Sage walked merrily along the path through the woods after leaving Kit at the stone platform she'd constructed as the sun started to rise up into the sky, and stopped short when she heard footsteps coming from the path from the castle to the shack. Drat...it's that Syl girl...what is she up to?

She let her vampiric powers turn her into a bat and fluttered along with the wind to de-transform right in Syl's path, flipping her long brown hair over her shoulder. "What the..." Syl started, stopping mid step to raise an eyebrow at her.

"Go back to the castle," Sage demanded, "And I won't hurt you."

"Who are you?" Syl demanded just as rudely, narrowing her eyes. "This isn't your property, and I'm highly amused that you'd dare to think you could order me around."

"Why are you headed towards the shack? Are you looking for Sydney?"

Sylvia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "No, I'm not. I'm going to speak to Hardin."

"Why?"

"Why are you so god damn nosy?"

Sage fumed at the other girl's insolence and sent a shot of lightning at her feet. "Tell me now."

Syl jumped back in surprise as the bolt narrowly missed her feet. Is she the reason all hell is starting to break loose? Maybe it's not entirely my fault... "I just owe Hardin an apology. I knew about the relationship between he and Sydney, and, well...look, it's none of your fucking business."

"Sydney is going to be mine," she said sweetly. "That makes it my business." She lunged at Syl with fangs bared.

A loud banging on his bedroom door woke Flik from a sound sleep, and he stumbled out of bed wondering what was so urgent it couldn't wait until breakfast. "Whaaat!" he snapped, yanking open the door to reveal a very distraught Marie.

"Can you and Viktor come downstairs?" she asked softly, her face pale and her eyes worried.

Flik's annoyance immediately turned to concern and he walked back into the room to nudge his friend. "Hey Vik, wake up, something's going on."

A few minutes later, the two had followed Marie downstairs, where the rest of the castle, somewhat sleepy and completely confused, were assembled in the fireplace room as they had been a few days before.

"Who are you?"Flik demanded of the strange young man standing in the center of the room talking to Terra.

"Rian Orion, independant mercenary and prince of the Faerie Kingdom," he replied smoothly, bowing slightly. Selphie giggled and leaned to whisper to Milo.

Flik raised his eyebrows and Viktor snickered. "Just what..."

"Quit it, guys, no time to be fighting," Selphie said worriedly, grabbing Flik and Viktor by the hand and pulling them to seats, looking over her shoulder to throw a wink at Rian.

"Is someone going to explain what the heck is going on?" said Astala and others nodded their heads.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," a familiar voice spoke, and everyone looked a little relieved as Bastian came into the room, a length of wire and some papers in his hands. "It's good to see you again, Prince Orion," he nodded to him and Rian shook his head in amusement.

"Please, Bastian, no need for formalities. May I fill everyone in?"

"Yes, please do, and then I will tell you what I've discovered myself."

"I was woken from a sound sleep by a mental message from Kit sometime before dawn. We have a link, being the last of the Faerie blood, but I didn't get all of her message. Only that she was in trouble and it had something to do with Sage."

"That girl who was here yesterday?" asked Marie and he nodded.

"As strange as it sounds, Sage seems to have set her sights on your friend Sydney."

"Geez, why does everyone want Sydney?" Astala exclaimed. "He's weird!"

Marie laughed softly. "Astala, you'll understand when you're older."

"All boys are gross..."

"Sage is very dangerous," Rian interrupted them. "She's a vampire and has an entire legion of demons at her command."

"Jeepers!" Selphie exclaimed, her eyes going wide.

"But the continuum defense mechanism..." Flik started.

"Has been tampered with," Bastian said in a huff. "I don't know how she got into that room, but the system is down, and only Andrea and Kit together can bring it back online."

"And Kit's missing," said Terra. "So is Syl, and Sydney, last we knew."

"It's of primary importance that I speak with Andrea," said Bastian. "Flik, Viktor, I need you to go to the Little Wooden Shack and escort Andrea back here. You may as well bring the others too..."

"We may have a legion of demons to defend against," Rian concluded with a grim look. "I am going to set out and look for Kit, and the rest of you should stay here and lock the doors. Terra, Aerith, if you can use your magic to shield the castle..."

"This is going to get worse before it gets better," Bastian said sadly. "And all may be lost if we can't find Kit. We must locate her, as well as Sydney, since he is Sage's target. And we can't let anything happen to Andrea, either. The entire fate of the continuum hangs in the balance."