Two pairs of palms pressed together, the owners separated by a thick pane of glass, both trapped inside an elaborate cylinder as the world crumbled around them. On one side, a boy dressed in flowing white and accent gold, strawberry-blond hair messy and green eyes wet as he looked at the girl on the other side of the glass. Her long brown ponytail was in disarray, bruises and scratches covering her exposed arms and face, clothes torn and brow furrowed in pain as she stared intensely back at the boy.

The boy cried quietly and the girl gritted her teeth, forcing back her own tears before she started pounding on the barrier, trying desperately to find a way through. They both watched in horror as the boy suddenly sprouted a large pair of wings and his side of the cylinder opened. The boy screamed for the girl, but the sound never carried through to her. She could only watch, stomach dropping and eyes wide, as the boy was carried back by a strong gust of wind to his wings, hand still outstretched to her.

"Saku!"


CLOW

Deep in the desert thrived a majestic, tiered kingdom. There were sand bridges leading in and out of the kingdom, and a large sloping sand structure curving over top of the kingdom like an ancient and graceful protector.

In the lowest level resided the majority of the kingdom's residents, populated by domed clay houses and tarped marketplaces. A caped figure with their hood up entered one of the smaller houses, setting their pack down on a table inside. They lowered their hood as they picked up a framed photo. It was of a smiling young man with glasses and a little girl who was sitting on his lap, grinning brightly.

"I'm back, otou-san."

The girl in the photo was no longer little, having grown taller and beginning to fill out. Her hair, long and brown, was pulled up into a ponytail, face framed by thick bangs that brushed her forehead down to her shoulders. She took off her cloak, revealing her favorite outfit: a sleeveless black turtleneck and cargo pants tucked into boots.

"It's been said that all the ruins in this country are buried under the sand." The girl murmured to the photo, a soft smile on her face. "It was like you thought. The excavations in the west have already advanced so far—" she paused as someone knocked on her door. She set her photo down, opening the door and peeking to see who was outside. "Yes?"

"Xiaolian!"

Arms were thrown around her and Xiaolian suddenly had an armful of a happy prince. The hurtled weight threw Xiaolian off-balance, and she and the prince both fell to the floor of her entryway. Xiaolian blushed, leaning back on her hands as the prince swayed forward into her space, unintentionally caging her with his arms.

She noted that he was wearing a crop top and harem pants-skirt combo, the sight making the heat intensify on her cheeks.

"You're back! How was the dig at the ruins? Did anyone get hurt? You didn't get a fever, did you? Did you eat well?" The prince fired off the questions, eyes wide and eager as he stared patiently at his best friend.

Xiaolian swallowed. "Y–Yes, it was all fine, Your Highness."

Saku leaned in closer. "I told you to stop being so polite with me," he pouted.

"But, ouji-sama…" Xiaolian said weakly. She didn't want to break etiquette, and she and Saku had this argument every time she returned from a trip.

"I told you, my name is Saku." He huffed, crossing his arms.

Xiaolian was utterly charmed underneath her need to appease her friend. "Yes, Your Hi— Uh, u–um…" she stuttered.

Saku looked at her, brows furrowed and lip quivering. "Saku!" he repeated stubbornly.

Xiaolian's blush came back at full force and she bit her lip. "Sa–Sa–Saku…"

The prince was more than pleased, leaning back and smiling brightly, eyes crinkling. It was then that he realized he was still sitting on Xiaolian. "Ah! I'm sorry! I must be heavy!" Saku quickly got off Xiaolian, and both shared a moment of embarrassed quietness where they sat in front of each other.

"I'm really happy that you're home, Xiaolian." Saku finally whispered and the mood slipped into a peaceful one.

"Nice to be back." Xiaolian smiled before looking down, nervous. "You know, well…you know why I've come back already."

"The rest of the excavation team came to the castle earlier to report on the status of the dig." Saku answered.

"Is it okay for you to be away from the castle?" Xiaolian questioned, brow furrowed.

"Onee-san is the Queen, so she's the one that has to listen to reports. And I thought that if the search team was at the castle, then surely you would have returned too." Saku hopped onto his feet, looking pleased at his inference being correct.

Xiaolian gasped. "You came alone again?"

