In the bubble dimension above the battlefield the espers looked down upon their summoners with great concern. Those of great power who had been chosen to call upon them were in trouble and they could do nothing.
     <What are we going to do?> Alexander asked, <They’re trapped and we cannot get free to assist them.>
     <We do what we must do in times like these,> Tidis replied, <we wait until the moment is right, then use our full power to break out and wreck havoc.>
     <Sounds like somebody needs to switch to decaf in the morning,> Hydra said jokingly. Tidis gave him an evil glare.
     <What do we wait to happen?> Leviathan asked, <There has to be a signal of some sort to indicate that the time is right.>
     <Pay attention to the golden light,> Bahamut said, <Myotismon only dropped Alex because of the blinding light which came from him. That same light saved our summoners. However Alex doesn’t know how to control this new power and Seifer and Irvine have yet to reach them.>
     <So for the time being we simply sit back, relax, and watch,> Angemon said, <to quote a friend of TK’s, Oy vey.>

     Over another ridge a white clad form was recovering from the initial shock of having something split his body into two equal forms. No, not something, someone. Someone who was pure evil and pure darkness. Someone who could easily cleave apart the heavens with a single energy blast and who could easily destroy all creation if he grew too powerful.
     “What the hell hit me?” Guile asked as he struggled into a sitting position. He rubbed his temples and suddenly realized that his mask had been smashed in the first few minutes of the battle. Either that or it was taken from him. “Oh well,” he sighed, shrugging as his eyes focused on the world around him, “I guess it’s for the best. I can always pick up another one when we return to reality.... or what will pass for reality when this battle is over.”
     ‘You shall play an important part in this epic battle, my friend,’ a voice said in his mind, this one much nicer than Myotismon’s. Guile looked around, struggling to collect his senses. ‘Do not fear me,’ the voice added, ‘I am the one called Alexander, the holy angel of light, and I have a favor to ask of you.’
     “I’ve heard that one before,” Guile replied as he picked up his wand from where it lay. He sighed as the head came free of the main part. “Well, guess I don’t have much of a choice. I have no weapon and my power’s more or less drained. What needs to be done? Do you need my body for anything?”
     What can be described as a chuckle filled his mind for a moment. ‘I don’t need your body, for I have one of my own. However, we need you to help to release the sleepers who shall unlock the light from the darkness and unleash it unto those locked in shadow.’
     “More riddles. I’m getting really tired of riddles. First Myotismon used my body to get his targets into this world, where he can do whatever he wants. Then he drains my energy and breaks free, nearly killing me in the process. Now I’m up the creek without a paddle and I’m getting really pissed off. What do you need me to do?!”
     ‘For starters, calm the hell down. Next, this isn’t a world of despair, it’s a world where the imagination holds power and where wishes can come true. We need for you to help those locked in dreams. If you awaken one sleeper, all of the sleepers will awaken. Do you get my drift?’
     “Well, I get some of your drift, and some of it is still a mystery. You want me to help that Alex kid, right?”
     ‘To put it simply,’ Alexander said, controlling the mounting anger in his voice, ‘DUH! When you were under Myotismon’s power you made several passes at him, and that’s why he followed you here. Plus you took two of his friends hostage, so he had another reason to come to this place.’
     Guile blushed crimson, which was quite visible now that he was unmasked. He rubbed his temples again before saying, “The last part I feel really sorry about. Now, could you please point me in the direction of the sleepers so that I mayl help to awaken them?”
     ‘Thank you,’ Alexander said. A moment later a beam of light came from the sky and illuminated a crater not more than half a mile from where Guile was. The wizard regained his feet, brushed his clothes off, levitated, and sailed as fast as he possibly could to his destination.

     ‘Never doubt the power of innocent dreamers. Never doubt the dreams of innocent children. Never doubt your worst nightmare. You can use the power of innocent dreamers. You can believe in the dreams of innocent children. You can face and defeat your worst nightmare.’
     “What..... what are you trying to tell me? Who’s there?”
