Battle Heroes X: S01E03

Engraved in Crystal is the third episode of the Battle Heroes X series and the third episode of Season One. The episode is the also second part of the two part episode. It revolves around Zack, Julius, and Cloud arriving in Japan to stop Bane from stealing the Pawakuri crystals and becoming unstoppable.

The heroes arrive in Japan to stop Bane from stealing the Pawakuri crystals.

## The Episode

After Cloud fell unconscious, Zack and Julius carried the knocked out hero in to the nearby town, where they found out where they were. The town was called Miyazaki, which was on Kyushu Island, which was also near Mount Kaimon, the supposed location of the Pawakuri tribe. Zack and Julius were able to transfer their USD to yen and buy a room at a motel.

When Cloud came to, he was in bed, looking at the ceiling. He groaned and rubbed his head.

"Hey hey, Cloud! You're awake! I was almost beginning to worry. Almost." Julius said in a bed next to Cloud's. He was watching something on the small TV in front of him and clicking the remote every few seconds, channel surfing.

"Guhhh...remind me to never touch another wire again, Julius." He rolled out of bed and slowly got up. "Where's Zack?"

"He went out to buy supplies. Turns out you teleported us right next to the mountain where those crystals guys are. Plan is to leave at dawn, climb the mountain, and warn the tribe that Bane wants to steal their crystals."

"Sounds good to me, man. What time is it, anyway?"

"12:00 A.M."

Cloud groaned again, falling on his bed. "Aw, man. Well, anything good on?" He turned his head to watch the TV as well.

"...Nope. Every show is in Japanese," Julius replied, sighing.

"Aw, man...again."

Suddenly, the door to the room unlocked and Zack entered, holding two shopping bags full of stuff.

"Alright, Julius, I'm back, with supplies," He announced, dropping the bags and backpack on the ground.

Julius turned around to see Zack. "Just in time, Zack. Cloud's awake!"

Zack looked at Cloud and smiled. A rare sight these days. "Good. How was your nap?" He asked, sitting on his bed.

"I've slept better. My entire body's sore," Cloud answered, getting up to look through the bag's content. Julius got up to look as well. In total, there were 3 pairs of sunglasses, a pocket dictionary for Japanese, a few bottles of water, and bags of snacks like beef jerky and chips.

"What are the sunglasses for?" Julius asked, putting them on.

"Disguising, so Bane doesn't immediately recognize us in a crowd and try to run away," Zack replied.

Cloud opened one of the beef jerky bags and began chomping down on it. After finishing most of the bag, he moved on to the water and chugged a bottle down. Then, he went back to the beef jerky.

"Damn, Cloud! Take it easy!" Julius said, surprised at Cloud's hunger.

"Hey, if you get shocked by a metric crapton of electricity, you'd be just as hungry as I am!" Cloud said defensively between bites of dried meat.

Zack yawned and laid down on his bed. "Alright guys, we'd better get sleep, we have a long day ahead of us."

"Night, Zack," Cloud said finally, also laying down to sleep. Julius turned off the lights and got into bed as well, falling asleep last.

Later on, Zack was tossing and turning in his sleep. He was having one of those dreams again, one like the dream he had at the hospital. He was in the same crystal room full of beautiful gems, with a crystal bed, crystal staircase, and crystal refrigerator.

"Welcome back, Zack. I've been needing to talk to you about something." The same voice as before started.

Zack sighed. Another night of interrupted sleep. "What now, is something wrong?" His voice was lined with caution.

"Not at this moment, but possibly in the future."

"Like what? Julius, Cloud and I are prepared to stop Bane and end this whole conflict tomorrow. We just have to warn the tribe that Bane wants their crystals."

"Things aren't always as expected. Proceed carefully. *Very* carefully."

"Why? Is something going to happen to us? Does Bane have some other trick he hasn't pulled off yet?"

"That's all I can say about the matter, Zack. Good luck," The voice concluded before fading. The room began to fade away to black. Zack slowly snapped to reality and woke up. Julius and Cloud were already awake and packing up. It was time to go.