"Yup!" Saku affirmed and Xiaolian sighed, face palming, but it was mostly so she could hide her blush at the fact that Saku did all of this for her. "As usual, whenever I say that I'm going to see you, my sister always gets grumpy. But you're my precious childhood friend, right?" Saku said gently and Xiaolian was speechless at the sudden, intimate statement. Saku went over to Xiaolian's desk, picking up the photo of her and her father. "It's already been seven years, huh? Since you and your father came to this country. I'm still surprised that an internationally famous archeologist like your father found interest in Clow's ruins."

Xiaolian smiled, remembering the day she had met Saku. Her father had put her in her best dress, hand gentle and reassuring on her back as Xiaolian had looked nervously at Saku, who was tiny and precious, smiling so kindly at her. She hadn't thought her life could change so much until that day.

"Clow must have gigantic ruins underground," Saku continued. "If we could uncover these ruins, then we would unlock the key to our country's past. Your father convinced the previous king, my father, of this. The desert is always dangerous, though, so the excavation took careful planning before it could begin."

Xiaolian smile turned softer, sadder. "He died in the middle of things, but in the end, otou-san said he had lived a wonderful life. He was smiling until the end," she murmured.

"When your father passed, I really wanted you to live in the castle with us!" Saku pouted. "Why didn't you?"

"Me, live in the castle? That's too weird!" Xiaolian laughed it off.

"No, it isn't, because we've been friends since we were kids!" Saku insisted.

"But I don't have any royal blood. Besides, I can make a living just by helping out with the excavation," Xiaolian pointed out.

"But…" Saku tugged on Xiaolian's shirt, sinking down to the ground in front of her again. "You're so busy that I hardly ever get to see you. I'm so lonely…" he said quietly. "Aren't you?"

Xiaolian looked down, blush matching Saku's. "Yes… but the excavation was my father's last project and it's my…" She trailed off, unable to finish the statement.

"I know," Saku said gently. "It's your dearest dream. I understand that…but, I still miss you when you're gone." He admitted. "In my bedroom at the palace, right before I go to sleep…" He placed his hands on Xiaolian's shoulders, trembling and warm. "I always think to myself, 'What's Xiaolian doing at this moment? Is she thinking about me?'"

"I do think of you." Xiaolian smiled, placing a hand atop one of Saku's, hers calloused and rough as opposed to his soft ones. "I also wonder 'What is Saku doing right now?'"

"Xiaolian, I…" Saku bit his lip, lowering his hands, one of them going to the back of his neck as he flushed deeply. "Um…I have something I need…to say to you."

Xiaolian blinked up at him. "Hm? What is it?"

"It's just, I think that…I…I lov—" Saku stuttered.

The loud booming of the castle's bells interrupted him and they both startled, but Saku was still shaking from the surprise as Xiaolian looked out the window.

"The castle bells. I guess it's already evening." Xiaolian realized before turning back to Saku. "Are you okay?"

"Uh…I'm fine, the bell just surprised me." Saku flushed, turning and placing a hand on his heart. "I feel like onee-chan was trying to interrupt me with that bell," he sighed.

Xiaolian tilted her head. "Interrupt you?"

Saku had already worked through all of the courage he had, and he didn't have the strength to explain. "The bell rang, so I need to get going." He said as he pulled his cloak on.

"I'll walk you home," Xiaolian offered.

"There's no need. Xiaolian, you must be tired. I'm old enough to walk home by myself," Saku reminded. "Besides, all of the people here are nice."

"That's true," Xiaolian agreed. "I've traveled to many countries with my father, and this is the most peaceful country we've ever been to."

"Thank you," Saku smiled brightly. When he reached the door, he turned, flushing and making sure Xiaolian couldn't see his heated face. "Um…about earlier…I'll tell you what I wanted to say next time," he promised.

"Ah? Well, okay." Xiaolian accepted, still confused about what Saku had been trying so hard to tell her.

"I'll definitely say it!" Saku said resolutely. "Just wait! I will!" he vowed before running out.

Xiaolian watched him go, the prince being greeted by his townspeople.

"Ah, it's the prince!"

"Your Highness, good evening!"

"Hello there!"

"You are terribly red," one of the market vendors told Saku.

"Oh, it's nothing." Saku insisted.

"Prince, would you like an apple?" Another vendor handed Saku one.

