Phi chewed nervously upon her lower lip as she made her way down the darkened street. What could be the matter with Tym? She asked herself over and over. Of course, she could think of a number of things. The once cheerful and smiling Tym had changed drastically over the past few weeks. He had become quiet, brooding. Where he once used to enjoy spending time with his friends having fun, he now preferred to remain locked in his room or alone in the forest. He was cold at best, and downright mean when he was at his worst. His change in attitude frightened Phi, but his change in appearance frightened her even more. When she had last seen Tym, he was quite thin, as if he had not been eating. He was deathly pale, but his eyes were bright and full of nervous energy. There were also heavy bags beneath his eyes from lack of sleep.

"And now this," Phi muttered to herself. She had been eating dinner with her family when Di, the Pani family servant came to the door, asking her to come at once, and that there was something terribly wrong with Tym. She left as soon as she could.

At last, she came upon Tym's house. She paused for a moment, staring up at it. Her eyes fell upon Tym's window, and she noticed that there was a little light shining from the window, as if a lamp were lit.

Then, the door opened. "Phi, I am so glad that you could come," Mr. Pani said. He leaned against the door and forced a smile, but continued to wring his hands nervously. "Please, come in."

"Mr. Pani, what is the matter with Tym?" Phi asked as she stepped through the door.

Tym's father avoided her question at first. He sat her at the kitchen table and offered her some hot chocolate. Only after she asked a second time did he sit down in the chair opposite from her, all pretense of normality gone. "I'm sure you've heard that it's Tym. He's been acting so strangely lately. Then, this morning he locked himself in his room and refused to come out. He refuses to take any food, and he won't speak to either his mother or me. So, I was wondering if you would talk to him, try to find out what is wrong? My wife and I are so worried�" Mr. Pani broke off, and buried his head in his hands.

"I'll try to talk to him," Phi said softly. When Mr. Pani did not answer, she quietly got up from her chair and went upstairs. She knew her way around the house. She had been Tym's best friend since they were in diapers, and they would always tumble around his huge house when his parents were away.

Slowly, Phi made he way down the darkened hallway, until she came upon Tym's mother. She was sitting outside of Tym's room, crying softly to herself.

"Mrs. Pani, are you okay?" Phi asked, crouching beside the crying woman.

"My son, where has my son gone? He won't even speak to me to tell me what is wrong," Mrs. Pani sobbed.

"Do not worry, Mrs. Pani, I'll find out what is wrong," Phi said, placing a hand on the older woman's shoulder. "Please, go downstairs. I'll talk to him."

:You're such a good girl, God keep you," Mrs. Pani said, tears running down her cheeks and her voice trembling. "Bring our son back to us."

She then got slowly to her feet, and shuffled downstairs. "I'll try, Mrs. Pani," Phi said softly, as she watched the woman go. Then, she turned to face the door. It was shut and undoubtedly locked. With a soft sigh, she knocked on it.

No one answered.

"Tym? It's me, Phi. Can we talk?" Phi asked, pushing on in spite of the silence.

"Phi?" A soft voice whispered from the other side of the door.

"Yes, Tym. It's me. Now open up," Phi said.

There was another moment of silence, before she heard the click of a lock being drawn back. Then the door opened slightly, and Phi pushed it open further. Once inside, she shut the door behind her and glanced around the room. At first, she did not see him. However, she soon caught sight of him, sitting at his desk.

"Tym, what are you doing? You're parents are worried sick about you!" Phi said as soon as she saw him. She did not fail to not that his appearance had changed for the worst. His frame had gone from emaciated to downright skeletal, and his hair fell in limp strands around his eyes. His eyes which were once bright and sharp were now dull and hollow. Upon his face he wore an odd smile, as if he had just discovered a wonderful secret.

"Phi! I think I have finally figured it out," Tym said softly, not bothering to answer her previous question

"Figured what out?" Phi demanded. "Tym, look at you. You need rest, and food and sunlight. Please, stop this and come downstairs. Talk to your parents."

"Do you remember that crystal we found in the woods? Well, I finally found out it's secret," Tym babbled happily on.

"Crystal? What crystal? Please Tym, listen to me," Phi pleaded.

"It has so much power," Tym said softly. "I couldn't imagine how powerful it was. There's a spirit inside the crystal, and I have to get it out."

"What? Are you crazy?" Phi demanded. Her eyes fell upon the crystal that Tym was talking about. Since she was studying part-time to become a sorceress, she recognized the runes that were carved in red upon the stone's surface. She gasped in surprise. "Tym, let me see that," she said suddenly.

"No!" Tym shouted, grabbing the crystal and pushing her roughly out of the was. She landed on her back with a resounding thud, and stared up at him. "This crystal is mine! No one will take it!"

"But Tym, those are runes of evil magic! Whatever is in that's stone, it's possessing you!" Phi shouted. Her voice was trembling with terror.

"Liar! Why should I listen to you?" Tym asked coldly.