The three heroes checked out of the motel and began their long trek up the mountain and away from civilization. Each wore the sunglasses bought from last night. None of them spoke a word, but walked silently. Julius broke the silence with a cough.

"So what's the plan? Step 1: we climb up this mountain. Step 2: find the crystal people. Step 3: warn the crystal people that Bane's coming. Step 4: profit?" He asked.

"Not quite, Julius. We don't know if Bane beat us to the top," Zack answered.

"Yeah? Well, just throw in 'kick the crap out of Bane if he beat us up the mountain' in between steps 3 and 4."

"You're not thinking enough about this. If Bane beats us up the mountain, then he'll probably have a trap ready in case we did follow him to Japan."

"We'll be ready this time when we have to fight him. He took us by surprise last time," Julius said, punching his palm with his fist.

"Mhm. We can do this, together," Cloud added.

Zack nodded his head in agreement and the three kept on moving in silence.

Unknown to the three, Bane stood at the edge of a cliff overlooking them.

"They're...here. They followed me to Japan. This changes everything..." He said.

After taking a short break, the heroes continued to trek up the mountain. Zack insisted they kept going, but Julius and Cloud needed it. They had been climbing non-stop for a while.

Finally, they arrived at a lush forest on a flat surface of the mountain. Zack took out his map and examined it.

"This is it, guys. We're here," He said after his inspection.

Julius looked around for a moment. "I don't see any tribes people walking around."

"That's because they're located deeper in the forest, Julius. Let's keep going."

The three began a new journey through the forest with Zack in the front with a map, Cloud close behind him, and Julius leisurely strolling in the back, whistling.

Zack turned around and glared at him. "Julius, what are you doing?"

"What? I'm just relaxing. Beautiful day to be outside." Julius answered.

"Can you be more serious? The tribe is extremely aggressive towards trespassers."

"Look, we're trying to help them, why would they even hurt us? Relax, Zack."

While Zack and Julius argued, Cloud was looking around and noticed movement behind a tree.

"Hey guys?" He spoke up softly.

"Could you take this mission a little more seriously?"

"It's 3 on 1, Zack! He'll be a pushover this time."

"Last time I checked, he put all three of us in the hospital."

Cloud tried again. "I think there's something behind that tree."

"We were off guar--"

"WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP!!"

Zack and Julius ceased speaking to look at Cloud, surprised at his outburst.

Cloud cleared his throat. "As I was saying, I think someone watching us."

Suddenly, small colored shot out of the bushes and surrounded Julius tightly, encasing him in a cage of them. A closer inspection revealed that the objects were in fact crystals.

"Zack, this isn't funny!" Julius said, nervous for once.

Zack looked around cautiously. "That wasn't me, Julius."

More crystals rocketed out of the forestry and now Cloud was locked in a cage as well. *Could it be? Could Bane have already stolen the crystal from the tribes people*, Zack thought to himself.

"Whoever you are...come out," Zack said, summoning his own crystals.

The bushes around him rustled and people exited from them. There were some people behind trees as well. They stood around Zack and his crystals. The people were covered in tribal tattoos and paint. Almost instantly, crystals materialized around them, aimed directly at Zack.

Zack lowered his crystals and was silent.

One of the men of the group stepped forward and gestured behind him.

"You want me to come with you...alright," Zack said, slowly inching in their direction.

The man and the rest of his group moved forward. Two stayed behind with their crystals still aimed at Zack. Another two pointed at the crystal cages. They spread out slightly, enough for Cloud and Julius to follow, but not much else. Zack kept close behind the group.

They lead Zack to the top of a hill, overlooking a tribe settlement. The camp was full of huts and people.

"Where are we? I can't see jack from my cage," Cloud asked.

A grim smile appeared on Zack's face. "It looks like we're here,"

A crystal poked Zack in his back, signaling him to move down the hill.

Finally, the group, Zack, Julius, and Cloud arrived in the village. The tribes people looked at the tree as if they were aliens.

