~It was a beautiful afternoon at a two-story pale blue
house with a white roof, white trim, and a spacious
front porch. A young boy about seven years old stepped
onto the porch with a large red ball in his hands. He
blew at a lock of his thick blonde hair, which was in
his face. The boy’s violet-gray eyes glistened in the
sunlight as he bounced the ball on the porch. He was
wearing a white polo shirt, khaki shorts, white socks,
and brown loafers. “Sage!” a woman’s voice shouted
from inside the house. Thinking that he was in trouble
for playing on the porch, the little boy clutched the
ball in both arms and asked, “Yes, Mama?”“Before you go play in the backyard, wait for your
sister, okay?” Mrs. Date asked. Little Sage groaned
before he replied, “Okay, Mama.” He sat down on the
porch steps and rested his chin against the ball in
his lap. A few minutes later, Sage heard a small pair
of feet running toward the front door and turned
around. He saw a little five-year-old girl running
towards him. Her long straight black hair was tied up
in a ponytail with a purple ribbon, which bounced up
and down as she ran. She was wearing a short-sleeve
white blouse, purple overalls, and white socks.Before the girl could head out onto the porch, Mrs.
Date shouted, “Cassandra Date, what do you think
you’re doing?” The girl froze like a statue as her
mother approached her. Mrs. Date was a beautiful young
woman. Her long blonde tresses hung down her shoulders
as she bent down to look at her daughter, who was
staring down at the porch. “Cassandra, look at me,”
she whispered gently. Cassandra looked up into her
mother’s bright blue eyes. “Didn’t I tell you that you
can’t run in the house?” she asked. “I’m sorry,
Mommy,” Cassandra whispered bashfully. “That’s a good
girl,” Mrs. Date replied as she patted her daughter on
the head. “Sage, help your sister get her shoes on.”Sage grumbled a bit to himself as he stepped back
inside the house and tied Cassandra’s black tennis
shoes on for her. “Have fun, you two,” Mrs. Date
announced as she headed back to the kitchen, while her
two children stepped onto the porch. Sage got down the
porch steps with no problem. He turned around and
groaned as he watched his sister slowly climb down the
steps, one at a time. “Come on, Cassandra!” Sage
whined impatiently. As soon as Cassandra climbed off
of the last step, Sage grabbed her by the hand and led
her to the backyard. “Why couldn’t I have a little
brother instead?” Sage mumbled angrily to himself.Sage didn’t like to admit it, but he really did like
his sister. One thing he liked about Cassandra was her
dark jet-black hair. She got it from their dad,
whereas Sage got his golden locks from his mom.
Another thing he was proud of was that both he and
Cassandra had violet-gray eyes. Sage didn’t understand
why the boys in his first-grade class teased him about
his eyes. Sage remembered one time when he asked his
mom, “Why do the boys at school tease me about my
eyes?” His mom just smiled and replied, “Don’t worry
about what those boys say at school, Sage. They’re
just jealous because your eyes are very special.”Suddenly, Sage felt a tug on his arm. “What is it,
Cassandra?” he asked his little sister. “Can we please
play a game with your new ball?” Cassandra asked
curiously. “Okay! Hold this,” Sage exclaimed as he
handed his ball to his sister. Cassandra held the ball
and watched as her older brother pulled out some small
square mats from a little outdoor shed. Sage put one
mat down in front of his sister, and then he dropped
three more mats on the grass, forming a miniature
baseball diamond.“You ready, Cassandra?” Sage asked as he ran into the
center of the surrogate baseball field. The little
girl nodded her head in approval. “Roll me the ball,”
Sage instructed. Cassandra rolled the ball and Sage
caught it. “Okay, we’re gonna play kickball,” Sage
announced. “What’s kickball?” Cassandra asked. “It’s
like baseball, only you kick the ball instead of
hitting it with a bat,” Sage explained. “Oh, okay,”
Cassandra replied while slowly nodding her head. “I’m
gonna roll the ball to you, and then you kick it,”
Sage instructed. He put the ball on the ground in
front of him and pushed it.Cassandra waited until the ball was a few feet away
from her, then she ran towards it and kicked it as
hard as she could. The red ball quickly bounced past
Sage and rolled into the woods behind the house. “I’m
sorry, Sage,” Cassandra apologized. “ Stay here, and
I’ll go get my ball,” Sage told her before he ran into
the woods. He has been in the woods many times before
with his father, so he wasn’t afraid. Sage finally
found his new ball, which was lying in a pile of twigs
and leaves that looked like an old bird’s nest. He was
about to pick it up when he heard Cassandra scream...~A loud beeping sound quickly woke Sage up from his
dream. He sat up in his bed for a moment before he
reached over and turned off his alarm clock. Sage
wiped the cold beads of sweat off his forehead with
the back of his hand as he breathed in heavily.
Suddenly, there was a knock at Sage’s bedroom door.
“Sage? Are you awake?” a woman’s voice asked. Sage let
out a deep sigh before replying, “Yes, I am, Mom.”
“Well, hurry up and get dressed. Breakfast is almost
ready,” Mrs. Date announced. “Okay, Mom,” Sage replied
as he got out of bed. He headed over to a nearby
chair, where a pale yellow shirt and a pair of khaki
slacks lay in a folded pile.After grabbing his clothes from the chair, Sage headed
back over to his bed, sat down, and started to get
changed. After he slid his shirt over his head, Sage’s
eyes focused on a silver-plated double picture frame
on his bed stand. In the left frame was a picture of
himself when he was seven. In the right frame was a
picture of the little black-haired girl from his
dream. Sage picked up the silver frame and stared at
the picture of the smiling little girl. “Cassandra,
where are you?” Sage whispered sadly. He held the
picture frame for a few more moments before he set it
back on his bed stand. After he slid his brown loafers
on, Sage slowly stood up and grabbed his navy blue
jacket, which was hanging from a hook on his wall, and
his backpack from the floor.Sage let out a deep sigh as he opened his bedroom door
and walked down the hall leading to the stairs. He
slowly climbed down the stairs and cut through the
living room to the kitchen. “Good morning, son,” Mr.
Date greeted as Sage entered the kitchen. “Morning,
Dad,” Sage greeted back as he hung his jacket on the
back of an empty chair and sat down. “Hope you two are
hungry,” Mrs. Date announced as she placed a large
platter of hot French toast in the center of the
table. “Thank you, dear,” Mr. Date replied as his wife
joined him and their son at the kitchen table.As Mr. Date loaded a couple of pieces of French toast
on his plate, he noticed that Sage was just sitting
there, with a strange guilt-ridden look in his eyes.
“Sage? Are you all right, son?” Mr. Date asked. “I’m
just fine, Dad,” Sage replied quickly as he reached
over, grabbed a piece of French toast with his fork,
and placed it on his plate. “Sage, if there’s
something bothering you, you can tell us,” Mrs. Date
assured her son as he took a bite of his French toast.
