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The Sealed Mistake: Everyone watches in awe as the door sealing the Spring of Life ponderously opens. Fatora and Makoto are horrified, while Jinnai and Gilda are delighted. Dark energy cascades from within, knocking Qawool and Shayla away from their controls. Then, a dark shadow flies by them all and eagerly slips into the newly opened room, noticed only by Shayla and Qawool. Gilda prepares to enter the room and instructs Makoto to accompany her. Shayla and Qawool attempt to follow, but the guards block their path, as they do Jinnai's when he makes his own attempt. Jinnai is indignant, but powerless to do anything about it. So, he's forced to remain behind, with Shayla making no attempt to hide the fact that she's going to hold him responsible for any harm that comes to Makoto. It looks as though Jinnai's immediate future is going to be a very uncomfortable one... Makoto and Gilda arrive at the Spring of Life and Makoto is shocked to find that it is identical to a part of the Eye of God from his own world. Then, mocking laughter is heard all around them but, for a change, it's not Jinnai. It's the voice of the entity that was within the dimensional transporter! The voice appears familiar with Makoto, but Makoto has no idea who it is and asks it to identify itself. The entity introduces itself as Arjah and tells Makoto that it has been looking forward to making his acquaintance. At Makoto's continued confusion, Arjah explains that it had been in Makoto's laboratory for quite some time. It comments on what a shame it was that Makoto had been so close to unraveling the secrets of the Eye of God. Makoto is really concerned, now that he knows that the entity is familiar with the Eye of God, but Arjah has lost interest in him and instead, addresses Gilda. Gilda, oddly, doesn't seem surprised by Arjah's presence. The entity addresses Makoto again and tells him that he is to use his special ability to divine the password needed to activate the Spring of Life. Outside the chamber, Fatora is getting sick of being tied up and demands that her captors unchain her. They are less than cooperative. Shayla comments to Qawool in frustration that she'd blast them all, if it wasn't for the fact that they were holding Fatora hostage. Qawool is shocked by her violent words. Meanwhile, Jinnai is getting really impatient. Just what is taking Makoto and Gilda so long? Within, Makoto begs Gilda to reconsider. The Spring of Life is exactly the same as the Eye of God. If they activate it, it would be disastrous! But Gilda will not listen. She insists that Makoto do her bidding at once, or all of his friends will be executed. Outside, Shayla makes her move! She unleashes some righteous fiery justice upon the hapless guards, creating a diversion that Qawool uses to try to reach Fatora. Unfortunately, she stops once she gets within sight of Groucho / Katsuo, paralyzed by her fear of bugs. Fatora urges her to just blast the Bugrom and rescue her, but Qawool can't move. Groucho / Katsuo is starting to feel really insecure about now. Then, Qawool notices the action below. During Qawool's hesitation, Shayla has been surrounded by guards and they are moving in for the kill. Her concern for Shayla overrides her fear of bugs and Qawool grabs Groucho / Katsuo and flings him at the guards below. Her timely action does the trick and Shayla is saved but Qawool is mentally exhausted by the effort and sinks to her knees. Makoto, hoping to buy his friends some time, does as Gilda asks and touches the Spring of Life. Arjah watches eagerly and Gilda watches impassively as he communes with the machine. Within the connection, Makoto finds himself in a misty emptiness, with a glimmering light shining through the fog ahead of him. He walks toward it and comes across a strange construct of golden metal surrounding a red orb. A deep, commanding voice tells him to proceed no further. Makoto asks it to identify itself, but it merely states that the error must never be repeated. It tells Makoto to turn back and never return. The red orb brightens and begins to display symbols. Makoto steps forward to examine them, but hesitates when the commanding voice warns him away again. Arjah's face appears in the emptiness above him and urges him to read the words, to memorize them. Makoto realizes that the words must be the passwords, and refuses. Then, the ghostly image of Gilda appears beside him and begins reading the words for herself. Makoto pleads with her to stop, but she continues to read. In the real world, once the phrase is complete, the Spring of Life itself begins to react, sections of it sliding open to fulfill some unknown purpose. The entity