Chapter 11: Oberon and Aufheben, A Past in the Future

Orion, known previously as Orbis, June 16, 2021

The maid May, doubling as Empress Ashura's personal guard, stepped out of the empress's bed chamber with a contented smile. It had been a hard few hours that morning, but the twins she carried were born without incident. Royal Guards armed with a prototype smart armor suits stood sentry on either side of the door, nodding to the maid as she walked to the dining hall. Inside were the Lady Ashura's best friend, Captain Edmond, and his two most trusted lieutenants, the demons Dunas and Asia.

"Is Ash… the empress, alright?" the captain asked, correcting himself halfway through.

"She's fine captain, just resting." Edmond, Dunas, and Asia all let out a sigh of relief. During the last month of the empress's pregnancy, some difficulties had arisen. Thanks to the expert care from the doctors of the Omega Sector, nothing worse happened.

"What are their names?" the Dunas asked, pulling back the hood of his red cloak.

"Oberon and Aufheben. The father must be a handsome man to have fathered such beautiful children." May commented, tapping on her arm bracer and bringing up a holographic picture for them to see.

"Has the empress said anything more about the father?" Edmond asked with a bit of an edge in his voice.

"Edmond, I know that you are still critical of Lady Ashura ever since she conceived. But you know as well as I do that Lady Ashura has said time and again that she has no regrets." May countered, resting a hand on Edmond's pauldron.

"She deserves more than a traveling artifact seeker. For all we know, that good for nothing used her for his own enjoyment." Dunas stepped into his field of vision, his stern expression locking eyes with him.

"Captain, let us be grateful that no further complications have arisen and that the empress and her children are healthy." He said. Edmond clenched his jaw, reluctantly agreeing with him. The captain dismissed them all when his scout in time, Andy walked up to him and saluted.

"Andy, it's good to have you back. What were you able to find?"

"Sir, as far as I can tell, there is something strange about the timeline."

"Andy, what have I told you about giving me cryptic answers?"

"Sorry sir, it's just that, there appear to be two timelines overlayed with one another. As far as I can tell, one is a fake, and the other is the correct timeline."

"What happens in either case?" Edmond asked. Andy looked around before leading him to an alley and speaking just low enough that only he could hear.

"In one timeline, a woman named Oberon has overthrown all of Ossyria, with a faction calling themselves the 'High Guard' as her enforcers, and Dunas is her general. In the other, the world seems to have changed to a place called Usoria, but everything is at peace when a group of young people defeat a man by the name of Magus Slow. I can't tell which is which." Edmond bit the thumb of his gauntlet, supporting it with an arm crossed over his chest.

"Have you told anyone else about this yet?"

"No, sir."

"Good. Make your official report, and file it under my personal objectives."

"Sir?"

"Lady Ashura has just given birth to twins, one of which is named Oberon. Go through time, find out where the timeline diverges, and see if you can follow Oberon's timeline; find out what happens and bring me a solution,"

"Yes, sir!" Andy answered, running off to fill out his report. As he walked back to the office, however, thoughts turned over and over in his mind.

"I must stop that future from coming to pass. If altering the past to change the present doesn't work, then maybe altering the present would change the future will." He told himself, despite the warnings from the beast of time, Nexus.


Nihan Plains, known in the past as Nihal Desert, March 8, 2036

When at last Edmond was able to see the twins, he immediately concluded that whoever the father was, couldn't be human. On their backs protruded small arms, which grew into grand wings that stretched quite far. As their hair began to grow, so too did black horns, with soft feathers at the base. At first, Edmond insisted that the girls be taken to the Guardian Sage to have a seal placed on them in case of any malicious powers. But after some convincing by the empress, Edmond relented.

Now the girls had matured into beautiful young women, with a ferocity battle unmatched by even the strongest of soldiers. So Gong was tasked with their battle instruction after having taken over Mu Gong's dojo, bringing them into the deserts of Arenant to enhance their endurance. The pure white of their wings reflected the sunlight that beat down on them like a mirror. Oberon brushed back her long and luscious pitch-black locks of hair as she wiped the sweat from her forehead, adjusting the hair tie that kept her knee-length hair out of the way.

"Aufheben, do you have any more water with you?" she asked, deactivating her plasma greatsword and clipping it to her belt.

"Yes, I do. Shouldn't we be heading back to Arenant? Asia and Dunas will be returning soon to let us know if we can go with them on their next mission. I hear that Magicatia is having a bit of trouble with their new D-type Mavericks." Aufheben panted. Unlike Oberon, Aufheben was gifted with cascades of light red hair that came to the middle of her thighs.

"Dunas is going to be there. That's why you want to return." Oberon teased.

"That's not the only reason." Aufheben shot back as she blushed when So Gong interrupted.

"Well, if you two can still talk, you must still be able to train." The old panda huffed, setting both paws on his rugged cane in front of him.

"No matter girls. That Is enough training for the day. Some of my other students are waiting for me in Mi Lung. Tell your mother hello for me." So Gong called, as the genie that brought people to Arenant, formerly known as Ariant, flew back with him in his hands.

"I still think he's an old goat." Aufheben laughed. As the twins glided back to Arenant, they spotted Asia and Dunas waiting for their return. Aufheben beat her wings harder, landing shyly in front of Dunas, her hands behind her back innocently.

"Ashley, Oberon, I trust your training went well?" he asked. The two of them nodded. Dunas then put a hand on Aufheben's head and handed a small wrapped box to Oberon. Aufheben reached up and pulled from her head a gold band with a large garnet gem in the center. Oberon found a similar gold band with a large ruby in the center.

"They are your official crowns as princesses of Ossyria," Dunas announced. Both girls quickly placed them on their heads. Aufheben thought she saw Dunas curl his lip up into a smirk before shaking his head and giving them the news.

"Lady Ashura has agreed to your helping us contain the Maverick. Your skills should keep you safe from this new D-type android should you need to." Asia commented in her soft voice, beginning to walk for Magicatia through the Arenant market place.

"What's wrong with it, do we know?" Oberon asked, taking another drink of cold water when Dunas brought up a holographic picture of their target and explained.

"Maed created an A.I. system for this android which mimics a human soul to be similar to human soldiers rather than a single directive machine. Unfortunately, the A.I. allowed gave the android the ability to defy orders, erase verbal base commands from its code, and become violent."

"So why are we needed? It sounds like we're just going to watch." Aufheben commented. Dunas shook his head.

"The escaped D-type is running loose. It is equipped with its own high output laser cannon, flight capabilities, and combat chassis. We are to immobilize it and bring it back to the lab for decommissioning." With a quick blur, Dunas disappeared as Asia did the same. Oberon and Aufheben spread their wings, flying as quickly as they could to catch up to their magus friends who were flitting across the hot sands in flashes and plumes of dust. When they reached Magicatia, the sight of burning buildings and piles of rubble shocked them.

"How many mavericks escaped?" Oberon asked, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"Only one," Asia replied.

"One?! And it did all this!? How many was Magicatia going to make?!" Aufheben squeaked.

