This is a story that was completed on 3-21-2007, and I'm now adding to this archive.

Once again, I dedicate this fic to CubedCinder128, and also to his sister Barbie7635, who helped start a community I feel priveleged to contribute to.

"How can this be taking so long when we've got the instructions for fixing this thing?" inquired Myau, who was sitting on Odin's shoulder.

Noah didn't answer them. He merely let out a sigh of annoyance, then continued with his task, carefully rewiring several components of Tarzimal's lamp. The three of them were right outside the entrance to the cave they had used to hide in. The Luveno was nearby, and Noah stood right beside the open doorway of the landrover, using the light from the inside. Night had fallen over an hour ago, and the light from Motavia's three moons was woefully inadequate for the task at hand.

And all the while, Alis looked down upon them, watching them anxiously and trying to listen in. It had been several hours since she had rescued them from Dioa, but she still felt exhausted and weak. She had lay there beside the factory for several hours, before her friends could finally rouse her, and the trip back to the cave - while carrying the Luveno as well - pushed her beyond her limits yet again. But Alis forced herself to remain awake this whole time. She was determined to keep an eye on everyone until they were safely on their way back to Palma. It didn't matter how tired she felt. She wouldn't leave her friends defenseless and run the risk of them being taken away again.

And so, for the last few hours, Alis lay on her belly in the soft sand, her huge head looming over the landrover as she looked down at her friends. Before she and Wren had set out for the factory, Leli's android had written down instructions, telling them how to repair the lamp. Many components were shielded against an EMP attack, but Tarzimal obviously didn't have the resources to protect all the vital parts. So it was lucky that Wren had written down exactly what needed to be replaced. Of course, from the looks of things, following said instructions was easier said than done.

The thought of Wren, and how he was still helping her even now, almost made Alis cry again. No matter how much she tried to rationalize things and balance the scales in her mind, the memory of Wren would always be as painful as watching Nero die. Alis vividly remembered how utterly decimated his body looked when she held him in the palm of her hand. Alis couldn't help but think that if she'd acted differently, she could have saved him from Dioa. He was so tiny and frail compared to them. She never should have let Wren tackle Dioa head-on like that....

"Hey, I think you're trying to put that transistor in backwards!" Myau suddenly yelled, loudly enough to distract Alis. She looked down again. With only the pale light from the moons, she could barely see her friends, let alone make out their faces. But she could catch the impatience and irritation in their faint voices.

"Oh shut up," barked Noah, sounding embarrassed.

"And be careful how you connect all that!" Myau went on. "You know if it's not biased the right way, the transistor won't work and...."

"Here's an idea: if you're so damn smart, why not do it yourself?" interjected Noah. Alis had to stifle a giggle. The shyness and apprehension Alis normally associated with Noah couldn't be heard in his faint voice. She figured that he must be getting REALLY frustrated.

"I would if I could, you moron!" snapped Myau, bristling with indignation. He held up a paw. "No opposable thumbs, hello?" Alis swore she heard Odin laugh a little, and she was certain that that was a groan she heard from Noah.

A few more minutes passed by in silence, during which Alis attentively watched all her little friends, as if she subconsciously feared they would be snatched away again the second she took her eyes off of them. To her, they still looked incredibly fragile and vulnerable. And after all that had happened, part of her wished she could stay as huge as she was and ensure no harm ever came to them again. But that wasn't possible...not if she wanted to get off of Motavia anyway.

As she kept staring down at her friends, Alis suddenly felt pangs of guilt again, this time because of how she treated them. Even before this unfortunate detour to Motavia, she had been cold and standoffish, consumed by her anger and taking it out on everyone else. She also lamented how she had started to think they were getting in her way. It was sad how it took this crisis to make her realize how wrong it was to treat them like that...especially Noah, considering that he had been right all along.

