Rowen had a strange feeling. He could not explain it, but he felt there was something wrong. As his mother, Mia, and Star discussed the importance of ancestral history he began to feel a headache directly at the cerebrum. He massaged his head as he attempted to focus his attention on the conversation.

But it was nearly impossible. The throbbing in his head seemed to intensify.

Why did he have a headache? He could not explain it, but there definitely was a reason. For headaches never began without one. He tried his best to ignore it and forced himself to focus on the discussion.

“I think knowing your family’s history is very crucial,” Mia was saying as she sipped chai from a teacup.

“I quite agree,” Rachel said. “When one does not know their family’s past they do not know themselves.”

“Exactly,” Mia said.

“I should ask my parents about my family’s history,” Star said as she sipped tea from her own cup.

“You could check birth records at the municipal court and at the hospital,” Mia suggested.

“Who are your parents, dear?” Rachel asked.

“Well, my dad is Tsio. He’s an architect who works in Shinjuku. My mother is Nadina. She’s a nurse at the local hospital,” Star answered as she set her cup down.

“Those are both wonderful careers,” Rachel said. She turned to Rowen. “Don’t you agree, Rowen?”

“Huh?” Rowen replied with strain in his voice.

Rachel frowned as she noticed her son’s pale, flushed face. She immediately felt his forehead and her eyes grew wide with distress. “Rowen, you’re burning up!”

“Headache,” Rowen mumbled as he closed his eyes and learned against her.

Mia immediately stood up. “I’ll get some Advil.”

Star stood up as well. “And I’ll get a cold, damp clothe.”

Kento suddenly raced through the living room from the basement. His face was full of concern as he raced past the three women and Rowen and quickly climbed the stairs, skipping two steps at a time.

“What is going on?” Rachel demanded with apprehension.

“Something is wrong,” Mia said with a deep frown. And then it hit her. “Sage!”

The water felt good against Ryo’s skin and it made him feel content. He closed his eyes, yearning more for that relaxation. But then his eyes shot open. Something was wrong. He leapt out of the shower and quickly grabbed his orb from the bathroom sink. In moments he transformed into his sub armor. Forgetting about the running water, Ryo rushed out of the bathroom and headed down the hall.

He did not know what was wrong. All he did know was that he felt a dull pain in his heart, one that told him there was danger. As he ran down the hall he found Kento and Cye running as well. They were both in their subarmors and each held a look of grave concern across his features.

“Ryo!” Kento shouted, the moment he saw him. “I think there’s something wrong with Sage!”

“We’ve got to help him!” Cye cried.

They reached Sage’s door. Kento tried to turn the door knob, but the door suddenly clicked, locking it. His eyes widened with surprise and he looked desperate. He tried to jiggle the door handle in hopes it would turn over, but the door remained fast.

Ryo came up beside him and tried to help. He could not open the door either. Through the door, they could hear Sage thrashing about on his bed as if someone or something was strangling him. Ryo kicked the door suddenly, causing it to jerk. It still did not open. “Damn it!”

“Ryo, try kicking it again, and Kento and I will ram it afterward at the same time!” Cye suggested.

Ryo nodded his head and made a round house kick against the door. The door once again jerked, but still remained closed. Ryo backed up some, glaring at the door. He moved out of Kento’s and Cye’s way.

Kento narrowed his eyes as he prepared himself. He hated for any of his friends to suffer, and Rowen and Sage had suffered long enough. He wanted it to end. If he could help it, their suffering would end tonight. At Cye’s signal, both Ronins made a mad dash and rammed their bodies simultaneously against the door.

The door suddenly swung open. Ignoring the damage they had caused, the three ran into the room. There they found Sage in a tangle mess of sheets. Sweat glistened on a pale, white face. Looking more closely they noticed a wound on one side of his face. Not understanding what happened the three Ronins moved to the side of Sage’s bed.

Ryo gently shook the bearer of Halo. “Sage, wake up! Wake up!”

But Sage did not wake up. He continued to flail on the bed, getting more tangled up in the sheets. The situation was getting worse. Not one of them knew what was happening to Sage, but whatever was happening was serious. Could a dream have been causing Sage to act this way? And if it wasn’t a dream, then was there an evil spirit?