"One thousand: this one unit was the prototype for the new A.I. system. As you can see, it's good that only one was created. THERE IT GOES!" Dunas shouted as he leaned into his step, appearing above the maverick and cast a binding spell which the android easily dodged. Asia ran to flank it, casting her own spell to push it towards the waiting sisters. The Maverick looked to Asia as her spell formed and scanned her hands, analyzing what was about to take place at breakneck speeds, scrolling across its vision commands and results.

"Scanning subject…

Attack origin: hands

Type: energy

Threat: medium

Attack plot: . "

Within a split second, the Maverick twisted its body, avoiding the spell and firing its cannon at her. Oberon bolted between Asia and the mech, the shot ricocheting off of her sword. Aufheben flew up behind it, swinging down hard. The Maverick avoided her attack, moving near light speed. Its fist whistled as the Maverick buried its steel fist into Aufheben's gut, forcing every last ounce of air out of her.

"ASHLEY!" shouted Dunas, appearing below to catch her as she fell, her stomach seizing in shock. Oberon grit her teeth, flashing to the Maverick as if she were teleporting. The attempted to analyze her moves as she raised her sword, but was overwhelmed at her speed. Blow after thunderous blow hit the android as it tried to defend or perry until it was simply unable to predict her moves. With one hard swing, Oberon struck it across the chest. The android spiraled to the ground, exploding in a cloud of dust. It pulled itself from the rubble while its cracked display fuzzed and snowed, trying to formulate an attack plot.

Oberon raised her sword above her head. A large seal blazed to life behind her as she flew down and slammed into the android as she swung hard left. She then swept her sword back right before spinning around and slamming her sword onto the android in an earth-shaking explosion. As the dust settled, it revealed the broken maverick, solenoids, and drive motors trying to pick the shattered android up. Eventually, they failed as the power supply, and CPU shut down. Sparks showered the ground as hydraulic fluid pooled on the ground like blood.

"My my Oberon, when did you learn to control your sword's mass? With the last strike you dealt, your sword grew to an enormous size." Asia asked, thoroughly impressed.

"Aufheben taught it to me. It comes in handy when something isn't going your way. We've yet to come up with a name for it yet. Are you ok, sis?" Oberon asked as she knelt down Next to Aufheben, still catching her breath in Dunas's arms.

"I'm ok, Oberon. I thought that android's punch would go right through me." She coughed, rubbing her stomach where no doubt a dark bruise would form in the morning.

"He would have if he had been fully operational. It was limited to 40% of its full potential. At full power, We would all be dead."Dunas surmised gravely as set Aufheben down and walked over to the smoldering pile of twisted metal. With a wave of his hand, he levitated the android and started back for Maed's workshop.

"What is this?! I asked you to bring the Maverick back to me, not a pile of scrap metal!" Maed roared as his now mostly mechanical body rolled over to it while the Machinist snaked himself over to them, scanning over the twisted pile.

"It doesn't look too bad, Maed. The CPU is still intact, and while a bit dented, the drive core hasn't ruptured. All in all, they did exactly as we asked."

"We still need to make a new prototype chassis," Maed mumbled as his small mechanical hands reached out and pulled the CPU from the crushed body while The Machinist went to work at disconnecting the drive core.

"How is Carson these days?" Aufheben asked, eager to visit one of her teachers. Maed shook his head and sighed, the mechanical lungs he had made wheezing as he did.

"He died peacefully just under a month ago. I offered him some of my technologies to extend his life, but his stubborn Zenumist pride wouldn't let me. He was both a bitter rival and good friend. If nothing else, he was fun to argue with." He replied nostalgically, becoming lost in his work. Aufheben sighed, patting the large man on the back and going to the old man's gravesite to pay her respects before leaving.

The small group started back to the restored palace city of Orion by taking a long and scenic route. It led through the garden province of Mu Lung and up to the mountains of El Nath, where the mystic Crystal Ribbons floated in the sky like curtains of light. Oberon and Aufheben often liked traveling this road on their way to see their battle master, So Gong. Oberon would dream of things far beyond the stars, while Aufheben would let her imagination take her away on some story that had a romantic ending.

"Asia, take Oberon ahead. I wish to speak with Aufheben." Dunas whispered, stopping and admiring the valley below, watching the sunset as it painted the sky in brilliant colors. Oberon was surprised at first when Asia asked her to come with her but made the connection once she told Aufheben that Dunas would like to speak with her. Just before the two of them left, Oberon whispered into Aufheben's ear:

"Just stay calm." And then flew away after Asia, leaving Aufheben somewhat confused. As she walked back to where Duans was standing, She looked down into what used to be known as the Forest of Death, now called The Dry Wood.

"What what did you want to talk to me about Dunas?" Aufheben asked as she walked up beside him.

"Have you seen something so beautiful?" he asked. Aufheben turned to him for a moment and then looked back to the sunset, taking it in as the crystal ribbons floating overhead, where she was told that the goddess Rhinne's temple resided high above.

"Not in a very long time." She said as she stared into oblivion, watching the colors change as the sun sank down below its horizon pillow.

"I don't think anything could compare." She continued until she was surprised by Dunas' response.

"Don't sell yourself so short, Ashley." Aufheben looked back at Dunas in surprise: was he comparing her to this sunset?

"W-w-what do you mean?" she asked. Dunas nervously looked from the ground to Aufheben as he spoke.

"Aufheben, as a guard in Lady Ashura's army and a demon of the Khyune Realm, I am cut off from being expected to know human emotions. Over the years, your mother entrusted me with your training. During that time, I've come to feel an attachment to you. My understanding from trusted friends reveals this attachment to be what you humans call love. I do not know how humans express…" Aufheben stopped his words short as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him firmly.

Oberon smiled as she peeked around a bush: she was happy for her sister, having been secretly rooting for the two of them to get together. Hidden further behind Oberon in the tall pines, Andy stood and watched Oberon with sharp eyes. As the sisters aged, he traveled to the future to find where the divergent timelines split and reporting to Edmond what he saw. As Andy went further back in time, a strange interference began limiting his travel.

He consulted Nexus to find out if the beast was interfering, but time and again was assured that Nexus was not. During his latest journey to the past, he found the divergent point, but could not get close enough to see the event that triggered the splintered timelines. Going forward in time only revealed the same overlayed timelines, one of which depicted Oberon as a tyrannical ruler of Ossyria.

Many times he ignored the captain's orders to backtrack time and find out what lead Oberon to become the tyrant he saw. Andy had convinced himself that the only option was to remove Oberon from history, but how? He racked his mind time and time again while on missions for Captain Edmond, but no matter what he thought of, the whole of Ossyria would be plunged into war.

Ties with Leafre and the Hafrings were strained, so if he were to assassinate Oberon, it would make them a prime suspect. In fact, anything he did might plunge them into war. He had to do something, or else the future he saw would happen. As he looked down at his pocket watch to check the time, it hit him. Snapping the watch shut, he ran off back to his house and began his plans, which would need time, something he had an abundance of.


Orion, June 17, 2041

Oberon rose from her slumber and stretched her arms and wings, feeling well-rested after the previous night's celebration of her and her sister's 20th birthday. A Royal and two Imperial guard androids stood at the foot of her bed as small red dots swept side to side while in their standby state. Maed had just finished a new A.I. that proved much better than his beta D-type version.

