Very strange. This is Moogle. When we appeared, I found this journal in my hands. But the really strange thing is where we appeared. We are inside the temple on top of Mount Juna. I don't remember much about this place, since we were here so long ago, but I do know this is the place. I've also noticed that half of the group is gone. Xeno, Delita, Dekar, Eez, Druzil, Kazin, Joymann, Ness, Gogo, Ivy, and Jessica are all not here. It seems Spectra and Shade have tricked us! Not only are we very far from Hanabi, but we're seperated! And without Kazin, Beedrill can't call upon Hybrid!
"Welcome."
I look up and see Shade.
"What are you trying to pull here? Where is everyone else and why are we back in Juna!"
"I am here to finish our battle. You call yourself a dark knight and have shown your honor and skill in our last battle, but you were in a very large group and it was simply myself and Spectra. Two against twenty eight is not a fair fight."
"You picked that fight. Any fight you start knowing won't be fair is your fault and yours alone."
"This is our true battle. Last time, we were in a bright and sunny place, so the spirits were not strong in either of us. Here, we are surrounded by dark energy. You and I will be at our maximum potential!"
"So this is a one on one duel? I know not to duel a goddess alone. And you know I'm not that stupid."
"Do I?"
"You brought my friends here didn't you?"
"Ah yes, I did. Don't worry, I've got some friends to keep them entertained. If they are as great as I believe, your friends should be free to help you in a few minutes. Ofcourse, my friends aren't pushovers."
Shade raised her hand and a dark purplish sphere of light formed! The light radiated throughout the entire room! I saw the light gather in two areas, one to Shade's right and the other to her left! This light of darkness, if I can even call it that, forms into the shapes of two beings! It seems Shade really does have a few friends. I don't like this. She was tough enough when she wasn't at full strength, and we don't have the rest of our group this time. This is not going to be easy.

Two parts of the world, two groups of good, and ofcourse, they simultaniously enter battle.

Spring 9, 1:42 P.M.
So many strange events in the course of one day. During the battle with Shade, Lumina challenged Spectra and Shade to the "Hikarigame-Kuraigame Challenge", which is a sacred battle whose winners are to reign as the Gods or Godesses of Light and Dark. When the challenge was made, Shade returned the group to Karko Canyon, where the rest of us were still fighting the Arachnid Queen. It wasn't until after Ivy unleashed the hidden powers of the planet that the Queen died. With its death, I notice Ivy felt at ease. At that moment, Lumina and Moogle returned to us with news of their victory over Spectra and Shade on a most unusual battlefield. Moogle's copy of the Journal was missing when he reached for it and I suprisingly found his entry written below my own and above this one. Though we don't know how it could have happened, we're accepting it. Compared to all that we've been to, this is nothing. We're all gathered together near the crater caused by Fusion and talking.
Moogle is trying out his new sword on a nearby tree. "I'm not used to this type of weapon. I can't seem to get full force when I swing it."
Rochel, who is watching over him, jumps down from the tree he was sitting on and lands next to Moogle. "You're using it like you would a standard one-handed longsword. You're forgetting what kind of sword it is. It is a two handed katana-type blade. First, put your shield down. If your going to use a blade like this, you can't use a shield. It restricts your mobility and shifts your center of gravity due to its extra weight." Rochel takes his shield and props it up against a tree. "Now you should be able to balance yourself much easier." Rochel jumps up near the tree and lands on his feet, sword drawn. A small brance falls near him. He then begins to hack off the limbs and any rough tree gnots. After a moment, he carves a crude masamune out of the branch. "Okay, now I want you to mimic me." Rochel and Moogle then begin a few basic exercises.
The rest of us are sitting together in a bit of a huddle.
Lumina, holding a wizard's traditional straw hat, says in a low voice. "Spectra and Shade told Moogle and I that Meliadoul does not live. They also gave me this..."
We bow our heads. I stand up. "I don't believe them. The Elemental God of Fire told me that he lives. Spectra and Shade could very well be lying to us as revenge for their second defeat! I'm not going to accept this!"
Ivy then stands as well. "We need to go to my home. I have not been there since last Fall and I need to bring them news of our victory over the Arachnid Queen. I believe we need to resupply anyway, so please join me."
We agree and begin our journey to the home of the Children of the Forest.