Cye was worried. If they couldn’t wake Sage who knew what would happen to him. He could not understand why his friend refused to wake up. But then what if it was not refusal? What if something or someone was preventing him from waking?

Kento decided to help Ryo. He took Sage by the shoulders and leaned close to his ear and yelled, “Wake up!” But that did not work either. The bearer of Hardrock gave Ryo and Cye an apprehensive look. “What do we do?”

“We have to keep trying,” Ryo said as he again shook Sage as firmly as he could. “Come on, Sage! Wake up!”

They took turns, shaking and calling Sage, but nothing woke Sage up. He was trapped within the confines of sleep. Finally, Ryo decided enough was enough. He drew back his hand and smacked Sage hard against the uninjured side of his face.

Cye’s and Kento’s mouths dropped in surprise as neither had expected Ryo to resort to such measures. But surprise turned to relief when they heard a gasp from Sage. Turning to look, they saw Sage’s eyes shoot open. But there was terror and fear within those eyes.

Firestorm woke upon hearing noises. Frowning, she looked at the clock. It was way past two in the afternoon. She heard a thump and voices shouting a name. She sat up. ‘What is going on?’ she wondered as she stood up. Determined to find out she left her bedroom and walked down the hall. She heard concerned whispering. Following the sounds, she soon found herself at Sage’s and Rowen’s bedroom door. Now she could hear Ryo, Cye, and Kento all speaking directly to Sage. Figuring something must have happened to Sage, she dared to knock on the door and waited.

There was a moment of silence, and then she heard Ryo’s voice bidding her to enter. She opened the door and saw the four of them near Sage’s bed. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“Sage had a nightmare,” Kento informed her as he looked back at Sage.

“A nightmare?” Firestorm echoed as she came further into the room. She noticed the scratches on one side of Sage’s face and a bruise on the other side. “It looks like he was in a brawl.”

“The bruise is from me,” Ryo admitted. “The scratches are from whatever was attacking him in his dream.”

“What was attacking you, Sage?” Firestorm asked as she looked from Ryo to Sage.

Sage was silent as he lowered his eyes. How could he tell them about the little demon? It was the same demon that had attacked him in the woods, and the very same demon who had kidnapped Rowen for his master.

As Sage pondered it, he realized why he had been so defenseless against this demon. He was weak from being ill and from having been dead, and his light had not fully recovered yet. Halo was slowly healing him, but the healing wasn’t coming fast enough.

“Sage?” Firestorm called his name as she wanted an answer.

She did not look as if she would let this slide. He sighed heavily and looked down at the bed sheets. Finally he looked up, staring directly into each troubled face. “It was a small demon,” he said at last.

“A small demon?” Cye echoed.

“What small demon?” Kento asked.

“The same one we fought before,” Sage answered, quietly.

The Ronins frowned as they looked at one another and then back to Sage. They remembered the little demon. He may have not been as powerful as Leokoni, but he was nearly as dangerous. Now their problem laid into planning on what could be done about the little demon. As far as they remembered, he despised light. Yet, Sage was weak. How could they destroy the little demon if Sage could not help?

“Guys, there’s something else,” Sage said as he remembered something. They gave him their full attention. His face held a solemn, yet conflicting look as he gazed down toward his bed sheets again.

“What is it, Sage?” Ryo asked.

“Yeah, spill,” Kento said.

“I saw Rowen’s dad,” Sage said in a soft voice.

A moment of silence filled the room. None of them could believe what Sage had just told them, and yet they knew it simply had to be true. He never lied to them before, so why would he start now? The look on Sage’s face held both anger and sadness. But what those emotions applied to could only be reasoned within one’s own heart.

Kento was dubious though. He believed that a person could be reincarnated into another life. The only exception he had seen was Anubis. “How could you have seen Rowen’s dad?” he asked.

Sage shook his head as his eyes stared at his sheets. He had already known that Kento would doubt him. He always did. He looked up at his comrade. “I don’t know, Kento. But I did. He was in this empty space between what appeared to be two stone walls. He was held in the air by his wrists with nothing below him. He looked sick. Quite sick.”