"Full power," Oberon said as she climbed out of bed, making the androids stand quickly to attention.

"Lady Oberon. We are at your service." The three of them answered back.

"Did you three sleep well?" she asked as she began brushing her onyx locks of hair in front of the polished jade vanity she received from her mother as a birthday present.

"We don't require sleep, but since nothing noteworthy happened in the previous 9 hours, then yes, we did." The Royal Guard replied in a slightly metallic voice.

"Oh, Austen. Must you stand guard at the foot of my bed every night? It's not like anything bad is going to happen." Oberon asked playfully.

"Tensions between Leafre and Orion have become quite high. Our presence is a request by the empress herself." One of the Imperial Guards responded.

"Yes, yes, I know, but really, what Harfring would have enough gall to come all the way to Orion just to assassinate me? They'd be spotted before they could get close. Not to mention that the new S-type security androids make it near impossible to eat or even go to the bathroom." She said, pinning back her hair with her golden headband.

"It's only your mother trying to protect her girls," Ashura replied cheekily, walking into the door, making the androids stiffen to attention.

"You could at least have them back down a bit, Mother." Oberon laughed, hugging Ashura and then donning the breezy pink dress Aufheben had gotten for her so that the two of them would match.

"Is Aufheben out with Asia and Dunas again?" Oberon inquired, walking with Ashura to her room's balcony that overlooked Orion after changing.

"Yes, they just left a little while ago. Are you sure that you don't want to go as well? You have the potential and talent equal to that of Aufheben." Ashura asked. Oberon nodded her head and smiled back at her.

"Yes, I'm sure. Staying here in the palace as part of your security detail really feels like it suits me better. Besides, at least then I know that I can watch over you." Oberon teased. Ashura raised her eyebrows and tilted her head.

"You make it sound as if I'm a child." Ashura teased in return. Oberon chuckled, grabbing up her plasma greatsword as the two of them walked to the aging Orion Tower, where the throne was set up with the statue of Minerva behind it, creating a beautiful scene to behold. A short time later, Andy strolled into the throne room, kneeling before Ashura.

"Andy. What brings you here?" Ashura asked. Oberon stiffened at her post next to the throne. She didn't know how, but she could feel deceit permeating his every fiber. It was a useful trait she learned to trust, especially being the personal guard of her mother, the empress, but this was different. This deceit had an almost malicious property to it.

"Actually, I have something to show Princess Oberon." He said. Oberon lowered her brow, dropping her arms to her sides, bumping her elbow against the hilt of her sword. She quickly looked to her mother, who nodded her approval. Shifting her wings slightly, Oberon walked after Andy, led her into the Cloud Park where Elliza's gravestone stood. Oberon walked ahead a bit to pay her respects to the guardian beast of Minerva, then standing and resting her hand on the pommel of her sword.

"What is it that you wanted…" Andy covered her mouth with a damp towel, making something foul plunge into her nostrils. Oberon drew her sword but lost consciousness before he could activate it.

"Now comes the hard part." Andy thought as he made his way to a prepared skiff just around the corner, setting Oberon down in it, setting a course for the Tera Forest and the Time Gate. It was there he could be rid of Oberon once and for all, preventing the future that he had seen. From time to time, Andy made sure that Oberon would be at least asleep, waking her just enough from her slumber to drink some water or to eat a small portion of food since the skiff was so slow. Many times when she was awakened, Oberon would try to escape, but her body was too sluggish and stiff due to the sleeping potions Andy would use on her.

After five days, they finally arrived at the Time Gate. Andy gently set Oberon on the ground, then covered the skill with branches and shut off the levi-stone heaters to conserve power. Checking for his pocket watch in his coat with a pat on his chest, he carried Oberon to the clock face of the Time Gate. Pulling levers and twisting knobs, the face buzzed and clicked until the entire face unlocked. Steam hissing as it opened, revealing the swirl of Time's Energy behind the heavy door.

Through the gate, one could travel to The Center of All Time, then move to any time in any world. The vortex swallowed them both like water as Andy stepped through, watching as picture frames of different times and places flew past him until he abruptly stopped. Silence hung thick in the air; massive smooth arches made of pale stone formed endless circular halls crossing one another in every direction conceivable. Andy knew this place well and had come to know it as his second home, a location outside of time where he could think.

"Are you there?!" Andy called into the endless expanse, his voice carrying many times over into the distance when an irritated growl arose.

"What is it that you want?" a rough voice asked as sounds of paws scraping the ground floated through the air accompanied by joints popping.

"A time traveler; I wish to go to a time in the past." The blue-grey beast grunted as it pulled its tired body from the ground and walked over him, thrumming in his throat as Nexus came.

"I should have known it was you, Andy." He growled as he then caught sight of Oberon.

"Why do you bring this woman with you? You said you were alone."

"Gatekeeper Nexus: I'm sure you're aware of what happens to Ossyria because of this woman. I have come to make sure the future I saw never happens." Nexus looked her over and shook his head.

"Of course, I know what happens. But as a friend, I urge you to take her back to Orion."

"SHE WILL LEAD ALL OF OSSYRIA INTO CHAOS AND BLOODSHED IF I DON'T!" Nexus pursed his brow, baring his teeth as he spoke with an almost reprimanding tone.

"Have you heeded your captain's words and traced back time to find what led her to become this tyrant you are so afraid of?" Andy bowed and shook his head.

"Please, Nexus, let me pass with her into the past." Andy countered. Nexus shook his head again and closed his saddened eyes.

"Very well. But this woman must pay the Toll."

"Toll? What Toll? You never said anything about a Toll before."

"I never said anything because you have the Time Keeper's Stopwatch. It alone protects you from the effects of traveling through time, taking your time with you so that you will not be lost in the endless eons. If one does not have that watch, something must be given up to provide that power. One watch works for only one person, and since she has none, she must pay a Toll." Nexus looked over her again and again.

"But I don't intend…

"I know what you intend, traveler." Nexus roared, turning his gaze to Oberon.

"Why not take her headband: it must be worth a fortune," Andy suggested, reaching for the gold crown.

"No, material things do not count as a toll." He looked over her once more and nodded.

"She must pay in the years she has lived."

"You mean she's going to die?!" Andy shouted.

"No, she will remain unharmed. The years she has lived will be taken back, and her memories will be suppressed; she will start a new life as an infant in the new time she is brought to. She will have no memory of the events leading up to her waking." Nexus picked his paw up and held it over Oberon, her body levitating out of Andy's hands. A silvery blue light enveloped her, which then gathered into Nexus' paw. As the light left her, Oberon's form shrank down until she was just an infant, no older than two or three months. Nexus then dropped Oberon's time into a well. Oberon began to squirm and fuss as Andy wrapped her dress around her and tucked her headband and plasma sword into it.

"When would you like to go, Andy?" Nexus asked with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Sometime before the Black Mage came back to power. At least then she'll have a good life." Nexus shook his head, then swung his mighty paw as he tore open a gateway that would lead to the time he requested. Andy was just stepping through the tear when Nexus put his paw on his shoulder.

"But be warned, should come through the Time Gate without that watch, time will tear you asunder, and you very well may distort time." Andy smiled and nodded his understanding as he left, the tear flashing out of existence.

