��������At the time Karum, Aerin and Kyri were taken prisoner, Aerin made a quick chirp, and a bird flew over their heads. Over their heads and over the slums which had not been burned yet.
��������Just before Tiw reached the hideout, the town was engulfed in a roar of flames. The bird lost his sense of direction with the smoke filling the air. Tiw flew as low as he could so he would not suffocate on the smoke which rose to the sky above. All of a sudden, he felt a yank on his leg and chirped loudly for help. A hand covered his beak.

��������Sora and Edgenops stood close by their new ruler as he gave his short speech to the citizens of Maconner. Edgenops had a slight grin on his face and walked to a room deep in the palace.
��������"Edgenops? Where are you..." Sora didn't finish her sentence when she realized that her companion was not responding. Sora just followed him, not knowing what would happen next.
��������Finally, Sora and Edgenops reached an old room for storage. They stepped in, and Edgenops pulled down some cases. He opened the two cases, revealing a reed piccolo and a horn. He brushed the dust off the instruments.
��������"Edgenops, why do you need these? They're just..."
��������"...The piccolo and horn I used the years after Rune Shuwin..."
��������"I know, I know the whole story...We have to kill Matthias. But why do you need these?"
��������Edgenops grinned and ran to the room where Zero Nigh's corpse still lay. Two guards came in to carry the body out.
��������"Wait, guards. We have to do something to the corpse," said Edgenops, who was still carrying the horn and the piccolo in the bag strapped to his shoulders.
��������The guards looked at each other and left, leaving the corpse to Sora and Edgenops.
��������Edgenops kneeled down to the body and took the piccolo from his bag. He took one drop of blood from the Zero's body. Blood still flowed.
��������He mumbled a few words in a language unknown to Sora, and then yelled, "Wind!". The piccolo emanated a deep shade of green.
��������Sora looked on, amazed at what her friend was doing.
��������Again, Edgenops put another drop of blood into the piccolo, but this time after speaking the foreign words, he yelled, "Cure!" The piccolo then turned blue and faded out into it's normal color.
��������Edgenops performed the same procedure with his horn, this time yelling, "Fire!". He also drank a drop of blood and yelled "Confusion!".
��������The horn turned red, then back to normal and Edgenops skin turned yellow, then back to it's former color.
��������"What are you doing?" Sora exclaimed. "Where did you learn that?"
��������Edgenops looked at Sora. All he said was, "We will get Matthias and his friends. Don't worry about that." He picked up the piccolo and played a few notes. This caused the instrument to turn bright blue once again. At that instant, all of Sora's bruises that she had received the day before disappeared.
��������Sora looked at Edgenops, not knowing what to say.

��������Tiw's captor ran a few blocks down until he reached the hideout.
��������"I got him!!" Matthias exclaimed, putting the merlin down.
��������The angry bird flew to a shelf next to Matthias and pecked the man's head a few times for the injury he had inflicted on his wing.
��������Sevena cast a few healing spells on Tiw, and the merlin looked back at her and made a quick nod.
��������"Aerin and Kyri and Karum..." began Yuzra, "Do you think they're O.K.?" She sat down on the couch near the door.
��������Matthias sat next to Yuzra slowly putting his arm around her shoulders. "They'll be all right, I'm just worried 'bout ya, my lady. I wouldn't want anything bad happening to you, babe." Matthias put ice back on his eye.
��������Yuzra glared at Matthias for a second. He looked at her with his one good eye, which sparkled, and Yuzra punched him with all her might on the bridge of his nose.
��������"I am not "babe", to you at least, and I'm not your lady." With that, Yuzra stood up and sat in a chair on the other side of the room.
��������Matthias looked over to Sevena, who immediately said, "Don't you even think about it, or I'll burn your-"
��������O.K, O.K... geez...."

��������Sora and Edgenops were on their way again, Sora holding Yuzra's comb in front of her.
��������"So, where did you learn to do that, Edgenops? How did you put magic into your instruments?" Sora asked wonderingly.
��������Edgenops hesitated. "...When my family was killed by Matthias' grandfather, Rune Shuwin, and ruined my eyes, I knew I had to kill Matthias one day, as you know."
��������Sora nodded. "And...?"
��������"Well, I was born weak, so I knew I couldn't kill him with any normal weapon. I had heard that there was a way to use magic with instruments, so I studied at the ancient library to the north of my hometown and finally learned how to do it. I learned how to sing, and play the horn and piccolo. The problem was, in order to get the magic to work, I would need the blood of someone with an important role in society."
��������"And that's why you joined Elbee?" asked Sora. "Yes, for that reason, and for making it easier for me to kill Matthias. I just wish he were caught with the other three."

��������Scott Scilence, the man who had kidnapped Yuzra, was searching through the streets. Everything was burned down, making it difficult to find a hideout.
��������Scott noticed a girl with a comb in her hand, and a man holding a horn with a bag strapped to his back. They were the ones who were also after Yuzra, he realized. He knew, for he saw the fight from a distance, and saw the direction Yuzra and her friends went.
��������Scott recognized the girl as more than that, though. He remembered seeing her with Elbee once.
��������"Workers for the Nigh? If they get Yuzra, I'm finished..." With this final thought, Scott ran off through the burned down town.

��������Gem was beginning to get very worried about his comrades.
��������"What should we do?" he asked. "The palace is too heavily guarded to get all three of them out without being seen."
��������Sevena nodded. "No magic can help us here. Or muscle."
��������Matthias jumped up. "What are you talking about? I can get them out!"
��������"How?" Sevena, Yuzra, and Gem all asked at the same time.
��������"We... uhm..."
��������The sound of a piccolo was heard outside, and gusts of wind rattled against the doors and windows.