Alis squinted, focusing on Noah. Even in the faint light from Motavia's three moons, she could clearly make out his tiny form, his long blue hair and white robes making him stand out. She had been aware of his attraction to her almost as soon as he had joined her party, but had remained silent about it. Alis found his awkwardness around her a bit flattering, and was curious to see if he'd ever get over his shyness. And she had to admit that toying with him after growing to be a giantess had proven to be a lot of fun (though Noah might think otherwise) . But she never felt she could ever return those feelings.

Until now. As she watched Noah continue to busily tinker with the lamp, Alis realized she should consider herself lucky that he genuinely cared for her. No other man had ever shown such interest in her, and she had no doubt he was sincere. And as she stared down at Noah, she found herself thinking that he wasn't exactly bad-looking either. He was handsome in his own, strange way, and sort of cute, too. Especially now, since he looked no taller than two inches to her. As she squinted even more to carefully watch Noah work, Alis found herself absentmindedly thinking of other fun ways she could play with him while she was still at her current size.

Hmmm, just what else could I do to have fun with him? she pondered, smiling as she thought back to when pretended she was about to eat him alive. I suppose I could pick him up again, then toss him into the air, catch him as he comes down, and just keep doing that again and again. Or I could take my socks and boots off and pick him up with my toes, dangling him fifty feet above the ground. Or even pin him down with my bare feet; if I pin him down against the sand, it shouldn't hurt him too much. Or make him take a sword and cut my nails for me. Or maybe....

"Hey Alis!" cried out a voice no longer than a whisper to her. Her gaze shifted downward again, and she noticed that Noah seemed to be looking up at her. "Alis, are you OK?"

Truthfully, Alis still felt fatigued, but she wasn't about to admit that. "Yeah, I'm fine," she fibbed. "Why?"

"Oh nothing," said Noah. "It just looked like you were daydreaming or something."

Alis hoped that Noah couldn't see her blush. Before it was her who caught Noah thinking rather nasty thoughts about her, and now that embarrassing position was reversed. That realization had her mind racing. Oh geez, am I really starting to think of him in THAT way? she thought to herself, now more unsure than ever of her own feelings.

"Alis, you OK?" Noah asked again, jarring Alis.

"Forget it," Alis said quickly. "So, what's up?"

"Well, err, I think I've finally got this thing fixed. I mean, I followed all the instructions Wren left for us, so it should work...I think," Noah said nervously as he gazed up into Alis's eyes. "So, I figure we might as well test it out and see if we can reverse its effects. I mean, you want to get back to Palma as soon as possible, right?"

Alis stared down at him for a moment, unsure of how to reply. Before coming back to Motavia, Alis could think of practically nothing but avenging Nero. But now, so much had happened, forcing her to change the way she looked at everything...Dioa turning on her, Tarzimal's revelation about her heritage, Wren and Leli's sacrifices, and most of all, the realization that she had pushing away those who looked to her for hope. She now had so much to think about, too much to try and sort out....

"Alis, you sure nothing's wrong?" said Myau. The musk cat's voice was so soft, Alis could barely hear him. Or see him, for that matter. It took Alis a few seconds to even find where Myau was, standing in the sand next to Odin.

"Don't worry about me," said Alis sternly. "I'll be fine. And yeah, we might as well see if the blasted thing still works. Being over 150 feet tall was fun for a while, but now...." Alis's voice trailed off, not wanting to get into another discussion about how she felt all that power had gone to her head. She looked down at her friends again, once again noticing how Noah stood out. A sudden impulse came to her, and she couldn't surpress a grin. "But first, there's one last thing I want to do," she said as she rose to her knees.

"What's that, Alis? What's...." Noah began, but his voice trailed off when he saw Alis's gigantic fingers, as wide as Motavia's cacti, come at him through the darkness. Noah let out out a yelp as he stumbled backwards and fell. Before he knew it, Alis had her fingertips firmly planted against his sides. "Oh NOW WHAT!? Alis? A-Alis!?" he yelled as Alis effortlessly picked him up, while Odin and Myau could only watch.