Spring 9th, 4:15 P.M.
We have crossed over to the other dimension via the tree stump. I think we suprised the locals, becuase they are gathering in a crowd around us. They appear, as I have read, to be wood elves. I did not join the group until they reached Tandar, so everything I know about this place is second-hand knowledge. The senior group members are showing the newer ones around and I am following Ivy to the village leader's home. Rochel has disappeared, it seems. I haven't seen him since we arrived.

Spring 9th, 4:23 P.M.
Ivy and I are inside the leader's home.
Ivy bows before the leader and I do the same, just a bit slower. Their customs really aren't that different from our own. She then presents him a fang from the Arachnid Queen that she must have taken while we were resting up. "The Arachnid Queen is dead and the forest is safe. I have fulfilled my duties as Princess of the Mori."
The leader inspects the fang in his seat, then places it on the floor next to him. He is sitting down in a meditating position on what appears to be a very old rug. I then notice the writing on the rug to be in the old language of the Karko Canyon people. My knowledge of ancient languages is limited, but I make out the word "delata", which means protector.
The leader finally speaks up. "You have done your people well and fulfilled your destiny with us. I notice your friend with the straw hat is not among you. Has he also fulfilled his destiny?"
I reply as respectfully as I can. "Meliadoul and the rest of us defeated our enemy in battle. Meliadoul was merciful, but he was betrayed and hit with an energy beam capable of transporting him into the sun. The dragon that was with us, which was sick in our last visit here and couldn't come, was also hit by this beam of energy. We are trying to find him now and were sent to the queen by the former Goddess of Light Spectra to finish our business with the arachnid. We then returned here. For reasons unknown, Meliadoul left me in charge of our group, although I was still relatively new to the party. I did not join them until after they visited your dimesion."
The leader slowly looks up towards Ivy. "Your mission for us has been complete. Your destiny, however, is unfulfilled. I have no doubt in my mind that you wish to return to the human world and find your friend. I only ask that you stay here tonight and share your adventures with your people. Even though we've begun a very slow process of interaction with the people of Karko Canyon, thanks to these people showing us that humans aren't all bad, we still find it very dull here."
Ivy smiles. "Ofcourse we will. Thank you."
"Excellent. If you plan on continuing your journey, you will no doubt run into greater enemies than before. Our people want nothing more than your safe return, so I'm sure they will agree with me when I give you this."
The leader reaches to his side, next to where he placed the fang, and retrieves a box. He opens the box in Ivy's direction and she reaches in, pulling out what appears to be a whip made of vine.
"Is this the Mori Whip?"
"Yes. The Mori Whip is the only one of our ancient weapons not sealed away. It was our first guardian's wish that whoever accomplished what she herself could not would use this whip with the pride of our people. It will serve you well."
Ivy took the whip is what appeared to be a brief ceremony. I left the room when I felt I was sitting in on something that I as a foreigner shouldn't see.