"So much for a heroes' welcome, huh?" Julius commented.

Zack turned to glare at Julius as the group entered a slightly bigger hut at the center of the camp. In the hut, a man of large stature was sitting on the ground, eyes closed. He appeared to be meditating. Crystals laid at his feet.

The men who were escorting the heroes shoved them forward. One of them began to speak, but not in a language the heroes understood. The man opened his eyes and got up, glancing at Zack, Julius, and Cloud. He said something to the other man. Crystals that were lying on the ground levitated into the air and surround them. They glowed yellow and suddenly the heroes could understand their conversation.

"Trespassers?" The large man asked of his comrade.

"Yes, chief. These three were wandering into our forest, but-"

The chief raised a hand to silence him. "Dispose of them, as we do with all trespassers."

"Chief, these ones, they're different."

The man took hold of Zack's shoulder and led him forward. "This one, he harnesses the power of the crystals as well."

Now the chief raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Show me."

Zack closed his eyes and concentrated with everything he had to display his crystal powers. Two of the crystals used in the ritual gravitated towards Zack and changed from a yellow glow to green. All the tribesmen watching became visibly uncomfortable and murmured among each other.

The chief nodded his head. "Set them free."

The man let go of Zack's shoulder and his comrades freed Cloud and Julius from their cages.

"Speak, what is your purpose? Why have you come here?" The chief asked.

Zack began to explain. "My name is Zack," He pointed to Julius, then Cloud. "He's Julius, and he's Cloud. We came here to Japan to warn your tribe about a great evil."

The tribes people murmured even more, some stating that "the end times have arrived as foretold."

"Silence," The chief commanded. The tribes people stopped talking. "What is this evil you speak of?"

Julius piped up now. "His name is Bane and he came here to steal your crystals."

Cloud chimed in as well. "He's going to attack during one of your rituals, the one where your youth unlock their latent power!"

The chief frowned, deep in thought. "I know of the ritual you speak of. In fact, our tribe's chosen two are here right now. They are preparing for their trials tomorrow," The chief said before turning around. "Chan, Hoji, come out."

From a flap behind the chief, two young men emerged. Both had black spiky hair, black eyes and wore nothing but a breech cloth. Chan, however, was shorter and Hoji was taller, more muscular, and had an air of confidence around him. Chan was a bit more anxious.

Zack began to speak again. "We could escort them to the cave, prevent Bane from getting the cry--"

"I appreciate your offer, Zack, but that will not be necessary. Only those who can harness our crystals' power can complete the ritual. This Bane would be left with a useless rock if he attempts to steal it."

"Why worry, father? With me using those crystals, I'll send anything that comes my way to a shallow grave!" Hoji said arrogantly.

"A-are you sure about this, I mean, we're just boys..." Chan said nervously.

"Boys that will become men by tomorrow. Now rest up. You will need every ounce of energy for the trial."

Chan and Hoji returned to their room behind the flap. The chief moved his focus back to Zack, Julius, and Cloud.

"As for you three, outsiders are forbidden from interacting with our tribe, but there's something different about you all. You may remain here until after the ritual if you wish."

"Thank you, chief," Zack said.

When the trio exited the chief's hut, a wide grin formed on Julius' face.

"Mission accomplished, huh, guys?" Julius said, raising his hand up for a high-five.

"Sure looks like it, Julius!" Cloud said, high-fiving him.

Zack breathed a sigh of relief. However, his demeanor quickly shifted back. "Things aren't always as expected."

"What's that mean?" Julius asked.

"Last night, the voice in my head told me that things aren't always as expected. There might be more to this than we think."

"What more is there to think about, though? You heard the chief, the crystals are powerless when used by someone unworthy of them," Cloud said.

"I just have this feeling, alright? I don't want to be right and Bane ends up accomplishing his goals and slips through our fingers. Or worst."

Cloud shrugged. "Valid point. How about we put in some work and investigate the area?"

"That's a good idea, Cloud. We can recon the area for any signs of Bane and also talk to the tribes people. Maybe they can tell us more about the ritual."