There was a long pause of silence before Sage cleared
his throat. “I, umm...I had that dream again,” Sage
muttered hesitantly before taking a drink of milk.Sage’s parents glanced at each other for a moment,
then they both looked at their son with concern in
their eyes. “Sage, sweetheart, it’s not your fault,”
Mrs. Date whispered softly. “Yes, it is, Mom,” Sage
argued. “I shouldn’t have left Cassandra alone in the
backyard. I should have done something to stop that
creep instead of just standing there!” He groaned
loudly out of frustration as he slammed his fist
against the kitchen table. “Sage, let me remind you
that you were only seven at the time,” Mr. Date
explained as he put a reassuring hand on his son’s
shoulder. “There’s no way you could have stopped that
man from kidnapping Cassandra. Matter of fact, if you
had arrived any sooner, you probably would have been
kidnapped as well.”Sage sat at the table in complete silence for a few
moments. “I better get ready for school,” he muttered
out loud as he got up and took his jacket off the back
of the chair. As he put his jacket on, Mrs. Date
glanced at the wall clock. “Sage, it’s still early,”
she remarked as she looked back at her son. “Yeah, I
know, but I gotta wake up Rowen first,” Sage replied
as he picked up his backpack and slung it over his
shoulders. “You know Rowen. That guy can sleep through
an earthquake!” “Goodbye, Sage,” Mr. Date said as Sage
opened the kitchen door leading outside. “Have a nice
day at school,” Mrs. Date added. “Thanks,” Sage
replied as he left the house.Sage started walking down the street, lost in his
thoughts. He was so focused that he didn’t notice a
certain redhead girl leave her house on the opposite
side of the street. “Hey, wait up, Sage!” Sandra
shouted as she ran down the street after the blonde
boy that she eventually learned to tolerate. “Good
morning to ya,” Sandra greeted cheerfully as she
caught up with Sage. “Yeah, good morning, Sandra,”
Sage mumbled out loud. The two friends walked down the
street in silence for a few minutes. “Sage, is there
something bothering you?” Sandra asked curiously. “No.
What makes you think that?” Sage asked. “Well, you
haven’t try to flirt with me yet, so there must be
something wrong with you!” Sandra joked with a small
smirk on her face.“Very funny, Sandra,” Sage retorted dryly. “Come on,
Sage. What’s wrong?” Sandra prodded. “Nothing’s wrong,
Sandra!” Sage snapped a bit rudely. “I just didn’t
sleep well last night, okay?” “Okay, okay!” Sandra
retorted, trying not to show that she was a bit hurt
by Sage’s sudden rudeness. “Touchy this morning,
aren’t we?” “I’m sorry, Sandra,” Sage apologized. “I
just got a lot on my mind.” “That’s okay, Sage,”
Sandra replied. “Just don’t take it out on me anymore,
all right?” “Okay, Sandra,” Sage agreed. “I’m really
sorry about snapping at you like that.”“All right, Sage. Just don’t do it again, okay?”
Sandra asked as they approached Rowen’s house.
“Gotcha,” Sage replied. “Buenos dias, Sage and
Sandra,” Roxie greeted cheerfully, who had just joined
them on the street. “Morning, Roxie,” Sandra greeted.
“Morning, Roxie,” Sage muttered as he walked past the
two girls to Rowen’s door. “What’s with him?” Roxie
asked Sandra. “I don’t know, really,” Sandra admitted.
“Sage told me that he didn’t sleep well last night,
but I think he’s covering up for something else. I
just can’t put me finger on it.” Roxie was about to
say something when a loud buzzing sound interrupted
her. She and Sandra looked across the street and
noticed that Sage was holding down the doorbell button
with his finger.“Oh, great! Now he’s taking it out on Rowen!” Sandra
remarked as Sage continued to hold down the doorbell
button. He finally stopped ringing the doorbell when
Rowen quickly opened the door, with an irritated
expression on his face and his hands covering his
ears. “What did you do that for, Sage?” Rowen asked in
an annoyed tone as he brought his hands down. “Just
making sure your doorbell was working, Rowen,” Sage
stated. “Come on. Let’s get going.” “Okay,” Rowen
replied slowly as he followed Sage across the street
to join Sandra and Roxie.As the four friends walked down the street, Sage
asked, “Any idea what Dulcea was up to with those
fortune bracelets, Rowen?” “To be honest, I haven’t
the faintest idea,” Rowen confessed. “What about that
idea Cye had the other day?” Sage asked. “You know,
about Dulcea trying to control everyone with those
bracelets?” “Unfortunately, Cye’s theory fizzled out,”
Rowen reluctantly admitted. “Don’t worry about it,
Rowen,” Roxie told him. “If anyone can figure out what
Dulcea is up to, you can.” “Thanks, Roxie,” Rowen
replied. “But it’s not going to be easy. I’ve been
racking my brain for a logical explanation for this,
but so far, nothing fits.”“You might be going at this all wrong,” Sage
interrupted. “Not everything has a logical explanation
to it, Rowen.” “I hate to admit it, but Sage could be
right,” Sandra muttered out loud as they arrived at
the street corner. “Well, what do you suggest, Sage?”
Rowen asked curiously. “The answer could be more
spiritual than logical,” Sage replied. “I don’t know
about that...” Rowen muttered thoughtfully. “Just hear
me out, all right?” “I’m listening.” “This is from
what I’ve learned from practicing meditation with my
father. There is a balance of karmic energy within the
body known as Chi. There are two types of Chi: White
Chi and Black Chi. Meditation is supposed to help
achieve a perfect balance between the White and Black
Chi.”“Okay, but what does this have to do with Dulcea’s
fortune bracelet plot?” Rowen asked. Before Sage could
answer him, Sandra announced, “Sorry to interrupt, but
our friends are coming.” Sage and Rowen looked up and
saw Ryo, Rita, Kento, Kim, Cye, and Clara walking
towards them. “I guess you’ll have to tell me the rest
later,” Rowen told Sage. “When would be a good time?”
Sage asked. “Lunchtime would be the best time,” Rowen
replied. “With all the noise, no one else will
overhear what we’re saying, and you can fill the
others in on what’s going on as well.” “All right,”
Sage agreed.“Morning, guys,” Ryo greeted as he, Rita, Kento, Kim,
Cye, and Clara approached Sage, Sandra, Rowen, and
Roxie. “Good morning, Ryo,” Sage and Rowen replied as
the ten friends continued the walk to school. “So,
Rowen, have you figured out the deal with those
fortune bracelets?” Ryo asked Rowen. “No, not yet,”
Rowen replied. “So my idea didn’t fit at all?” Cye
asked. “Sorry, Cye, but controlling people with those
bracelets couldn’t possibly be the case,” Rowen told
him. “And why not?” Kento asked. “There are two
reasons, Kento. First of all, those fortune bracelets
were sparsely distributed only in Japan. And second,
the bracelets would have appealed more to girls than
to boys,” Rowen explained.“Yeah, I guess you’re right about that, Rowen,” Cye
admitted. “You know, Sage has come up with a theory of
his own,” Rowen added. “Really? What is it, Sage?” Ryo
asked. Sage didn’t respond at all. “Earth to Sage!
Come in, Sage!” Kento shouted loudly, bringing Sage
back to reality. “I’m sorry. What?” Sage asked. “Are
you all right, Sage?” Cye asked curiously. “I’m fine,
Cye,” Sage muttered out loud. “I just didn’t get a lot
of sleep last night. Now, what did you ask me about,
Ryo?” “Rowen told us that you came up with an idea
about what Dulcea’s up to,” Ryo explained. “Care to
tell us about it?”Before Sage could reply, Cye announced, “Looks like
it’s going to have to wait till later. We’re almost at
the school now.” Ryo, Sage, Rowen, and Kento looked up
and saw Han`a High School up ahead. “Sage can explain
his theory during lunch. Is that all right with you
guys?” Rowen asked. “I think we can do that,” Ryo
admitted as Cye and Kento nodded their heads in
approval. “It’d be best if we meet in the courtyard
for lunch,” Rowen suggested. “The cafeteria gets so
noisy that we won’t be able to hear each other
clearly.” “Good idea, Rowen. The courtyard it is,” Ryo
agreed as he and his nine friends entered Han`a High
School...~Little Sage was about to pick up his red ball from
the old bird’s nest when he suddenly heard a girl’s
terrified scream. “Cassandra?” Sage shouted as he
turned around and started running through the woods.
“Cassandra!” Sage shouted again as he made his way
back to the backyard, where he had left his sister.
