I would FIRST like to note that this is NOT my translation. This was translated by Ai no Kareshi on the FF-U Forums.
Sou no Kizuna (双の絆“ literally "The Bonds of Two") is a novel and is being translated slowly by Kareshi, no confirmed date when it will be completed.
The Timeline:
After Zero (web story)
FF:U Before (CD drama)
FF:U
FF:U After (book)
FF:U After Spiral (web story)
FF:U After 2 (CD drama)
FF:U After - Manga Script
Kumo: Black Wind…
Kumo: Destroy me…
Kumo:…
Kumo: Your (something-mi) was, don’t you think?
Kumo: Now. The matter of mydesruction is our (something posessive) (something)…
Kumo: Wonderland (something) (bashita) true/real (something) the matter of destroying me is also fulfilled.
Kumo: You attack/destroy/shoot me (teba) this body (goto) Chaos (direct object) (something) (esaru) …this is… I (something) (ii demo arunoda.)
Kaze:…
Kumo: Also, I think it would be in our best interest if we prayed that this works…!
Yuh: Kaze…
Ai: Makenshi…
Lisa: Kaze…
Mary: You… that enourmous living creature is…
Joe: Aaah… that is wrong, they can’t be here anymoree; they appeared twelve years ago!
Joe: They are the same as they were on that day!
Kumo: My thanks.
Kumo: Kuroki Kaze…
Kaze: Shiroi….
Kaze: …Kumo!
Yuh: Kaze…!
Ai: Mister-------!
Lisa: Everyone, get down!
Fabula: Ah…
Fabula: Again…
Fabula: The world has… finished breaking…
Joe: The strange world has… disappeared…
Yuh: Chaos has disappeared…
Sid: Is everyone all right?
Lisa: Yes!
Ai: Thanks, Sid!
Sid: This was the courtesy of Chobi; say thank you to him, please.
Sid: He saved you from the withering shell of Chaos, by a hair’s breadth!
Ai: Thanks, chocobo…
Ai: So don’t do thaaaaaaaaaat!
Yuh: (Inaku na chyatta ne)
Yuh: Kaze… Lou… Moogle… Makenshi…
Yuh: …I’ve decided.
Ai: ?!
Ai: What’s so sudden?
Yuh: They only lived their life partly. (Maybe: They weren’t able to live their life to the end?)
Ai: That kind of person… the one who gives their Soil to the Magun… is included without their previous experience. (?)
Yuh: ?
Ai: Without a doubt, they destroyed Chaos.
Ai: There was nothing I could do or give to help Clear…
Yuh: Sis…
Ai: So…
Yuh: ?!
Ai: So, Yuh, even if you became one of those people, not even that couls split us apart.
Ai: Not even a little bit…
Lisa: …
Yuh: Yeah…
Lisa: I feel the spirit of a living thing…
Miles: What? But that world is…
Sid: God’s Egg is breaking.
Lisa/Miles: Egg…?
Sid: God’s Egg!
Ai: God’s…
Yuh: Egg?!
Fungus: Wonderland is… God’s Egg, so to speak!
Sid: If that growth is not cut back, the powere it has posessed and maintained may make it possible that Chaos was not destroyed…
Sid: Chaos had swalloed up Omega and the martyrs and is growing explosively, invading neigboring worlds…
Sid: Kaze and Kumo’s powers, the ones the used to destroy Chaos, rely on personal dissolution. (In other words, they both need to die to ensure the elimination of Chaos.)
Miles: …
Miles: What about Omega’s power?
Sid: We know that with the neighboring worlds and Omega, Chaos could become a so-called “god”, and I’m told there is a way to destroy him, but…
Sid: That’s probably a different matter, don’t you think?
Miles: In that case… What about Omega’s power?
Sid: I don’t know. But surely… this thing that has breached the barrier has something to do with the universe…
Fungo: We, we don’t understand that, I tell you----!
Sid: Yes, I see that, all of it! That kind of adversity you give me is why I can’t think sometimes!
Joe: Wonderland’s erasure will slowly return the balance of the universe…
Joe: !!
Joe: Wonderland is undistubrd; it HASN’T ended!! In this case, it has no end!
Ai/Lisa: ?!
(Incomplete)
FF:U After
Story
Here's some info to get us started:
In After, Kumo tells Sid about the battle between him and Kuroki Kaze. It appears Chaos deceived Kumo and Kaze, making them fight each other and destroy each other's worlds. The reason for this is that the two of them are Unlimited. Because Chaos cannot defeat the Unlimited itself, it attempted to make them destroy one another.