Within seconds, Noah was once again in front of Alis's face. He was close enough to reach out and touch her nose if he hadn't been struggling in her vice-like grip. It was still very dark, but Noah could clearly see that Alis was smiling. And it was that same twisted, teasing smile she had flashed right before she threatened to eat him alive. Noah felt a profound sense of dread as he noticed her gigantic blue eyes peer down on him, feeling the weight of her stare. It took a while before he found the courage to speak again. "A-Alis, what's g-going on?" he stammered.

Alis's smile grew even broader. "Just my way of saying 'thank you'," was all she said.

"Errr...'thank you'?" Noah repeated. "For what?"

"For just being there, being willing to help me with a problem I didn't even know I had, and not giving up on me," explained Alis. "And you deserve a reward for that."

"I...do?" Noah asked nervously. He wanted to inquire further, but Noah found himself being moved again, down towards her mouth. He was about to panic, but suddenly, her lips crashed against his body. Once Noah got over his surprise, he found himself reveling the softness of her lips, and how they radiated a warmth of both body and spirit. It was also then that he could sense that, though her spirit remained in turmoil, the darkness spawned by her rage was almost completely gone. His hopes had been realized at last.

Noah wasn't sure how long it was before Alis broke the kiss and brought him back up in front of her eyes. Huge, glistening, blue eyes that radiated a serene warmth and a deep sense of thankfulness. "The least you could do is say, 'You're welcome,'" she chided teasingly. Noah just stared back into her huge eyes, unable to say a word. Alis carefully set Noah back down beside the landrover, then stood up, her body rising high into the night sky and letting her friends see for one last time how incredibly intimidating she was at that titanic size.

Alis nodded, signalling that she was ready. Noah ignored the thunderstruck looks on Myau and Odin's faces and aimed the lamp upward at Alis. Right now, his mind was racing, trying to get over the shock of being kissed by Alis like that. Whta didd it really mean? Did he dare hope that she was now returning his feelings for her? But Noah pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand. He pulled the lamp's trigger. He was both relieved and just a bit disappointed when a beam of light, this time a sky-blue color, shot out of the spout and struck Alis.

Alis took a deep breath as she felt that strange tingling again, and then her fatigue slowly grew even worse. She looked all around her, noticing that nothing was happening. Then she remembered that it had taken a few minutes for her growth spurt to kick in in the first place. Come on, come on, she thought impatiently. Just get this over with.

And then, finally, she noticing something start to happen. As she looked down, she realized the cactus right beside her foot looked like it was getting larger. Alis looked around, and realized that everything seemed to be getting bigger: the mountain range seemed to explode with growth, and the clouds overhead slowly receded from view, seemingly rising higher and higher into the night sky. The rate of her shrinking seemed to be greater than the rate at which she had grown, something Alis was thankful for. Before she knew it, the shrinking stopped, and as she looked around again, she realized everything seemed the way it was before the whole mess began.

"Alis!?" Noah's nervous voice rang out through the night. Alis turned in the direction of the voice, seeing Noah and the others run up to her.

"I'm fine," she assured them, but no sooner had she said those words did a wave of vertige sweep over her. She tottered forced, but Noah reached out and grabbed her before she could fall. For a moment, she let Noah hold her like that, too dizzy and tired to offer any resistance.

Noah then pried Alis off of him and slung one arm over her shoulders, helping her walk. Not another word was spoken as the landrover was boarded onto the Luveno as the ship's engines were powered up. After that, it didn't take Hapsby too long to make the preparations for takeoff, and soon enough, the Luveno was in the air. Several minutes later, the ship was completely free of Motavia's atmosphere, heading through space back to Palma...and the four passengers' rendezvous with destiny.

Noah sighed in annoyance as he looked out into the blackness of space through the window. Several times, he had tried to take advantage of all the time on his hands and meditate, hoping to clear his mind. But each attempt had proven fruitless. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get past the preliminary steps for deep meditation. Some stray thought always popped into his head and he just couldn't push it away.

