[Around the time that Osamu, Eiko, and Miyuki arrived]

I stared at Kusanagi. I had used a spell to call upon its former owners, but no one responded. Part of me hoped that if my grandfather didn't answer, at least my dad would. But that was a silly thing to expect. The man and my mom left suddenly, not even paying my siblings and me a single visit over the past couple of years. Hika and Yuzu probably didn't even remember how our parents looked like. If they did, it was most likely Dad who they recalled, but it was only because he resembled me.

"No luck?" Huang asked as he sat down across the table from me.

I shook my head. "None at all."

Huang sighed. "Seems that we'll need to go out and fight that abysmal ourselves." He closed his eyes. "It seems that one of the ones fighting him has passed."

I nodded. "I noticed that too." I stood up. "Let's go out and help them!"

"I think that it'll be best that I do so. I can delay him until my brother-in-law arrives."

"You think that you'll be able to do it by yourself?"

Huang snickered. "I have a trump card under my sleeve. Well, not sure if it'll bring us victory, but it'll certainly serve to delay that guy."

"What is it?" I asked, curious.

He leaned his back against his chair. "It's a clan secret, I can't say."

"I understand."

The prince of Mina raised an eyebrow at me. "Really? You aren't going to ask?"

I smiled. "I know that asking doesn't always yield results. I'll just have to investigate for myself."

He crossed his arms. "Investigate, huh? You plan to become a detective or something?"

"No. I plan to become a scholar," I said, glancing at the book in front of me. Finding the sealing spell wasn't as easy as the incantation for Daisaru's headband.

"Hope that you'll fulfill your dream," Huang said as he stood up.

I furrowed my brow at him. "Are you sure about going up against that guy? Aren't you a dad?"

"Yeah, to a little girl. But I don't plan to die out there. Like I said, I got a secret weapon."

Such confidence. Wish that I could be as confident as him.

I pushed myself up. "Wait, allow me to accompany you."

"Are you sure?"

"I can hold my own in battle. Plus, I have this," I said, pointing at the sword in my hand.

Huang turned to look at the door. "Alright, let's go."

Suddenly, an alarm rang throughout the library. "Intruder! Intruder!" a voice echoed. "All guards to the basement! I repeat, all guards to the basement!"

"On second thought, I think that we should check that out," I said.

Huang nodded.

"That Monkey King might've been a distraction," Yuri said as he looked up from the book he was reading. It was about medicinal herbs.

"Uh, you were supposed to look for information on the Monkey King," I said.

He closed the book and stood up. "Don't give me that look. The information here could prove vital later on. Plus, Sneg is handling the research into the Monkey King for us." He glanced at his dragon, who had her tiny head immersed in a book.

"So much history, yet nothing on how the Monkey King was sealed," she mumbled.

I sighed. "Yeah. I don't think anything has survived. I mean, it is as old as the Wudi clan."

"Yeah, over ten-thousand-years old," Huang said. "It was probably lost to the ages." With those words, he sprinted away.

Lost to the Ages, huh? That might make a good title for a book one day.

I ran after Huang. The two of us ran into Grace, who was also running in the same direction.

"What was that?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, but it came from deep underneath the palace. The enemy might've snuck in while we were distracted."

"I think so too," Yuri said as he appeared behind Huang and me. His dragon flew over and landed on his shoulder.

"I sense a presence similar to that young man's father."

"What young man?" I asked.

"The one whose soul is similar to yours."

"You mean Tetsuya?"

"I wonder if it's one of my dad's siblings," Takuya said as he emerged from the library with Kei.

Grace raised her hands. "Let's go see." Pink petals appeared and danced around us. The swarm of petals became like a cocoon. When the sea of pink vanished, we found ourselves in a room with flickering lights. In the middle of the room was a bundle of green feathers.

"What is that?" Takuya asked. "Is it the Ziz?"

"You hit the nail on the head," Grace said as she scanned the room. "Someone was definitely here, but how did they find this place?"

I stepped toward the ruler of the skies. "Perhaps, there's a spy among the Xian."

Grace shook her head. "That can't be. Only my sister, brother-in-law, and parents know about it."

"Maybe it was your dad. The king of Kuroriku seemed suspicious of him," Huang said.

Grace bit her lip. "No... I don't think it was him."

I gasped as I saw something rush from behind a metal cylinder over to another.

"There's no one here, except for a rat," Takuya said. His eyes widened. "A rat? My aunt!"

Suddenly, the glass structure containing the Ziz shook. Crimson flames flew from the spot where I had seen something scurry over, burning through the glass.

"No way, that glass is supposed to have a higher melting point than stone!" Grace yelled.

"You'll be surprised by how many people from our world can melt stone," Takuya said.

Grace grunted. "Damn!" She flew toward the opening and gathered winds around her. "Come out, Rat!"

"How rude," a voice called out. A black-haired woman in a crimson dress emerged from behind one of the containers.

"I was right. It is you!" Takuya said.