When he finally reached the backyard, Sage stopped
running and gasped loudly out of shock. Standing in
the backyard was a tall stranger, unfamiliar to the
little boy. He was wearing a long-sleeve charcoal gray
shirt with dark purple thorn-covered vines embroidered
on the front, charcoal gray pants, and shiny black
leather shoes. The stranger’s short hair was white in
color, despite his youthful face and slight muscular
build.Sage looked down and gasped again when he saw
Cassandra lying on the ground in front of the tall
stranger. From the looks of it, it appeared that
Sage’s little sister had fainted when the stranger
surprised her. Sage began to grow angry when the
stranger knelt down to pick up Cassandra. “Leave her
alone!” Sage shouted as he charged toward the
stranger. The young man quickly looked up and glared
at the little boy with his chilling ice-blue eyes. He
narrowed his eyes, which started to glow a pale blue.
Suddenly, to Sage’s surprise, he stopped running as a
strange chill went through his body, encasing him in a
pale blue light.The young man snickered softly at Sage’s attempt to
save his little sister. “Nice try, kid, but not good
enough,” he retorted evilly as he scooped up the
unconscious girl in his arms. “No! Cassandra!” Sage
shouted as he struggled to move. Despite his efforts,
Sage wasn’t able to move an inch. “Don’t worry, little
boy. We’ll meet again...when I come back for you!” the
stranger announced. He let out a sinister laugh as he
and Cassandra disappeared into thin air. Just as soon
as they disappeared, the strange light that kept Sage
frozen vanished as well. Sage fell to his hands and
knees, completely bewildered over what had just
happened. He quickly got up and ran to the front
porch. “Mama! Mama! Some strange man took Cassandra!”
Sage shouted as he ran into the house...~“Sage? SAGE!” Kento shouted loudly, bringing Sage out
of his daydream. “Hmm...what?” Sage asked. “For the
third time, Sage, can I have your potato chips?” Kento
asked, pointing at an unopened bag of potato chips
lying on the picnic table in front of Sage. “Sure,
help yourself,” Sage muttered out loud. “All right!”
Kento cheered as he took the bag of chips. “Hey, guys!
Sorry I’m late,” Cye apologized as he joined Sage,
Kento, and Ryo at the picnic table. “Don’t worry about
it, Cye. You’re not the only one that’s late,” Ryo
pointed out. “Rowen hasn’t shown up yet.” “Rowen is
always late for everything!” Kento complained loudly
before he popped a handful of potato chips in his
mouth.“Look, since Rowen isn’t here yet, I can fill you guys
in on what I already told him,” Sage announced. “We’re
listening,” Ryo revealed. “Well, this is something I
learned from practicing meditation with my father.
Within the body, there is a balance of karmic energy
known as Chi. There are two types: White Chi and Black
Chi. Meditation is supposed to help achieve a perfect
balance between these two energies.” “Yeah, yeah. Very
interesting, Sage, but what does that have to do with
Dulcea’s scam?” Kento asked dully. “That’s what Rowen
asked me earlier,” Sage admitted. “I’ll let you know
when he gets here.”“Speaking of Rowen, here he comes,” Cye announced as
he pointed at Rowen, who had just entered the
courtyard. Besides his bagged lunch, Rowen was
carrying a small plastic case in his other hand. “Hey,
Rowen,” Ryo greeted as their blue-haired friend sat
down at the picnic table with them. “Hey, guys. I
apologize for taking so long,” Rowen apologized. “Mr.
Lobello, the teacher for my Criminal Justice class,
needed to speak with me after Study Hall.” “No way!
You got in trouble, for once in your lifetime?” Kento
asked out of surprise. “That’s definitely the only
reason why any teacher would want to see you after
class, Kento!” Cye remarked.“You better watch it, Cye!” Kento retorted loudly.
“Knock it off, you two!” Ryo interrupted. Kento and
Cye reluctantly kept quiet. “Look, I didn’t get in
trouble with Mr. Lobello. He wanted to give me this.”
Rowen showed his four friends the plastic case he had
with him. Ryo, Kento, Cye, and Sage could see that
within the semi-transparent plastic case was a CD.
“What the heck is that?” Kento asked curiously. “It’s
a CD-ROM I’m using for a Criminal Justice project,”
Rowen explained. “It’s a new software program designed
to help the police create more accurate composite
drawings of escaped criminals and missing persons.
This program’s been working very well in the United
States, so the software’s designers decided to
distribute the program internationally.”“That sounds like an excellent idea,” Cye admitted.
“Wait a minute! If the cops are supposed to be using
this thing, then how did you get your hands on it,
Rowen?” Kento asked suspiciously. “Well, it just so
happens that Mr. Lobello has a brother who’s a captain
of the Tokyo City Police Department,” Rowen revealed.
“Don’t worry, I’m not doing anything illegal here.”
“Well, since you’re here, Rowen, Sage can finish
explaining his idea to us,” Ryo announced. “Yeah,
Sage. Tell us, how does this Chi fit into Dulcea’s
scheme for taking over our world?” Rowen asked
curiously.“Well, Chi represents a true balance within a person,
kinda like the idea of Yin-Yang in China,” Sage
explained. “Black Chi would represent the Yin, and
White Chi would represent the Yang. Most of the time,
people have an even balance of Chi, but sometimes, the
Chi can be thrown out of balance.” “How can that
happen, Sage?” Ryo asked. “It all depends on a
person’s character. Anyone who’s considered a generous
or selfless person would have more White Chi than they
normally would,” Sage explained. “Anyone who’s seen as
a hateful, corrupt person would have much more Black
Chi than White Chi.” “Dulcea definitely has a lot of
that Black Chi in her!” Kento remarked. “You got that
right, Kento,” Cye agreed.“Another way that the Chi can be thrown out of balance
is when a person expresses a very strong emotion,”
Sage continued. “If the emotion’s a positive one, like
love or hope, the White Chi overpowers the Black Chi.
However, if someone were to express a strong negative
emotion, such as cruelty or jealousy, the Black Chi
would become stronger.” “I think I see what you’re
getting at, Sage,” Rowen mused thoughtfully. “Mind
explaining it to the rest of us?” Kento asked. “It
could be possible that Dulcea has found a way to
harness this Black Chi as an energy source,” Rowen
explained. “If so, she’s probably saving it for
something big.”“That would explain those fortune bracelets,” Ryo
muttered thoughtfully. “They were forcing our friends
to express some really bad emotions.” “Yeah, and
Dulcea probably managed to collect some Black Chi from
them,” Sage added. “Just some? Why not all of it?”
Kento asked. “Although Black Chi is negative energy,
everyone needs as least enough of it to balance with
the White Chi,” Sage explained. “It’s like with
Yin-Yang. The balances of the two forces interact with
each other to achieve perfect harmony. The same goes
for White and Black Chi. If either one of the two
forms of Chi was completely removed from a person, he
or she would die. It would be impossible for anyone to
live with just one type of Chi inside of them.”“Then that would mean that even Dulcea has the
slightest bit of White Chi inside of her,” Cye
realized. “Yeah, but not enough for her to make a
complete turnaround, unfortunately,” Sage pointed out.
“You know, Sage, your theory made more sense than I
originally thought it would,” Rowen admitted. “Thanks,
Rowen...I think,” Sage muttered out loud. “So, if Sage
is right about this, we all have to make sure to keep
our emotions in check, or one of us will end up being
Dulcea’s next target,” Ryo announced. “You got it,
Ryo,” Kento agreed as Cye and Rowen nodded in
approval. Just then, the bell rang, ending lunch
period for the day...“Let’s see...” Rowen muttered thoughtfully to himself
as he typed away at the computer. School had ended a
few hours ago and Rowen was on the home computer in
his living room. “There, that should do it,” Rowen
muttered to himself as he opened up the program. The
screen became black for a moment, and then a page came
up with a list of instructions. “Okay, first thing is
to put the picture in the scanner,” Rowen murmured as
he opened a scanner that was on the left side of the
computer. He quickly placed a picture facedown on the
scanner, closed it, and pressed a button marked SCAN.
