*Anis*

I stared out of my bedroom window. It wasn't that long ago that I threw Tekeshi out of it for being such a flirt.

I laughed. If only I could go back to that day. I rubbed my stomach. This child, like Tetsu, might never get the chance to grow up with its father.

I wiped the tears starting to form. Come on, Anis. Just because his favorite constellation is gone, it doesn't mean that he is.

Though, Ximena had contacted me the other day to confirm that he never returned from a confrontation with Aster. Had he gotten lost in that world of darkness? Or maybe injured? Or was it something far worse?

I gulped and shook my head. I had to go to something. Being left alone with my thoughts wasn't good for me.

Suddenly, the crystal I was holding on my right hand glowed.

"Anis, are you there?" a voice called out. It belonged to my cousin Osamu.

"What do you want, Perv?"

"Will you stop calling me that alright? That was years ago!"

"No, I like calling you that," I said, laughing.

He sighed. "Whatever. I'm contacting you as I wanted to know how things are over there."

"Everything appears to be fine. I've been in contact with Miyuki and the others. Nothing unordinary has been going on. Well, except for here."

"Hmm? What happened there?"

My hands started shaking. "Well, you see, several stars vanished last night. Including Tekeshi's favorite constellation."

"They vanished overnight? Then the council of astronomy should know something about it or are at least investigating. I'll have one of the others get in contact with them."

"You can't?"

"No. Didn't Tekeshi tell you that these crystals only work once a day?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm starting to remember now."

Osamu sighed. "You can still be such a bird brain."

"S-shut up, stupid!"

"And childish."

I grumbled. "So, why did you call me out of everyone?"

"I... Well, first, are you sitting down?"

"Yeah, I am." I bit my lip. "It's something about Shi, isn't it?"

"Yes. Earlier today, Serrano contacted me using Nori's crystal. He told me that Hanketsu and Aventine informed them that Tekeshi is currently captured."

I stood up. "Captured? So he's not dead?" I asked, grinning.

"Nope. Though, I figured that guy wouldn't die so easily. I swear, he has nine lives."

I laughed. "Yeah."

Osamu made what sounded like a chuckle. "You're taking it a lot better than I thought."

"Well, it's better that he's alive. There's hope he'll come back to me, to us."

"Thing is that we have no idea where to begin to look. Plus, right now, an attack on the abyss would be difficult to muster. Our forces and allies are focused on defending Xeleria and Zionia."

I sighed. "True. We got no one to spare for the rescue, do we?"

"Not yet. We'll need to rout the enemy in the upcoming battle. That's if they show up. I'm beginning to dread that they might've gone to Zionia instead. I heard a similar celestial phenomenon as the one you witnessed happened before the abysmals appeared in Xeleria."

"Don't worry. We'll hold the fort here until you guys return."

"Ever so confident. Then I trust you to keep my kingdom safe until I return."

"You know, you sound kind of like your old self again."

"What do you mean?"

"When we met in the palace, there were times in which you sounded cruel. Including after we returned from Xeleria after the Mahoulympics."

"Oh, that..." He gasped. "Seems like the crystal's running out of energy. We will talk again later, bye."

I stared at my blinking crystal, which eventually returned to its restive form. "What's going on with you, Osamu?" I said, furrowing my brow.

The sound of knocking at the door snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Ma, breakfast is ready," Teresa said.

"You may enter," I said, taking a seat at my chair by the window.

The door slowly opened, and in came my second child. "How are you feeling today?" she asked, giving me a slight smile. Tere carried a plateful of eggs with a side of avocado.

"Thanks, dear," I said, accepting the food from her. "I'm feeling better. That perverted king called, he heard from your cousin that your dad was captured after battling an abysmal in that realm."

Teresa's eyes widened. "Dad lost?"

I lowered my gaze to my food. "It seems so. You've experienced first-hand how powerful they can be."

"Yeah, but..." I looked up at her. Tears slid down her face.

"Oh, sweetie," I said, grabbing hold of the back of her head. "Don't cry. He'll be alright. We'll save him along with my nephew."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"Who could that be?" I asked, letting go of Teresa.

Teresa wiped her tears away. "I'll go check. Maybe it's Tetsu."

"No. It can't be him. Taku said that he and the other four Knights of Prophecy were training in another realm for three days. It's only been two days."

Teresa furrowed her brow and rushed out of the room.

I recalled what Osamu had said of the stars. What if the one here were one of Shi's relatives? But why would they so casually ring the doorbell if they were after something? Perhaps they were here to engage in dialogue. Or to see what we had to offer for Shi's liberation.

"Teresa? Is that you?" a voice called out. I gasped and stood up. I quickly ate my food and rushed over to greet our guest. My eyes widened as I saw it was more than just one. Among them was Etsuo.

"Nico, why did you let them in?" Teresa asked, backing away.

"Kiara's with them. They can't be enemies," Nico said.

A woman with golden-brown hair laughed. "You thought we were enemies?"

Teresa's face blushed. "Well, you're with that spy," Tere said, pointing at her paternal cousin.

"Cut him some slack, he wasn't given much choice," Kiara said, stepping between the cousins.