Spring 9th, 9:23 P.M. (Note: this is not written in the actual journal, it is an event that takes place that would have no business in the Journal and therfore is being told in third-person omniscient.)
Ivy walks though the village to the surrounding forest. The air is slightly moist, but not enough to cause any discomfort. Dew was still on the grass beneath her feet, for it had been under the canopy since morning and had no sun to dry it. After a walking for at least five minutes, Ivy happens upon a very familiar stream.
"Aren't you up a little late princess?" Rochel was sitting at the bank of the stream. He was not in the chainmail-plate suit of armor most see him in. He is instead wearing a cloth and leather outfit whose leggings look torn and shredded.
"I felt nostalgic. I once had a talk with Meliadoul at this spot. Why are you here?"
He picks a hollowed reed from the shallow edge of the stream and begins to tear off small bits of it and throw them into the water. "This was my sister's favorite place in the forest. I haven't seen her in so long, I thought..."
"..that you might find her here." Ivy sits down next to him and removes her shoes. She then places her bare feet into the cold yet soothing water.
Rochel throws another bit of the reed into the water. "I haven't seen her in so long... I thought that I might find her when I joined the party. It seemed like the traveling opprotunity I had been waiting for. I hadn't traveled sooner because I knew that getting to Hanabi would be impossible alone. But I had a good feeling when I saw this group. A leader full of hope and innocence, believing he could do anything and nothing could stop him. First Tander, then Noryb. She wasn't in either place. Nor was she in Hanabi. When you account the time I spent traveling the other towns, I hadn't found her at all. Though it seems like coincidence, I've been following Meliadoul and his group since day one. After checking nearly the whole world, I finally decided that she had returned here."
"She couldn't have returned here without the Mori Dust. It wouldn't be possible." The epiphany of what Rochel was thinking finally sets on Ivy. She feels a pit in her stomach. "Rochel, your sister isn't dead. You said so yourself. She's strong enough to survive."
Ivy notices a faint sparkle on Rochel's cheek. She had never seen a man cry before. She did not think they were capable, being the insensative inconsiderate species they appear to be.
"You're....you're right. She couldn't be dead. I bet she's somewhere with Meliadoul right now and they're looking for us. Shes riding the Green Dragon right now. She told me she always wanted to ride a dragon. I had to try my best to keep her away from the caves."
Ivy reaches into the water and splashes Rochel in the face with it.
"What was that for?!"
"The big strong master swordsman is whining over something he doesn't even know to be true! I can't let you kill your image like that!"
Rochel looks down on his clothes. "You got the leather wet! Do you have any idea what water does to leather?!"
Ivy lies her head down on his wet shoulder in a child-like gesture. "Whine whine whine, Rochel whines too much. Why're you wearing that anyway?"
Rochel, suprised by her actions a bit, talks in a low voice. "These are the clothes I wore in training."
Ivy raises her head and looks at him in a sarcastic way. "No kidding. I recognise novice armor when I see it. I want to know why your wearing it now."
Rochel's voice returns to normal as he returns the look. "I thought my sister would recognise this. It was what I wore the night I took her from this place. It still fits. I guess it would. We don't age very fast do we?"
"No, we don't." Ivy looks down at her reflection in the water. The moonlight illuminates Rochel's reflection and her own. Ivy feels that pit return to her stomach that she had felt before, but it was a different pit. A pleasent pit.
Rochel then reverses the situation. "What did you hope to accomplish by coming here?" He throws another bit of reed into the water, slightly rippling the reflection.
"Honestly... I thought I would find you here."
Rochel looks up with a faint yet present look of suprise. "Oh? How would you know about my sister's favorite place?"
"Your sister and I were good friends. Your parents grew up with mine and while you were out training in the ways of the swordsman, I went on walks with your sister. She was my age, afterall, so we had a lot to talk about. She taught me a little bit of magic. She knew I was going to have to be a guardian some day and since you weren't there to help me train in the ways of a fighter, she taught me how to use what I'm fighting for."
"I had no idea you knew my sister... When I brought her up last fall, you were shocked to find out I even had a sister."
"You are not the only one who can act. I did not want to cause more conflict at the time, so I feigned ignorance. But the past is not what is important right now. Your sister is not here and there is nothing we can do about that. But the rest of your family has missed you and have been waiting for your return since the day you left. When the human group first came here, their hope became stronger than ever. Now that you are here, don't let them down. Go see your family and tell them that you are alive and well."
Rochel, having a pit of his own stomach, nods. He gives Ivy a hug, kisses her on the forehead, and rises to his feet. He then walks away, leaving her alone at the stream with her feet in the flowing water and a smile on her face.
Ivy lies back on the dew-covered grass and notices a sparkle of dew on her own face. She rises to her feet and prepares to return to the group.
As she is reaching for her shoes, Ivy hears another voice. It is of a woman. It is somewhat familiar, but she cannot pair it with a face.
"Who is there?"
Ivy hears the same voice giggle in the direction of the stream. She looks around, but does not see anyone. She hears another giggle and looks down to see a reflection in the water. There was another wood elf staring back at her.
The other elf was not Ivy, however. She also had long flowing green hair, but she looked a bit older, being taller and all around more developed as a woman. Ivy then remembers what she had looked like when she channeled the energy of the forest in the battle with the queen. Although she had not seen a reflection, the others had put together a sketch of what she looked like and the woman in the reflection looked very similar to it.
"Who are you? You look like me, as if you were a relative of some sort."
"I am your ancestor. I died long ago, but my spirit was not allowed to rest. I was killed as a sacrifice by those who knew not love."
"You...you are the princess we are discendants of! The one whose love was killed and child slain!"
"It is amazing how stories are changed over time. True, my love was killed and I was sacrificed, but my child survived. You are a descendant of her."
"We are not descendants of your arranged marriage?"
"There was none. I imagine the tale was changed because of the shame that the leaders of the village had of being descended from a half-elf."
"So am I a half elf too?"
"Does it matter?
"No, not really. What has summoned you here this night?"
"I sensed love. Love was what lead to my death, yet I am still attracted to it."
Ivy grew silent.
"You don't have to admit it to me or anyone. Love, however, is like a rose. You can hide it in the darkness, but it will never bloom until you bring it into the light of day. My time here is done. Please remember my words. There is no greater tragedy than that of love forbidden to bloom."
An insect lands on the water and causes a ripple. The water eventually settles, but the reflection is that of Ivy again.
Ivy, while she would normally react with curiosity about the situation, feels different inside. She feels the pit in her stomach wrap itself into a knot. A warm knot. This warmth fills her body and she gathers her shoes and begins to head home.