"Since I am the Gatekeeper of All Time, I cannot interfere. But what you have tried to avoid Andy, you just made possible." Nexus hung his head and walked back to his bed of rocks, where he lay down and slept again, waiting for his next time traveler. Since he was at the center of time, it could be as little a few seconds, or as long as a thousand years, and he wouldn't know the difference.


Aufheben, Dunas, and Asia returned from their week-long shift of watching the gates of Orion, feeling relieved that nothing significant had happened, save for a drifting, unmanned skiff floating toward the main entrance. Immediately the three of them went to the throne room and reported everything that had happened.

"Well done, my guards," Ashura said as she stood from the throne and greeted each of them warmly.

"Before you leave for whatever other tasks you have, there are some people here that you may want to meet." She said with a mysterious smile in her voice, leading them to the Conference Building, which used to house the guild management association. Inside stood six middle-aged humans, each dressed in magnificent armor and array of medals. Each carried the legendary weapons of Ossyria. Beside one of them stood a young girl dressed in a red robe with short bob-cut, brunette hair adorned with a purple headband sporting small golden dragon's wings.

"Orion Guard, I want you to meet the Guardians of Ossyria." The three of them stood in awe: they had heard and read the stories about them and their adventures in defeating the Black Mage as young adults. Quickly the three of them laid their weapons at their feet and bowed low to the ground.

"We are honored to meet such esteemed legends of Ossyria." Dunas breathed. Matthew laughed in a deep voice and waved his hand.

"No, no, no, you don't have to bow to us." He said as he, Olsen, and Helen reached down and stood them to their feet.

"We are here just to see what's been going on in Orion." Lillianne laughed, setting the end of her finely decorated halberd down and resting her gauntlet on Matthew's shoulder. Ashura smiled, stepping between them.

"For a formal introduction, I give you, Olsen and Jenny Da'Lor: Ninja and Archer. Matthew and Lillianne Drake, Warrior and Daughter of Aran and Lilin. Jack and Helen Waterman, Pirate, and Sage. And this young one here is Eva, daughter of Evan and Mir. Guardians, I give you Dunas, and Asia, demons of Khyune, and my daughter Aufheben, Princess of Ossyria: The Orion Guard." The whole group talked long into the night, sharing stories of adventures and dangers that each of them had faced, even continuing to speak after dinner had been served and cleaned up.

"So, tell me, did you guys have any kids?" Aufheben asked. Olsen looked back at Jenny and laced his fingers into hers.

"We all did. However, we dropped them off at a friend's house," Olsen replied, smiling until he noticed that Ashura seemed to be restless or worried.

"Is something wrong, Empress Ashura?"

"I don't think so. My daughter Princess Oberon left with Andy about a week ago and has yet to return. She's been on missions before for a week or longer. But for some reason, it just doesn't feel right." Aufheben raised her eyebrows.

"With Andy? I didn't think he had any…"

"Lady Ashura! Lady Ashura!" An A-type maverick shouted, running into the room with a few guards.

"Yes, what is it," Ashura asked, standing quickly to face the incoming troupe.

"One of the OverLord watch units just sent me its surveillance footage with a flag." The Maverick said. Tapping its chest, a hologram showed a video of a small ship leaving Cloud Park.

"There does not seem to be any concern. It is but a Skiff. Patrol units use that type of airboat." Asia commented, standing to look closer at the hologram. The Maverick's drives clicked and whirred for a moment before responding.

"That's what first surmised. However, since it was flagged, I enhanced the picture to identify the pilot." The hologram froze then blurred as the person at the helm became clear:Andy.

"If you continue to watch, it reveals that he is acting suspiciously, constantly looking in all directions." the Maverick continued. Aufheben shot to her feet, her eyes wide and her movements forceful.

"And you're bringing this to our attention now?! The timestamp says that it was recorded over a week ago," exclaimed Aufheben.

"I can understand your frustration. But someone had placed a subroutine within the Overlord Backup protocols blocking all the units from sending their data to the mainframe. This morning those programs expired, allowing a flood of data to come in. It nearly crashed the entire security system." The aging Captain Edmond explained as he walked into the room, trying to catch his breath from running. Ashura and Aufheben thought hard about what it was they had seen: why would Andy be looking over his back? Ashura's heart began to beat faster, her hands felt clammy as knots formed in her gut. Aufheben must have been thinking the same and barked a command to the android.

"Maverik, check the projected area where the Skiff left from and…"

"That's already been done, Lady Aufheben. As far as we can tell, the skiff left from somewhere near the chroma gardens." Aufheben looked at the hologram again, looking closer at the skiff.

"Maverick, zoom, and enhance grid D3." Pixels dotted the image for a while before it became clear. Aufheben furrowed her brow.

"A week ago, Andy came in to ask something of Oberon. Has he done something to her?" Ashura asked. Dunas lowered his brow.

"Without any evidence to prove that Andy indeed did something to Oberon, we can't let ourselves panic. Doing so will only lead us to miss clues." Aufheben swiped her hand across the hologram, pulling the picture into her own holographic bracer.

"Maverick, wasn't a skiff taken down to holding early this afternoon from the south gate?"

"Yes, why?" the Maverick questioned Aufheben beckoned Ashura and the Guardians down to the holding area just outside of the Orion Boarding Gate. Amid the waiting or abandoned items and cargo, a skiff floated on one side. Aufheben ran to the front, seeing the symbol on the bow: Unit 1402, private rental.

"This is the skiff that Andy was driving. Maverick, check the GPS logs." The Maverick jumped aboard, plugging its finger into the data port and quickly scanned through the logs, finding where it had been before in the last week.

"It says that it was in the Tera Forest. Why would Andy go there?" the Maverick asked. Helen stepped forward.

"He might have gone to the Time Gate. If he has indeed taken Oberon with him, we can only wait for his return." Helen explained. Ashura became angry and ordered that a search party be sent to Leafre. Aufheben looked to the south with a worried look in her eyes.

"Oberon, what happened to you?" she whispered to the sunset.


The time gate opened with a protestant hiss, allowing Andy to step into the Tera Forest of the past. All around, he could see giant beetles, some of which had grown steel-like plates on their outer shells. Pulling the watch from his pocket, he found the time 'May 4, nineteen hundred ninety' read across the small display at the bottom of the face.

"Good, at least 20 years before the mage comes back to power. Hopefully, this will prevent anything from happening." Stepping as carefully as possible, he made his way around the giant beetles until he came to a small forest village. Everywhere, little furry creatures tended to a myriad of different sized and colored eggs. Andy flipped down a small screen from his communicator, scanning the area and the furry creatures. Before the scanner completed its task, he recognized the creatures as the Hafrings Orion had tensions with further in the future.

Quickly he put his communicator back and then ducked down below the brush, pushing the now little Oberon out into the open. But the infant was asleep, wrapped in the dress as a blanket she had been wearing when Andy took her. It seemed that the Hafrings were too busy to notice the babe, and so with a quick yet firm jab from Andy, Oberon opened her ruby eyes and let out a frightened cry. Andy quickly ran, climbing up a tree and staying hidden while watching to see what the Hafrings would do with Oberon. One of the Hafrings promptly came over and tried its best to cradle the small bundle, which was nearly as big as itself.