Herba has succeeded the Earl Tyrant and is now in charge of Gaudium. The latest member of the bad guy team is Soljashy. Once an agent named Dolk, working for C2 Organization (the spy organization Lisa works for), Soljashy has been captured by Herba and now works for Gaudium. He is known as the Wonderland ("Inner World") Consultant.
Dolk and Lisa go way back. After the death of Lisa's mother, she was sent to Russia where her father is, and where she presumably started working for C2. This is where she met Dolk, a sensitive man who kept losing his keys (apartment, car keys, etc). The two of them fell in love, and she gave him a keychain with the sweet inscription "From L to D".
All of us know what happened at the end of the FF:U series, right? Not exactly. The footage during the credits (showing Poshepocket carrying the Omega crystal, for example), is symbolic – turns out the Omega crystal is in Crux's possession.
Anyway, let's get chronologic. Chobi goes Ciel and takes Lisa, Ai and Yuh and their parents to Sid's airship Silvia. Kumo, struggling to contain Chaos, begs Kaze (who is in Cannon Beast mode) to shoot him, which Kaze gladly does. It seems Kumo (in Sword Beast mode) retaliates. Both of them disappear in an explosion.
Wonderland ("Inner World") is reduced to vast empty space. In a serious discussion of recent events and the nature of Chaos, Joe and Mary Hayakawa explain that Wonderland is collapsing. Suddenly, a giant claw (resembling that of the Tyrant) appears and sends Silvia crashing.
On the beach of Sado Island (Ai and Yuh's home town in Japan), Ai wakes up to the light of Fabula's seashell. Fabula gives her another word of encouragement (awww) before fading again. Ai wakes up Yuh, Lisa, Joe and Mary (parents), who all lie there collapsed. They realize that they are back in the Outside World ("Outer World") and head for the mansion that is their house, taking Lisa along.
When no one watches, Lisa takes out her communicator (from Ep1), but decides not to use it. Joe and Mary invite her in for some tea and chat to her about her father while Ai and Yuh change into their civvies. The family is only allowed a short while together before an armed squad invades the house with sleeping gas and takes our heroes to Russia.
In the meantime, Kaze (in Cannon Beast mode) comes out of the Pillar of Darkness and plunges to the bottom of the Sea of Japan. The government sends a submarine and other ships looking for the creature.
At C2 Organization HQ in Russia, suit-clad Lisa is coming down the hallway when she spots an odd obelisk in the courtyard, one she has never seen before. She inquires a staff lady about it, and is told that these obelisks have been erected around the world as a memorial to the first appearance of the Pillar of Darkness.
Next, Lisa is interrogated by her superiors. They wanted her to contact them immediately upon returning to the Outside World, but she didn't. Lisa explains that she only wanted the twins to have some time they can spend with their parents. Her superiors don't like it, but they allow Lisa some time to rest, since she has had such a rough time. She asks if she can see Ai and Yuh, but she is told that her duties concerning the Hayakawas are done.
Ai and Yuh wake up in an isolation ward with little more than two beds. Ai, of course, is not impressed, especially when she starts wondering what time it is and gets it into her funny little head that now is a good time to start screaming for her toothbrush. No one answers to her or her brother's demands, of course. Yuh ponders Lisa's last words during the gas attack, "I haven't contacted them, I swear!"
It is revealed that C2 Organization has obtained Kaze's Magun ("Demon Gun") and are anxious to begin studying it. This is where we first see the face of Soljashy, described as a tall man in a suit.
Meanwhile, Kaze lies at the bottom of the ocean. Spirals of Soil appear around him and take the shape of Lou, who tells Kaze that she no longer hates Omega, for Omega itself was also a victim. She tells Kaze that Chaos is not yet destroyed. The spirals of Soil then take the shape of Moogle, who tells Kaze that there is no holiday for the Unlimited and that he must continue. Kaze (Cannon Beast mode) wakes and sends out a shockwave that disables the submarine investigating him.
Lisa sits on a bench in the courtyard of C2 HQ, thinking back of the time she spent with Ai and Yuh in Wonderland. A man approaches her, swinging his keychain as he walks. At first Lisa thinks him to be her friend Dolk, but he denies it and identifies himself as the Wonderland Consultant Soljashy. He offers to take her to Dr Hayakawa and his wife, and also to the twins, even though Lisa has been forbidden to see them.