     “Unleash the light from the darkness. Deliver us from the shadows. Release the light unto the darkness. Enlighten those locked eternally in shadow.”
     A ray of light opened into darkness, and from that came a form with angel wings spread wide. Energy became matter, matter took on shape, and shape took on detail. Light filled the darkness, shining upon those locked in darkness.
     “Where are we?” Amelia asked as she looked around.
     “I think we’re trapped in a dream realm or something,” Celia said as she also looked around.
     “The last thing I recall was the blinding white light which came from Alex,” Lina said as she brushed a few strands of her flaming red hair from her face, “then there was nothing.”
     “So... now what do we do?” Kirinis asked, “Do we face our worst nightmares or something? And just where is Alex?”
     The Slayers looked around, noting that the fiery banged king of death was nowhere to be seen. To add to it, Zelgadis was missing as well.
     “Well this is just ducky,” Lina said, “two of our more powerful mages are missing and we’re trapped in here. Come to think of it, why Alex and Zel? Why not Zel and Gourry or Sylphiel and Gourry or even me and Zel?”
     ‘They have been chosen for something much more.... interesting,’ a voice said in the darkness, sending shivers down their backs. Then the world went topsy turvy and there was eternal darkness yet again.

     ‘I wish I was stronger than I am. I wish I could punch a hole in the dimensional fabric without using up so much of my strength to do so. I wish I could unlock the secrets of the universe and use them to my advantage.’
     “Why do you wish so much? Why do you dream so high? Why?”
     ‘I want to protect my friends. I have always wanted to protect them from whatever may come our way. I want to be able to protect my family as well, since their powers are not nearly as strong as mine. Yet I was unable to defend myself from a force as great as Myotismon.’
     “You are not weak, dear one. You have great potential. You need only to find a way to access your reserves. You are a strong wizard. You are a strong person. You just need to draw upon those around you to tap into your real power.”
     ‘But I’m alone. The darkness is eternal and infinite, and I cannot find the flame of blue or the glowing golden sea of chaos or even the shining silver sphere in the sky.’
     Angel feathers filled the darkness, each glowing with the intensity of a single star. Curled up in the fetal position in the middle of the darkness was a young man, or at least the shape of one, who had a long ponytail of wavy hair and long bangs which also waved and curled around him. By the way he was situated it was apparent that he was naked.
     “You will never be alone, not so long as you have access to your true power.”
     ‘What is my true power?’
     “You will know what it is when you need to access it. Now, who gives you the strength to fight on? Who is the closest person to you who can help you to break out into the light?”
     A ghostly image formed in the shadows, taking on the shape of Delwynndwn Siele in full battle gear. The image quickly shifted to Adderson Martin as he had been dressed that night. That image faded to be replaced by a pair of images, one of Seifer in a tuxedo, the other of Irvine in full SeeD regalia. Those images merged together and shrank to show Zelgadis in what he had been wearing that night. A secondary image formed from that, taking shape as Guile.
     “So, these two are the closest to you right now? Why is that?”
     ‘I can’t explain it. Zelgadis and I grew closer after the events with Tormaline, and Guile... even though I’ve known him for such a short period of time, I feel that we were meant to meet and get to know one another. Plus both of them have power... more power than I can ever dream to have.’
     “Child, you must believe in yourself. Otherwise the darkness will swallow you up and Myotismon will win. You need to break out of the darkness into the light and send him where he belongs. Please, draw upon your reserves and break out of the dark into the light.”
     Zelgadis suddenly appeared behind the form, fully dressed, unlike the form who was curled up. The form slowly turned his head, color filling the outline of his body, adding cranberry and brown to the hair, golden flecks to the deep brown eyes, and color to the stubble of the lightly tanned face. As if an artist suddenly decided to pencil in clothes and color them the form was given what he had been wearing earlier that night for clothes. Yet there was still no real life in the eyes until Zelgadis encircled him with warm and gentle arms.