"Master Giant! Chief Tatamo! Come quickly!" the small Hafring said in a squeaky voice. From somewhere back in the village, a Hafring with a long braided mustache and a human came running.

"What is it Ito?" the chief asked, brushing aside his mustache so as not to trip.

"Look, it's a human baby," Ito replied. The chief and man walked over to him, the man crouching down as he wiped off his hands with a rag from tending to a newly hatched dragon.

"Who would leave a defenseless human baby in the middle of the Minar Forest Master Giant?" Tatamo asked in a dry voice.

"I don't know. Maybe someone set it down for a moment, but it rolled away when it fussed or something. HELLO!" Giant called, with no response.

"We can't just leave her here, Master Giant," Ito pleaded.

"I know, I know. But we really don't have the resources to take care of a human baby." Giant reached out his hand and stroked Oberon's soft cheek. Instantly she stopped crying and looked up at him with a bright smile. Giant couldn't resist and picked her up out of Ito's arms, holding her in the crook of his arm while Ito climbed up to Giant's shoulder to look at her.

"I suppose I could care for it until someone comes for it." The human smiled as he put his finger out, allowing Oberon to wrap her tiny hand around his finger.

"What are you going to name her," Tatamo asked, kicking his braided beard away from his feet.

"Her?" asked Giant, looking down at Tatamo.

"I figure since the blanket she's wrapped in is pink, which also happens to be a dress." Giant looked down at her and shrugged: Tatamo's reasoning made sense.

"What name would you like little one?" he asked as she locked eyes with him until a gold hairband with a giant ruby caught his eye etched with something. He ran his hand over the lettering and read the name, Oberon.

"Oberon. Is that your name, little Oberon?" Oberon smiled a giant toothless smile as Giant smiled back.

"Hello, Oberon, my name's Eldan Giant." He said as he took her back to his tree hut.

"Eldan Giant. Hm, I have no doubt now the life she will lead will be a happy one." Andy thought as he climbed down and began to trek back to the Time Gate. As he skirted around the massive beetles, he stepped on an unseen twig, startling the giant beetles into a frenzy. They shot powerful energy beams from their horns, missing Andy as spun, ducked, and weaved to avoid the hot plasma-like bolts of energy. Despite their size, the giant bugs were quite fast, keeping him in a constant state of panicked retreat. After a few minutes, he finally managed to hide long enough to catch his breath while the bugs clicked and squeaked as they searched for him.

Andy reached into his cloak and pulled a plasma pistol, quietly pulling back the cooling slider to activate the gun, then burst from the bushes and opened fire onto the beetles. Energy beams and plasma bolts filled the air as Andy ran from hiding spot to hiding spot, firing at what looked to be their leader: A single beetle with steel-like armor on its shell. As he moved, he landed a shot on the lead beetle, the loud high pitched roars signaling he had hit flesh. Andy unleashed a barrage of plasma fire on the beetle, melting through parts of the armor and blasting away at his fleshy underbody until the beetle fell on its back, the others skittering into the forest.

With the threat gone, Andy sat down to catch his breath while using the end of his cloak to wipe the sweat from his forehead. When his billet pistol cooled, he put it back in the holster and began making his way to the Time Gate, a few yards away. Out of habit, he checked his pocket for the Stopwatch, but he didn't feel it. Was it in his other pocket? He quickly checked his left pocket: nothing. Did he put it in one of his cloak pockets? Checking the pockets on the inside, he felt all over for it, but still, he found nothing. Frantically he searched for the watch, retracing his steps back to Leafre, seeing no trace of his pocket watch. He thought about going through by himself back to 2041, but the warning from Nexus played back in his mind:

"…should come through the Time Gate without that watch, time will tear you asunder, and you very well may distort time." Andy hung his head; he was stuck here in 1990. He wanted to get away from Oberon before she grew up again and maybe remembered what Andy had done to her. But now, there was no choice. Without the watch, he could go to Nexus, but he wouldn't be able to return to his own time. He could risk paying the Toll. However, there was no telling what Nexus would take to travel through time. Andy's only option was to at least go to Orion, or as it was called in this time, Orbis, and hope that Oberon would never find him.


As the years passed, Eldan reflected on how he considered leaving Leafre and settling down with a woman from somewhere beyond the forest to start a family. Instead, he had found all he wanted in caring for Oberon as she grew, taking care of the Dragon's Eggs despite her unique appearance with small horns and wings. She felt right at home among the little furry creatures, realizing that she may not be entirely human. Oberon soon found she possessed powers and abilities that no one else could unleash powerful shockwaves with the mere sweep of her hand and possessed unexplainably excellent skill with the plasma greatsword found with her. Her sword masters often complimented her heavy, yet graceful style.

All too soon, Oberon grew into a teen, becoming a stunning young woman that some travelers would be attracted to. Time after time, she would turn them down, finding no interest in a relationship, at least not among the humans that she knew. Despite this, young travelers from all around Ossyria would come seeking her out. She gained a reputation for being strong, brave, and fearless in the face of danger, yet gentle.

All was well until the day after her 20th birthday. The two of them were out in the forest, gathering herbs to make more medicines and potions. In his years of working with the Hafrings, Eldan had become well known for his brews, so prominent in fact that the medicine panda Tae Sang and Dr. Faymos of Kerning City came and trained under him for a year. Eldan was reaching for more red thyme when a silky woman's voice caught him off guard.

"Are you Eldan Giant, the famous potion and medicine maker?" the woman asked, pulling back her hood and revealing her young face, alluring red eyes and snow-white hair. Eldan stared for a moment at the shapely women before him, slowly reaching for more herbs.

"Who is asking?" Eldan inquired, periodically looking up at her from under his brow. The woman smiled as she stepped closer to him and held out black nail tipped fingers. Red thyme pulled from the ground and slowly descended into Eldan's basket. The woman was about to introduce herself when Oberon walked around a tree up with two different plants in her hand.

"Hey, dad, which one of these did you say was the…" She stopped short when she saw the woman standing before her father: something about her was familiar, but only as a passing feeling as though it were déjà vu.

"If I'm not mistaken, you are Oberon. Am I correct?" the woman asked, smiling slightly as she walked over to her and ran the tip of her finger across her jawline.

"Such exquisite beauty. Thie girl's father is an extremely handsome man." She softly stated until Eldan grabbed the woman's hand and pulled it away from Oberon.

"Don't touch my daughter." He growled. Stepping between Oberon and the woman.

"Your daughter? Are you claiming her as your daughter? Please, you couldn't have sired such a powerful young woman as this." the woman smiled. Oberon looked to Eldan and then back to the woman. Oberon swallowed, her hands gripping the herbs harder while a rush of heat flooded her arms and ears.

"Dad? What does she mean?" Eldan was about to speak when the woman cut him off.

"No matter. My name is Eleanor, a momentary leader of the Black Wings. My master requires your assistance. Resisting or refusal is useless."

"What master?" Eldan asked, regarding Eleanor with less and less trust.

"The Black Mage, of course. You didn't honestly think the Black Wings would have any other leader, did you? Now come, we're wasting time. Whatever objections you have, you may speak them directly to him." Eleanor raised her hand, making her gold staff appear, the top of which glowing.