The Sea of Japan splits and Kaze, surrounded by spirals of Soil, walks on dry earth. He reaches Lake Baikal, where the military decide it might be a nice idea to attack him (they see the Cannon Beast and not Kaze himself). However the missiles of their attack helicopters prove useless against Kaze, and he starts shooting down chopper after chopper with his red Shotgun. He even gets to blow up some tanks.
As Lisa follows Soljashy through the complex, she discovers that she is mysteriously granted access to the laboratory where Joe and Mary Hayakawa are working. She speaks to them and learns that they are being forced to continue their research there. Lisa urges them to escape with her, but they say they cannot leave their fellow scientists there. They ask Lisa to take care of Ai and Yuh for them, and tell her with a bitter smile that as long as they do their research, C2 wouldn't lay a finger on them. Lisa ironically begs them not to smile when they are sad, saying, "There is nothing as painful as a smile at a time like this."
Meanwhile, the military launches a missile at Kaze, and though he is protected by the Soil and he does shoot down the missile, its wide explosion engulfs him and when the smoke clears, there is nothing to be seen.
Soljashy offers Dr Hayakawa a business card (just like he did with Lisa earlier) with his phone number on it, telling him to call if there is anything he needs. Lisa leaves the laboratory and lets Soljashy guide her to the part of the building where the twins are kept. On the way there, Soljashy tells Lisa that it is sad that she works so hard and yet no one sees her pain. Lisa remembers Dolk telling her the same thing, but Soljashy insists that it is merely a coincidence.
Soljashy leads Lisa to the ward where the twins are kept. He warns her that everything she says in there will be recorded. "I don't care," Lisa replies and enters. Inside, she embraces Ai and Yuh and tells them that their parents are OK. She explains to them that they are now in Russia, brought here by a peace preservation company called C2 Organization. She shows them her ID and says that she herself works for C2.
Lisa reveals that she and her team have long been watching the twins, disguising themselves as clerks, the man reading his paper on the bench, etc. Ever since the day their parents disappeared. Waiting for their parents to contact them. It was Lisa's shift when Ai and Yuh boarded the subway train that night, and so she decided to follow them.
Outside, Soljashy gets a call on his cell phone, informing him of Kaze's apparent defeat.
"Liar!" Ai exclaims, and accuses Lisa of getting close to them just so she could abduct their parents. Ai and Yuh feel betrayed by Lisa, and it seems nothing she says can bridge the emotional gap between them. Soljashy pops his head into the room and tells the children not to be so hard on Lisa. Ai is, of course, innately suspicious of this man, and asks him if he is Lisa's boyfriend. "Is that what it looks like?" he asks. He informs them that everything said in this room is recorded, and that he himself will also get in trouble.
This is when Kaze reappears, blasting his way into the research wing of C2 Organization HQ. He is protected by the spirals of Soil surrounding him, rendered invincible.
In the C2 security department, we meet three staff members Michaelov, Zatopek and Ridchenko, as well as their director. They track Kaze's progress through the complex, speculating as to what he could be after while their guards are defenceless against this ghostly invader. Michaelov contacts what they call the Privy Council, a party the C2 staff seem very suspicious of, and they are told how to handle the situation.
Lisa, Soljashy and the twins feel the tremors of Kaze's attack. Yuh realizes that this might be their chance to get their parents and escape! He tells Lisa to come with them, to which Ai objects. They are out in the hallway when Soljashy's cell phone rings. Ai and Yuh recognize the melody of his ringtone as something Yuh identifies as "One Week". It turns out the one calling is Dr Hayakawa. Ai and Yuh grab the phone.
Joe tells Ai and Yuh to escape on without them. The scientists are being moved to a classified location. Ai and Yuh are reluctant to leave their parents after finally being reunited, but Joe and Mary promise that they will meet again. Joe and his wife are caught by a guard and the phone call is terminated. Soljashy says they must hurry if they wish to escape.
Kaze infiltrates (i.e. blasts into) the laboratory where his Magun is being kept in a glass case. He heads to retrieve the Magun, but the voice of the C2 director speaks to him through speakers, telling him that the case of the Magun is boobytrapped – if Kaze breaks the glass, the entire lab will self-destruct (which is one of the many buildings that make up C2 HQ). If Kaze wishes to live, he must surrender, the director says. He can have his Magun back, but Kaze himself will become their research specimen. Kaze doesn't like what he's hearing, so he pulls out his Shotgun and shatters the glass.
Lisa, Soljashy, Ai and Yuh (having rescued Chobi and Poshepocket from the containment lab) are running down the hallway when the laboratory explodes nearby. Fire comes rushing at them through the windows but Lisa uses her Kigen Arts ("Kigenjutsu") to protect them from it.
