//"She must not be taken! Her leadership will control the Lambs --"

"Her leadership leads them astray, Miang." One of the Ministers -- Faust -- stood from the table, turning his back on her. She glared at his back, feeling rage creep up on her. "She will be taken and processed. Shevat has already agreed to our settlement."

How dare they band against her! She glanced about the circle of her Children, noting their carefully impassive faces and rigid silence. "You claim you work toward Deus's awakening......" She took a hold on her anger, forcing her face to become cold, her voice quiet. "But I warn you, if you go on with this, we will lose what progress we have made."

He turned back to her, smirking. "We know what we are doing. Do not interfere with us, -Mother-. Your goal will be achieved."

**In your good time?** she asked mentally, bitterness warring with her anger. "Watch yourselves......" She turned her gaze to the hologram at the center of the meeting chamber. That shimmering image......//

...... of a fine-boned woman with bright auburn hair and a pale complexion, whose eyes shined the blue of the sky when they caught the sunlight......

Myaru caught Elanore's eyes across the arena, feeling the strange sensation again. A shivering sort of feeling, that was both cold and familiar at once. **Why me?** What was it about her? She might not even be the Anti-type, yet her very presence was so disturbing...... It wasn't just her appearance. There was something else about her......

The shiver passed through her again, and she turned her eyes to Ariath, hoping it would subside. He always managed to inspire more...... pleasant thoughts.

She had been right -- Darius was good. More than that, he was holding his own against Ariath, though it still didn't look like he was going to win out. And if it did start to look that way...... well, a little interference wouldn't be amiss, if it would make her own life easier. If Ariath felt he was slighted in any way, living with him would become its own kind of hell on earth.

As if life itself wasn't enough.

It really had to be some kind of joke. Surely she wouldn't even be here now but for the twisted sense of humor possessed by her creator -- if indeed he had one. Or perhaps it was Kyouran, who had made causing her misery one of his missions in life.

But of course, even he wasn't infallible. Far from it! And if Cyrene could stab him in the back, so could she.

It would be a little fun, a little satisfaction, in the midst of the child's drama she was forced to endure with Ariath, and the girl Elanore.

And maybe a little revenge too.

Another shiver coursed down her spine, and Myaru straightened from the balcony rail, rubbing her arms vigorously. **What in the nine hells is that......?** She felt nothing from the Arena. In fact, she could not pinpoint the source of the disturbance at all. It seemed...... **What -is- it?!** So infuriatingly familiar......

She shoved thoughts of the fading sensation away, annoyed. First Aveh's damnable heat, and now incessant chills. She couldn't wait to find out what -else- was going to happen before the day was out.

The occupants of the Winner's Circle stirred, and she saw Elanore waver and slump in her seat. A brief flash of concern overshadowed Myaru's annoyance, but she turned her eyes to the arena, squinting against the reflected sunlight Darius's armor threw across battleground. After all...... there was really nothing she could do. And she doubted Elly -or- her friend would be stupid enough to come without bringing water, of all things.

The two warriors parted after a particularly vicious exchange and Myaru leaned over the railing again, staring at Ariath. He was limping slightly, sweat running down his face. Darius wasn't looking much better.

Myaru grinned, stepping back from the rail. **Time to give Darius a little surprise.** She raised her hand, carefully concealing her ether draw......

Ice shot through her senses. She shuddered almost spasmadically, eyes widening in absolute shock, and fell to her knees as the arena was plunged into darkness. Power...... oh so familiar power...... gathered above her with a shrieking whine, falling into an intricate network of Ether that she had not felt since the Great War all those years ago......

Her head snapped up. **The Great war! The.......!** The ship, dead black and sleek as an ocean predator, slid through the air like a knife, slowly passing over the arena and heading west. The high-pitched whine she heard was the sound of gears, leaving the ship and moving toward the city.

**No...... No! This is not possible!** Myaru staggered to her feet, anger and fear making an odd play on her vision of the battle. **Their kind were destroyed! How on earth could they recover enough to --** She stopped, a dreadful suspicion drifting up from the confines of her memories.