As he waited for the scanner to finish scanning the
picture, Rowen heard the doorbell ring. “Hold on! I’m
coming!” he shouted as he approached the front door
and opened it.“Hey, Rowen,” Sage greeted, who was carrying a large
book under his arm. “Hey, Sage. Did you come by to
make sure the doorbell was working again?” Rowen asked
sarcastically. “Okay, I deserved that,” Sage admitted.
“I said I was sorry, Rowen. I wasn’t exactly in a good
mood this morning.” “I understand,” Rowen replied.
“Wanna come in?” “Sure, but I can’t stay long,
though,” Sage replied as he entered Rowen’s house.
“So, what brings you here?” Rowen asked curiously.
“Well, I’m returning this book I borrowed from you
last week,” Sage explained as he handed the book to
Rowen. “Thanks, Sage,” Rowen replied as he headed to a
bookshelf next to the computer and put the book on the
top shelf.“So, what are you doing, Rowen?” Sage asked curiously
when he saw an old black-and-white photograph of a
little baby girl appear on the computer screen.
“Remember that software program I mentioned earlier
that Mr. Lobello loaned me?” Rowen asked as he
approached the computer. “Oh, yeah. That one where you
can make composite drawings of missing people,” Sage
muttered out loud. “Well, I’m about ready to run the
program by using this photograph that I scanned
earlier,” Rowen explained as he sat down at the
computer desk. “Care to witness the demonstration?”
“Sure, I guess,” Sage replied.“This program is quite advanced, Sage. Besides the
scanned photograph, the only piece of information
required is the person’s birth date,” Rowen explained
as he started to type away at the computer. “With the
birth date, the program automatically calculates how
old the person will be in present time and creates a
nearly accurate composite of what that person will
look like, even if several years have passed since
that person was last seen.” After he finished entering
the birth date, Rowen used the mouse to click on a
button marked START PROGRAM. Instantly, a message
popped up, reading LOADING...PLEASE WAIT. “Whoa,” Sage
exclaimed slowly. “How accurate is this program
anyway, Rowen?”“According to the statistics I’ve read about this
program, it’s approximately ninety-three percent
accurate,” Rowen replied. “That’s a much better
accuracy than what the police’s composite artists can
do.” “Oh, really?” Sage asked nonchalantly, trying to
hide the fact that he was really interested. Just
then, the two boys heard a beeping noise from the
computer. “Okay, it’s finished,” Rowen explained as he
watched the original photograph download on the
computer screen. “There’s the photograph that I
originally scanned, Sage. In about a minute, the
composite drawing will download next to the photograph
for comparison.”“Whose picture did you scan for this, Rowen?” Sage
asked curiously. Rowen glanced up and noticed that the
composite drawing had finished downloading on the
computer screen. “Why don’t you take a look and tell
me who you think it is?” Rowen asked. Sage looked at
the computer screen and gasped when he recognized the
drawing of a woman in her mid-thirties with
shoulder-length hair. “That’s your mom!” Sage
exclaimed out of surprise. “I know,” Rowen replied.
“That’s amazing,” Sage admitted. “Rowen, do you know
if you could print a missing person’s poster from your
computer?”“Now that’s easy,” Rowen boasted. He looked up at Sage
and asked, “Why the sudden interest in this, Sage? I’m
starting to get the feeling that you came here for
another reason other than returning that book to me.”
Sage let out a deep sigh. “You got me, Rowen.” He
reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a
wallet. Sage opened it up, pulled out a small
photograph, and handed it to Rowen without a word.
Rowen studied the photograph, which was of a little
five-year-old girl with long black hair and
violet-gray eyes. “This girl, she has the same color
eyes as you, Sage,” Rowen remarked.“Yeah, well, there’s a reason for that,” Sage muttered
out loud. “And what’s that? Is she your cousin?” Rowen
asked curiously. “No, she’s not,” Sage replied. “Then,
who could she be?” Rowen asked. “She couldn’t possibly
be your sister. You don’t have one.” Rowen looked up
at Sage and noticed the strange look in his friend’s
eyes. “Sage, is this girl your sister?” Rowen asked
curiously. Sage slowly nodded his head. “Her name’s
Cassandra. About ten years ago, Cassandra was
kidnapped at our old home back in California.” “How
come you never told me about this?” Rowen asked.
“We’ve been friends ever since you moved to Toyama and
you never told me that you had a sister.”“Truth is, it was just too painful for me to bring up,
Rowen,” Sage revealed. “I was playing with her in the
backyard the day it happened. I just left her for a
minute to get my ball and...” Sage closed his eyes and
kept his head bowed down, so Rowen wouldn’t see the
tears starting to form in his eyes. “It must have been
very hard on you,” Rowen muttered thoughtfully. “You
have no idea, Rowen,” Sage muttered out loud as he
quickly wiped his eyes. “Why do you want me to print
this poster out for you? What do you plan on doing
with it?” Rowen asked curiously. “I was going to make
copies and post them around Toyama, Tokyo, and all the
areas in between,” Sage replied.“What for?” Rowen asked. “Look, the police who worked
on the case back in California had a lead that the man
who took Cassandra went on a flight with her to
Tokyo,” Sage revealed. “They believed that Cassandra
is living somewhere in Japan, possibly under another
name. Odds are she probably doesn’t even remember me
or my mom and dad. I would do anything to find
Cassandra.” Rowen looked back down at the photograph
of Sage’s little sister and let out a deep sigh.
“Okay, I’ll do it for you, Sage,” Rowen finally
replied. “You will? Thanks a lot, Rowen,” Sage
admitted with a relieved look on his face as Rowen
placed Cassandra’s picture in the scanner and scanned
it onto his computer.“I’ll need to know Cassandra’s birth date for the
program, Sage,” Rowen revealed. “All right, Rowen.
Cassandra was born on July 2, 1975,” Sage told him.
Rowen quickly entered the birth date into his
computer. “All right. Here we go,” Rowen announced as
he clicked on the START PROGRAM button. Sage watched
over Rowen’s shoulder as the program slowly started to
load the scanned photograph of Cassandra on the
computer screen, which was eventually followed by a
composite drawing of a fifteen-year-old teenage girl
with long straight black hair and violet-gray eyes.“In order to make this look more like a professional
missing person’s poster, I just need to enter her
name, age, and your phone number,” Rowen revealed.
“That way, if anyone recognizes this composite drawing
of your sister, they’ll know who to call.” Sage nodded
in approval and watched as Rowen typed the information
on his computer and clicked on the PRINT button.
Instantly, the printer on the right side of the
computer printed out the missing person’s poster of
Cassandra. “Here you go, Sage,” Rowen announced as he
took the sheet of paper out of the printer and handed
it to Sage. “Just go down to the library and make as
many copies as you need.” “Thanks a lot, Rowen. I
won’t forget this,” Sage admitted as he headed for the
front door...It was now late at night in the city of Toyama. Sage
was just leaving the Toyama City Library, carrying a
huge stack of flyers in his arms. As he walked down
the sidewalk, Sage stopped into every store to put a
poster on the store’s window. He also stopped to tape
up posters onto every telephone pole he came across.
After putting yet another missing person’s poster of
Cassandra on the side of a brick building, next to a
group of other posters also plastered on the wall,
Sage continued on his way. “I sure hope this works,”
Sage muttered to himself as he kept making his way
through Toyama.With his back turned, Sage never noticed a stranger
approaching the wall. The stranger was wearing a long
trench coat, dark sunglasses, and a hat that covered
most of his blonde hair. He focused on the poster that
Sage put up a while ago and carefully tore it off. The
stranger held the poster in his hands, studying it
with great interest. He looked around to make sure no
one was watching him before he entered a dark alley.
When he reached a dead end, the stranger chuckled
sinisterly as he removed his sunglasses, revealing
sinister green eyes with no pupils. “So, Sage of Halo,
it appears that you’ve been keeping a little secret,”
Halo muttered out loud. “Lady Dulcea should be very
interested in this.” Halo let out another sinister
chuckle as he teleported away...Meanwhile, up in the mysterious black spaceship,
Dulcea was sitting on her ebony-carved throne.