The director, Michaelov, Zatopek and Ridchenko observe the wreckage by camera and are shocked to find Kaze alive and well, the Magun equipped on his arm again.
I'm writing all of this from memory, so it was bound to happen. Anyway, what I forgot to mention is, way back on the airship Silvia, just after Kumo and Kaze's battle, Chobi gave Kaze's red earring to Lisa.
Right. The twins also spot Kaze and hurry over to hug him. Lisa and Chobi also approach. The twins are excited about Kaze always showing up to save them, even in the Outside World. Soljashy steps up.
"Who is this man?" the director wants to know, pointing at Soljashy on the screen. Immediately, the C2 staff suspect him to be working for the Privy Council. The computer, however, identifies Soljashy as the Wonderland Consultant.
Soljashy formally introduces himself to Kaze, even offering him a business card. (Note: when Soljashy says "Kuroki Kaze", the usual kanji is not used, instead it is spelled as a name and surname). Kaze, however, is not impressed and fires his Shotgun at the guy without hesitation, stating that he "reeks of Chaos". Soljashy does a series of graceful backflips, but one of Kaze's bullets hits his keychain and sends the attached medal flying. Lisa scoops it up from the ground and reads the inscription. "From L to D".
Annoyed at Kaze's discourtesy, Soljashy goes on a rant about how right Pist-kun ("Pisto"-kun) and Oscha-kun ("Oscar"-kun) were about Kaze's short temper. Ai and Yuh piece together that Soljashy must be one of the late Earl's henchmen. Kaze wonders if this means Makenshi is also still alive. C2 security guards arrive on the scene and demand to know Soljashy's intentions. Lisa warns the guards that Soljashy is working for Chaos, but they do not understand.
Time for Soljashy to show his power. He tosses business cards like ninja stars at the guards' weapons and vehicles, which start to mutate, causing the guards to drop them and run for cover. The weapons and vehicles combine to form one big monster, which Soljashy creatively dubs "Carguns”
It appears Ai and Yuh activate the Magun for Kaze. Chobi goes into Ciel mode and takes Lisa and the twins into the sky before Carguns opens fire on Kaze. Soljashy is curious to know how Kaze will summon if he has no bullets (he lost them all in Ep25, remember?). However, to Soljashy's shock, as Kaze holds out his hand, Soil crystalizes into a bullet above his palm. Kaze summons Tri-Disaster, which destroys Carguns.
The security guards as well as the C2 director and staff are amazed at Kaze's display of power. Kaze simply walks away.
In an expensively decorated room somewhere (we're not told where) sits a bunch of cigar-puffing "gentlemen" watching Kaze's summoning on a monitor. I'm assuming these so-called gentlemen are the Privy Council we've been hearing about. The room has gotten lively, and one of the C2 officials who interrogated Lisa is also here. He addresses one of the gentlemen as what I've translated for now as Tsar Pacifist.
Lisa and the twins escape on Ciel Chobi to the rural parts of Russia, where they rest at a granary while Chobi hunts earthworms. Lisa tells Ai and Yuh a little about the Dolk she used to know. Dolk was a clumsy man who often lost his keys, so she gave him a keychain (with a medal sayin "From L to D") as a birthday present as a token of respect and gratitude. And so that he would stop coming to her room saying he had lost his keys again.
Though she does not mention everything to the twins, Lisa's trip down memory lane reveals to the reader how Dolk used to cover for her when she was a newbie at C2. Dolk was there to comfort her the first time she hurt someone using the Kigen Arts and had a breakdown, and he told her that this power was not meant to injure.
What Lisa tells the twins is enough for the local romance enthusiast Ai to figure out that the two of them were in love. The team wonders why, if Dolk works for Chaos now, he would let them escape. Yuh decides to go back to Wonderland to defeat Chaos, but when Ai asks him how he expects to do that, he has no reply. Just then, Kaze approaches them. The twins are delighted to have Kaze back in the party, and Lisa gives him back his red earring. "This is important to you, isn't it?" says Lisa. "Aura…" says Kaze.
Soljashy arrives at the half destroyed fortress of Gaudium, having travelled there through a dimensional tunnel in a subway train that differs a bit from Elizabeth in appearance. Herba has succeeded the Earl and turned the ruins of Gaudium into one big flower garden. After chatting with Oscha about recruiting new members for Gaudium, Soljashy has an audience with the "Princess" (Herba), who now has a huge blossom-kinda-thing on her head. After offering some chocolates and sweet words to the late Earl Tyrant, Pist and Fungus, Soljashy proceeds to have his project approved by Herba (through lots of sneezing – the poor guy's got an allergy).