     “Alex, you have the power,” he whispered into Alex’s ear, “just believe in it. I knew from the moment we met that fate or something like that was trying to bring us closer together, but I denied it. Then when Tormaline attacked and everything like that happened I decided to stop running from fate and embrace it. Now we’re closer than ever, and I like that.”
     Alex slowly turned his head, only to have his lips brush against Zel’s. In one heart pounding moment they were locked in a passionate kiss, a golden light wrapping around them, giving them the power to break out of the darkness and into the light.

     As Guile reached the peak of the last hill before the crater a blinding light filled the area, and he had to shield his eyes or else go blind. When the light finally died away he could see Alex and Zelgadis locked in an embrace, a gentle wind blowing around them. He began to say something, but stopped when Alex broke away and used an astral hammer on Zelgadis, pounding the chimera into the ground.
     “You pervert! You creep! Give it back!!” Alex cried as he beat Zel deeper and deeper into the ground.
     “Give what back? What the hell are you talking about?!” Zelgadis asked as he fought to get free of the hole which was forming under his feet.
     “My innocence!!!” Alex cried as he delivered the final smash that left Zelgadis chin deep in the ground.
     Guile approached them, keeping maximum distance so that he wouldn’t be on the business end of an astral hammer. “Glad to see that the two of you are awake,” he said, stopping about six feet from Alex.
     “Do I know you?” Alex asked, looking Guile over from head to toe, spending some time gazing into the wizard’s forest green eyes. Finally a connection was made and a scowl crossed his face. “Oh... it’s you. What do you want?”
     “You can’t stay mad at me forever,” Guile said as he hesitantly stepped forward, “Myotismon used me just like he used you, and we need to pool our powers so that we can send him screaming into oblivion.”
     In three steps he was inches from Alex, who had to look up to see into Guile’s eyes. In the blink of an eye they were locked in a passionate kiss, Alex blushing crimson, his astral hammer slipping from his hands. Three seconds later the wizard was pinned to the ground with the blade of an astral scythe to his throat.
     “Let’s get something straight, O.K.,” Alex growled as the blade increased in size, “when I’m working I do NOT have time for making out, O.K.?! Do I make myself perfectly clear?!”
     “Clear as crystal,” Guile said as he slipped out from beneath the blade. He took a moment to help Zelgadis out of the ground before saying, “So, what about the others? They’re still locked away in the darkness, correct?”
     Alex nodded. “Yeah, they are, and I don’t know how to release them.”
     ‘Unleash the light from the darkness. Deliver us from the shadows. Release the light unto the darkness. Enlighten those trapped forever in shadow.’ echoed through their minds. Alex arched an eyebrow and sighed.
     “Bloody unbelievable timing Alexander,” he cried, shaking his fist at the sky, “Just how the bloody hell do you expect me to do all of that when I can’t summon you in this realm?!”
     “Technically you can,” Guile said, “you just need to believe in something strong enough, for we are not in a realm of despair like Myotismon said, but in a world where dreams and wishes come true. That’s how you managed to break free of your darkness.”
     “He’s right,” Zelgadis said as he brushed himself off, “I was trapped in the dark, then I found myself with you, since I had been wishing to be closer to you.”
     “But this makes no sense,” Alex cried, “The math doesn’t add up!”
     “You believe in magic, don’t you?” Guile asked. Alex nodded. “Some of those calculations are impossible to perform with a computer, and yet you can pull them out of nowhere and make them add up.”
     “Then I guess it’s time for us to unlock the light and the power buried deep within,” Alex said as he took his warrior pen from his jacket. He clasped it between his hands and bowed his head before saying, “Unleash the light from the darkness, deliver us from the shadows. Release the light unto the darkness, enlighten those locked eternally in shadow!!”
     The gem in the head of his pen glowed a brilliant violet as beams of light came from the sky and illuminated two of the cocoons in which the Slayers were trapped in.
     “I believe in my friends, I believe in our powers, and I believe in myself,” Zelgadis said as he clutched the amulet which drew upon holy power for his angel attack. The amulet glowed a blinding white as angel feathers swirled through the air and illuminated the twin cocoon.