vacates Makoto's body and enters Gilda's. Through Gilda's body, he addresses Makoto, telling him that his usefulness is at an end and he will now be killed. Gilda swipes at the boy with her sword. Qawool and Shayla arrive, but too late to stop the blade from descending. Qawool screams at Gilda to stop and, once again, the artifact within Makoto's satchel shines with light. Gilda recoils, as though in pain, and flees. Makoto withdraws the artifact from his satchel and murmurs that he finally understands. He holds the artifact up to the Spring of Life, as Qawool and Shayla run to him. The two of them recognize the device and remember when it shone in Makoto's laboratory. Before they can question Makoto further, though, an irate Fatora stalks into the room, muttering indignantly about Gilda for the poor treatment Fatora had received at her hands. She sees the shiny object in Makoto's hands and immediately snatches it from him, commenting on its beauty. Shayla finally asks Makoto just what the thing is, and he tells her... it's part of the seal on the Eye of God! Fatora wigs out and flings the potentially dangerous object into the air. Shayla lunges and catches it, scolding Fatora for treating it so poorly. It could have exploded, or something! Nevertheless, she's no more comfortable holding it than Fatora was and quickly returns it to Makoto. Makoto reassures them all that it is completely harmless. It is nothing more than a circuit designed to stop the Eye of God. While they talk, Jinnai enters the room,and looks around in confusion. Makoto, meanwhile, goes on to explain that Qawool is in synch with the device, because she is the Great Priestess of Water. Then, the eye symbol on the Spring of Life behind them begins to glow and they turn to face it. Makoto is horrified. When Shayla asks what's wrong, Makoto explains: The Spring of Life is starting to activate! Shayla asks if there's anything they can do and Makoto answers that there may be a chance. It's possible that the Spring of Life is equipped with a fail-safe device. He suspects that the fail-safe is a series of words that must be spoken by someone with the proper genetic pattern. They are interrupted by the sound of Fatora yelling. It seems that Jinnai has taken advantage of their inattention to abduct her and now he and Groucho / Katsuo, along with their unwilling prisoner, are making a break for it! As he flees, he boasts that, with Fatora under his control, the Eye of God will belong to him and him alone! Makoto boggles at Jinnai's madness and Shayla asks if he really believes Fatora can control this Eye of God. Makoto suspects that Fatora has the same genetic pattern as the emperor and if she does, then she might, indeed, be able to. Fatora heads after Fatora, while Qawool and Makoto move to confront Gilda. Shayla vows to show Jinnai no mercy this time. Gilda, still under the control of Arjah, stalks into the control room for the Spring of Life and requests a status report. A technician nervously warns her that the energy levels are rising abnormally. Gilda seems pleased and commands them to continue to raise those energy levels to the critical point. The guards are even more leery, now, but comply. Arjah observes the results through Gilda's eyes and reflects that losing Fatora was a mistake. He doesn't seem terribly concerned, however. In the generator room, the normally slow-moving generators begin to whirl at an ever-increasing speed. All throughout the castle, pipes begin to strain to the bursting point under the increased flow of steam. The water reservoirs begin to boil rapidly and a hazy mist of steam begins to surround the entire exterior of the castle like a shroud. Dall enters the room then to confront Gilda. He calls her a fool and commands her to stop at once. Gilda turns to face him and Arjah calmly addresses him through her. A section of the floor brightens, and Gilda informs Dall that she is going to read his genetic pattern. As symbols flash across the lit floor, Gilda seems satisfied and murmurs that it is exactly as she suspected. Dall realizes that the worst may have happened and asks Gilda if she's opened the forbidden door. Gilda answers by unsheathing her sword and charging. Dall dodges and commands her to stop at once. She continues to attack and Dall continues to dodge, until he finds his back against a control panel. The technicians look on in confusion and dismay, uncertain as to what they should do. A flashing light draws the attention of one, however, and he reports that the energy levels are nearing critical. Dall is horrified and turns to look for himself. It is a fatal error, as Gilda uses that inattention to strike a critical blow. Not even Makoto, arriving