"OBERON! RUN!" Eldan commanded. Before they had taken a step, they were already transported somewhere else, a dark place deep within a forest where towering trees were all around them, and luminescent fungus colored everything a cold, ire cold shade of blue. Undead soldiers and enormous dinosaur-like Skelegons pushed them back as Eleanor led them deeper into the caves, to the bottom of the Sleeping Wood. When they had reached the bottom, Eleanor ordered them to wait outside an ancient-looking temple where Eleanor was swallowed by the shadows. Eldan looked around for an escape, but even turning his head made the Skelegons focus their gaze on him, standing at the ready to tear him to shreds with their boney claws.

"Oberon, listen to me: 20 years ago yesterday, you appeared at the edge of Leafre. I promised that I would take care of you until someone came for you, but you grew up so fast that before I knew it, you were my little girl." Oberon's vision blurred as her head became light, losing her balance until Eldan caught her, helping her stand back up.

"I-I-I'm not…your daughter?" Oberon asked, her heart racing and skin becoming a visible shade of white.

"Not by blood, no. But in all other ways, you are my daughter."

"Then… who was my mother?" she asked weakly.

"I don't know Obi. As I said, you appeared one day in Leafre. I may not know where you came from, but I do know where it is you belong." Eldan assured, putting his arms around her and hugging her tightly.

"Every time I looked in the mirror, I couldn't see a resemblance."

"I know you may have many, many more questions, Oberon. But let's focus on surviving whatever this Black Mage wants first." Eldan suggested, helping his daughter back to her feet, putting an arm around her shoulders instinctively to keep her close.

After a few minutes, Eleanor called them into the room, where a large rock sat with an ancient symbol hewn into it. A cloud of sinister whispers seemed to swell from nowhere. Eldan looked around, unsure as to what was happening when another rise of whispers filled the room, and Eleanor nodded, placing a hand on the rock. Her eyes glowed with a black light, and when she spoke again, a lower, more sinister whisper spoke with her.

"Eldan Giant, the world-famous medicine man, and Oberon, his daughter; I have waited a long, long time to meet the both of you. Eleanor is my apprentice and an excellent master of potions herself; however, she is unable to create the rare Sorcerer's Elixir. Since you are a master of such things, I require your help. I will grant and teach you powers beyond what you could imagine as a reward." Oberon stepped closer to Eldan, both of their skin flaring hard with goosebumps.

"Thank you, but I must decline. I have all I need in Oberon." Eldan shot back. The rock glowed blackish-red and then settled down.

"Very well. Eleanor, destroy Leafre." Eleanor pulled her hand from the stone and was about to activate her transport spell when Eldan stopped her.

"Wait! Don't! The Hafrings are defenseless and peaceful creatures who care for dragon's eggs until they hatch. What can I do to make you not destroy them?" he pleaded. Eleanor put her hand back on the stone once more as her brow lowered, and her voice became more commanding.

"I will spare Leafre. In return, you will make the Sorcerer's Elixir." Eldan bowed his head and nodded. He had heard the stories and legends about what the Black Mage was capable of, but never imagined that he was real. If creating this potion saved Leafre, even for a little while, then he would follow along and be the man that was needed. Oberon became impatient and stepped forwards.

"How dare you back Eldan into a corner like that! And what am I doing here, anyway? You just need that Sorcerer's Elixir, right? Once we make it for you…" Eleanor held up her hand and hit her with a small spell, with just enough power to shove her back.

"That's where you're wrong, Oberon. I have a very fundamental role for you to play in my plans." Eleanor said.

"What do you mean?" Oberon sneered, walking back to be level with Eldan.

"Tell me, Oberon, do you have any memories of your mother… Ashura?" at the mention of the name Oberon's head began to pound. Images of a young woman holding her as a baby shot through her mind.

"What about your sister Aufheben?" Eleanor asked, still with the sinister whisper just behind her voice. Again the splitting headache came. Images of a pale red-haired girl, just like her playing with her or sparing in swordplay, flashed through her thoughts.

"Or even of living in Orion?!" Oberon collapsed to the ground as all her memories of it came rushing back, making her stomach turn, launching her into a fit of dry heaves.

"Yes, that's right, Oberon. You were the daughter of the Empress of Ossyria, Ashura. You are the princess of Ossyria, twin sister to Aufheben. Since that is all true, why hasn't your mother or her guards come for you?" the Black Mage asked through Eleanor.

"She doesn't know where I am! She doesn't even know I'm missing yet!" Oberon whispered, shouting once she fully understood what had happened. The Black Mage's tone became almost sympathetic.

"Oberon, twenty years have passed since you went missing, and not one person has come through the Time Gate looking for you. Not your mother, not your sister, not even your pitiful Royal Guards. Aufheben was destined to become the new empress, but she saw you as a threat. She sent you back in time so that nothing would stand in her way to the throne. She doesn't miss you; she abandoned you, her own twin sister!"

"No, not Aufheben. She wouldn't be that cruel! That isn't like her!" Oberon argued.

"Then explain to me why she hasn't come looking for you? Or sent any guards after you through the Time Gate? She wanted you gone from the bottom of her black heart." The Mage's words hit Oberon like thousands of punches. She hurt all over as The Mage's words began to sink in. With an almost motherly property, Eleanor placed her hand on her shoulder, kneeling down to her level but still having one hand placed on the stone.

"If you pledge yourself to my service, I will never leave you so alone. I will give you the power to overthrow Aufheben and take the throne for yourself."

"How… how do you know that my sister wanted me out of the way?" Oberon asked in a last attempt to prove what The Mage wrong, standing to her unsteady feet. Eleanor held out her hand as an image of Aufheben appeared, laughing and playing with some of the villagers in a town fair, or signing documents while seated on the throne. Oberon felt her eyes sting as she balled her fists, her nails almost making her hand bleed. All the time spent with her sister was just a lie, a setup! Oberon collapsed once again, while tears fell from behind her hands as she covered her face. Eldan knelt down behind her and put his arms around her, comforting her as best he knew how.

"If you say that you will give me power, then let me have it. I will destroy Aufheben!" she said with quivering rage.

"It will take time, but I will train you to use the power I will give you to its full potential, and how to control it so that you will remain as you are now," Eleanor said, reaching out and touching her shoulder once again as something shot through her entire body. For a moment, everything went black, and then she could hear the whispers that had first hung in the air. The countless whispers making up The Mage's speech became more precise as the power she had been given settled into her body

"Yes, master, I can hear you. I pledge my allegiance to you until the day I die."


Orion, September 5, 2099

Aufheben walked out onto the balcony overlooking Orion, and even further, the El Nath mountain range. Above them, the crystal ribbons reminded her when Oberon told her to stay calm before Dunas told her how he felt. Fifty-eight has passed since she went missing; all the soldiers had given up on the search when the first year went by. But she, Asia and Dunas secretly went out one night every two weeks and searched for any trace of Oberon.

"Oh, Oberon, if only you were here right now." Aufheben sighed as Dunas walked up behind her and put his arms around her waist.