The woman smiled. "It's been a while, Takuya. I assume that you know the fate of your treasonous father?"

Takuya curled his hands into fists. "Yes." He jumped into the air and threw stones at his aunt. The abysmal woman dodged his punches and kicked him in the stomach, sending him crashing into a concrete wall.

"You're still too weak, Taku."

Takuya pushed himself up. A reddish-brown aura spread from his fists and consumed his entire body.

"Second Heaven, huh?" his aunt said, closing her eyes.

Takuya swung his right arm out. His aura contracted to form a necklace of orange-brown beads.

Rocio raised an eyebrow at him. "That technique... you're a demon slayer? I know that I'm not the nicest person that ever existed, but I'm not a demon."

He smiled at her. "It still works on non-demons." The beads flew out of the necklace and surrounded Rocio.

The Pillar formed a barrier of metal around her as the beads closed in. Explosions rocked the entire room as the beads collided with the metal dome.

"Woah," Sneg said, eyes wide.

"Hey, be careful!" Grace yelled. "You're going to wake up the Ziz."

"Uh, your yelling doesn't help," Huang said, leering at her.

Grace clicked her tongue. "Right..."

"I understand," Takuya said. He held a hand toward the bird. "If it awakens, I'll seal it back up."

"It's not that simple," Grace said. "It took my sister and mother a lot of work to get it under control."

"I see," Takuya said, lowering his hand.

Rocio lowered her defenses and fired a red laser at the container, blowing a hole through it.

A fierce wind blew all of us away, including the abysmal.

"So, this is the power of the third Dimensional Beast," Rocio said as she formed a giant barricade around her.

The creature in the center of the room spread out its wings, blowing a hole through the roof. And by the roof, I meant the actual ceiling of the palace, several floors away.

"What did you do?" Grace snapped as she shielded us with a barrier of wind.

Rocio dusted herself off. "I fulfilled part of my mission. Now, all that's left is to constrain it."

"You fool! You can't contain the wind for long!" Grace yelled.

Rocio put a hand on her hips and scoffed. "That's funny to hear from you, considering you kept it here."

Grace glared at her. "How did you even know how to get here?"

Takuya's aunt tapped her head. "My memories."

Grace's mouth dropped open. "What?"

"Well, not my own, but of my past life. You see, I was a Xianian Princess like yourself in another lifetime."

Grace gulped. "So that's how. Wait, how do you know that I'm a princess?"

Rocio smiled slightly. "You look like my past life's sister, so I figured you were related to her. Plus, this room is only known to the royals. This is where the most dangerous creatures are sealed until they can be properly dealt with. At one point, even my husband was sealed in here."

"Wasn't he sealed under a mountain?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yes. You saw that mountain at the center of the island? The same mountain this palace was built on? It was used to bury Daisaru millennia ago."

"I see," I said, wishing that I had a notepad to write what she was talking about.

"How can you recall memories of another lifetime?" Grace asked.

"My half-sister looked into my soul," Rocio said as she watched the Ziz staring back at her.

"Someone who can look into the memories of the soul?" Takuya asked. "Is she a shaman?"

"No. She's not. Her special ability is to view memories. Those memories can be of one's current lifetime or the previous."

"Why are you telling us this?" Huang asked, glaring at her.

Rocio smiled. "Felt chatty. Plus, nothing I'm telling you right now will affect this course of this war. Kaguya's role in it is over."

"I see," Takuya said. He slammed his hands, covering the Ziz in a barricade of earth. The winged lion reduced the earth wall into fine dust and slashed Takuya in half with a razor blade.

"Takuya!" I yelled.

Takuya coughed up blood. Dark tendrils quickly linked both halves together. "I'm fine. At the end of the day, I'm an abysmal too."

"Yes, one who has yet to awaken his full abysmal powers," Rocio said as she approached the bird. "I suggest that all of you leave if you wish to live. Things are about to get hectic." Golden rings appeared in front of her arms. They looked just like the headband on the Monkey King.

"How does she know that spell?" I asked.

"How can she use magic in the first place?" Huang asked as he stepped back.

Rocio grinned. "Our cores allow us to use prana. You could say that they aren't different from the Magicum Organum that you Xelerians have inside of you."

"So that's how my dad could use magic," Takuya said. He glanced at Huang.

Huang nodded back as if he knew what Takuya had in mind. Simultaneously, the two slammed their hands against the ground, causing stones to swirl around the Ziz and Rocio.

Once more, the creature broke through the confinement of stone, except this time, it failed to create a fine dust. While it might not have been much progress, we could seal it back up if we had more earth mages around.

I sighed. If only Harmonica were here. She might've been able to put that winged furball to sleep.

Rocio sighed. "Are you done now? If so, allow me to proceed."

I glanced at the Ziz, which once more was staring at her as if mesmerized. Why wasn't it attacking her? Had she cast a charming spell on it? Or was it an ability of hers?

"I think that we should retreat," Yuri said.