“Devaki, come forth!” she ordered. Devaki quickly
hobbled into the throne room. “Yes, Lady Dulcea?”
Devaki asked as he bowed respectively to her. “Have
you come up with any new plans yet, Devaki?” Dulcea
asked. “I’m growing impatient with you.” “Well, when
it comes to collecting Black Chi, it would be best to
target a single human at a time,” Devaki announced.
“And why should we do that?” Dulcea asked. “By
targeting a single human rather than a group of them,
I can assure you that the Black Chi we collect will be
more powerful,” Devaki explained. “And it would also
be faster. Since the Black Chi is more concentrated,
we won’t need to collect as much.”“If this is the best way to collect the Black Chi that
we need, then so be it,” Dulcea stated. “Excellent!
All we need to do now is select our first victim,”
Devaki announced. “We’ll need someone with an
excessive amount of Black Chi within them.” “Might I
make a suggestion?” Halo asked as he teleported into
the throne room, wearing his green and dark gray
sub-armor. “And who would you suggest, Halo?” Devaki
asked curiously. Halo stopped in front of the throne
and bowed respectively to Dulcea before replying,
“That would be my other half: Sage of Halo.” “Why
him?” Devaki asked curiously. “He fights for good and
humanity. How could Sage of Halo possibly have an
overwhelming amount of Black Chi in his body?”“It’s been building up inside of him for a very long
time, but he’s been hiding it from the others,” Halo
explained. “Ten long years of grief and guilt.” “How
do you know this, Halo?” Dulcea asked curiously. Halo
reached behind his back and took out a piece of folded
paper, which he handed to Dulcea. She opened it up and
saw the two faces of a five-year-old girl and a
fifteen-year-old teenage girl, both with black hair
and violet-gray eyes. “Who is this?” Dulcea asked.
“That young girl in the drawing is Sage’s sister,
Cassandra,” Halo explained. “From my psychic link with
Sage of Halo, I discovered that this girl was
kidnapped ten years ago, when he was just a mere boy.
Sage of Halo has been blaming himself for his sister’s
kidnapping ever since.”“Ten years of grief and guilt would produce a
tremendous amount of powerful Black Chi, Lady Dulcea,”
Devaki admitted. “We’ll have much more Black Chi than
before, once this dark energy is harvested from Sage
of Halo.” “How do you plan on collecting the Black Chi
from Sage of Halo, Devaki?” Dulcea asked. “The first
step would be to trick Sage of Halo into thinking that
he has found his sister,” Devaki explained. “I’ll have
someone pose as Sage’s sister and convince him to meet
in a secluded area. When his guard is down, Halo will
intervene and zap Sage of Halo dry of his excess Black
Chi.” “It would be a great pleasure to do this for
you, Lady Dulcea,” Halo admitted sinisterly.“Unfortunately, in this case, we will have to wait for
some time, at least a week,” Devaki admitted. “And why
must we wait?” Halo asked impatiently. “If we try to
trick Sage of Halo too soon, he may become
suspicious,” Devaki explained. “Perhaps you are right,
Devaki,” Dulcea admitted. “And this opportunity would
also give me the time necessary to find someone to
impersonate this Cassandra,” Devaki added. “Very well,
then,” Dulcea replied. “Devaki, find someone to
impersonate Sage of Halo’s sister right away!” “I’m on
it, Lady Dulcea,” Devaki replied before he and Halo
left the throne room...“Hey, Mom! I’m home!” Sage announced as he entered the
kitchen of his house. “Hey, Sage,” Mrs. Date greeted,
who was standing at the open refrigerator door. “How
was school today?” “Just fine, Mom,” Sage replied as
he took off his backpack. “Where’s Dad?” “He’s
teaching a class at the dojo,” Mrs. Date replied as
she took an uncooked pork loin in a ceramic dish out
of the fridge. “Mom, have there been any calls yet?”
Sage asked curiously. “I’m sorry, Sage, but no one has
called about Cassandra today,” Mrs. Date reluctantly
told her son. Sage groaned out of frustration as he
plopped down in a seat at the kitchen table. “I don’t
get it, Mom. I put up those posters over a week ago.
Someone should have called us by now.”“Sage, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but you
know that you shouldn’t expect a response so soon,”
Mrs. Date revealed while she placed the ceramic dish
in the oven. “You just have to be patient,
sweetheart.” “Yeah, I know, Mom,” Sage muttered out
loud. Mrs. Date smiled a bit at her son as she picked
up her jacket and purse. “Sage, would you mind staying
in the kitchen for a while and keeping an eye on my
roast for me?” Mrs. Date asked. “I have to go to the
store and pick up a few things for dinner.” “Sure
thing, Mom,” Sage replied as he took a book and binder
out of his backpack. “I’ll just do my homework in here
until you get back.” “Thank you, Sage. I’ll be back
soon,” Mrs. Date replied as she put on her jacket and
left the house.Sage got up from the table, opened the refrigerator,
and took out a red apple. He rinsed it off in the sink
and dried it with a paper towel. Sage took a bite out
of the apple as he sat back down at the table. He
started to flip through his book until he reached a
certain page and started to read. Just then, the phone
started to ring. Sage immediately got up from the
table and grabbed the phone right after its first
ring. “Hello?” Sage asked a bit anxiously. “Hey,
Sage,” Rowen greeted over the telephone. “Oh. Hey,
Rowen,” Sage replied with a hint of disappointment in
his voice. “What’s wrong, Sage? Did I call at a bad
time?” Rowen asked curiously.“It’s not that, Rowen,” Sage admitted. “I was kinda
hoping that it was going to be someone who recognized
Cassandra from those posters I put up a week ago.”
“Oh, I see,” Rowen muttered out loud. “Don’t worry so
much, Sage. You’ll find your sister, I’m sure of it,
so don’t give up.” “I don’t know the meaning of the
words, especially when it comes to finding Cassandra,”
Sage remarked. “It was the same case when we were
battling Talpa and his Evil Dynasty a year ago.” “I
think during that time, all of us forgot the meaning
of the words ‘give up,’ ” Rowen replied.“Sorry to do this to you, Rowen, but could you get off
the phone?” Sage asked. “I’d like to keep the line
clear, you know, just in case someone calls.” “I
understand, Sage. Goodbye.” “Goodbye, Rowen,” Sage
replied before he hung up the phone. He sat back down
at the table and tried to read his book, but he
couldn’t focus. “I can’t concentrate. My mind is on
Cassandra. I just hope that she’s out there somewhere,
that she’s okay,” Sage thought to himself as he stared
absently at the open book in front of him. Suddenly,
the phone rang again. Sage got up once again and
picked up the phone. “Hello?” Sage asked. “Hello? May
I ask who I’m speaking to?” a young girl’s voice
asked, which was unfamiliar to Sage. “This is Sage
Date you’re speaking to,” Sage replied.“Are you the one who put up those missing person
flyers of a Cassandra Date?” the young girl asked
curiously. “Yeah, I did,” Sage admitted. “Did you
recognize the composite at all?” “Yes, I did, Sage. It
was me, I’m Cassandra,” the young girl revealed. Sage
gasped loudly out of shock. He was so surprised by the
stranger’s response that he nearly dropped the phone.
“Sage? Are you still there?” Cassandra asked. “Yeah,
I’m still here,” Sage eventually got out. “I can’t
believe it. Is it really you, Cassandra?” “Of course,
it’s me, Sage,” Cassandra replied. “Do you remember
what happened to you?” Sage asked curiously. “I...I’m
not exactly sure,” Cassandra reluctantly admitted.
“Everything’s just a big blur in my mind.”“It could be possible that you might have suffered a
case of amnesia,” Sage muttered thoughtfully. “I think
you might be right,” Cassandra admitted. “I honestly
don’t remember much about my life as a little girl.