**You have to do something! Surely this would ruin your plans. There must be enough passion in that heart of yours to at least do something about this!** The sister's anguished voice broke through Myaru's restraints, stronger than ever, *You must do something! Don't you have power? Use it!**

The ship released its power; a stream of white-hot fire razed the western edge of the city, sending a shockwave that rattled the palace and almost sent her to the floor again. Several gears -- too many to count -- landed around the palace and within its confines.

**Of course......** Another shockwave struck and she grabbed the rail to keep her feet. **Yes, I can stop this..... for now.** Relief welled up from the Sister, but she ignored it and turned to run into the palace.

"Elly! NO! ELLY!"

Myaru froze.

"ELLY! Get out of --"

The bleachers crashed down, sending wooden debris and dust flying everywhere. She stood for a moment, horrified as she watched the girl's friend dash over to the wreckage and try to pull a wooden support out of the way. Only the flash of a pale arm told her Elly was even there at all.

**No. I can't allow this! Not when I'm so close! No!** Myaru stood there for a moment, gazing out at the wreakage with her fists clenched, nails biting into the palms of her hands. Kyoko was still trying vainly to move the debris, and Myaru knew that even if she had help, they would never get the girl out in time....... not before the gears destroyed the Arena and......

Gears.

That was it! Heart racing, Myaru dashed into the palace, jumping over the stair rail and down to the next floor in her haste to reach her destination.

**I haven't lost yet!** And she didn't plan on losing. Not now.

Not ever!

-------------------------------------

"Help! Somebody help me!"

Kyoko coughed hoarsely, trying to catch her breath and only inhaling more dust and smoke in the process. "Somebody..... help.....!" She collapsed to her knees, tugging at the support beam that hung over Elly, pinning her in place. Her friend didn't move. She couldn't even tell if she was breathing.

"God, no......" A thin stream of blood trickled onto Elanore's arm; a wide patch of her bright auburn hair was stained crimson with it, and she could see more pooling on the cement. Tears filled her eyes. "Elly! Don't die! Please!"

She scrambled to her feet and began attacking the wreakage with new vigor, tears caking the dust on her cheeks.

"Please! Somebody help me......!"

-------------------------------------

Tenshi flew out of the launch doors, and Myaru banked to the right as soon as she reached a decent elevation, circling around the palace of Aveh so she could approach it from the back. Black gears were everywhere, but a few well-placed Ether surges would take care of any that tried to attack her.

And try they did. Before she was more than three sharls from the lanching site she was approached by two dead-black enemies, each weilding a mace and a chain-gun. Both running by the infinite power of Zohar.

"Hmph. Two can play that game." Myaru leaned back, closing her eyes for greater concentration. The battlefield was still spread out before her in her mind's eye -- with Tenshi, she didn't need to see. A simple mental whim opened a channel to them. "Get out of my way. There are plenty smaller adversaries that are more to your liking, I'm sure."

All she got in response was a growl and an arrogant snort before they charged her. She waited until they were almost upon her, then spread her wings and caught an updraft, flying swiftly from their range. Their weapons attacked thin air, and she used their momentary pause to drop behind them and draw her sword.

"As I said......" She opened herself to the rush of ether -- shivering in ecstacy at it's cold rush this time -- and spun around, slashing in a wide horizontal arc. Three paper-thin blades of pure ether sheared through the gears in a bright shower of sparks; legs, cockpit, head all in rapid succession. "...... You should have picked weaker enemies."

The two gears fell -- in pieces -- to the streets below, and Myaru hurriedly spun Tenshi around and continued to the palace. **Damn them........** She took a deep breath, trying to calm her heart. **If Elly dies....... if she's the right one and she dies...... I......**

Another gear started to approach her and she threw another surge of raw ether out, in its general direction.