     “I may not know them very well, but I trust in the powers which your friends possess,” Guile said as a holy sword formed in his hand. The blade glowed and resonated as the final cocoon was illuminated. A moment later a blinding flash filled the area, shattering the golden prisons of the Slayers. When the light died away the Slayers were back on their feet and ready for action.

     A short distance away the SeeDs who were on their way to the rescue noticed a few pinpoints of light. A moment later a blinding flash filled the area. From the light came their friends, all with golden auras surrounding them. Zelgadis, Guile, and Alex were together, with Celia and Kirinis linked arm in arm. Sylphiel and Gourry came next, followed by Lina and Amelia.
     “Honey, we’re home,” Alex said as he leapt down to be caught by Adderson and Seifer.
     “So now what happens?” Kirinis asked, looking around as the hair on the back of her neck stood on end.
     “Now you die,” Myotismon said as he blinked in behind them. “So prepare yourselves kiddies because your power is mine.”

     Back across the bounds of time and space, in Trabia Garden, Aeris Gainsborough sat at a window in her darkened room. Her staff sat against the far wall, and she gazed at this from time to time as she gazed at the stars in the sky.
     ‘Alex, Lina, where are you?’ she asked the stars in the heaven’s night’s sky. She blew a few strands of her brown hair from her face before adding, ‘Miss Celia, please come back safely.’
     A pinpoint of light became visible where there had been none. She gazed at the pinpoint as it increased in intensity.
     “The... the light of Holy,” she said to nobody in particular as she gazed at it. She squinted before saying, “No... not Holy, but the holy angel.”
     Her door whooshed open, startling her for a second. In stepped Anassa, Rajin, and Rinoa, all still wearing what they had worn for the ball. Jessica followed as well, her hair flowing down her back as she yawned.
     “So you felt the calling as well?” Aeris asked as she brushed her hair from her face.
     “Yeah,” Rinoa said, “a light beyond the whitest dawn...”
     “Brighter than the brightest sun,” Anassa added, taking a seat next to Aeris. She gazed at the sky at the point of light. ‘Karna, please come back safe.’
     “The final battle must be ready to begin,” Rinoa said as she took a seat near the window. She gazed at the light before nodding her head and clasping her hands. ‘Seifer, Irvine, Fujin, please defeat this guy.’
     “We must believe in our friends,” Rajin said as he gazed at the light, ‘Fujin, Seifer, you need to come back, not just for me, but for everyone else.’
     “Yes, we must believe,” Jessica said as she also gazed out the window. The door behind them closed, shutting out the light in the hall and bathing the room once again in darkness and shadow.

     “Crimson Storm!”
     “Light Shield!”
     “Holy Barrier!”
     A pair of hastily erected shields caught the storm and deflected it. In the resulting darkness a trio of golden lights were visible. Three more gold lights came from the darkness, beating it back and revealing the keepers of the light.
     “Prepare for an ass whooping you’ll never forget!” Lina said as the stepped into the light, her talismans aglow. Alex followed her into the light, his clothes glowing as black armor with arcane blue runes formed around his body, large spikes forming on his shoulders and elbows. A large glaive with a silver and gold blade formed in his hand, arcane runes glowing on it.
     “You’re going down, you evil being of darkness,” Alex said as he handed Lina his glaive. He crossed his arms before his face, forming a V under his eyes. The spikes on his elbows glowed as he channeled electricity into them. He lunged forward, electricity sparking around his body as he shouted, “Lightning Barrage!” He executed a rapid series of punches and kicks, striking Myotismon with a 24 hit combo before he channeled the energy into the left spike. He whipped around, driving the spike into Myotismon’s stomach and releasing the energy into his target, electrocuting him.
     “Goddess Strike!” Celia shouted as a wave of pure white energy struck Myotismon, dropping him to one knee.
     “Visfarenk!” Amelia shouted as she dove at her target, driving her fists into his back. She flipped away and executed a spinning bird kick before leaping high into the air, where she performed a Sky Twister attack. This combo left their aggressor weakened and confused.