"Thank you, it looks delicious!" Saku accepted it graciously.

Xiaolian swallowed, heart heavy and stomach fluttering. "I shouldn't have these feelings… Right, otou-san?" she said quietly. "Even if he's my childhood friend, he's still the prince…"


Back on the highest tier of Clow Country, Saku tiptoed around, sneaking behind pillars and glancing around to make sure he was going unnoticed.

"Sa-ku! I can see you!"

The prince jolted, turning slowly and smiling nervously. "I…I'm home, Touyami-nee-sama." He greeted, doing his best to look innocent.

Touyami was reclined in a large round plush seat that had regal curtains draping around it. She was clad in her usual robes of navy and silver, cropped hair emphasizing her strong bone structure that many coveted.

"You went to that hole-digging twerp's place," Touyami stated knowingly.

Saku bristled. "She is not a twerp! Her name is Xiaolian!" he said heatedly.

Touyami turned to the side, irritated. "That brat deserves to be called a twerp," she scoffed.

Saku got in her face, teeth grit and upset. "She isn't a brat! She lives by herself and does good work! You should respect her!" he insisted.

"It doesn't matter how much of a goodie two-shoes she is. A brat's a brat!" Touyami growled, rising out of her seat so she could loom over Saku.

"That's not true!" Saku yelled, not at all intimidated by his older sister's height and getting right back in her face.

Someone tutted at them, speaking in a quiet and clear tone. "How about we leave it at that, Your Highnesses?"

Saku and Touyami turned to look at the tall woman with glasses and a kind smile who had just entered the throne room. She was dressed in religious robes and had a long, pale ponytail woven with cloth.

"Yukiko-san!" Saku said in pleasant surprise. "You finished your priestess duties?" he asked.

"Yes, and since I heard the archeologists were coming to report about the progress of the excavation, I waited with the queen." Yukiko explained.

"Then onee-chan got selfish and skipped out, right?" Saku asked cheerfully.

"No, I'm not like you." Touyami smirked.

"What?" Saku bristled.

"She listened to the whole report." Yukiko replied gently, getting Saku's attention back. "Right here on her throne."

"How much have they done?" Saku asked.

"The excavation has progressed a great deal." Yukiko answered, showing Saku the map.

"Does that mean it's almost finished?" Saku asked in excitement.

"Nah," Touyami said, having gone over to one of the large, glass-less windows overlooking the kingdom. Her gaze was far away. "They've only just gotten off the ground."

"What?" Saku said in shock.

"They found a passage underground," Yukiko said.

"I don't know how far it goes, but I told them to keep digging. Meaning…" Touyami smirked, "the excavation will keep going, and that brat will be so, so, so, so busy!" She leered, making Saku clench his fists.

"It's okay!" Saku huffed, sticking his tongue out at Touyami. "Xiaolian, like her father, enjoys archeology. When she finds out that she has new work, she'll be thrilled." Saku said firmly before turning and running away.

"You shouldn't provoke Saku-kun so, Your Majesty." Yukiko frowned, brow creasing.

"Drop the formalities when we're alone, Yukiko." Touyami smiled at her friend.

"But…" Yukiko said unsurely.

"To the public, we may be the Queen and High Priestess, but when the job is over, we're just old friends." Touyami reminded.

"I suppose…" Yukiko finally smiled.

Touyami leaned her head back, face serious. "That brat drives me crazy!"

"You love your brother so much," Yukiko smiled. "He's just so cute that you can't help yourself, can you?"

"Well, he is the only family I have left." Touyami pointed out. "If you think logically, the thought of him going out with a normal citizen is impossible, but…she is the one, right?" Touyami looked down, troubled. "The one destined for him."

"Yes, Xiaolian-chan is his destined one. The only one who can save him." Yukiko confirmed.

"Your predictions are never wrong, and that's why it really gets on my nerves." Touyami huffed, and normally Yukiko would find the irked expression on Touyami's features endearing, but her heart was too heavy with concern to do so at the moment.

"But," the priestess began resignedly, "I saw a difficult situation waiting for the two of them, adversity of the likes we've never seen." Touyami looked over at her, both women at unease. "…the prince has many strange powers. I can't say I understand them, but they are powers that will change the world, and those same powers will bring hardship."