on the scene with Qawool, is able to warn him in time. As he crumples to the floor, Dall asks Makoto and Qawool why they haven't left the castle. Gilda pulls her sword from the emperor's stomach and lifts it into the air, preparing to finish him off. Qawool cries out and blasts Gilda with a torrent of water, throwing her to the ground. Arjah, his puppet's strings cut, rises from Gilda's still form. Qawool recognizes him as the shadow she and Shayla witnessed earlier. Gilda, once again the master of her own body, slowly raises her head, wondering what has been happening to her. She sees the bloodied sword at her feet and Dall clutching his stomach and gasps in despair. Dall asks her if she's regained her senses. Horrified at what she's done, Gilda commands the technicians to summon a medical team, at once! She begs Dall's forgiveness for tampering with the Spring of Life and assures him that it was only because she felt that their country's future was at stake. Dall forgives her. A deep rumble fills the room and a technician reports that the energy levels have reached the critical point. Gilda is flabbergasted. Such a thing shouldn't have been possible, since only the emperor should be able to do so. She turns to Makoto and asks for his confirmation that he and she were the only ones to approach the Spring of Life. Makoto adds the shadowy Arjah to that list, but confirms it. Gilda reflects that it was she who read the sacred words. Since she is not a member of the royal family, it should have had no effect! The emperor painfully explains something that he never told Gilda before: the real reason she'd been chosen to become his wife, all those years ago. The truth is, her family also possesses the genetic pattern necessary to control the Spring of Life! It seems that Gilda has unwittingly activated the Spring of Life herself! She asks Dall why he never told her this before and he explains that he wanted to protect her, keep her from getting involved. Gilda is moved, but before further words can be exchanged, a technician spoils their tender moment by announcing that the Spring of Life is about to blow! Makoto has what may be a solution. He presents the artifact and tells them that if they can load it into the Spring of Life, they may be able to stop the Spring before it overloads. Gilda asks what will become of Creteria, should it fail. Makoto grimly explains that it will meet the same fate as that of the ancient civilizations of El-Hazard: total destruction. Jinnai and Groucho / Katsuo, along with a whining princess, run out a door of the castle and find themselves standing on an enormous cylinder outside. Jinnai curses the maze-like architecture of the castle and then commands Fatora to be quiet. The princess, who had been complaining nonstop the whole way, completely ignores him. She stops, though, when she notices something terrifying above. The clouds have begun to swirl into a circular pattern above the castle. That's not the worst part, though, as an enormous, shadowy mass appears to be descending through the clouds, directly toward them... Makoto describes the Eye of God, and its original purpose. Gilda is crushed by the knowledge that she may have been guiding Creteria to its destruction all along. A technician reports the presence of the shadow above the castle. As it draws nearer and begins to penetrate the cloud layer, it can be seen that it bears a very familiar shape... The Accursed Gateway To Heaven: In the control room for the Spring of Life Makoto ponders what they must do. Gilda responds to the report of the huge shadow descending upon the castle and guesses that it must be a war cruiser from the rebel army. The technician disagrees, telling her that it's much too large. Its identity is finally revealed. It's the mid-air farming colonies! Dall doesn't believe it at first, but there's no denying the evidence before his eyes. The shadowy Arjah races back to the Spring of Life and merges with it, flowing into the red orb buried within it. A beam of light shoots up toward an eye-like receptor that has formed at the center of the conglomeration of farming colonies. Makoto and the others step outside and Makoto gasps in alarm. He recognizes the farming colonies for what they've become. The huge, spherical mass is still crusted in bits of dirt. The entire thing looks to be barely hanging together, but it is undoubtedly the Eye of God. The Eye slowly continues to assemble itself from the pieces of the floating colonies. On its surface, Miz and Mr. Fujisawa cling to a pillar for dear life. Miz pleads with her husband to rescue Princess Rune Venus, who is clinging to the metal surface using a patch of dirt to steady herself. She's