Etsuo lowered his head. "That's not true. I was. I could've played a more neutral role than I did. Unlike my uncle Skah, we who aren't pillars do have a say in this."

"Skah doesn't have a say?" I asked, walking down the stairs.

"Sis!" the woman from earlier said.

"Rene!" I yelled, opening my arms.

"Ah, I'm so glad to see you, Anis! I missed you so much!"

"Same here, Ren-ren."

"Wait, so this is my aunt Rene?" Teresa asked.

"You don't remember me? Then again, you were around Nate's age when I last saw you," my sister said, glancing at the blue-haired kid who was taking in the sight of my family's living room.

"Aww, he's so cute!" Teresa said as she jumped in front of her little cousin. She glanced at his younger sister. "So are you! You look like a living doll!"

My sister's youngest daughter smiled. "Thanks, I get that a lot. Want to play tea party?"

Teresa laughed. "Of course! I always used to play that with Xime back when we were kids."

The girl's eyes glimmered. "What kind of teas do you have?"

"We got a couple. This area grows several actually," Teresa said as she led her cousin into the kitchen.

Rene snickered. "Oh, that girl never changes."

"Tell me about it," I said, laughing. "So, what do I owe this visit for?"

"Aunt, do you know if uncle Tekeshi kept any stuff from the abyss? We need some to heal Roa."

I gasped. "Roa? What happened to him?"

Etsuo gulped. "His body, it's crystalizing. We think it's due to the wounds sustained from his battle against Naoru. That guy's angel tool messed his natural healing up."

"I see. I'll help ya, but under one condition."

"What?"

I smiled. "You'll help me rescue your uncle."

Kiara bit her lip. "So he really is in trouble."

"You knew about it?"

"Yeah, I tried to get in contact with him to ask about the ingredients for the medicine we're making. The crystal flickered, but it only showed darkness and a panther-like creature covered in vines."

My eyes widened. "Vines?"

"I think it was Grandfather who captured him," Etsuo said. "If so, then breaking him out will be tough. Grandfather's vines are tough. Only my dad and the other ancients can cut it."

I clenched my teeth. "I see."

"I'm sorry that I can't be of any help," Etsuo said, giving me a sad look.

I turned around. "No, your information is enough. Even if we can't break him out of the prison, we can at least take him out of there and figure out how to break the cage later. Come, I'll show you to the library. I think that's where we might find what you're looking for."

"Thanks, so much, auntie!" Kiara said, running over and hugging me from behind.

I laughed. "It's nothing. I know that we're at war, but Roa is still Shi's nephew, so he's family." I glanced at Etsuo. "Say, what did you mean when you said Skah has no choice?"

"The pillars are restrained by destiny. If they don't aid in the war, bad things could befall them which force them to."

"But... Tekeshi is a pillar..."

"Could be that's why grandfather sealed him. To keep him safe from the consequences of his decision to betray Abyssia."

My hands shook. Then, would us saving Tekeshi doom him to a worse fate? If so, perhaps we should wait until the war is over.

"I'm not sure it's a good idea to accept 'destiny' so easily," my sister said as she followed me.

"Yeah, we can't escape its flow if we don't try," she said, grinning.

I let out a weak chuckle. "Sometimes, one ends up unknowingly swimming on the flow of the river." I stared at the wooden door underneath our staircase. Tekeshi had begun work on Tetsu's shield in the study years ago. "Though, perhaps there are those who can."

"Who?" Nico asked as he accompanied us.

I smiled. "The Five Knights of Prophecy. Tekeshi put his faith in the wielders of the five weapons to change the destiny of the world. Whether it's saved or doomed, it's all in their hands."

"Big brother can save the world?" Nate asked.

"I hope that they're getting along better," Kiara said.

"Yeah," Nico said. "If not, we might be doomed."

I laughed as we arrived at the door. I opened it, revealing a set of stairs leading into a hallway with concrete walls. "I'm sure they know their responsibility already. They have worked together in two separate occassions and done well. The final battle will likely be no different."

"I feel that's still far off," Etsuo said.

"Why do you think that?" Kiara asked, glancing at him.

"Grandfather is unsure about whether to destroy Zionia or not. If not for that doubt, this realm's light would already be in our hands."

"I hope he continues to be indecisive or even better, decides to not destroy us," my sister said.

"The thing is... if we don't, our home and its people die," he said with downcast eyes. "That's why I went along with this invasion." He interlaced his hands and closed his eyes. "It's also why I can't betray Abyssia. I can't have my family and friends die."

Kiara gulped. "You'll die?" She put a hand against her chest. "Dine, is that true?"

"I haven't heard of it," Kiara said.

I blinked. "Wait, why did you answer yourself?"

"That was Dine," Kiara said, giving me a slight smile.

"Okay..."

"It's a long story," my niece said, laughing.

"Best to save it for tea time," I said as we arrived at another door.

"Woah," Nate said as he stared at the massive library underneath our house.

"How did you afford all these?" my sister asked, as shocked as her son.