��������Sora was watched contentedly as the magic of the piccolo ripped across the house, when the music stopped. She turned around to see why Edgenops finished, but he could not be seen anywhere. Sora quickly slipped out her katals, and searched for her friend.
��������Edgenops faintly heard Sora calling for him, but the thief who had kidnapped him stuffed a cloth into his mouth and tied him up.
��������"Don't worry," said the kidnapper. "I might let you go when I get Yuzra, brown-nosing Elbee's ass kissers!" The kidnapper ran towards where Sora was last heard.
��������A few moments later, Edgenops heard footsteps behind him. He made a few moans. Finally, the ropes were loosened, and Edgenops turned to see his friend Sora.
��������"Thanks," said Edgenops. "Do you see my horn and bag?"
��������Sora shook her head. "He has it. He'll be back, and we'll get him..."
��������They only had to wait a few minutes, for Scott soon came running towards them, horn and bag in hand.
��������"I'll kill you, fools!" Scott lifted the horn, and swung it towards Sora's head. She quickly lifted her katals, luckily blocking Scott's blow.
��������Edgenops began to sing and Scott tried to cover his ears, but soon enough, Scott looked bewildered. "Who are you?" he asked.
��������"We're....friends, Scott!" Sora said, not knowing what was going on.
��������"Yes," Edgenops continued, "We will hold your horn and bag!"
��������Scott willingly handed over the horn and bag.
��������Sora finally figured out what was happening. Edgenops had cast some confusion magic. Sora swung her katals at Scott's face and ripped through Scott's skin from jaw to nose. Completely taken off guard, Scott clumsily took out a dagger and pointed it at Edgenops, quickly regaining his composure.
��������"I know how to throw, I have perfect aim!!" And with that, Scott ran off, towards the resistance group's hideout.
��������"Damn! He's going to kidnap Yuzra and the others and return them for ransom!" exclaimed Sora, running after Scott. Edgenops ran after her and began to play his horn.
��������When they reached the building, it instantly burst into flames as a result of Edgenops' magic. Scott jumped out of the window on the side of the house, cursing loudly.
��������"The group got away during the fight..." Edgenops said after inspecting the burning building. He turned around and slowly walking in the direction of Elbee's palace. "He's going to be furious...."

��������Gem and the others reached the docks, very out of breath.
��������"Aerin, Kyri, and even... Karum... we have to save them!" said Gem.
��������Nobody asked how, and they all began to think.
��������"The airship..." whispered Nathan suddenly.
��������"The WHAT?!" exclaimed Sevena.
��������"The airship... it's a boat that flies in the air...! But, there's one problem.... it's owned by Scott Scilence..."
��������The group fell silent.
��������"Do you know where he keeps it?" questioned Yuzra.
��������"Yes," Nathan replied, "It's in a dangerous place... the continent of Thalmaos. It's deep in the continent, and the whole place is filled with deadly monsters."
��������"We must hijack the airship!" exclaimed Yuzra.
��������The whole group was stunned by her response. Yuzra... would want to do something dangerous?
��������Matthias swung his arm around Yuzra's shoulder. "Babe, it's a crappy idea."
��������Yuzra glared at Matthias and he instantly put his arms to his side and backed away.
��������"Actually, I like the idea. It could work..." said Sevena. She glanced at the others, who all nodded their approval, excluding Matthias.
��������"You're... always against my ideas..." said Matthias.
��������"But in the meantime, Aerin, Kyri and Karum need our help..."

��������Aerin sat next to the barred window of her prison cell, staring blankly at nothing. Kyri sat cross-legged in front of the door with a look of extreme boredom etched onto her features and Karum had slunk into the bed with the hopes of getting some sleep.
��������Suddenly, Aerin began to chirp and whistle out the window, hoping Tiw was close by.
��������"Shut up, bird-brain..." mumbled Karum, still trying to sleep.
��������Aerin glared at him and got up. "Show some respect, Karum. Tiw could be our only hope. Besides, we could have killed you when you came trotting along to our side."
��������"Listen, lady, thanks for your help and all, but it's not like you can talk to your little bird."
��������Aerin turned away. Karum could hear her mumbling something, but he could only make out a few words.
��������"...Ymir mountains...disappear..."
��������Karum was baffled. "What's she talking about?"
��������Kyri sighed and changed her position from her previous cross-legged one. "What do you think she said? If you would listen, you would know. She gets like that sometimes."
��������Karum shook his head, "If she would speak louder and maybe realize that the damn bird can't hear her--" he broke off.
��������Voices were heard down the hall. The guards were coming. Aerin immediately stopped her chirping.
��������"The prisoners' weapons, they're nowhere to be found." The sound of a sword being unsheathed and short scream were heard as the footsteps grew louder. The man looked like one of high importance: it was the man ordered to burn the slums.
��������A bird appeared in the window and emitted a sharp "ki ki ki-rii!" Aerin quickly ran to the window, obscuring the view.
��������"What was that sound? Was that a bird...?" the guard demanded.
��������"Of course it wasn't," Kyri snapped. "My companion forgot my name again...See? 'Kyri.' He may look young, but he's as senile as a--"
��������Karum gave her a stern look.
��������The guard looked at her in bewilderment and slowly walked away.
��������Quickly, Aerin turned back to the window and examined their visitor. She unwrapped the note which was bound about Tiw's leg and took a bag from his talons. She hurriedly handed the bag to Karum who opened it to reveal some bread and vegetables. Aerin quickly scanned the note and read aloud:

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