trying desperately to avoid being shaken loose. Mr. Fujisawa carefully climbs down and reaches a hand out to the princess. The dirt beneath her finally gives way, but Mr. Fujisawa grasps her hand just in time. Suddenly, his own tenuous grasp gives way and he plummets down the side of the Eye of God! Afura chooses that moment to swoop in and she rescues the two, carrying them back up to Miz. They ask Afura what's going on and Afura explains that the farming colonies are uniting into one, large mass. At the castle, Makoto theorizes where the Eye of God came from. He guesses that, sometime in the ancient past, it must have somehow crossed over into Creteria. The shock of doing so caused it to break up into many pieces. Even so, the ancient people of Creteria were able to learn how to operate it. Dall speaks up, surprisingly continuing the theory. He explains that the ancients discovered that its destructive power was terrifyingly great and so sealed it away. That was why it is forbidden to tamper with the Spring of Life, for it is the control center for the Eye. Dall painfully sits upright and explains that he was fool enough to defy those ancient laws. Gilda urges him not to move, but he stubbornly continues his explanation. He reminds Gilda of the day that he entered the room. Once within, he was shown a vision of the past, of the Eye of God colliding with the earth, and wiping out an entire city. The vision scarred him deeply. A soldier reports in, then, announcing that the colonies are approaching the castle. Makoto guesses that the Eye of God is attempting to reunite with the Spring of Life. Once it does, it will be too late... Nanami's restaurant is in ruins and a miserable Nanami sorrowfully picks up the fragments of shattered dishes, along with the help of Parnasse and Ura. Makoto and Qawool enter the room and the three are happy to see them. Nanami, though, feels deeply hurt. She was so worried about Makoto... Makoto apologizes for making her worry, but tells them that there's no time to waste! They all have to evacuate the castle, because the Eye of God is going to collide with it! Parnasse asks what's become of Alielle and Fatora and the two gasp in alarm. They have no idea where they've ended up. Still stranded on the large cylinder, Jinnai curses his luck. The Eye of God is right there, but without Arjah's help, there's nothing he can do about it! Jinnai whirls on Fatora and demands that she operate the Eye of God for him. Fatora is surprised, at first, but then her face settles into its usual crafty look. She offers to make a deal with Jinnai. She'll control the Eye of God for him, but there's a little something she wants him to do in return: Jinnai and the Bugrom are to be her personal slaves for life. Jinnai is taken aback, and then becomes furious. He realizes that he should never have trusted anyone who looks like Makoto and he throws Fatora's attempted bargain back in her face. Shayla-Shayla, on the other hand, thinks it's a great idea! Arriving on the scene, she tells Jinnai that a little abject slavery may be just what the wannabe dictator needs to straighten out his sorry life. With that, she cracks her knuckles and prepares to commence with the hurting. Jinnai screams, as the fireworks begin. Alielle hears the explosions and wonders where they could be coming from. Moments later, a charred Jinnai mounts Groucho / Katsuo and makes a run for it, shaking his fist at the Fire Priestess as he retreats. Shayla watches with smug satisfaction as he departs but smug satisfaction soon turns to horror, as Fatora slips an arm around her waist and gets all close and personal. Such a daring rescue, she tells the priestess slyly, deserves a very... pleasant reward. Shayla tries to refuse, but before the situation can progress any further, Alielle bounds onto the scene. Fatora turns to her and Alielle rushes into her arms, grateful to see her lover in one piece. Shayla is surprised to see Alielle has come to this world, as well. The younger girl greets her when the Fire Priestess comments on it. Fatora gets that sly look again and suggests to Alielle that they should both be giving Shayla that reward. Shayla irately asks them if they're even aware of the danger that they're in, but they both seem way more interested in hitting on her than in fleeing the Eye of God. In the castle, Gilda sorrowfully tends to the Emperor's wounds and notices that they've begun to fester. Dall takes her hand and apologizes for the horrible way he treated her so long ago. He explains that he thrust her away, because any children that they might have had would have shared the same genetic sequence that they both possessed, dooming them to the same fate Dall had