"What?" Huang asked. "You can run if you want! We're not letting them get the Ziz!"

"Your friend has the right idea. Like I've said, run now if you don't wish to forfeit your lives."

I gripped Kusanagi. If my theory was right, then we couldn't defeat her without risking the Ziz going wild. We would have to deal with them at the same time.

"What's going on here?" a voice called out. Standing in front of a pair of metal doors was the former High Priestess herself. She gasped as soon as she noticed Rocio's golden rings. "Who is that woman?"

"I'm the one who will rule Abyssia one day, Rocio Kuroriku," the Rat Pillar said as the rings dance around her. "Come, Ziz. Join us!"

Grace's mother warped from where she stood and slapped the rings away, sending them crashing into the concrete walls.

"Rocio, huh? I don't know how you can use that technique, but it's not one that a non-Xianian should use."

Rocio jumped back. "In my defense, I was once one of you."

Grace's mother wrapped behind her and struck her in the back, sending her flying into the Ziz.

"What you were doesn't matter. It's what you are now that does." The Former High Priestess formed a sword of water.

"Wait!" I yelled as the Ziz began to act up.

Grace's mother gasped as the Ziz flapped itself wings. The entire room was destroyed as the griffin shot up into the air with Rocio on its neck.

"This is bad," Yuri muttered.

"You think? This thing is that the same level as the Behemoth and Leviathan that attacked during the games! Who knows what kind of damage it can do once it's outside!"

Sneg grew larger and shot a beam of ice at the Ziz.

Rocio fired a blast of fire at the ice beam, melting it completely.

"Is she controlling it? But how? She didn't place a ring on it," Grace said.

"I heard that the Rat Pillar can mind-control creatures," Grace's mother said as she flew into the air. "You kids, stay here. I'm going to go catch up to them!"

"Be careful, Mom!"

The former High Priestess smirked. "Don't worry.I'll live to see the next era. That, I have foreseen!" With those words, sheshot up into the air, pursuing the beast and the pillar.

['Present']

"Weren't you going to back up those fighting the Monkey King?" Ocarina asked as we met up on our way to the citadel in the sky. The others had flown ahead of her, landing on the outer ring of the island. The guards must've lowered this section of the barrier for them. Hopefully, auntie and my sis could keep Daisaru busy so that he wouldn't notice.

"We were, but we were told that we would only get in the way," Hyosetsu said as we landed alongside Ocarina.

"That's not what they said," Kohri said, sighing.

"Do you know what's going on inside the palace?" I asked.

"No, the guards out here don't either," Ocarina said, watching the clouds of smoke rising up. "We better hurry."

I smiled. She must've been worried about Eri.

"W-what's with that smile?" Ocarina asked, averting her eyes.

"I was just thinking about how cute you and Eri are."

"T-thanks! I think that you and Tetsuya make a cute couple too."

I turned away. Was it a mistake to have rushed off without him? I glanced over my shoulder. He and those with him had yet to catch up. Had something terrible happened to them?

"Don't worry. I'm sure that both of my counterparts are fine," Shin said, smiling.

"What makes you say that?" Ocarina asked. "Can you sense what they're experiencing?"

"Not directly, but my gut tells me that they're fine."

"I sure hope so," I said, lowering my eyes. I glanced at Eiko, who was gripping Eiji's ashes. While I had felt pain from nearly losing Tetsu twice, it likely didn't compare to having confirmation that the one you loved was gone for good.

I glanced back at the earth cocoon floating in the air as my sister and aunt fought the Monkey King. "I'm going back for Dad!" I yelled. A hand grabbed me by the wrist.

"Don't. It's dangerous. Let me do it," Hyosetsu said, giving me a stern look.

I smiled. "Thanks, but it's best that I do it. Plus, I can defend myself now." Several triangular drones floated around me. "As soon as I grab dad, I'll be right back."

Hyosetsu sighed. "Didn't you hear what my mom said? Only those with Zen mode can take him on."

I bit my lip. I should've told Setsuko to move Dad. Right now, it appeared that she was too focused on the battle to pay him any attention.

"I'll just have to risk it!" I said, flying up. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew me away.

"Rosa!" Hyosetsu yelled.

I caught myself with my drones. "Such a fierce gust," I said, staring at the palace. This power felt like that of the Behemoth and Leviathan that we had fought in both Wynaga and here in Xeleria.

"We need to go check out what's going on at the palace," Ocarina yelled as she raised herself up with jets of water.

"Rosa, I'm sure that Setsuko won't let anything bad happen to the king. Securing the Ziz is our mission. I'm certain that your father would agree on that point."

I bit my lip. He was right. If I went back, Dad would get mad at me for not putting the mission first.

I closed my eyes and flew toward the Xianian palace. Please, Sky Father, protect my dad, sister, and aunt Miyuki. And please protect us too as we're about to confront this beast of wind.

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter ^^. Only three more chapters and the epilogue remain! The finale will be two weeks from now. Hope that you'll look forward to it :)**