Noah sighed again, and readied himself for another try. But the instant he closed his eyes, a soft snore from the seat next to him distracted him yet again. Noah turned to see Alis was still fast asleep in her seat, her head lazily lolled to the side. She had been asleep almost all this time. Noah wasn't surprised by that at all. Over the last two days, she had suffered so much, both physically and emotionally. As usual, she looked deceptively peaceful while she slept, but Noah knew it would be a long time before she got over all that had just happened. But at the very least, the experience had changed her, hopefully for the better.

As he kept watching her, Noah's thoughts drifted back to the time they spent together on Motavia. Specifically, that moment right before he restored her to normal size, when she plucked him off the ground and kissed him. Noah had never been close with any other girl, let alone been kissed by one. He often wondered what his first kiss would be like, but NEVER in his wildest dreams would he have ever imagined a massive, towering beauty like Alis would take him like that and steal a kiss, smothering him with her soft lips. Did that really mean what I hope it means, Noah wondered, or was that just her way of teasing me again?

Noah looked over her again, noticing for the first time how worn out she really looked. Her diamond armor was dusty and dirty, and her hair looked frizzled and unkempt. Plus, she sort of stank after stomping around Motavia for two days without a bath, but he'd never mention it, lest he get punched in the face. Still, she looked as beautiful as ever to Noah. He longed to comfort her and tell her that he'd help her through the final part of her quest, no matter what, but he didn't dare disturb her, knowing that she needed to rest.

However, he soon got the chance anyway. It was then that Alis's eyes slowly fluttered open. For several seconds, she stayed perfectly still, staring straight ahead. Noah was certain that, any second, the memories of recent events would come crashing back.

Noah finally dared to speak up. "Alis? Hey, you alright?"

Alis slowly turned to him. "I...guess so," she said tentatively. She let out a yawn, then asked, "How much longer till we get to Palma?"

"Should be about another hour," said Noah. Silence lingered for a moment, in which Alis just stared off into space, a melancholy expression on her face. Noah could help but voice his curiosity. "Alis, what is it?"

Alis turned to look at him. "I...it's," she began, obviously having trouble finding her words. "It's just that...I just wish there was something we could do for Wren...."

Noah placed a comforting hand on Alis's shoulder. "You did your best. We all did. But...Leli was obviously a genius centuries ahead of her time. Wren is such a complex android, none of us had any idea where to begin," he said, trying to reassure her. But truthfully, he felt as frustrated as she did. After taking off, Alis and Noah had spent almost an hour trying to figure out a way to restore Wren. But neither of them were professional engineers, and Leli had obviously developed robotics way ahead of her time. "We'll keep him though. Maybe one day, someone will be able to find a way to...."

Noah stopped when he noticed his words only seemed to make Alis feel worse. "A-Alis, I'm s-sorry," he stammered. "Forget it, forget I said anything. I'll shut up and...."

"No it's alright," Alis insisted. "I-I need to talk anyway. A-About some things that I've learned...."

Noah shot back a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

"There's, well...." she began, sounding as if she was carefully thinking about how to say what she wanted to say. "I...I learned some things from Tarzimal, before he died."

The mention of his mentor almost unnerved him again. It was hard enough to accept that the man who'd practically been a father figure for him all his life was now gone. He didn't blame Alis, as she blamed herself, but the loss was a painful one. "Wha...what did he tell you?" he asked hesitantly.

"It's more like what he SHOWED me. By putting me in his memories," said Alis. She paused, looking away from Noah. "Would you believe that I'm supposed to be the rightful queen of the Algo system?" she finished softly.

"WHAT!?" cried Noah. He was surprised his outburst didn't wake Myau and Odin. "The...QUEEN!?"

"Yeah, I saw it," she replied, turning to face him again. "I saw Tarzimal tell the governor to hand me over to a family that was moving to Palma, while I was still a baby. He said I had to remain hidden until the time was right. And said that I had a destiny to fulfill. Well, I guess we all know what that is now...."