"…it would really make me feel better if there was something we could do to help them…" Touyami admitted.

"Yeah…" Yukiko sighed. "But, even if we can't do anything, the two of them will combine their strengths and fight."

"Yeah, but it's the part about the 'two of them' that I don't like," Touyami muttered.

"You're so whiny, Touyami." Yukiko teased and Touyami huffed again, cheeks staining red.


Saku plopped onto his bed. "Onee-chan! You're always so mean!" he huffed in frustration before blowing his bangs out of his face and sitting up. He went over to his balcony, which overlooked the kingdom and the rising wings of the ruins the archeologists were excavating.

"It's pretty," Saku sighed. "There's still something down there," he hummed. "Xiaolian will probably be happy. Oh! I'm going to bring lunch for her. At least I can be with her then. I'll say it tomorrow." He decided, smiling. "I'll tell her that I love her."

A sound, soft and resonating, hummed through the air and Saku perked.

"Huh? What's that sound?" he cupped his ear. "It's pretty…so relaxing." He closed his eyes. "Bells…? So clear… From the ruins?" he wondered. He didn't even notice that he had begun to float gently off the balcony. "…it's like it's calling me…"

Suddenly, he began to see fragments of things he had never seen before:

A large feudal castle.

A stone depiction of a huge pair of wings.

A floating castle surrounded by ice magic and wings.

A glass cylinder split into halves inside by an invisible pane.

A horrible insignia and the hint of a smirk.

Xiaolian kneeling, panicked and distressed, all cut up and bruised as she screamed.

Saku came to on the balcony, hand outstretched and feeling terribly unsettled.

"…just now…what was that?" He wondered, shaking. He remembered Xiaolian's fists, bleeding as she pounded on invisible glass. "Was…Was that Xiaolian?"

Saku looked back at the ruins, lost.


Xiaolian headed down the steps of the ruins to a chamber she hadn't seen yet, the sound of the other archeologists' chatter fading behind her. She reached the middle of the room, finding a large pair of wings depicted in the center of the floor.

The girl gasped. "What is this mark? It's not like anything from Clow's history. I've never seen it before either," she noted. She pulled out her book, looking through the different symbols and glyphs to see if any matched the wings. Despite the presence of her gloves, she went through individual pages easily thanks to years of experience.

"Xiaolian!" Saku called from the top of the stairs and Xiaolian blinked in surprise before turning. Saku waved at her brightly.

"W–What?" Xiaolian questioned, taking Saku by the arm to help support him on the uneven steps. Saku settled his own hand on Xiaolian's wrist.

"I brought you some lunch. I asked outside and they said that you would be here," Saku replied.

"It's dangerous here," Xiaolian scolded. "The ground is unstable, and the stones might fall. The queen will also worry…"

"It's okay," Saku assured. "Onee-chan is here too for an inspection of the site. This art…" he looked down at the stone wings.

"This seems to be an underground road, but it dead-ended here." Xiaolian explained as Saku went over to the stone marking. "It seems to be a very hard rock. We've tried everything, but we can't get beyond this."

"I…" Saku murmured, remembering, "I saw it yesterday…"

"What?" Xiaolian said in surprise.

Saku kneeled in the middle of the stone, and the moment his fingers splayed against the floor the wings began to glow.

"What?" Xiaolian exclaimed as the wings parted in half to reveal an opening.

Xiaolian lifted her arms to protect her face as the light grew and debris started flying. She saw Saku start sinking into the opening and panicked.

"Saku!"


Outside, the ground began to shake and many grew alarmed.

"What?"

"An earthquake?"

"It's going to collapse! Be careful!"

Yukiko looked around, frowning. "No…this is not an earthquake." She said, grabbing Touyami by the arm. "Something happened underground!"

Suddenly, rifts began to open in the air, and people in dark uniforms and covered faces all wearing the same insignia came out, armed with wolverine claws. The suddenness of their appearance had many shocked, giving the uniformed invaders the opportunity to cut up anyone they came in contact with.

"Where are they coming from?" Touyami growled as she took out her broadsword.


Xiaolian ran through sectioned off corridors and down crumbling, narrowing pathways until she found Saku in a chamber. The prince was floating in front of a pair of large black wings painted high on the wall.