As Zack and Cloud began to walk in the direction of the forest, Julius stayed behind, looking around.

"Great idea and all, but what about this fantastic day? I kinda wanna go back to that forest for a walk..." Julius said wistfully.

"Nice one, Julius. We can go through that forest as we recon!" Cloud said.

"Really?"

"Yeah! We can take a nice, relaxing *sprint* through it!"

"I love a good spr--hey hold on a second," As Julius backtracked, Cloud grabbed his arm and began dragging him.

"Aw, come on!" Julius groaned. The tribes people watched curiously.

Later on in the evening, the trio returned to the camp, sweating and winded.

"That was a great run! Gave us an opportunity to scout out the area *and* get some exercise in!" Cloud said, huffing.

"Yeah, it was pretty good. Right, Julius?" Zack asked, turning to him.

"True...but I found it kinda hard...to appreciate the beauty of it...while we were SPRINTING THE ENTIRE WAY THROUGH!" As soon as he said that, Julius fell down, exhausted. "Goes to show...how outta shape I am."

"Heh, true that. Least we saw no signs of Bane anywhere in the area, though."

As they talked, Chan and Hoji approached them. Chan opened his palm and a small crystal began to glow yellow and levitated in the air in front of them.

"Greetings, outsiders," Hoji began.

Julius stepped forward. "Please, call me Julius. I also go by J-dog, if ya like."

Chan and Hoji looked at each other, confused.

"Nice to uh, meet you," Chan said before turning to Zack. "Can we talk with you in our hut?"

"Sure, but whatever we're gonna talk about, my friends can listen, too."

Chan and Hoji looked at Julius and Cloud. "Alright, let's go."

When they entered the hut, Chan and Hoji sat on the ground and motioned for the others to join them. Zack, Julius, and Cloud sat as well.

"The man who seeks to take our crystals, what do you know about him?" Hoji began.

"Bane? Mean kid. Bad seed. Hurt people," Julius said.

"Trust me, you don't want to cross him," Cloud added.

Chan and Hoji looked at Zack.

"That's it, really. Bane's wants your crystals so he can destroy us."

Chan added in another question. "Was...was he always like this? Was Bane a good man at a time?"

The trio looked at each other for a moment. Finally, Zack spoke up.

"Honestly, I don't know."

The brothers nodded. "This ritual Chan and I will be undertaking, it will be brutal. But on the other side, once it's finished, we will be changed forever once the crystal unlocks our hidden abilities. We will be so powerful, not even Bane could defeat us!"

"...Hopefully," Chan added in.

Cloud spoke up. "Yeah, it looks like you two have nothing to worry about. You'll complete that ritual and get stronger because of it."

Chan and Hoji got up. The others got up as well. "Thank you for your kind words. Now, we must rest. We will need to be ready.

"Good luck," Zack said as he and the others left. Outside, they were greeted by two tribes people.

"Come, we have prepared a temporary hut for you to rest in." The tribes people led them to a hut, where the three entered and slept the sleep of the dead.

The next day, Zack was awakened by another tribesman. He gestured to the entrance flap of the hut. Zack nodded and shook Julius and Cloud awake. Cloud immediately got up, but Julius was still asleep.

"Mmm...yeah, that's the way I like it...scrambled eggs..." He mumbled in his sleep. Cloud stifled a laugh. Zack shook him again, harder.

"Get up, Julius, it's time for the ritual."

Julius finally woke up and looked around, then groaned. "Aaand we're still here. Great."

After the three got ready, they exited the hunt and looked around. The entire tribe was empty. Not a soul was in site. The tribesman pointed to the camp exit moved in the direction of it. The heroes followed.

Julius rubbed his eyes. "These guys sure know when to hold a ritual? It's like 4:00 in the morning. The sun isn't even out yet!"

"Relax, Julius. We just have to make sure that Chan and Hoji make it out safely and we should be all set!" Cloud said.

"True that," Julius turned to Zack. "Any dreams from our friend in the crystal décor room?"