Noah listened in stunned silence. It was a while before he could ask, "How...how do you feel about that?"

"I don't know, Noah, I just don't know," said Alis sadly. "I never wanted anything like that. Before Lassic suddenly started his reigh of terror and Nero's death, I was perfectly happy where I was. But now, it's like you said. Someone has to stop Algo from falling into anarchy if we kill Lassic...so I guess, it'll have to be me."

Noah couldn't imagined how much that sort of responsibility was now weighing down on Alis. But before he could ask about it again, Alis spoke up again. "By the way, why did Tarzimal call you 'Lutz'?"

"Wha!?" exclaimed Noah fearfully. "Wha...how did you...."

"It was in the memory. You were in it, just a little boy when I was handed off...and Tarzimal called you 'Lutz'. Why was that?"

Noah sighed, hating how that secret had been stumbled upon. "It was the name Tarzimal gave me. Whenever people are recruited at a young age into the Espers, their mentors give them a new name. For some stupid reason, Tarzimal thought I had a lot of potential, so he called me 'Lutz', which means 'reverent one'."

Alis lifted an eyebrow. "I'd say the name fits. You're wiser than you give yourself credit for, and we'd never have gotten this far without you."

"But I always hated the name," Noah went on. "It made me feel as if I was supposed to be better at my training than everyone else. It made me feel set apart. So I told Tarzimal to call me by my birth name or I'd pack up and leave."

For a few moments, Alis didn't reply. But then, she suddenly chuckled. "Well, if you insist. But to be honest, I think 'Lutz' has a nice ring to it." Noah felt his cheeks grow hot. For some reason, when Alis said his Esper name, it didn't make him feel embarrassed. "And Noah, there's one other thing I need to tell you, something I haven't had the opportunity to explain yet."

"Go on," Noah urged, sensing her uncertainty.

"It's about...well, what happened when we were all dragged into that...whatever it was," said Alis. "It was like...something was possessing Dioa, something incredibly evil. And from the sound of it, whatever it was was also using Lassic too, in some way."

Alis paused, looking at Noah with eyes that betrayed fear and confusion. "I can't pretend to understand just what went on back there, but somehow, I got the feeling that...this won't be over even if we kill Lassic. As if there's something else out there, something profoundly evil that's determined to wreck everything, bring the Algo system to ruin. Like you said all along, Lassic's death won't be the end of it, I just know it...."

"Alis, I...." Noah began, trying to find the right words to say. "Alis, are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely positive," Alis said simply. "It made me more certain of what you tried to tell me. This fight isn't about revenge, about the people we've lost. It's about the ones who are still alive, protecting everything there is. But...." She paused, sounding like she was choking back a sob. "I'm not sure if I can do it. Before I had no doubts whatsoever, but now...I have no idea what to expect!"

"Alis, you won't have to go through it alone," Noah reassured her. "Whatever awaits us, whatever this new enemy is that we're facing, I vow to you, here and now, I'll never stop until I've seen it defeated."

Alis stared at Noah, blinking back tears. "T-Thank you, Noah. T-That means a lot." And then, Alis did something that took Noah completely by surprise yet again. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, then rested her head on his shoulder. Noah was certain his brain would soon shut down from the way his blood's temperature just shot up. He stayed completely motionless while Alis stayed like that. Noah had no idea how long they stayed like that, neither moving the slightest bit, but eventually, Alis lifted her head, and Noah heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed.

He looked over to Alis, and saw that she had drawn her laconian sword, which once again seemed to give off a terrifyingly beautiful glow. "Alis, what now?" Noah asked, wondering why she took out her sword.

"Oh, nothing really," said Alis. "I was just thinking about this sword. This is what saved me, when it lent me holy power. I'm sure that this isn't just any ordinary laconian weapon. Who knows what else it can do?"