“Man, who cares?” Kento demanded. “After what he did to Rowen he deserves it.”

Ryo nodded in agreement with Kento. Rowen’s dad had caused too much suffering for his son. Too many times had the bearer of Wildfire seen bruises on his friend, and the fear within his eyes. The one thing none of them could understand was how Rowen could fight the Dynasty and show no fear, and yet show complete fear in front of his dad. But now he finally understood. Rowen hadn’t been afraid of his dad. He had been afraid of himself. Rather than killing his dad and going away to prison and suffering a death sentence, Rowen had allowed himself to be abused. He had also done it to spare his friends the pain. At the same time, none of this made sense to Ryo. But he was not Rowen.

Sage shook his head. “That’s one thing I am not sure I agree with, Kento.”

“Why not?” Cye asked, curiously.

“Leokoni,” Sage supplied, and then allowed them time to figure it out.

“Wait,” Firestorm said, “are you saying Leokoni caused his dad to beat his own son?”

“Sounds farfetched almost,” Cye said.

“Leokoni was angry with Rowen because of Dayu,” Sage reminded them. “We know that Rowen is Dayu’s descendant, and believed he would have his revenge fulfilled if he did it through Rowen. He wanted Rowen to suffer and caused Rowen’s parents to split up, and caused Mr. Hashiba to beat Rowen. He may have been the cause for Rowen’s fear. Although I’ll admit that I’m not sure on that.”

Cye was silent as he began to reminiscence. Just the other night he had seen the spirit of Dayu. He had not told anyone, not even Kento. But now he wondered if the mentioning of Rowen’s ancestor was a sign that he should inform someone. Maybe they could figure out why Dayu had appeared.

“So are you saying that since Leokoni caused all this trouble, Mr. Hashiba is basically innocent?” Kento asked.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Sage affirmed.

Kento shook his head as he thought about it. “I still can’t believe it.”

“I don’t think any of us can,” Ryo said.

“There’s another problem,” Sage said slowly.

“Great!” Firestorm said sarcastically as she threw her hands up in the air.

“What is it now?” Ryo asked.

“If Rowen’s dad’s spirit isn’t rescued, he’ll become lower than Yata.”

Silence filled the room once again, and Cye forgot about Dayu.

Mia frowned deeply as she glanced toward the stairs. She could hear muffled conversation, but could not tell what was being said. She glanced toward Rachel who held Rowen’s head on her lap. “How is he?”

Rachel looked up from wiping the cool damp rag on Rowen’s forehead. “He’s doing a little better. He’s not as hot as he was before.”

“He doesn’t look as pale as he did either,” Star said as she noticed Rowen’s coloring.

“I’m willing to bet it had something to do with Sage,” Mia said as she glanced toward the stairs again. She wondered what had happened to the bearer of Halo, and thought about going upstairs to check. She hesitated though. What if Rachel and Star needed her help with Rowen? She bit her bottom lip as she felt unable to decide.

Rachel noticed Mia’s expression. She did not want Mia to think she was holding her back. Even though she did not technically raise Rowen, it was now as good as any time to start. Having Rowen living with her for only a week was certainly not enough. She wanted this time to experience the pleasure, the gift of raising her teenage son, and without help for now. “Mia,” she spoke, “go upstairs and see if you can help them with Sage.”

Mia looked toward Rachel with a surprised look. “Are you sure?”

Rachel nodded her head. “It’s time I became a mother. I have been taking care of Rowen, but not as a mother should. I need to start doing this on my own. Though I appreciate your and Star’s help.”

Star smiled. “You’re welcome. Though I expect when Rowen gets better, you’ll wonder where he’s been at the last few days.”

Rachel pursed her lips together. “It’s funny how you should mention that. The night I expected Rowen to come home when he should have, I felt there was something wrong. I had even expected someone from here to tell me what had happened to him. But on the night of his disappearance, as I laid in bed, this figure appeared to me, and told me that Rowen would be found, and that I had nothing to worry about.”

Mia paused on the bottom steps as she had been ready to ascend them. She was now intrigued as she looked toward Rachel. “What did he look like?”