     “Tres Flores!” Karna shouted, a colorful flower growing up around Myotismon. He leapt forward, slashing through the flower and his target with a glowing sword. Flower petals wafted through the air following the attack.
     “You... you won’t defeat me so easily,” Myotismon said as he struggled to regain his feet, “I shall see to that.”
     “He shouldn’t be this hard to finish,” Alex said as he struggled to maintain his transformation, ‘This armor really doesn’t feel right.’
     Alex’s armor suddenly turned into writhing snakes, which wrapped around the mage, some biting him, others wrapping around his neck and chest so tight that breathing became difficult and ribs began to crack and break. The snakes became spiders, which bit him more times than the snakes had before binding his hands and feet with webbing. The spiders crawled off of his body, congealing to form a burning woman who caressed his cheek with fiery fingers.
     “Alex!” Adderson shouted when he saw his friend undergoing these tortures. He turned towards Myotismon, hate flashing in his eyes as a great power unlocked within. A globe of dark energy formed around his fist, which he held above his head. the sky went dark as he shouted, “Forever ZERO!”, driving the sphere into the ground. The landscape went dark as the night’s sky before it began to spin as energy coursed through the area, breaking down the composition of the cosmos. A surge of power struck Myotismon, driving him through darkness and into the fabric of time and space, freezing him there. Then all went dark for him.
     “And now for the final punch through the wall of the dimension,” Irvine said as he cocked his shotgun and took careful aim. the barrel glowed as an ultima shell was fired up. A moment later a beam of highly charged energy split the air and struck Myotismon, driving him through the dimensional fabric, smashing him back into reality.
     “After him!” Guile shouted as he dove through the hole, dropping about ten feet to the ground below. He looked around for a moment before something heavy struck him in the back, pressing him to the ground.
     “You’ve served your purpose, and now you must go,” Myotismon said as a pair of sharp tendrils skewered Guile through the back so that they came out his chest. He was lifted into the air before they turned around and pierced him through the chest so that they came out his back.
     The others looked on in shock and horror as this was performed. Sylphiel and Amelia averted their eyes. Gourry closed his eyes and held Sylphiel closer. Lina clung to Zelgadis, who cursed under his breath. Celia’s eyes began to glow with anger as Kirinis fired up a spell. Adderson paled and hid behind Karna, who covered his eyes and sighed. Fujin watched with silent interest as Seifer and Irvine watched in horror. The only sound in the area aside from Myotismon’s maniacal laughter was Alex’s prolonged cry of, “NO!!”
     Once more a golden glow filled the area as a wave of pure energy washed through it, blotting out all that could be seen.

     Not more than half a mile away the room in which Aeris and the SeeDs were sitting suddenly became as bright as day as golden light flowed in through the windows. They looked up to see a large dome with a single ray coming from the heaven’s above, not the sun like one would suspect with light that bright.
     “Now is the time to join the battle,” Aeris said as she rose from her seat. In two strides she was across the room and had her staff in hand. She turned to the others and said, “Are you guys coming or not?”
     “Hell yeah!” Rajin said as he leapt from his seat. “Let’s show that indescribable force of evil not to mess with our friends!”
     “We must prepare quickly,” Rinoa said as she rose, “otherwise the tide of battle may turn for the worse.”
     “Then let us prepare,” Jessica said, “we’ll take the fastest vehicle to the battleground.”
     Almost the moment she said that a bubble formed in the center of the room. The bubble opened like a delicate flower, revealing a perfectly formed and stable portal to the field of battle. Jessica arched an eyebrow before saying, “... or we could just walk through this gravitational bend in reality to our destination and save a lot of time.”
     “Come again,” Rajin said, nearly tripping over his own feet as he stopped midway to the door.
     “In layman’s terms,” Anassa said, holding up her index finger, “we use the door that just opened for us.”
     “Right.... I knew that.”
     Everyone else sighed before they ran to gather their equipment.