Noah didn't say anything. Alis sheathed her sword, then took out the lamp that had help start the mess they had gotten into. "And I wonder...can we use this again? It really came in handy, and lemme tell you...I had quite a bit of fun with you when I could toy with you like that."

Noah let out a nervous laught. "Well, as fun as it is to entertain the thought of seeing Lassic get flattened undrneath your boots, we have to remember that once the fluid in the nut is depleted, and I'm not confident about how good my repair job was...."

Alis pouted, but didn't pursue the subject as she put the lamp away. "We'll keep it though. Tarzimal worked so hard to make it, and we may need it again sometime down the line...." She rested her head on Noah's shoulder again, and once again he struggled with himself, trying not to let his hopes and imagination go too far as the Luveno continued its trek back to Palma.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Chaz and Rika stood before what was undoubtedly the hallmark of the town of Termi, the huge statue depicting Alis Landale and her musk cat Myau. When he first came to Termi weeks ago and saw the statue, Chaz hadn't given it much thought. He had been completely indifferent to the town's reference for what they called the 'legendary heroine'. At the time, he was too busy worrying about other things to bother trying to idealize some so-called hero from the past. But now, after all that he'd gone through, things were much different.

The cycle of terror is over now, Chaz thought to himself. The Profound Darkness is gone forever, and so is the fear of our system, our home, being annilihated. I can't take the credit, though, even if I was the one that Elsydeon chose as its wielder. Rune, Wren, Raja...Rika.... He looked over to Rika, the beautiful pink-haired numan girl who had chosen to leave the service of her master, Wren, just to stay with him. Even after all these months, he couldn't believe how lucky he was to have a girl like her. Always sprightly and smiling, and beautiful beyond words....

Chaz turned back to look up at the statue. I guess, from what Rune told us, she wasn't the perfect hero either. She needed lots of help, and had trouble accepting what she was really meant to do. Just like I did, when Le Roof revealed the truth about the Algo system. And she was a lot like me in other ways too. I had a hard time trying to make sense of everything after Zio killed Alys. Rika and Rune helped me through that, just like Noah...Lutz did with Alis.

As Chaz continued to stare up at the state, a smile crossed his face as he thought about how the statue loomed over the two of them. I still can't totally believe Rune's story...this girl growing to over 150 feet tall, stomping around all over Motavia....

As if the numan girl had read his thoughts, Rika said, "Quite a big statue, isn't it? Kind of reminds you of that story Rune told us, doesn't it?"

Chaz turned to Rika and smiled. Rika simply smiled back. "Yeah, I guess it does. I'm still having trouble believing it, though."

Rika smiled again, hen looked back at the statue. Chaz, however, just kept staring at her. Rika had long ago stopped wearing her battle gear. Now she was wearing a simple, yellow dress that came down to her knees. She also was carrying a simple knapsack while they were travelling for the weekend. Chaz couldn't help but marvel at her beauty; at times he almost forgot she was as capable as fighter as he was. "Even if you don't believe Rune's story, you can't deny what she ultimately accomplished," Rika said suddenly. "She was the first one to truly defeat the Profound Darkness's plans. We all owe her."

In more ways than one, Chaz agreed silently, remembering it was the power and memories Alis had left within Elsydeon that led them to victory, and escape the Profound Darkness's lair alive.

"You speak truer than you know, Rika," came a stiff voice from behind them, one that simultaneously evoked feelings of respect and irritation for Chaz. Chaz slowly turned around and, sure enough, there was Rune standing behind them.

"Hey Rune!" said Rika cheerfully, oblivious to the love-hate thing that still lingered between both men.

"Greetings, Rika. Funny that we should meet each other again, even if I'm only stopping into Termi for some supplies," said Rune.

"Yeah, I remember you saying we probably wouldn't see each other again," said Cha dryly. "What've you been up to the last few months?"