Rachel was silent for a few moments as she thought back to that night. She smiled a little. “He had long white hair with this large hat covering his eyes. He carried this pouch around his neck. He was very kind.”

Mia’s eyes widened in surprise. “The Ancient One!”

Star looked surprised as did Rachel. They gaped at Mia as if waiting for her to explain. Mia sat down on the bottom stair and told them who the Ancient One was and how they had encountered him during the first war with Talpa. When they had learned he had sacrificed himself to help the Ronins, they were amazed.

“That was noble of him,” Star said with a nod of her head.

“And very brave too,” Rachel added. “I don’t think many people could do that.”

Mia stood up as she shook her head in disagreement. “You would be surprise to find out just how many people would be willing to sacrifice themselves to save another.”

Rowen shifted on his mother’s lap as his eyes slowly opened a crack. He spoke weakly. “Mom, dad.”

The three women looked toward him with a frown as they didn’t understand him. “Rowen?” Rachel asked with concern.

“Mom, dad,” Rowen repeated weakly.

Rachel stroked his hair back as she gave him her full attention. She was astounded that he mentioned the very man who had beaten him. But she felt he did not need to be reminded of that. “What about him?”

Rowen closed his eyes as he felt his body pulling toward sleep again. “He’s dying.”

Rachel looked in alarm at Mia and Star. She did not understand why her son would say such words, when he was perfectly rational. What had happened during his disappearance that no one told her about? Was his fever making him delusional? Or was it something else entirely? “What is going on?” she demanded.

Star frowned as she did not know herself.

Mia had a hunch. She stood up. “I think I should see what’s happened upstairs. I’m willing to bet we’ll get your answer from there.”

“I certainly hope so,” Rachel said as she looked down at her son. She hadn’t meant to be harsh. She was overwhelmed with concern for her son, and feared he would become more ill, forcing her to take him to a hospital.

Star stood up from the couch. “I’ll go with you, Mia.” In truth, she would have rather stayed with Rowen and his mother, but thought Rowen needed to be alone with his mother for a few minutes. It had been a hard decision to make, but one worth it.

Mia nodded as she stood up and turned toward the stairs. The two women climbed the stairs and headed toward Sage’s room. When they reached Sage’s room, Mia knocked and Sage gave permission for them to enter. The Ronins and Firestorm looked toward the two women who had entered.

“That didn’t take long,” Cye said with a small grin.

“For us to come up here?” Star asked with a wry smile.

Kento nodded his head. “Yep.”

“How’s Rowen?” Ryo asked, directly.

Mia shook her head with concern. “He’s not doing too well, I’m afraid.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Firestorm asked.

“He’s running a fever,” Star explained. She went into full detail of how it happened and when.

As everyone listened, they felt concern, particularly Sage who felt his dreams and Rowen’s illness were in someway connected. But how were they connected? As far as he knew the only time any of them suffered pain without physical cause was when Ryo was hurt. It was something that did not make sense to Sage and frustrated him greatly. Yet, he had to remain calm through this. If he lost his sanity, he would lose himself as well.

“And now, he’s speaking about his dad,” Star finished with a grimace.

“His dad?” Kento echoed in shock. He glanced from Star to Mia, and then to the other Ronins. He looked once again at Star, still in disbelief.

“We were hoping that by coming up here, we would find some answers concerning this,” Mia said.

How would we have any answers?” Firestorm asked with a frown.

“None of you may have an answer, but I do,” Sage said, quietly as looked toward them.

“Your dream?” Ryo asked.

Sage nodded his head as he shuddered noticeably. The dream was still fresh in his mind. He could still feel the darkness, the crushing weight of thick air, the rancid smell of sulfur and acid, the cruel words spoken, and the terrible pain as claws like talons ripped through his flesh. He cautiously touched the wound on his cheek, grimacing a bit. It had been so terrifying and so real.

“What dream?” Mia asked as she looked directly toward Sage. She could see the wound on Sage’s cheek and wondered how he had gotten it. Had he scratched himself in his sleep? No. Sage always had his nails cut and filed to perfection. What had happened exactly?