"Shi and I used our stipend to buy them. I thought of selling some of them when times were tough, but Taku didn't want to do that. He felt it was like selling a reminder of his dad."

"Oh that Taku. He's always been a nice kid. Say, where is he?"

"He went to Xeleria with the others," I said as I made my way toward Tekeshi's desk. It was still positioned near the door as it was years ago when Tetsuya snuck in here. "Oh right, I haven't asked, what are the ingredients you're looking for?"

Etsuo took out a piece of paper from the right pocket of his pants and handed it to me.

I opened it up. "Let's see, so you need silver-mintia, einril, topia powder, and zalunize."

"Yeah, though we found some einril in the ruins on the Kuroki mountains before we headed here," Kiara said.

"That makes things easier. Uh, does the silver-mintia have to be fresh?" I asked as I opened a drawer with several dried herbs. Among them was something which resembled mint leaves, except it was silver with red veins.

"My brother didn't specify," Etsuo said, sighing.

"I think either would work," Kiara said.

I opened another drawer and took out a bluish stone with silver imperfections. "This is zalunize, right?"

"Yeah!" Etsuo said, taking it. "Did my uncle show you all this?"

"Yup. He told me they came from another universe, but didn't say that universe was Abyssia." I stared at the third item on the list. "This topia power is made up of plants found in the north."

"Seems we're going to have to give Miyuki a visit," Rene said.

"Would she help us?" Kiara asked.

"Why that place?" Dine mumbled.

"I'm not sure if Miyuki would have them. Several of them grow only in Mizu no Kin," I said.

Kiara gulped. "Mizu no Kin?"

I crossed my arms. "You seem afraid."

"I... I was destroyed by a knight from there."

"Oh, it's Dine speaking!" I scratched my head. "Well, my daughter knows its crown prince rather well. Together, she and I helped patched him back up. So he sort of owes us a favor."

Etsuo smiled. "Great! Then we'll give Zafir a visit!"

"I don't want to see that guy again!" Dine said. Or at least I assumed it was her. It was hard to tell. "What if he attacks us?"

"I can have Tere go with you."

"Are you sure?" Nico asked. "I can accompany them instead, that way she can stay with you."

"You can't leave, sis?" Rene asked.

My face reddened slightly. "Well, you see, I'm pregnant."

My little sister smiled. "You too?"

I blinked. "Eh?"

She rubbed her stomach and laughed. "I'm having another one."

I stepped back. "How many does that make now?"

Rene giggled. "Will be eleven with this one."

I looked her up and down. "How do you manage to maintain your figure?"

She winked. "That's a secret! If you'll like, I can stay here with you. I'm pretty tired from the trip. I'm sure that the journey northward would be even more grueling."

I sighed. "Yeah, it is a difficult one to make."

Rene clapped her hands and grinned. "Then it's settled! Plus, it gives us time to catch up!"

I smiled. "Yeah."

"But, would Teresa help us?" Etsuo asked, lowering his head. "She seemed pretty mad at me."

I took a deep breath. "You can't blame her. She and the others put their trust in you and your fellow spies. They thought of you as friends and allies. That said, I think she'll help if I ask her to."

"We could also have Dossie help. She seems to like her," Nate said, grinning.

"True!" Rene said, messing up his hair.

"Then, let's go ask her!" Kiara said, running out of the room.

"That one has a lot of energy," I said.

Rene snickered. "A lot of them do."

"Say, where is your husband?" I asked.

"Oh, he's waiting outside with Alex, Amu, Sy, and Lay."

"Wait, Camila didn't accompany you?" I asked.

"No. She decided to stay back home. She doesn't like going out much. Said that she'll make sure that no one breaks out Roa and Man-kin."

"Is it a good idea to leave his cell so lightly defended?" I asked.

"Naoru is there too. He's a very strong."

"The guy who hurt Roa?"

"Yeah. He has a djinn weapon which can block regenerative abilities. Plus, he's very fast. Then there's Eita."

"Eiko's second son, huh? I know Eita's strong, but would he, Naoru, and Cami be enough?"

"The house guards are there too. Plus, my son's group should be heading there soon."

I smiled. "I see. Seems ya did think this through."

Rene laughed. "Hideaki did. I just came along for the ride."

"Yup!" Nate said, nodding.

I jumped and hugged him. "Will this cutie be staying with us too?"

"Yeah. He's too young for the grueling trip. Same goes for Alex, Lay, and obviously Dossie."

"Great! I'll get to know the younger ones better."

"Yup!"

I crossed my arms. "That Hideo, though, he grew up to be quite the brat."

Rene laughed nervously. "I can't deny that. Sy is the same. Dan was the least selfish of the older boys..." she said with a sad look in her eyes.

"Mommy," Nate said, grabbing her hand.

She gave his hand a squeeze. "I'm alright, honey. Don't worry. I know that crying won't bring him back."

Sis... "We'll save my nephew and my husband, I just know it," I said, giving my little sister a shoulder hug.

Rene gave me a bright smile. "Yeah."

**Solar Note: Hope that the chapter proved enjoyable. With this, 2/3rds of the story is over! I better start outlining the rest of the story soon xD**