"Oh, just the usual," said Rune airily. "Still travelling, meditating, training....my job, as the fifth Reverent One, will never be truly complete, I suppose. Even with the Profound Darkness gone, there'll still be plenty for me to do." Rune looked over to Rika, then up at the statue of Alis. "It's been so long since I've seen this statue. They got it right for the most part...like the long, flowing hair and her incredible legs. But I swear, the statue's face needs to be more cheerful, as if to give the impression she'd be smiling as she sliced you apart for looking at her the wrong way."

Rika giggled at Rune's comment, but Chaz simply stared at him with a blank face. "I guess you've got more of Lutz's memories than you care to admit. It almost sounds as if you're still in love with her."

Rune smirked. "I guess I can't help it. Lutz feeling's for Alis were so strong, they obviously were handed down along with his memories."

"Ah, I see," Chaz said offhandedly. He looked back up at the statue for a moment. "It really happened, didn't it? Alis growing monstrously huge and all?"

"Would I lie to you?" Rune asked slyly, smirking again.

"No, I guess not," said Rika.

"And Wren was really created during her time?" Chaz asked in disbelief. "Is the Wren we know really the one that Alis met, or just one built in his likeness centuries later?"

Rune shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not really sure about that. I suspect though, that if he really is the same Wren, some of his memory banks were damaged by that ice attack. That would explain why he had no recollection of the first time the Profound Darkness sent Dark Force into Algo."

"And there's something else I can't help but wonder about," Chaz added. "When you finished telling us that story, you made it sound like Alis and Lutz had grown very close. But...how close did they get after that?"

Rune smiled again. Chaz found it out of character for him to be smiling so much. "Well, it's pretty clear how deep his commitment to Alis was, right?" he asked. "It's obvious that he fulfilled his vow to her, isn't it? After she defeated Dark Force, she became the queen, and peace was restored to Algo for a time. Lutz loyally served her as her adviser during her entire reign. She and Lutz took her laconian sword and transformed it into Elsydeon. And as you know, Lutz kept himself alive for centuries using cryogenic sleep to ensure that he'd be able to help combat the ultimate darkness, and when that could no longer sustain him, he preserved his memories in the Telepathy Ball to pass onto others."

"Yeah yeah, I know about all that," said Chaz shortly. "But what I want to know is...well, did it ever really get farther than just friendship? Did they ever...really...you know?"

Rune sighed and shook his head. But before he could spout off with a comeback, Rika suddenly said. "Geez, it's hotter than usual today. I need some water." She took off her knapsack and opened it, but it slipped out of her hands and its contents spilled out onto the ground. Along with several bottles of water and the sandwiches Rika had prepared earlier, both Rune and Chaz were shocked to see....

"Rika, is that a...lamp?" Rune asked nervously.

Rika picked up the lamp, and Chaz saw that it looked like it was made of lackluster, low-grade laconia, and had a glistening, red gem attached to both sides. Wait a minute, Chaz thought, isn't that what....

"Uhhh, Rika, where did you get that?" Rune asked nervously, staring at the lamp as if it were a live bomb.

"Oh, this? It's just something Kyra gave me while we were staying at the Esper Mansion. She said she found it hidden away in the Esper Mansion a long time ago, but had no idea what it did or how to get it working. So she gave it to me, thinking I might be able to fix it. I still tinker with it from time to time, though Wren would've been the better choice, probably."

Especially if that's what I think it is, Chaz thought dryly. Out loud, he said, "OK, Rika, please, you better hand that thing over or just put it away."

"Huh, why?" Rika asked, shocked by Chaz's sudden brusqueness.

"Rika, please, you can be surprisingly airheaded sometimes," Rune said acerbically. "Just...put it away."

"What's with you two all of a sudden?" Rika said, holding the lamp closer. "Kyra let me have this, so...."

Chaz then decided it would probably be best to just take it from Rika. "C'mon Rika, just give it here," he said, making a grab for the lamp. But Rika stubbornly held onto the artifact, and the two struggled, neither willing to let go.

"Oh COME ON, Chaz!" cried Rika angrily as they continued the tug-of-war match over the lamp, while Rune looked on nervously. "Cut it out! This is mine!"