"This is…" Xiaolian gasped before seeing that Saku was still unresponsive. She started climbing the walls, calling out. "Saku! Saku!" she tried. Then, she saw something she couldn't have ever expected. "What…?"

A pair of glowing, ethereal wings were beginning to come out of Saku, enveloping him gently.


In a dark room lit only by the light of the large looking glass, an older man with slicked hair and a deep cleft chin sat on a large marble throne, the insignia his men wore showing prominently on the front of his robes.

"The power to pass through space and time." He spoke, voice low and rich. "The wings, the Tsubasa, will point the way. And now, that power has been reborn."


The wall behind Saku had turned into liquid, reaching out and starting to draw him in. Xiaolian took the chance and jumped forward, pulling Saku into her arms.

"Saku!" she cried and they both fell to the floor heavily. Xiaolian watched in horror as the wings Saku had begun to shake before flying apart in pieces out of the room. She watched them go before looking back at Saku, cradling his face as the room crumbled around them.

"Saku! Saku!" Xiaolian trembled. "He's getting colder!" she sucked in a breath. She drew Saku up, placing one of his arms around her shoulders and her own around his waist. "We have to get outside," she decided urgently as the room started vibrating.


A young woman with dark curls and dead eyes wearing a dress and hair clip matching the man's insignia stared at the looking glass.

"It failed," she stated tonelessly.

She was the only woman wearing a short black dress, the six other women draped and seated around the man, Fei Wang Reed, donning long white gowns.

"Perhaps this is just the beginning," Fei Wang pointed out. "And when it's all said and done, I will have a power that spans universes."


Xiaolian managed to make it back up to the surface with Saku, gasping when she saw the bodies bleeding out in the ground.

"What happened?" the archeologist breathed.

Touyami and Yukiko found her right away, the former bloodied and scratched heavily.

"You're late, brat. You didn't let Saku get hurt, did you?" she raised a brow. The brave face faltered as she winced, losing balance.

"Ojou-sama!" Xiaolian said in shock. "Are you okay?"

Yukiko bent down, helping support Touyami. "There seems to have been poison on the opponents' swords." The priestess gritted her teeth, sweating and determined as he cradled Touyami. "I won't let the Queen die." She turned, seeing Xiaolian cradling Saku, the former still shaking and panicked.

"There were more ruins under the ruins, and the—" Xiaolian tried to explain when Yukiko touched her forehead gently, magic glowing from her fingertips.

"I will read your memory," Yukiko said as she began. "The prince's feathers scattered, didn't they?" She asked.

"Yes!" Xiaolian replied.

There was a moment where Yukiko processed Xiaolian's memories before moving on to feel Saku's forehead. Finding what she'd feared, she closed her eyes. "Those feathers are the prince's memories," she said finally.

"Memories?" Xiaolian gasped in shock, dread forming in her stomach.

"The memories from the time he was born are now gone from him, and…those scattered memories are no longer in this world…" Yukiko explained.

"What?" Xiaolian sucked in a breath.

"If there are no memories, the body is just an empty shell. Because of this…the prince…" Yukiko trailed off.

"Is there something that I can do?" Xiaolian demanded, desperate. "Anything!"

Yukiko looked down at Touyami, fist clenching, before raising her arm and summoning an elegant staff. "There will be no hesitation, I will take all the responsibility." Yukiko stated. "I will send you to see somebody in another world. Someone, who like me, carries the power of the moon." She waved her staff and a magic circle formed under Xiaolian and Saku, magic looping around them before beginning to swallow them like a viscous wave.

"Who is this person? What should I do?" Xiaolian cried out, realizing that she and Saku were about to be swept away.

"She is called the Space-Time Witch!" Yukiko answered, eyes shut. "You will tell her everything and beg her to help the prince!"

Those were the last words Xiaolian heard before she and Saku were falling, falling, falling.

Xiaolian clutched Saku close to her, teeth grit and determined.

Saku.

They finally stopped falling, deposited gently onto the ground. It was raining where they had landed, and they were suddenly in front of a tall, beautiful woman dressed in a silky gown and long flowing locks. Despite the rain, the woman remained completely dry.

"Are you the Space-Time Witch?" Xiaolian asked, desperate.

"I have been called that." The older woman admitted in a low, somber voice.

"Please!" Xiaolian begged. "Help save Saku!"