found himself in. Gilda asks him to stop speaking of such things and the emperor begs her forgiveness. Dall notes that the outsiders have not run, instead they've remained behind and are doing their best to help. Gilda remarks that she was wrong to distrust them so. Dall implores Gilda to make certain that the outsiders survive. They must not pay for his and Gilda's foolish mistakes. Gilda agrees. The ravaged Eye of God continues its inexorable approach. Meanwhile, within the Spring of Life, Arjah exultantly awaits its arrival. Once its energy is released, he will be freed into the outside world! Makoto and Qawool meet with Gilda and Dall. Gilda asks Makoto if he's certain that his goal is within the Eye of God itself. Makoto gives an affirmative, but wonders how, exactly, they're going to manage to get up there. Dall offers the use of his mini-cruiser and Gilda offers to fly it. There's still a problem, though. Once they get the seal into place, they'll need the powers of all three Great Priestesses to activate it and they don't even have two! Shayla hadn't returned from her pursuit of Jinnai and Afura hasn't been seen at all. Qawool speaks up then, assuring Makoto that she should be able to do it on her own. Makoto is leery, but she reminds him that she has connected with the seal artifact many times. She's sure she'll be able to handle it. Makoto refuses again, telling her that it's just too dangerous. Sternly, Qawool tells him that there's no time to discuss it. They have to stop the Eye of God now. As Ura, Nanami, and Parnasse flee through the corridors of the castle, they stop a moment to gawk at the Eye of God. As they stare, Shayla collides with Nanami and Fatora and Alielle are right behind her. As Parnasse happily tackles a dismayed Fatora, Shayla asks where Makoto and Qawool went. Looking a bit desolate, Nanami informs her that they have gone to the Eye of God. They needed a Priestess to activate the seal... Shayla grabs Nanami by the shirt, demanding to know why she let the two do such a stupid thing. Nanami numbly responds that she was against it, but that they wouldn't listen. Shayla is not satisfied by that answer. She explains that activating a seal is a dangerous task for even three priestesses. Showing uncharacteristic concern for the young Water Priestess, she quietly tells Nanami that Qawool could be killed. Makoto, Qawool, and Gilda take off in the Emperor's cruiser. As they approach the Eye of God, Gilda tells them of the farm colonies. They were the last source of food for the nation of Creteria. Makoto asks her if people actually live on them and Gilda grimly nods. Two of those people, Miz and Mr. Fujisawa, reflect on what a unique honeymoon they've been on. Still, it's been a memorable one and they are memories they will cherish. Afura interrupts their romantic conversation and directs their attention below. Through the clouds, they can see a huge city beneath them, as well as a castle. Afura tells them that that's not the most shocking sight. Elsewhere, the cruiser comes in for a landing, and Makoto, Qawool and Gilda disembark. They proceed into the depths of the Eye of God, Makoto knowing exactly where to take them. Soon, they come to a wall with an elaborate eye design on it, as well as a crystal much like the one in the seal artifact. Gilda, looking at their surroundings in awe, can hardly believe that this was once a mid-air farming colony. Makoto explains that ancient Creterians must have built dwellings on the pieces of the Eye of God, without ever knowing exactly what they were. Makoto touches the crystal at the center of the eye design and it falls to pieces in his hand. Grimly, he produces the crystal from the seal artifact and prepares to use it to replace the shattered crystal. As his hand nears the opening, however, a torrent of black energy spills forth, shocking them all mercilessly. Gilda, fighting her own pain, places her body in the path of the energy, protecting the other two as best she can. Qawool attempts to fight off the energy with her water power and Makoto attempts once again to set the crystal into place. After a fierce struggle, Makoto inserts the crystal and suddenly, the world around him disappears, replaced by the same hazy nothingness he'd experienced at the Spring of Life. Once again, Arjah appears in order to torment him. He laughs and tells Makoto to give up. Makoto asks him again to identify himself and Arjah explains that he is the Great Priest who controls dimensions. He can grant any wish Makoto desires. Eyes hardening, Makoto tells him that his wish is to seal the Eye of God. Smirking, Arjah informs him that he can, indeed, grant that wish but that if he does so, then Makoto and his