“Sage had a dream involving the same demon who had abducted Rowen,” Cye informed Mia. He looked toward Sage as he expected Sage to tell Mia exactly how it happened. There was stillness in the room once again.

But at last, Sage began to speak. He told Mia and Star what had happened in his dream. They listened without interruption. The more he spoke, the faster the Ronin of Halo became stronger. He knew what had to be done, even though he didn’t quite agree with it. When he finished, the two women were in shock.

Star shook her head. “I feel sorry for you Ronin boys. You’ve experience so much misery, and now the evil beings are making you suffer it all over again.”

“Better us than you women, or even other people without armors,” Kento said.

Firestorm raised an eyebrow. “We’re not defenseless.”

“I didn’t say you were,” Kento told her.

“Kento’s right in a way,” Ryo said with conviction. “We’re used to this. We know what to expect from it, and how to handle it. But together, all of us are a team. We have our roles to play. And if we don’t work together, we could very well lose the battle before it even starts.”

“He has a point,” Cye said.

“Which brings me to another concern,” Sage spoke as he looked up. “Rowen’s dad.”

Star snapped her fingers. “Rowen was mentioning his dad downstairs. He said he was dying.”

“That’s right,” Mia said as she nodded. “He did. Rachel wanted to know what was going on. It was one of the reasons why I came up here.”

Sage sighed heavily as he closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them again. “Rowen is right, in a sense. His dad is dying. But it’s not the physical body. It’s his spiritual body that is dying.”

“What do you mean?” Mia asked.

“Rowen’s dad’s spirit is trapped in Leokoni’s domain. It was Leokoni who brought havoc on Rowen’s life by causing his mother to flee and for his dad to turn on him. When Mr. Hashiba died, Leokoni snatched his spirit and chained it below the earth. Now the spirit of Mr. Hashiba is very sick. If he dies, the spirit will turn into a mindless demon.”

Star felt as if she was going to be sick when Sage finished explaining. She had known about the abuse Rowen’s dad had inflicted on his son, but never imagined how a spirit could be transformed into a mindless demon through captivity. She shuddered.

Mia was not sure what to think. A part of her felt like retorting that it would be good for Mr. Hashiba to suffer so cruelly, but then she would not have a good human nature. She realized she did not want to be like Rowen’s dad. And technically what had happened was not Mr. Hashiba’s fault. He was a victim of Leokoni himself. What was saddening was how none of them about this until after the death of Mr. Hashiba. She realized the only reason why Leokoni came out of hiding was because he had no one else to torture and destroy Rowen but himself.

“That’s why,” Sage said carefully, “I think we should rescue Mr. Hashiba’s spirit.”

“What?!” Firestorm demanded as she felt angry over this idea. “Sage, have you forgotten what he did to his son?!”

Sage frowned as he looked at her. He rubbed his temples, trying to ease the tension from there. “Haven’t you been listening to a word I said?”

Firestorm backed up some and sighed. She frowned. “I have. Look, I’m sorry. I guess the dragon side of me is hungry.”

“You should feed it soon,” Ryo said, firmly. “We can’t have you snapping at everyone.”

Firestorm glared at him, but knew he was right. She decided it was best to keep her mouth shut and agree.

Ryo turned toward Sage who was climbing out of bed now. “Sage, are you sure you want to do this?”

Sage nodded his head as he balanced himself on the floor by using the head posts. “I’m positive, Ryo. If we don’t do this, we will have another demon on our hands. Even mindless demons can be a danger.”

“There will be other demons though,” Cye said with a frown.

“That’s good,” Kento said with a grin. “I need a good fight anyway.”

“Kento,” Cye said a with a smile as he clapped his hand on his friend’s shoulder, “you’ll never change.”

Everyone laughed as Sage took the time to heal himself. When he finished he looked up with a resolute look. “I think it’s time we got this started.”

A/N: Hi! Surprised to see this chapter weren’t you? I apologized. I was busy with classes, and I admit, I felt stuck on this. But I hope this chapter was satisfying to you. I also realize this chapter is going to be longer than I intended it to be. I’m hoping the next chapter will be the last one, but I am not quite sure on that. We will have to see. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter. Also check my profile for any updates concerning fanfics, original fics, and announcements. See ya.