"Ashley, don't you think we should stop the search? It's been well over fifty years, and still, no clues have appeared." Aufheben shook her head, looking down at Dunas' hand, clasped around her waist.

"We can't give up just yet, Dunas. I know she's out there somewhere. I just wish I had been there for her. She must have been so scared." Aufheben assumed, putting her hands on top of Dunas' and getting a faraway look in her eyes. Even though Dunas was partial to giving up the search, he hated seeing his Ashley like this.

"I will personally escort a unit of D2-type Mavericks to the Time gate and ask Nexus for any trace of her." Aufheben smiled as the thought comforted her, but turned around and shook her head.

"No, you're right, Dunas. As much as I hate to, it's time that we gave up the search."

"I'm sure that Oberon would want you to live your life." The now aged Ashura said, setting the end of her cross spear on the ground like a staff and leaning against it.

"Mother, what are you doing walking around carrying that heavy thing? You know what Maed told you about that."

"Oh, give an old war empress some slack. What amazes me is that you haven't aged a day, Aufheben, not a single day since your 16th birthday. I bet it has something to do with your father." Ashura commented in a dry voice.

"I, on the other hand, am not so immortal," Dunas interjected, pulling the long glove from his right arm, revealing a mechanical prosthetic. The seam where it connected to his flesh was still in the early stages of healing.

"Dunas! What happened?" Aufheben asked in horror as she looked over his arm, tenderly reaching for the seam.

"We lost control of The Bergamot sentry, and it began attacking the workers in the dock. Asia and I fought it off, but in the ensuing battle, one of its missiles took my arm. Luckily we were able to destroy it while Asia managed to keep my wound stable. Too much time passed to re-attach my arm, and in its place, this prosthetic was fit in Magcatia." Aufheben shook her head and then kissed the cold steel wrist.

"You have to tell me these things, Dunas. You know I worry since I can't go with you as much as I used to." She said, running her hand up the cold metallic skin. Dunas put a finger under her chin, bringing her gaze up to meet his own.

"Don't try to make me a replacement for Oberon."


Sleeping Wood Dungeon, December 7, 2010

Oberon placed the last be of chamomile into a bowl next to Eldan. He ground a blood-colored liquid into the herb, then poured the brew into an elegant glass bottle, putting the cap on and shaking it vigorously. A pale pink light flared from it, lighting the room in its pastel color.

"Is it ready?" Eleanor asked as she sauntered into Eldan's lab, brushing aside drying herbs and creature's appendages hanging from the rocky ceiling.

"Yes." He replied apologetically, handing the bottle to Eleanor.

"Good work Eldan. I'm sure the Mage will grant you power far beyond what you expect. And you, Oberon, have been trained well in using your powers as a disciple of the Black Mage. You work in bringing Edelstein under our control was simply a joy to watch." Eleanor clutched at her side, still sore from a healing wound received while fighting the Knights of Ereve, who had very well nearly killed her. Had she not stolen the dark crystal beforehand to use its power and escape, she wouldn't have made it out alive. Oberon bowed low as bluish-black flames flared in her hands.

"It is my pleasure to serve the Black Mage. Without the protection of the Five Masters to aid Aran, that pesky Evan and the Knights will be nothing to deal with." Oberon said, following Eldan and Eleanor to the Black Mage's seal, where they were greeted with pleased whispers from the stone. Eleanor steadied herself, holding the Dark Crystal between her palms and began chanting in ancient Sharenian a complicated spell. Each line she recited obliterated another layer of the seal imprisoning the Black Mage, his power leaking more strongly with each tier removed. Far above them, training knights and heroes fought off the onslaughts of monsters attacking the towns that were steadily becoming stronger, and soon became overrun and killed by the thousands. Mass evacuations began to take place, moving the entire population of Victoria Island to the far side of the world in Mu Lung and Herb Town.

For nearly a week, she cast the spell; each day, the glow of the crystal becoming brighter. When the last layer of the seal had been eliminated, Eleanor poured the potion over the crystal. The moss within the cave died away around Eleanor, as the power of the Dark Crystal became even more potent. As Eleanor finished the chant, she hurled the crystal into the rock. Cracks of dark light spread across it on impact. From within, The Mage could be heard laughing in an ethereal voice of pure ecstasy, finally free from the prison that those damned Heroes had sealed him in.

"At last… THE BLACK MAGE IS FREE!" Eleanor shouted with glee as the rock disintegrated while black power flowed over the world, making the very air they breathed tremble in fear. A pillar of black energy drove through the miles of rock above him, engulfing the world in total darkness as the Mage rose from his prison. For centuries he had dreamed of being able to touch time once again. During his imprisonment in a place where time was meaningless, he gathered and perfected his power. When the flood of energy subsided, the entirety of Victoria had changed. Entire villages had moved miles, and short walks became dangerous treks.

The Black Mage resurrected those who had run amok in his absence, telling them only that their lives would be used for his own purpose. He then destroyed the abandoned Ereve quickly without the presence of the Knights, or the empress and her guardian feather dragon. Those tasks completed, he descended to Oberon, forcing power through her body like she had never felt before, painful yet pleasurable, shivering as her new abilities settled into her body.

The Black Mage then walked to Eldan and waved his hand through the air. A circle appeared under him, making Eldan scream as the light from the ring enveloped him. With each passing second, his body began to feel strange and heavy, unable to move quickly or precisely. When the light finally subsided, a creature made of stone had taken Eldan's place, with sagging cheeks, shoulders, and an oversized body. He tried to speak, but all that came out were groans and mumbles.

"Father! What have you done to him?!" Oberon shouted as she rushed to his side, putting her hands over his shoulders to comfort him.

"The Mage has given him massive powers, so much so in fact that for him to be returned to normal, someone must defeat him like this, and only then will his true power be realized," Eleanor explained, as The Mage's eyes grinned. Oberon looked away, trying to hide the tears that she felt hanging at the corners of her eyes: how could The Mage do something to someone that had just released him from the prison he was in? Whispers hissed around Oberon as she nodded, swinging her sword with a burst of her new power, cutting a hole in time.

"Dad, I'll be back for you. If you aren't back to your old self, I shall set you free." With that thought in mind, she pushed into the swirl of dark red to face her most painful enemy yet. Once the tear had winked out, The Black Mage fell to his hands and knees, completely exhausted.

"Master!" Eleanor cried out as she ran over to him, almost seeming worried over a lover. The Mage held up his hand as growling whispers surrounded them while he stood once again.

"Then I will make a mana potion to help restore your power. Until it is fully restored, I think it would be wise if you would use the Dark Crystal as an alternate power source." Eleanor suggested, steadying The Mage when his step faltered. Before moving on, he held up his hand and showed a picture of Edelstein.

"What could be there that you would need, master? You have all the power you need to fulfill your plans for Ossyria." Eleanor questioned, but her only response was a long a happy sounding hiss while his eyes seemed to smile.


Orion, August 2, 2215

Aufheben brushed the knots out of her luscious red hair the moment that she awoke. 147 years had passed since Oberon disappeared, and still, her youth persisted. Many times Aufheben had wondered if maybe she was part demon or something to account for her youthful appearance. But since her mother never did find out who or what her father was, she could only speculate. 115 years went by since the passing of her mother, leaving her on the throne as Empress over Ossyria. Since then, many things had changed.