friends will never be able to return to El-Hazard. Makoto hesitates and Arjah tells him to be rid of the crystal of the seal. If he does, then Arjah will be happy to send Makoto and his friends home to El-Hazard or, if Makoto wishes, he could even send him back to his original home, Earth, where a certain Demon God awaits him... An image of Ifurita appears before Makoto and it takes his breath away. Arjah prompts him to make his decision. He can be reunited with his lost love and all he has to do is say the word... Makoto crumples to his knees, anguished by the choice he has to make. The red orb device within the Spring of Life, along with the gold framework surrounding it, bursts up through the castle and begins to close with the Eye of God. There, a depression with its exact shape waits and it begins to merge with it. Makoto awakens from the hallucination. He has collapsed to the floor and takes a moment to pick himself up. Without further deliberation, he presses the crystal into place and tells Qawool that it's ready for her. She can now activate the seal. Qawool touches the crystal and energy begins to cascade around her. Her eyes tighten and her teeth grit as the effort slowly begins to overwhelm her. Makoto asks her if she's all right and she smiles at him, telling him that she's happy to finally be able to do the work of a Great Priestess. Makoto continues to look on in concern, as Qawool quickly weakens. She falls to her knees and is on the verge of passing out. Just as her hand is about to slip from the crystal, two other hands place themselves atop her own. Shayla and Afura have arrived! The two of them smile at her and tell her that all three of them are needed to activate the seal. Qawool is happy to see them all, especially Miz, who stands behind them, extremely proud of her protege. The red orb from the Spring of Life finally snaps into place, completing the Eye of God. Arjah laughs, finally free of his eternal prison! Before he has a chance to escape, though, a white light begins to surround the Eye of God. He sees it and cries out in horror, just before it envelops him, sealing him away once again. The entire Eye bursts with light, visible to all in Creteria. Gilda shouts, asking what's going on and Makoto and everyone else from El-Hazard scream as they are once again torn away across dimensions... Sometime, years later, Creteria is a changed land. Gone are the industrial factories that polluted Creteria's skies. The castle is a broken monument to the past, set at the center of acres and acres of fertile farmland. Gilda and Dall, clad in plain clothes, oversee the beautiful landscape, while a little girl with Gilda's hair and Dall's eyes clutches at her mother's skirts. In the skies above, there remains another reminder of the troubled past, the Eye of God, forever sealed. In Roshtaria, The white light fades away. All is exactly as it was before they had been snatched to another world. As if nothing at all had happened, Dr. Schtalubaugh concludes the ceremony elevating Qawool Towles to the position of Great Priestess of Water. Everyone applauds, happy for the girl. Later, Makoto and the others wish Miz and Mr. Fujisawa a happy honeymoon. Before he departs, though, Mr. Fujisawa asks Makoto a question. Could it be, that the dream they all shared, of visiting an alternate dimension, was maybe not a dream at all? Makoto admits that he's not sure. After all, as Shayla points out, it's certainly unusual for so many people to be having exactly the same dream. Makoto wonders whether Gilda and Dall are happy now. Fatora crossly insists that it was just a dream. Miz disagrees. As she places her hands tenderly over her belly, she assures them all that it was most certainly real. Mr. Fujisawa touches her and asks her not to strain herself. Nanami and Qawool congratulate her, but Shayla is confused, at least until Afura spells it out for her. Nanami playfully grabs Makoto's arm and suggests that they could start working on that, as well. Makoto, naturally, is befuddled and asks what she means. Before she can answer, Shayla grabs Makoto's other arm and gets in Nanami's face, demanding to know what she thinks she's saying. After all, Makoto could have someone else in mind for such a thing... Qawool clasps her hands together and smiles, mentioning that Makoto would father such lovely children. Shayla looks at her in dismay, not happy with the thought that there's another player in the Makoto sweepstakes. Miz and Mr. Fujisawa finally start their journey together, while Shayla and Nanami bicker and the others wish the happy couple well. Their hovercraft sails off into the blue ocean of the sky, a bright testament to their new life together. |