"Because I'm your best friend? Because I've been your best friend since we were kids? Because I can see what is happening to you? Look at yourself, Tym! You're killing yourself over some stupid rock, and it's just not worth it!" Phi was too upset to notice that she was crying.

"It's more than just a rock," Tym's voice remained soft, calm. "It's more than just a rock. Let me show you, Phi. I've finally figured out the way to release the power."

"You're crazy," Phi muttered.

"Let me show you, Phi," Tym whispered softly, and began to lightly trace his finger over the runes. As Phi watched, the each rune began to glow after Tym traced it. He carefully traced each rune one by one, working in a pattern that only he knew.

*****

Clari awoke with a start, and stared up at the ceiling. Something was happening. He could sense the darkest of magic, and its level was quickly rising! Rolling out of his bed, Clari pulled on his robes and his usual headbands. The source of the magic was close, but he would have to teleport directly to it to know where it was exactly. Closing his eyes, he muttered the spell that would transport him to the source of the magic. In seconds, he disappeared.

A few moments later he appeared in Tym's room. For a second, all he could do was gaze at the scene that lay before him. Cold wind blew through the room, even though the windows were closed. Tym stood in the center of the room, holding some sort of black crystal that was glowing with it's own dark energy. Phi Colo was huddled in the corner, staring at Tym with wide, terror filled eyes. Deciding that Phi would be the best on to talk to, and slowly made his way over to her. It was a slow trek, for the icy winds whipped at him with an intense ferocity, which increased with every moment.

"What is going on in here?" Clari demanded as he crouched down beside her. She was incredibly pale, and was trembling so hard from the fear and the cold that she appeared t be convulsing.

"Tym found some crystal with evil runes all over it. He's possessed, trying to call forth the spirit from inside the crystal.

Clari cursed himself for not recognizing the signs. They had been right in front of his face and he had not seen them! "I am going to try and stop this," he muttered. Standing up, he cast a spell and flung it at Tym and the crystal. It flew threw the air I the form of a ball of golden energy. However, the only thing it did was break uselessly against some sort of dark energy barrier that was formed around the boy. Once again, Clari cursed. This must be one powerful spirit!

Then, all of a sudden, the wind stopped. The sudden silence was so thick that all Phi could hear was her own heart pounding. "Tym, are you okay?" she asked, staring at her best friend.

Tym did not answer. He stood completely still, his mouth open lightly and his eyes so wide that Phi could see the white of his eyes all the way around his pupils.

"Tym?" Phi whispered, but her friend still did not reply. As if in slow motion, Phi watched him slowly sink to his knees, and the crystal clattered to the ground, released by nerveless fingers. Slowly smoke poured forth from the crystal, and hid him from view.

"Tym! No!" Phi screamed, and raced into the smoke.

"Phi, stop! I can't see!" Clari shouted, coughing as the smoke reached him. His words were met by a shriek and an explosion of magic. A stunned Phi flew from the smoke, and ran into the opposite wall with a thud. "Phi?" Clari whispered, and shook her gently. However, the girl did not respond and for one horrible second he thought her dead. With trembling hands, he felt for her pulse, found it, and breathed a sigh of relief.

But now there were other things to worry about. It was obvious that whatever was in the crystal had been successfully released. Slowly, Clari got to his feet, trying to peer into the smoke.

Deciding that it would not be wise to stumble into the smoke where he could not see, Clari cast a gentle wind spell. A soft breeze blew through the room, and dispersed the dark smoke. Barely, Clari was able to discern someone standing in the smoke. He tensed nervously, for there was something familiar about that person. Gradually, more of the smoke dispersed, until Clari could see who it was clearly. The spell that he was conjuring died on his lips, and all he could do was stare in shock.

"Well, Grand Commander, it has been a long time," Bass said with a sneer. His body had been completely restored, and it looked as if it had never even been destroyed,

"It has. I take it you spent the entire time trapped within the crystal, tormenting that boy?" Clari replied. He noticed that Tym was lying on the floor near Bass's feet, unmoving.

"I did much more than that, Grand Commander," Bass said quietly. "I planned the destruction of humanity, and the forthcoming of Kestra-sama. It is a pity that you will not be alive to see it," Bass smirked. Clari sensed a slight fluctuation of the magic in the air, and knew that Bass was about to cast a spell. He had just enough time to put up a protective barrier before a wave of dark magic swept toward him. Even though he had used the strongest barrier spell available to him, the invisible wall trembled under Bass's onslaught. Bass's power was at least ten times stronger since he had sealed himself in the crystal, and it showed. Clari knew that his barrier would not survive another blast like that. Yet he had to escape, it anything to warn the Sforzendo Dukedom of this new threat. Quickly casting a new barrier spell around himself, he snatched up Phi's unconscious form and teleported out of the room, just before Bass's second attack would have reached him.

*****

Bass cut his second attack short, upon realizing that the Grand Commander had escaped. However, it was of no great consequence. Let him warn the Sforzendo royalty. Even if they believed the Grand Commander, their futile attempts to contain him will only work to his advantage. Bass had planned well over the past sixteen years, and it was now time to act upon those plans.