The only thing I do remember was playing in a yard
with a boy that was a few years older than me. He had
thick blonde hair and these light violet-colored eyes
that were just like mine...Sage, were you that boy I
just described?” “Yeah, that was me ten years ago,”
Sage admitted, now certain that he was indeed talking
to his sister. “It’s so good to hear from you,
Cassandra. I was so worried about you, and so were Mom
and Dad, of course.”“Yeah, I can only imagine how tough it must have been
on you and our parents,” Cassandra replied. “Listen,
Cassandra, why don’t you come to Toyama and meet us?”
Sage asked. “Umm...I don’t know about that,” Cassandra
nervously admitted. “Why not?” Sage asked curiously.
“Well, it’s just that I don’t remember them at all. I
don’t even know what they look like,” Cassandra
reluctantly admitted. “I’d prefer it if I could just
meet you alone, if that’s all right with you.” “That
would probably be best,” Sage muttered thoughtfully.
“Since you’re obviously suffering from amnesia, we
should take things slow, one day at a time.” There was
an awkward pause of silence for a few moments.
“So...Sage, where do you think we should meet?”
Cassandra asked.Sage thought about it for a few moments. “How about
Toyama City Park? Is that okay with you, Cassandra?”
Sage asked. “That’s just fine with me, Sage,”
Cassandra agreed. “What time?” “How about tomorrow, at
noon?” Sage asked. “All right,” Cassandra replied.
“Okay, great,” Sage admitted, trying to hide his
excitement. “I’ll bring some pictures of our family
with me. Maybe they’ll help jog your memory.” “That
might help me out, Sage, seeing pictures of my
family...I mean, our family,” Cassandra admitted. “All
right. I’ll see you tomorrow, Cassandra,” Sage
replied. “Goodbye, Sage,” Cassandra replied.
“Goodbye...Cassandra,” Sage replied. He waited until
Cassandra hung up before he hung up the kitchen
phone...“What a gullible fool!” Devaki remarked with a
sinister chuckle as he removed a small black
electronic box from the mouthpiece of his black
cellular phone. He was standing in front of Dulcea,
who was sitting in her throne. “This electronic voice
simulator worked like a charm, Lady Dulcea,” Devaki
announced as he put away the voice simulator and his
cell phone. “Sage of Halo was completely convinced
that he was talking to his sister, Cassandra. He had
absolutely no idea that he was talking to me.”
“Excellent work, Devaki,” Dulcea admitted. “Thank you,
Lady Dulcea,” Devaki replied. “If you don’t mind, I
need to speak with your evil Ronin Warriors for a few
minutes. It’s very important.”“Very well, then. Ronins, come forth!” Dulcea
commanded. A few moments later, Wildfire, Halo,
Torrent, Hardrock, and Strata marched into the throne
room, all of them wearing their sub-armor. “You wish
to speak with us, Lady Dulcea?” Wildfire asked as he
and the other Ronin clones bowed respectively to
Dulcea. “Devaki has something for all of you,” Dulcea
revealed. The five Ronin clones turned around to face
Dulcea’s servant. “What do you have for us, Devaki?”
Strata asked. “Give me a moment and I’ll show you,”
Devaki replied as he reached inside of his black
trench coat. He pulled out five chain necklaces from
his coat pocket, each one with a small fragment of a
Dark Crystal hanging from it.“What are those?” Torrent asked curiously. “Each of
these chains contain a fragment of a Dark Crystal,”
Devaki explained as he handed each necklace to
Wildfire, Halo, Torrent, Hardrock, and Strata. “These
special fragments each have the ability to collect a
vast amount of concentrated Black Chi. It’s important
that you return to the ship immediately after any of
you collect Black Chi, so it can be stored properly in
the Dark Crystals.” “So...how are these things
supposed to work?” Halo asked as he examined his
necklace. “You’ll soon find out for yourself, Halo,”
Devaki replied. A sinister little smirk slowly
appeared on Halo’s face. “Does this mean I finally get
to go after Sage of Halo?” Halo asked, although he
already knew the answer.“The time has indeed come for you, Halo. You will
intercept Sage of Halo tomorrow at Toyama City Park,”
Devaki explained. “He will be arriving there at noon
to meet his sister, Cassandra.” “Speaking of which,
did you ever find someone to impersonate his sister,
Devaki?” Dulcea asked. “Of course, Lady Dulcea,”
Devaki replied as he snapped his fingers. Instantly, a
strange creature teleported into the throne room,
dressed in a flowing blue gray robe. The creature had
hairless pale gray skin, a scrawny build, and long
pointy ears. “This creature is called a doppleganger,
Lady Dulcea,” Devaki explained. “It has the ability to
assume the shape and appearance of any human it
chooses.”“Is that so, Devaki?” Dulcea asked. “Why yes, my
lady,” Devaki replied. “The doppleganger will be
posing as Sage of Halo’s sister, Cassandra.” “I would
like to see a demonstration of this doppleganger’s
power first,” Dulcea requested. “Of course, Lady
Dulcea.” Devaki removed the missing person’s poster
from his trench coat and held it up in front of the
doppleganger. “I want you to look like this girl
here,” Devaki ordered the doppleganger, pointing at
the composite drawing of Cassandra. The creature
nodded silently before it became engulfed in a white
light. When the light faded away, the doppleganger had
taken on the appearance of the fifteen-year-old girl,
while still wearing the blue gray robe. “That is quite
amazing,” Dulcea admitted.“I knew that you would be pleased with the results,
Lady Dulcea,” Devaki confessed. He turned his
attention to Halo. “There is one other thing that I
need to give to you, Halo,” Devaki explained as he
reached into his trench coat and pulled out a pair of
sunglasses. “Why are you giving me sunglasses?” Halo
asked curiously as Devaki handed him the sunglasses.
“I have my own, Devaki.” “These sunglasses have been
magically induced, Halo,” Devaki explained. “They’ll
allow you to see and hear everything the doppleganger
does. Also, you must keep in touch with the
doppleganger telepathically. That way, if Sage of Halo
asks it any questions, you’ll be able to provide it
with the answers.” “All right, Devaki,” Halo agreed...“Come on, Kento. Hurry up!” Sage muttered impatiently
as he slowly paced back and forth along the side of
the street in front of his house. Sage was waiting for
Kento to show up in his van to take him to Toyama City
Park, where he was going to meet Cassandra. He
suddenly heard a door opening from across the street.
Sage looked up to see Sandra leave her house and walk
down the driveway. “Hey, Sandra,” Sage greeted as he
quickly walked across the street. “Hey, Sage,” Sandra
greeted as she stopped at a mailbox at the edge of the
driveway. “What are you up to, Sandra?” Sage asked
curiously as Sandra opened the mailbox and pulled out
a bunch of envelopes, along with a couple of magazines
and catalogs.“Just checking the mail for now,” Sandra replied as
she looked through the small pile of envelopes. “You
sound happy ‘bout something, Sage. What’s going on?”
“Don’t worry, Sandra. You’ll find out about it as soon
as I come back from the park,” Sage revealed. Just
then, Sage and Sandra heard a horn honk from behind
them. They turned around and saw a familiar gold van
on the road. “Come on, Sage. Let’s roll!” Kento
announced as he stuck his head out of the open
driver’s window. “Okay, I’m coming,” Sage replied as
he opened the passenger’s door and got into the van.
“See you later, Sandra.”“Bye, Sage. Bye, Kento,” Sandra shouted as the van
made a U-turn and headed down the street toward the
main road. She walked back up the driveway and inside
her house. Sandra walked into the kitchen, where her
mother was waiting for her. Mrs. O’Brien had the same
flaming red hair as her daughter, which accentuated
her bright brown eyes. “So, what did we get in the
mail today, Sandra?” Mrs. O’Brien asked in a thick
Irish accent. “Looks like a bunch of bills, Mom,”
Sandra replied as she handed the small pile to her
mother. “Thank you much, dear,” Mrs. O’Brien replied
as she started looking through the mail. Sandra was
about to leave the kitchen when her mother shouted,
“Wait a minute, Sandra!”“What is it, Mom?” Sandra asked curiously as she
turned around. “You got a letter, Sandra,” Mrs.