Zack nodded his head. "Nope, not a single dream last night. It was beautiful."

"Well, speaking of dreams, I had this great one last night. Two words. Eggs and bacon. Or is that three?"

The tribesman stopped them at a clearing in the forest, where the entire tribe was sitting cross-legged around the chief, Chan, and Hoji. Glowing crystals were all around the clearing and the chief was standing between Chan and Hoji. Zack, Cloud, Julius, and the tribesman had a seat cross-legged with the rest of the tribe. He was speaking in their language, prompting Julius to scratch his head.

"He's probably spitting straight facts, but I can't understand a word of it for the life of me," He said.

Zack summoned one of his own crystals and gripped it hard, concentrating. Nothing was happening until the tribesman who escorted them to the ritual looked at Zack. He tapped his shoulder and pointed to himself. Zack looked at the crystal, then handed it to him. The crystal in his hand glowed yellow. Suddenly, Zack could understand the chief's words, exactly. He started translating.

"...Not only will my pride and joy unlock their true potentials, but this is the day where these boys," The chief put a hand on each of their shoulders. "Become men!" The entire tribe raised their fists up and began to chant.

Zack continued to translate as the chief continued talking. "You will travel through the forest and climb up Mount Kaimon, where a hidden cave awaits you. Inside, you will drink from a crystal waterfall. When the ritual is concluded, you two will receive new crystals and have your latent powers unlocked. However, you will do all this without your current crystals."

The chief held his hands out and Chan and Hoji relinquished their crystals. He closed his eyes and mumbled an incantation before the crystals in his hands were crushed and shattered by an unseen force into dust, which he raised into the air and allowed the wind to sweep away.

"Let the rituals begin!"

Chan and Hoji ran past their father and in the direction of the mountain in the distance. The tribesman handed back the crystal and Zack nodded in appreciation. He nodded back.

Julius was watching Chan and Hoji as they disappeared into the forest. "Looks like Bane didn't show his ugly face at the ceremony!"

Zack, Julius and Cloud breathed a sigh of relief as the beginning of the ritual had gone off without a hitch. However, Zack saw something. Someone was in the trees near the path Chan and Hoji took. They jumped down and literally melted into the shadows.

"Looks like we breathed too soon," Zack got up, along with Julius and Cloud. "Come on, we've got to stop Bane!" Together, the tree ran after Bane, Chan, and Hoji. Several tribesmen summoned their crystals and prepared to fire at them.

"Do not attack them!" The chief yelled in his native tongue. The tribesmen lowered their crystals. "It is as I feared. Dark days are to come..."

Zack, Julius, and Cloud followed the brothers and Bane through the forest for quite a while before deciding to slow down and breathe. Up ahead, Chan and Hoji were already at the base of the mountain. Zack looked behind himself to Cloud and Julius, then up ahead.

"Cloud, Julius, do you remember what I said in the hospital? About how I wanted to deal with Bane alone?" Zack began.

"Zack, of all times to go lone wolf on us, now is not the time," Cloud said.

"I know, but I don't want you two to get hurt or worse when we're up there."

Julius looked at Zack. "That's nice of you, Zack, but you're forgetting one little thing. We're in this together. Bane kicked all three of our asses that night, remember. What's this really about?"

"I want Bane taken down as quickly as possible so we can end this whole thing once and for all. *And I feel like you two are liabilities that are slowing me down*." Zack said, forgoing the last part.

"Zack, don't do anything stupid."

Zack looked at his friends one last time before running full speed after Chan and Hoji.

"Zack, wait up, we have to do this together!" Cloud yelled to him, but the words fell on deaf ears as Zack got farther and farther away.

When Zack got to the base of the mountain, Chan and Hoji were no longer there.

"Dammit! Where did those two go? Around the mountain? Already climbing?" Above Zack, Bane lurked in the shadows. He turned around and began moving around the side of the mountain. Zack gripped a rock lodged in the mountain and began his slow ascent after him.

"Cloud and Julius will understand why I left them behind," He climbed up the ledge and pondered. "Once I get up there, how am I going to find that hidden cave?"