Technology had advanced so much that humans and Androids were no longer distinguishable. The Machinist and Maed had created an A.I. program that resembled a human soul, and prosthetics had come such a long, long way, allowing her love Dunas to stay alive through his many horrid and limb ripping battles. Because of his injuries, Dunas was now 74% machine; even his heart and lungs had been replaced by mechanical prostheses. Despite his bodily changes, though, he was still the man that Aufheben loved. As she sat looking down at an old weathered picture of her sister, an Imperial Guard came bursting through the door.

"Empress Aufheben! Look outside; there is something strange hanging in the sky!" it said, making Aufheben run out of the double glass doors to the balcony to see a swirl of dark red hovering in the middle of the sky. Dunas stood behind Aufheben at the ready while Asia appeared next to him.

"What do you suppose that is, Ashley?" Dunas asked, his actuators and circuits buzzing in anticipation for another battle.

"I don't know, but I don't like it. Ready the Mavericks and have some of the Imperials to back them…" A thunderous noise split the air while a beam of black light shot down from the center of the whirlpool in the middle of Orion. A massive cloud of dust and rubble to billowed into the air. Humans and fairies alike could be heard screaming as they ran away from whatever had landed there. Aufheben commanded Dunas and Asia to go ahead of her while she quickly ran back to her closet and threw on a dress, then grabbed her plasma greatsword and flew after her friends. Dunas flitted from place to place using the now perfected Placement Energy while Asia teleported from building to building. When they arrived, a lone figure knelt amid the dust and rubble of the broken street: Dunas and Asia quickly surrounded the figure that slowly stood. At the same time, her lengthy onyx hair blew in the breeze that cleared the dust to reveal Oberon, sword drawn and humming as she pushed her newly received power into the blade, making it turn an odd red color. Aufheben froze as her eyes went wide.

"Oberon? OBERON!" Aufheben shouted as she ran to her and wrapped her in a tight hug, tears falling stinging her eyes and falling down her cheeks in streams.

"Why didn't you come to get me?" Oberon asked, trembling. Aufheben stopped and backed away to look her sister in the face.

"All that time, you wanted me gone, and now that I'm back, you're still playing the same trick! Pretending that you missed me while the whole time you just wanted me gone! You didn't want anyone to find out about your little scheme. Well, I did, and now, I've come for my revenge!" in a mighty swing, Oberon sent Aufheben careening down the street, disappearing in a cloud of dust.

"Oberon! That's your sister! What are you doing!" Dunas shouted.

"My eyes have been opened to the truth Dunas!" Oberon blurred as she moved, making Dunas use the placement energy to avoid her. Asia unleashed a myriad of spells, only to be thrown aside as mere playthings when Oberon blocked each attack with her sword or hand. Dunas recovered from his movement and transformed his arm into a laser cannon, the same as the mavericks, and fired. Oberon turned to face the oncoming shot, but it was too fast for her to block in time.

"Is this how it will end?" she thought as she turned to still try and block the shot when it ricocheted off of Aufheben's blade and took down a building across the street.

"Ashely! What are you doing!" Dunas shouted. Asia took the opportunity and cast a potent spell, raining bright light down onto Oberon, which was then cast aside once again by Aufheben.

"Empress!" Asia screamed, but Aufheben acknowledged neither of them, standing with tears streaking her dusty face and quivers in her voice.

"Why, Oberon? Why are you doing this? For nearly 60 years, I searched for you after you had disappeared. Not only was I alone, but I was also afraid that you had been killed by Andy. Don't you know that I would do anything to get my sister back?" Aufheben asked as she turned to face Oberon. For a brief moment, Oberon felt that she had chosen the wrong path in coming back to this time until a voice echoed in her head.

"It's all an act, Oberon." Gritting her teeth, Oberon fought off the feeling of compassion and held her palm to her.

"LIES!" she screamed, casting a powerful spell at her sister that neither Dunas nor Asia could block in time. Aufheben shut her eyes in reflex until she realized that she could no longer move. Opening her eyes, Aufheben saw that everything looked glassed and distorted with a slight blue tint. No matter how she tried, she couldn't move. From where she was, she could see Asia running up behind Oberon. But her sister turned in a blur and dealt a swift cross strike across her gut, blood spilling to the ground and spew from her mouth as she careened into a building.

"ASIA! ASIAAAA!" Aufheben yelled, having to stop from the sound rebounding into her own ears, nearly making her deaf. She could barely see Dunas, but he crept up to behind Oberon as she turned around to face and speak to her sister once more, which sounded muffled.

"I have gained power far beyond what you could imagine sister dearest. And now I will make you endure the same fate that I did: being alone with no one to come for you!" with a swift swing of her sword, another tear was created, big enough for Aufheben and her prison to be sent into the past.

"ASHLEY!" Dunas called, running for the portal as it was closing, only to come within a hair's breadth before it completely flickered out of existence. He tumbled across the ground behind where the portal had been a moment before. Dunas shook with rage as he retracted his laser cannon, mana fizzling into the air as he focused it around his arms and fists.

"Why, Oberon? Why would you do something like that to your own sister?"

"It is because she has become part of my family Dunas." to Dunas, Oberon's voice sounded strange. It was as if a whisper was just under the surface of her voice. When he turned to look her in the eye, a dark red flame billowed from her right eye.

"She, Aufheben, or as you like to call her, Ashley, will be fine so long as you do exactly as I say. This girl, Oberon, used only one-tenth of her potential power, and yet she was able to dispose of all three of you, the Orion Guard, so easily. I'm disappointed: you don't live up to your name." Oberon said, smiling as the flame in her eye dissipated as did the whisper in her voice.

"What is it that you want?" Dunas growled as he stood, facing Oberon.

"Besides Aufheben, you are the only one that knows the missile launch codes. I want you to launch all of them on Ossyria: destroy it, glass it, and obliterate it."

"Oberon, what are you saying. You would never wish this even on the most despicable of worlds." Dunas protested when the flame and the whisper came back into her voice with a vengeance.

"Oberon has come under the command of the Black Mage and obeys no one but I! Now launch the missiles, or Aufheben won't live to see another sunset." Dunas hung his head: for so long he had fought to protect everyone in Ossyria from dangers amongst themselves, yet the very threat he thought had been dealt with two centuries ago, was standing before him.

"Forgive me, Aufheben." He thought, turning his head to the sky in a heart-wrenching cry. His neural implants connected to the mainframe began the launch sequence for every missile stored in the mountains of El Nath.


It was cold, so very cold and uncomfortable. Despite being sealed inside this prison of ice, Aufheben could still feel the cold. She could hear voices in the distance, slowly waking her. When she opened her eyes, everything was still distorted and blurred, but through the glass-like wall, she could see six young people dressed in different armor standing before her.

"Do you think it's the same as the game? You know, having to offer something on the altar before we can defeat her?" Aufheben recognized that voice, but it sounded younger, much younger. Looking harder through the distortion, she made out the flowing violet hair of the Guardian Mage, Helen. Aufheben's eyes went wide as she remembered meeting her but as a much older woman.

"Excuse me, but are you six, the Guardians of Ossyria?"