O’Brien revealed as she handed an envelope to her
daughter. Sandra glanced at the return address on the
envelope and a big smile spread on her face. “It’s
from Lindsay!” Sandra announced. “I can’t believe I
missed this. I’m gonna read this upstairs in me room,
Mom. See ya later.” “See ya later, Sandra,” Mrs.
O’Brien replied. Sandra left the kitchen and quickly
ran upstairs to her room. She turned on the light,
plopped onto her bed, and was about to tear open the
envelope when she suddenly felt a sharp jolt of pain
in her head. Sandra dropped the letter and held her
head in her hands as the excruciating pain continued.To Sandra’s surprise, she saw several images in her
mind. The first image she saw was of Sage, who was
walking in the park with a young teenage girl with
long black hair and violet-gray eyes that matched
Sage’s eyes. The next image showed Sage and the young
girl being attacked by Halo in his sub-armor. The last
image Sandra saw in her mind was of Halo, who appeared
to be removing a strange dark purple energy from
Sage’s body. When the images finally stopped, so did
Sandra’s throbbing headache. Sandra took in several
deep gasps of air as she slowly brought her hands
down.“What just happened here?” Sandra slowly asked
herself. “What I just went through, it must be one of
those visions that Kim told us ‘bout.” Sandra suddenly
gasped when she realized something else. “If what I
saw was right, then Sage is gonna be walking right
into Halo’s trap! I gotta stop him before it’s too
late!” Sandra quickly jumped off of her bed, ran down
the stairs, and opened a closet near the front door.
“Where are you going, Sandra?” Mrs. O’Brien asked.
“Umm...I just remembered, I’m supposed to meet Sage in
the park to work on a Biology project,” Sandra quickly
explained as she grabbed a denim jacket and put it on.
“I’ll be back in a few hours. Gotta go!” With that,
Sandra left the house and ran as fast as she could
down the road...“Let’s try this one,” Sage muttered out loud as he
selected a photo from the small box he brought with
him to the park. He handed the picture, which was of
an elderly Japanese man, to his sister, who was
wearing a purple blouse, a black skirt, and black
boots. When Sage first saw Cassandra, he was surprised
as to how close the composite drawing matched. Sage
watched as Cassandra held up the photo and carefully
studied it, as though she was trying to remember who
it was. Little did Sage know that she was actually
waiting for someone to tell her the answer. “That man
in the picture is Sage’s grandfather,” Halo told
Cassandra telepathically.“Is this...our grandfather?” Cassandra asked a bit
uncertainly. “Yes, it is,” Sage replied with a small
smile. “How is he, by the way?” Cassandra asked
curiously. “I’m sorry to tell you this, Cassandra, but
our grandfather passed away seven years ago,” Sage
reluctantly told her. “Oh. I’m sorry,” Cassandra
whispered. “That’s okay, Cassandra,” Sage replied as
he placed a reassuring hand on his sister’s shoulder.
“You didn’t know. I’ll bet that if he was still alive,
he would be very happy to know that we finally found
you.” “That’s good to know,” Cassandra admitted.
“We’ve toyed with Sage of Halo long enough,” Halo told
Cassandra telepathically. “It’s time to put our plan
into action. You know what to do.”“Umm...Sage? Would it be all right if we take a little
walk?” Cassandra asked. “Sure, no problem,” Sage
agreed as the two stood up from the park bench they
were sitting on. “Which way do you want to go?” “How
about…that way?” Cassandra suggested, pointing at a
path that ran past where they were sitting. “Sure,”
Sage agreed. As they started walking down the path,
Sage couldn’t help but stare at his sister. “I can’t
believe that I finally found her after so long, that
she’s walking right next to me,” Sage thought to
himself. “Mom and Dad are going to be so thrilled when
I bring Cassandra home with me.”As the path led Sage and Cassandra toward a small
thicket of trees, Sage felt a strange sensation and
stopped walking. “That’s strange. I sense something
evil nearby,” Sage thought as he carefully looked
around the surrounding area for anything suspicious.
“Sage? Is there something wrong?” Cassandra asked
curiously. Sage looked at Cassandra and replied, “No,
it’s nothing to worry about, Cassandra. Let’s keep
going.” “All right,” Cassandra agreed. No sooner had
they entered the thicket of trees than Sage and
Cassandra were startled by a sinister chuckle that
broke the eerie silence. “Halo,” Sage muttered, who
recognized the voice.“What’s going on, Sage?” Cassandra asked. “Just stay
here, Cassandra,” Sage instructed his sister as he
slowly walked forward a few steps. He narrowed his
eyes and stared up at the high tree branches looming
overhead. “I have to be very careful,” Sage muttered
to himself as he continued scanning through the
branches. “With Halo’s armor being green and dark
gray, he can easily blend into the shadows above me.”
Sage slowly turned around toward his sister and
started to check the tree branches above her.With his back turned, Sage didn’t see Halo silently
drop down from a nearby tree, wearing his green and
dark gray sub-armor. Halo slowly crept up behind Sage
with his arms raised and struck Sage in the back.
Stunned by the unexpected blow to the back, Sage fell
face first to the ground. “It’s good to see you again,
Sage of Halo,” Halo retorted sarcastically with a
sinister laugh. Sage slowly lifted his head and looked
up at his sister. “Cassandra, get outta here now!”
Sage shouted. Cassandra just stood there and stared
blankly at Sage. At that very moment, Sage realized
the truth. “You’re not Cassandra!” he gasped.“Congratulations, Sage of Halo! You finally figured it
out!” Halo congratulated Sage mockingly. “This whole
thing was a trap,” Sage whispered out loud. “You’re
two for two! Nice job! As much as I’m enjoying this, I
do have my orders to follow,” Halo remarked as he held
up the chain that was hanging from his neck. The Dark
Crystal fragment started to glow with an eerie dark
purple light, and Sage screamed out of pain as bolts
of black energy waves left his body and became
absorbed into the Dark Crystal fragment...“Sage! Where are you, Sage?” Sandra called out as she
ran through the park. Sandra looked around, but could
find no sign of Sage or the young black-haired girl
she saw in her vision. She stopped running for a
minute to catch her breath. Suddenly, Sandra heard a
pain-filled yell in the distance. “That’s Sage. I just
know it,” Sandra told herself as she ran in the
direction of the yell. She eventually reached a small
hill, which had a small thicket of trees clustered on
top. Sandra looked up and gasped when she saw a
strange dark purple glow coming from the group of
trees. “Oh, no! I just hope that I’m not too late!”
Sandra whispered to herself as she quickly ran up the
hill toward the trees.Meanwhile, inside the small cluster of trees, Halo was
still using the Dark Crystal fragment on Sage, which
was quickly sucking up Sage’s excess Black Chi like a
vacuum. The doppleganger, still disguised as Cassandra
Date, silently watched what was going on with great
interest. “It won’t be much longer,” Halo muttered to
himself. “THUNDER STRIKE!” Halo was surprised when a
ball of green electricity struck him in the back. He
turned around and sneered a bit when he saw Sandra
with a second ball of green electricity in her hand.