Spring 10th, 8:32 A.M.
Rochel came back late last night. He entered what I assume was once his home and I heard rejoicing. Ivy also seems to be in high spirits, though she is suprisingly quiet. I told the village leader that we had a tough road ahead of us and that we would be in grave danger, in case he had anything to say to Ivy in the event something unfortunant happens. Instead, he told me to go to a nearby cave. "There are dragons there", he said, "that you should try your strength against. If you cannot defeat a cave of dragons, how can you defeat an army? If you defeat them, you can claim the weapons they protect and finally rid our dimension of them. They are what keep us from exploring the rest of our world. Our village grows crowded and we continue to move the boundaries. We worry that our children might wander too close to the cave as we ourselves get closer as a village. Please defeat them, for the sake of yourselves and us." I told him that it sounded like a great idea.

Spring 10th, 9:48 A.M.
I gave the group the message fairly easily. In the village, every one is within shouting distance, so the group was gathered within an hour. I told them what we were doing and they all agreed that we would venture to the cave in a few hours, after their breakfast had settled and their equipment bought. It may be my ninja instinct, but my conscience is telling me that we shouldn't kill the majestic beasts...

Spring 10th, 1:15 P.M.
It took a few hours to get here, but we've finally reached the entrance to the Dragon Cave. Most of us made it here, but we had to leave a few behind. Ivy and Rochel stayed because they made an oath as children to never venture to the Dragon Cave as long as its inhabitants breathed forest air. Jessica did the same, because its diplomatic custom for the Tandar Royal family to obey the laws of the land. Lumina is also staying behind to study the dimensional portal in hopes of finding a way to use similar techniques against Byron's space-altering technology. Those of us who made the trip are eager to do battle with the Dragons. We enter the cave.

It is unbearably dark in here. I tell Alefia to light a torch, which he does, only to find the gliscening teeth of a slumbering dragon. We begin to sneak past it, but Dekar accidentally nudges a wall and ancient dust is sent into Kazins face, causing him to sneeze. We try to regroup when the beast lets out a battlecry, awakening its siblings and sending us into battle