Out in the lands beyond the Cosmic Kingdom, Kai and Esmeralda ventured down into a deep cave, where a special fuel source laid dormant. Before they moved to the Obscure Kingdom, Esmeralda's husband crafted this gem, blacker than midnight, for a special occasion. Unfortunately, the crafting needed a sacrifice, and the sacrifice had to be the one crafting it. He was glad to do so, if it meant leaving his family with something special, something to help them rule the Obscure Kingdom. Of course, they had yet to rule, but Esmeralda and Kai figured that they would put the crystal to good use.

Esmeralda approached the black crystal, which was huge and was as tall as the cavern itself, and laid her hand on it. "Hello, dear," she purred. "We need your power now. I do hope you don't mind."

~.Obscure Kingdom.~

Black Mist seemed to be trying harder to learn how to use a sword. Pluto noticed how he was taking note of the defensive and offensive stances that every sword fighter knew. However, Pluto couldn't help but wonder why he was trying so hard now. He couldn't fathom what was going on in his mind that made him want to learn.

They finally finished, but still, Black Mist insisted he trained with the wooden dummy some more with a wooden sword. Pluto was left utterly confused as he entered the castle once again.

"What's wrong?" asked Vector when he noticed the look. When he and Black Mist came back to the Obscure Kingdom to tell Pluto and Minerva the news, Pluto offered Vector a place to stay in the castle without anything in return. "You look upset."

"Black Mist seems to be changing," the king replied, "and I don't understand why. He used to hate using a sword, but now he uses it everyday."

Vector watched as his friend beat the dummy mercilessly. "When did he start?"

"Yesterday, while we were at the meeting. Maybe it was the vision we were shown, but why would that make him do this?"

"Maybe he was just ready for a change, your majesty." Vector furrowed his brow. "But it is very sudden."

"Exactly."

That was when Black Mist came back inside, slightly tired, but he was no worse for wear. Maybe he came back in because something was bothering him; his face, which normally gave little away in terms of uneasiness, was showing a little more nervousness than usual.

"Vector, I need to talk to you," he whispered.

Vector nodded. While they walked down the hall to Black Mist's room, Vector asked, "What's wrong?" He was sure to keep his voice low to make sure the servants didn't hear.

"I'm getting a really weird feeling," Black Mist hissed. "Since last night, actually. I had a weird dream of Kai and Aunt Esmeralda approaching a huge crystal. They started making these...things. They had nothing, no feeling or anything."

Vector was shocked to hear that Black Mist had been having dreams about the very thing Astral had a vision about. "Don't you think it could just bee a nightmare?"

"I thought about that, but my mind keeps telling me that it's something real." The Obscure prince shuddered. "But it wasn't even the things that creeped me out. It was the crystal. It was pitch black, but it felt like it was living, like someone was trapped in there. Actually, I think there was."

"Why aren't you telling your dad about this?"

"I don't know how to tell him that! He's already got enough on his plate as it is!"

"He has to know!"

They finally entered the room and shut the door, making sure the door was locked and that no sound would escape. Now, they could talk freely. "I know he does. I just...feel scared when I talk about it, as if talking about it makes it more real than a dream. I thought maybe you should know so you could tell him instead of me."

The Barian nodded immediately. "Alright, I'll tell him."

"Thank you."

~.Cosmic Kingdom.~

Astral ran through his lesson and training quickly, but less successfully than he used to. Like Black Mist, he had been getting strange, foreboding feelings, but unlike him, Astral didn't know what was causing it. The feeling of dread settled like a pit in his stomach last night, the same moment when Black Mist had his dream, a sort of vision that was happening in real time. Zeon noticed the change in his son with worry. He watched as he struggled to perform the most basic spells. Eventually, when they were done, Zeon broached the subject.

"Astral, you seem troubled," he said gently. "Is something troubling you?"

"I-I don't know, Father," Astral stammered, wringing his hands. "I've been feeling this...this...feeling of...dread? But I cannot pinpoint what is causing it. I haven't had a vision since the one last time, but something is telling me that something terrible is happening."

Zeon bit his knuckle gently. "Something unknown is bothering you? Well, that is most troubling..."

Suddenly, Astral blurted out, "Our weapons will be useless as they are."

"Pardon?"

"The dark ones, they will be unaffected by the weapons. Absolutely useless." He looked up at his father. "We need to make new ones."

Zeon sighed softly. "Out of what?"

Astral was about to speak but stopped, mouth hanging open. He seemed to be thinking, wondering, and then he knew. "Crystal. The clear kind found in the Obscure Kingdom, deep in the mines."

"Those are thousands of feet below. Who could possibly gather them without getting hurt?"

"A Number 61, or Number 6. I know for a fact they can manipulate the earth to their bidding, and if they want the clear crystal to appear above ground, it will happen."

Zeon nodded slowly. "Very well. We will make new weapons out of clear crystal, but why the one specifically found in the Obscure?"

"Because the dark ones will be made of something...dark. I don't know what, but I know that this crystal will be effective against the dark ones."

"Then I will inform Pluto right away." He smiled and ruffled his son's hair. "Thank you." With that, Zeon left to his room to write a letter to Pluto and sent it off via a bird he made.

~.Obscure Kingdom.~

The two guards stood outside, their weapons crossed in front of the door, when a small white bird fluttered in front of them. One of the guards was about to cut it in half when the other stopped him, gesturing to the letter it held in its small feet.

"A letter, do you think?" the first one asked. He allowed the bird to perch on his finger after dropping the paper into his waiting hand.

"It may be," the second one replied. He called a passing servant, who was carrying the queen's midday tea and pastries, over to the door. "Deliver this to the king when you're done with your errand," he growled.

"Yes," the servant replied. The guard placed the letter on the tray, and the servant was off to deliver it.

The servant girl, a mere Barian commoner looking to earn a few coins by working for the queen, scurried to the room so as not to keep her mistress waiting. She knocked quickly on the door three times and waited until Minerva called her in, which was as soon as the knocks were done.

"Come in," Minerva called, and so the servant girl entered.

"Here is your tea and pastry, my lady," the girl said. She set down the tray and began to prepare the tea just as her queen liked it.

"Thank you." Minerva's eyes glanced from her scroll to the tray, and she noticed the letter on the platter. "What is that?"

The girl didn't skip a beat as she replied, "That is a letter for the king, my queen."

"Give it to me."

The Barian girl knew better than to say no, so as soon as she was done preparing the tea, she took the letter from the tray and placed it in Minerva's hands.

"Thank you. You may leave now." She didn't look up as the girl bowed and left the room, leaving Minerva to read the letter. She was rather surprised to know that Zeon was asking the Obscure for some sort of clear crystal; she decided to ask Pluto about it. After her tea, though. She wouldn't want it to get cold.

After she finished, Minerva stood up and made her way to the training ground, where Pluto was sure to be exercising to keep his physical state as well as he could. Sure enough, she was right. Minerva waited as her husband finished his workout before handing him the letter.

"It is for you," she stated bluntly. "Zeon wants us to dig up clear crystal to make into weapons."

"Clear crystal?" Pluto grabbed a towel and wiped his face. "But that takes magic to manufacture into weapons, and not the dark magic we know in the Obscure."

"I believe he wants us to merely send the raw crystal to them. Their mages know white magic, and so they will be able to make the crystal into something useful."

"Very well. I will have the miners start bringing the crystal to the surface." Pluto hurried back inside to send word to the miners to start working. Bringing the clear crystals to the surface would be time consuming, so the sooner they started, the better.