**If she dies before I can......** Myaru shivered, only partly from the rush of Ether she was containing within herself. Tenshi accelerated, powered by Myaru's own energy. A halo of Ether surrounded her gear, coating her 'vision' bluish-white. **They...... there'll be hell to pay!**

A massive surge of ether brought her up short. Not her ether...... she glanced around. **What...... who......** Her gaze swept over the black gears, over the city......

...... And alighted on a tall, slender spire near the palace. Or rather, the figure perched on that spire, watching the battle like a sadistic parent watching his children bicker, or an arrogant ruler watching over his subjects......

"Kyouran." She nearly spat the name, and before she knew it, Tenshi was racing toward the spire at top speed, ether aura blazing brighter than ever. She stopped just short of the spire and threw her power at him, spinning in the same attack she had used on the two gears that had attacked her only moments ago. Alpha Weltall jerked upright and leapt from the spire, just as her attack sliced through it and sent it tumbling down to the chaos of the city.

She rose to confront him directly, hardly able to hold back her frustration. It took all she had not to just lash out; but she knew that if she did, she would get herself into a battle she couldn't win. And she couldn't afford that, not right now -- she needed this body. Needed it to achieve more important goals that skewering Kyouran. He would just come back in another body, as she would.

"Bastard." Myaru settled for glaring at him, forming a shield about Tenshi to protect her from any random attacks. Surprisingly, the black gears did not try to interfere. Or maybe not so surprisingly......

"Miang. I can't tell you what a displeasure it is to hear your voice again...... can I help you?"

"I'm sure you can." The dry edge to his voice grated on her nerves. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Are you trying to ruin -everything-?! I thought you had more patience!"

"I have done nothing. I have nothing to do with Diabalos being here." The cynical edge deepened, though for once he did not throw an insult her way. "But the Ministry did ask for a purge, did they not? Just let this little... demonstration be considered my gift to them." His gear's wings shifted and curved in a bit in what she always associated with smugness.

Myaru narrowed her eyes, then took a deep breath. "You have to stop this, Kyouran! It serves no purpose." He didn't respond. "Your plans have as much chance of being ruined as mine do! Send them away!"

"Why on earth would I do such a thing? I see no reason to do as you ask."

So he was going to be that way? Myaru sighed, taking hold of her frustration and driving it away as best she could. It wouldn't do her any good with him. It never had before. "I suppose you're just arrogant by nature, aren't you?" She couldn't keep the edge out of her voice. "But I don't think you've considered everything, Kyouran. Not by a long shot. It isn't like you to be this careless."

"Careless, am I?" He chuckled, infuriatingly calm. "Do tell."

"What about Elly?"

There was a long pause. "What about her?"

"What about her?" She forced her voice to smoothness. "Last I saw, she was buried under half of Aveh palace, thanks to this attack. But I suppose you're beyond caring about the girl, aren't you?" A Gebler gear exploded nearby, and she was forced to rise higher, and fly a little closer to Alpha Weltall. She kept as much distance as possible, but it was still far too close for comfort.

She didn't relish the thought of being impaled or otherwise skewered by his hand - not again.

He snorted, barking a laugh. "We don't even know if she's the true Anti-type! She could be another look-alike, like that girl you took from Nisan. Don't play this game with me --"

"-- A look-alike that draws ether nearly as strongly as I do? In an unawakened state? I think not. Even if the girl in Kislev can do the same...... even if she's -not- the true Anti-type...... are you willing to take that risk, Lacan?" Silence. She lowered her voice. "Do you want to be responsible for the death of your precious Elly -again-?"

The air flashed red like a hellish version of sheet-lightning, and she reeled backwards, pain from the flames outside razing her nerves. Her shield protected the gear from most of the blast, but the impact left Myaru gasping for breath.

"Silence, witch. You have no right to speak that name."

She shivered at the familiar tone of his voice, but she held her ground for a moment longer. "Think about it, Kyouran." She turned and continued on to the palace, but she kept the channel open another few seconds. "This could be the last chance you get."

"We'll see," was all she got in response.