After some time, Zack reached where Bane had gone when he walked around the side of the mountain. Before him was a stone wall with nowhere else to climb up. "Now what?" Suddenly, Zack held his head, a headache bringing him to his knees.

"What the...what's going on?" He barely managed to let out. As quickly as it came, it left. When he got up, the stone wall was gone. In its place was the entrance to a cave.

"Looks like I found that cave. But how did I...no time, got to stop Bane," Zack entered the cave, creeping silently in the darkness. Going deep and deeper in, Zack saw light from the exit out of the cave. Outside, Chan and Hoji stood before a waterfall gushing water. The structure was composed entirely of blue crystals.

"The crystal waterfall. I came just in time..." Zack said.

Chan and Hoji were talking in their native language as they walked closer to the waterfall and got on their knees to drink from it. Zack watched them, eyes out for anything suspicious. Gathering a handful of water in their hands, the brothers drank the water and stood up. A multicolored light appeared in their hands and spread to their entire bodies, encasing them in it. The light expanded until it filled the entire room and flashed brightly before fading. Chan and Hoji looked at their bodies, searching for any physical changes.

"I'm just in time," Zack turned around and saw Bane behind him.

"You're too late, Bane," Zack said.

Two crystals slowly levitated out of the water towards Chan and Hoji. They walked towards them.

"Am I?" Bane asked. Zack responded by running at him and tackling him. He grabbed both his arms and held them down.

"Zack?" Cloud's voice could be heard from the front of the cave.

"I'm here! Bane's taken care of!"

From the exit of the cave, Cloud and Julius appeared. "Alright, wanna explain what happened back in the forest, Zack?" Cloud asked.

"Like I said, I wanted to deal with him myself."

Julius looked winded. "Least Bane's down. And I got my workout for the entire month done. Now it's time for us to be on our ways with the prince of darkness over here."

"Yeah, looks like we got to stop you from taking those crystals after all," Cloud said.

"You actually thought that I wanted the crystals?" Bane asked.

Julius pointed at him. "Yeah, but what you didn't know is that the crystals are useless in the hands of anyone who can't use them!"

"Then it's a good thing that stealing their crystals *was never my plan in the first place*," Bane phased through the floor and out of Zack's grasp, then reappeared behind him to land a well-place punch on the back of his head. Raising his other hand, Bane fired a volley of shadow balls at Cloud and Julius. Cloud leaped out of the way, but Julius took them head on and tumbled on the hard ground.

Chan and Hoji held their new crystals in their hands and turned around, alarmed to see the four behind them. Bane took the opportunity to neutralize them by firing two shadow balls at them. Instead of harming them, these ones swallowed them in darkness and held them in stasis. They struggled to free themselves to no avail. Finally, he created a barrier that split the room in half; Zack, Cloud, and Julius on one side and him, Chan, and Hoji on the other.

"I already knew the crystals would be useless in my hands, idiot. So I figured out that if I couldn't possess the crystals, I could *possess* those who could use the crystals," Bane looked at Zack. "It's you I really have to thank for all this. If it wasn't for your running ahead of Cloud and Julius, I would never have been able to locate the cave." Shadowy tendrils crept out of Bane's shadow and wrapped themselves around Chan and Hoji. Black electricity sparked from the two as they screamed in pain.

Zack slowly got up. "Bane, don't do this! This whole thing, it's between you and us! They didn't do anything!"

"It's almost like I've heard those exact words before," Bane said to Zack with a cold stare as he walked up to the trapped Chan and Hoji.

"NO!" Zack yelled, firing as many crystals as he could at the barrier. Julius joined in and fired an ice beam at it. Cloud ran up to the barrier and struck it repeatedly. The threes' combined attack had no effect on it. Soon, Bane's shadows crept back to him and Chan and Hoji fell to their knees, unmoving.

"Rise," Bane commanded. Slowly, the two got to their feet and before bowing to him.