"Rika, you have no idea what that is! I have a bad feeling it's...." Chaz's voice trailed off when he heard something click. Chaz only belatedly realized he had grabbed onto the lamp's handle, and his finger had been over a trigger. A trigger he had just accidently pulled.

"OUCH! What just stung me!?" Rika exclaimed as she let go of the lamp, a look of irritation still on her face. But that expression changed to one of confusion when she saw her body was giving off a white glow, which was noticable even though the sun was high in the sky.

"Oh...crap," was all Rune could say.

"I, uh, just activated it, didn't I?" Chaz asked in a flat, expressionless tone.

Rune snorted. "Yes, you just did. Nice going, stumpy."

"What are you two talking about?" asked Rika, evidently still blissfully ignorant of what had just happened. She suddenly looked exhausted. "What's this all about? Why do both of you look so worried?"

"Oh, give it a few more seconds. You'll find out," said Rune quietly.

Rika just gave Rune a blank, stupified stare. Then she looked back over to Chaz, and realized at about the same he did that, instead of being about a head shorter than him, she was now eye level with the hunter. Her eyes went wide along with Chaz's as he watched his girlfriend slowly grow taller and taller. Rune watched in awe as well, but still managed to think up something acidulous to say. "See Rika, wouldn't it have been better to have just handed it over?"

Rika just only stare back at Rune, mouth agape, as she rose higer and higher into the sky. By now, the townspeople of Termi were beginning to notice what was happening. Their reaction was predictable enough: screaming and running in all directions as Rika continued to grow and grow, watching the whole world dwindle away.

When it was finally over, Chaz and Rune were standing beside her gigantic feet, looking up...and up. Chaz guessed Rika had grown to roughly the same height that Alis had over two millenia ago. He watched anxiously as Rika looked down with a bemused, flabbergasted expression on her face. As Rika's dress fluttered in the wind, the only coherent thought that went through Chaz's head was, Please, don't let her think I'm standing here trying to get a sneak peek at her panties....

"Alright, now THIS is bringing back memories, that's for sure," said Rune uneasily.

"Um, whoops," said Rika with an embarrassed look. She tried to speak softly, but her voice was loud enough to be heard over the cries of the panicky townspeople.

"Uh, Chaz, flip the switch on the bottom and blast her again. That should reverse the effects," said Rune.

Chaz just nodded and turned the lamp over, seeing a small switch there. He flipped it and aimed up at Rika. Chaz prayed silently and pulled the trigger again.

Nothing happened.

"Oh, no," said Rune and Chaz in unison.

Rika evidently saw what Chaz had tried to do, and realized that the lamp wasn't working yet again, for her expression grew even more dour. She slowly got down onto one knee, eliciting more terrified cries from everyone else and forcing Rune and Chaz to fight the instinct to run away backwards from her. Soon enough, Rika's huge face was looming over the two of them, and long locks of her pink hair cascaded down all around them like dangling vines. "Er, it's...broken again, isn't it?" she asked hesitantly.

Rika's voice was overwhelmingly loud, resounding all around them, and it was all Chaz could do to keep himself from clasping his hands over his ears. "Err, yeah, looks like it," Chaz said meekly as he stared into her huge eyes. Her face was so close, he saw his reflection in her pupils.

"Uh, well, since I'm causing a panic, I guess I'd better, um, leave town," said Rika. She lowered an outstretched hand. "Come on, you two. Let's get out of here."

Chaz and Rune looked at each other nervously, then obediently climbed onto the palm of Rika's hand. She then carefully lifted them up to her head, letting them jump off onto her shoulder. The two of them grabbed hold of some of Rika's hair as she started moving, stepping out of the town's borders with only a few leisurely strides.

"Is this bringing back even more memories?" Chaz asked Rune, trying to keep his footing as he desperately clung to Rika's hair.

"Oh yeah," was all Rune said as Rika kept stomping aimlessly across Motavia.

THE END?