“You better back off now, Halo!” Sandra warned him. “I
got another one right here with your name on it!”Halo let out a sinister chuckle. “I’d like to see you
try and stop me, kokoro.” Halo turned his head toward
the black-haired girl. “Take care of that pest for
me.” The girl silently nodded as she ran up to Sandra
and swung a fist at her. Sandra quickly ducked out of
the way of the girl’s first swing, which was soon
followed by a second swing that also missed its
intended target. “Hate to do this to ya, but you’re
pushing me too far!” Sandra warned the girl as she
jumped out of the way. “THUNDER STRIKE!” The ball of
electricity left Sandra’s hand and struck the girl in
the stomach, causing her to fall to the ground. “What
the…?” Sandra gasped. The girl had unexpectedly
changed into a hideous thin creature with pointed ears
and pale gray skin.“You’re so useless!” Halo shouted angrily at the
strange creature. “Get out of here! I’ll take care of
this.” The pale creature nodded as it teleported away.
“Remember what I told you would happen the next time
we meet?” Halo asked sinisterly as he glared at
Sandra. The redhead Irish girl didn’t say a word as
she glared back at him. “I’ll take that as a yes,”
Hallo retorted coldly. “Armor of Halo! DAO CHI!” Once
he finished transforming into his full green and dark
gray armor, Halo charged straight at Sandra. Before
Sandra could even brace herself, Halo had grabbed her
by the neck and held her back against a tree.“Sage, you have to get up!” Sandra shouted to Sage,
who was still lying on the ground. “I need your help!”
“Don’t expect any help from that weakling,” Halo
muttered sinisterly. “No one can save you now!” He
chuckled evilly as he tightened his grip around
Sandra’s neck. To Halo’s surprise, he felt a pair of
arms wrap around his waist and pull him away from
Sandra, who slumped down to the ground. Halo turned
his head and growled angrily when he saw Sage, wearing
his green and white sub-armor, with an enraged look
burning in his eyes. “There’s no way I’m gonna let you
kill Sandra!” Sage shouted angrily. “You’ll have to
kill me first!”“That can be arranged!” Halo shouted. He quickly broke
out of Sage’s grip, withdrew his battle sword, and
quickly spun around to strike the Ronin Warrior with
his sword. Sage reacted quickly by jumping high in the
air. “Armor of Halo! DAO CHI!” As soon as he landed
back on the ground, Sage withdrew his own sword.
“Sage, don’t! You’re too weak to fight!” Sandra
pleaded. “I have to, Sandra,” Sage told her. “This
time, it’s personal.” “Then bring it on!” Halo
taunted. Sage growled angrily as he charged at Halo
and swung his sword at him. Halo blocked Sage’s sword
with his own and managed to knock Sage to the ground.“Time to die, Ronin!” Halo shouted as he lifted his
sword above his head. “THUNDER BOLT—” Before he could
finish his attack, Halo heard a familiar voice shout
in his head, “Halo, stop!” “What is it, Lady Dulcea?”
Halo asked telepathically, a bit annoyed by the sudden
interruption. “I need you to come back to the ship,
now!” Dulcea ordered. “Please, Lady Dulcea, just give
me some more time,” Halo pleaded telepathically. “I’m
so close to getting rid of Sage of Halo and the kokoro
of spirit permanently.” “This is more important,
Halo,” Dulcea stated coldly. “Get back to the ship
now, or I’ll have your head!”“Right away, Lady Dulcea,” Halo reluctantly agreed. He
turned toward Sage and Sandra and glared evilly at
them as he placed his sword back in its sheath. “Looks
like you two lucked out this time, but eventually,
your luck will soon run out!” With that, Halo
teleported away. Sage managed to get up on his knees
by using his sword as support. “Sandra, are you okay?”
he asked as he put away his sword. “Yeah, I think so,”
Sandra replied. “How ‘bout you?” “I’m good,” Sage
lied. Suddenly, Sage fell face first to the ground out
of exhaustion. “Sage!” Sandra shouted as she quickly
ran to his side. Sandra managed to get Sage up in a
sitting position and laid his back against a nearby
tree. “Hold on! I’ll be right back!” With that, Sandra
got up and ran as fast as she could...Meanwhile, inside the Dark Crystal room, Devaki was
pacing back and forth, waiting impatiently for the
arrival of Halo. Just then, Halo entered the Dark
Crystal room, now back in his sub-armor. “It’s about
time, Halo,” Devaki muttered out loud. “Quickly, give
me the necklace.” Halo took off the chain necklace and
placed it in Devaki’s slimy hand. Devaki took out a
small black device from his trench coat with his free
hand and inserted the Dark Crystal fragment in a slot
on top of the box. He pressed a button and instantly,
the Dark Crystal fragment glowed deep violet.
Suddenly, the tiny fragment released a tremendous
amount of black energy waves, which were soon absorbed
by some of the surrounding Dark Crystals in the room.
“Excellent!” Devaki admitted gleefully.“So, how much Black Chi did Halo collect, Devaki?”
Dulcea asked. Devaki and Halo turned around to see
Dulcea standing in the doorway. “He collected quite a
bit, Lady Dulcea,” Devaki admitted. “As you can see
for yourself, he has collected enough Black Chi to
completely fill four Dark Crystals. At this rate,
we’ll have plenty of Black Chi necessary to take over
this world far ahead of schedule.” “That’s good to
hear, Devaki,” Dulcea muttered out loud. “These
results are very promising. Devaki, start picking out
more victims.” “Right away, Lady Dulcea,” Devaki
replied as he and Halo left Dulcea alone in the Dark
Crystal room...“Here you are, Sage. Drink up,” Sandra announced as
she handed Sage a bottle of water. “Thanks, Sandra,”
Sage replied, who was back in his regular clothes. He
twisted off the cap and quickly drank the contents of
the bottle without even stopping to take a breath.
“How are you feeling now?” Sandra asked curiously.
“Much better now, Sandra,” Sage admitted. “Thanks a
lot for helping me out.” “No problem, Sage. You would
have done the same for me,” Sandra replied. “How did
you know that I was in trouble?” Sage asked curiously.
“I had one of them visions,” Sandra explained, “like
that one Kim had over two weeks ago.” “Oh, yeah. Kento
and Cye told us about that,” Sage muttered out loud.“Sage, why did you come here in the first place?”
Sandra asked curiously. “I thought I was coming out
here to meet my sister, but it turned out to be a
trap,” Sage muttered a bit angrily. “Sister? What
sister?” Sandra asked, a bit surprised to hear this
news. “My sister, Cassandra Date,” Sage explained.
“Over ten years ago, when my family and I were still
living in California, Cassandra was kidnapped from our
own backyard. She was taken right in front of me, and
there was noting I could do to stop him!” “You’ve been
blaming yourself for this ever since, haven’t you?”
Sandra asked. “Yeah, I have been blaming myself,” Sage
admitted. “All that guilt must have made a lot of that
Black Chi you told me about,” Sandra muttered
thoughtfully.“That must be why they targeted me,” Sage realized.
“This is all my fault!” “Sage, you gotta stop blaming
yourself!” Sandra told Sage as he buried his face in
his hands. “You’re starting to sound like my mom,”
Sage remarked rudely. “Sage, all I know is if you keep
this up, this Black Chi is gonna get even stronger and
completely take over you. I don’t want to see that
happen to you,” Sandra revealed. Sage slowly brought
his hands down and looked at Sandra. “You really mean
that?” he asked. “Of course, I do, Sage,” Sandra
replied. “Just remember, if you ever need someone to
talk to, I’m right across the street from you.”“Thanks, Sandra,” Sage admitted with a small smile. He
quickly glanced at his watch and noticed that it was
2:15 PM. “Sandra, are you hungry?” Sage asked. “Come
to think of it, I am kinda hungry,” Sandra admitted as
they stood up. “I didn’t have anything to eat earlier,
and fighting your evil clone does work up an
appetite!” Sage chuckled a bit as they started
following the path out of the cluster of trees. “How
about we go out for pizza? My treat,” Sage offered.
“That sounds good to me,” Sandra admitted. “And maybe
afterwards, we can go see a movie,” Sage suggested.
“Don’t push your luck with me, Sage,” Sandra warned
him as they left the park together...
TO BE CONTINUED
Go to Episode 09
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