The barrier dissipated and Zack redirected the crystals at Bane, who had his back turned to the others. Before the beam could connect, a large crystal erupted out of the ground and blocked the shot. Bane turned around, the to his side at Chan, who had sent out the crystal in the first place.

"Hmm. Hoji, make him pay for that," Bane ordered now.

The crystal Chan summoned shattering into multiple smaller crystals, which all glowed and fired a beam of light at Zack. Zack was hit by them and got knocked back, falling on the ground.

"Good. Chan, Hoji, time for us to leave. I have some planning to do," Bane said. Chan and Hoji went to Bane's side and a portal of darkness appeared in front of them. Bane walked through first. Chan and Hoji stared at the heroes for a moment before turning around and following their new master. The portal closed behind them, leaving the three heroes alone in the cave.

"We lost him, again," Cloud said.

Zack tried to get up, but fell down. "Worse, Bane managed to play us and corrupt Chan and Hoji. They're his now."

Cloud helped him up. For once, Julius was silent.

"Let's get back to the tribe. They'll want to know about what happened," Zack said through his teeth.

They made the slow walk back to the tribe in shame. No one spoke a word. When they returned, the entire tribe slowly came out of their huts to see them. The chief came out last, looking at and around the heroes. His crystal glowed yellow and levitated between them.

"Where...where are my sons?" He asked.

No one spoke a word. Zack finally limped forward. "They're gone. Bane put them under his control and took them. We don't where, possibly back to our home country."

The entire tribe collectively gasped and talked among themselves. Some cried out in anguish. The chief held a hand up and the tribe slowly stopped talking.

"We're sorry. I'm sorry. We failed you," Zack said.

The chief put a hand on Zack's shoulder. "Don't be. Bane's arrival was anticipated. I knew this was to happen."

"You knew about Bane coming?" Cloud asked.

"Yes. It was prophesied that a great darkness would befall our tribe. That we would lose our chosen ones to this great darkness."

Julius rubbed where the shadow balls connected with his body. "If you knew, why didn't you stop him before any of this could go down?"

"Because fate has a way of running its course, regardless of what we do to stop it. Trying to prevent this from occurring would have done nothing. One way or another, Bane would have taken my sons for his own devices. It was also prophesied that a force of good would come to restore our tribe after the devastation. When evil rises, good will rise up against it.

"Then we will defeat Bane and return Chan and Hoji," Zack promised. Cloud and Julius nodded in agreement.

The chief smiled sadly. "We have nothing to give to aid your mission, but we can return you home," Multiple tribesmen stepped forward and circled around Zack, Cloud, and Julius, summoning their crystals and chanting. The crystals rotated around Zack and the others slow, but began to accelerate.

"Wait! There are so many questions that I need answers to! How can I control these crystals? How can I grow stronger with them? How do I become adept with the crystals?"

"In time, you will learn these things. Farewell for now, Zack."

After saying his goodbyes, the three were consumed by a flash of light and disappeared from sight. When they reappeared, they were in front of the hospital back in Fowler City. The sun was gone from the sky and it looked very late at night. All three of the heroes were tired, hurt, and exhausted.

"I feel even worse than the first night Bane attacked," Julius groaned.

"We still couldn't stop him, even with an advantage," Zack looked down at the ground.

"And things are about to get a lot worse," Cloud said, pointing at the hospital. In front of it, there were several police cars, officer, and hospital staff outside. Along with them, some noticeable faces were talking to the police, in particular Cloud's aunt and Julius' mom, who were talking to each other. Cloud's aunt turned around and nearly fainted when she say Zack, Cloud, and Julius outside, battered and bruised. She and Julius' mom ran towards them, a mix of emotions ranging from joy to anger on their faces.

"My God, Cloud! Where the hell have you been?!" She yelled, grabbing him and putting him in a tight hug.

"It's hard to explain..."

"You three had us dead sick wondering where you ran off to!" Julius' mom yelled as well. Tears streaked her face.

"Mom..." Julius said uselessly.

The other hospital staff and police officers turned around and ran towards them, peppering them with questions and dragging them back towards the hospital.