Kumo wakes up to find himself in bed in one of Silvia's cabins. He is weak and wrapped in bandages, and is shocked to discover that he has lost his Mist (not the bottles – the Mist of his own body). Kumo struggles to his feet and staggers out into the corridor, where Miles rushes to his aid and explains that they found him on the ice continent where Silvia had crashed. (Note: They'd left Kumo his Maken ("Demon Sword") and his clothes next to his bed)
Something I almost left out: directly following Soljashy's scene at Gaudium, Oscha stands on a spire and repeats the procedure he did to create Crux, only this time he says "Crux Number 2", and the propellor-equipped Crux 2 comes to life. Oscha tells Crux 2 to find someone, and Crux 2 responds by saying "kukkurudyuu" (as opposed to the first Crux's "kukkuruyuu").
Right, back to Silvia. At the main bridge, Sid and Knave ("Nav") are trying to puzzle out what's happening in Wonderland. Floating continents are popping up like flowers as more worlds are destroyed. Knave says they must strike down Chaos at the core, but Sid speculates that their own hearts are that core. Choco Baba and Choco Imo, having made themselves at home in Silvia before it had even left the Comodeen base, keep interrupting the conversation with their silly trademark phrases, "or so the rumours say" and "or something like that".
At last, Sid loses his temper with the Choco sisters and asks them what they are doing on the bridge during a meeting. Offended, the old ladies threaten to go out into the cold and freeze to death. Sid's rant is interrupted when Kumo walks into the room, assisted by Miles. They tell him to get some rest; they won't let him fight alone anymore. However, Kumo insists that their fighting will only feed Chaos more. When Knave asks, "Then what are we supposed to do!?", Kumo replies, "Don't do a thing. I shall… take care of it…" Which he hardly seems capable of, injured as he is now, by the way.
Meanwhile, Lisa has taken Ai, Yuh and Kaze to a secret Mafia hideout under a factory in Russia, to see an old friend named Natalia Bornakov. Ai and Yuh are intimidated by the woman and her sturdy bodyguards, but Natalia claims that she's always led a righteous life. Lisa talks to Natalia about getting transport while Natalia munches on her Piroshiki. Natalia, pointing at Chobi, says that it would be tough to find a vehicle big enough to carry that "overgrown chicken". Chobi thinks it's getting a treat and takes a bite at the Piroshiki, provoking some colourful language from Natalia. Ai apologizes (speaking polite Japanese – what a treat, what a treat!) and offers to buy Natalia new "curry bread". Natalia says it's called Piroshiki and offers some to the twins, Lisa and Kaze (who just stares at her).
Natalia reveals to Lisa that she, Ai and Yuh have been declared wanted, probably by C2 Organization. She prepares a safe house of hers where Lisa and the twins can stay until the next morning, when she'll have their lift pick them up.
So Lisa, Kaze, the twins and Chobi stay at Natalia's safe house. Ai and Yuh are still asleep on the king size bed in the master bedroom (Chobi curled up beside the bed) when Lisa gets up from her bed in the guest room, dons her gown and heads for the living room to have a chat with Kaze where he sits staring out the window.
As you can imagine, the conversation is pretty one-sided. Lisa tells Kaze that her mother was from China, and her father here in Russia. She was taken at a very young age to China was where she grew up and learned the Kigen Arts. She only came back to Russia when her mother passed away, so she doesn't really know her father at all. Kaze shows no response and Lisa apologizes for boring him with her personal history. She asks him about his world, if there was also this kind of scenery (he's staring out the window, remember?), but Kaze says no. Delighted at having gotten a reaction from Kaze, Lisa starts explaining to him that she is glad he's with them and she wants him to remember the time he spends in their world, to help fill the void in his heart. She tells him it's sad that he does nothing with his life but fight. Kaze's memory jumps between Aura, Moogle and Lou and he is about to say something when Chobi comes down the stairs looking for food.
Meanwhile, in Wonderland, Kumo is standing atop an ice peak thinking about his brother when he spots a flying continent carrying what looks like a city of crystal. "…Misteria…!?" Sid and Kumo investigate the ruins of Kumo's world Misteria, but of course there is no one around. Kumo is surprised to find a fragment of his world here. Sid asks him if this destruction is Kaze's doing, but Kumo says "no" with a bitter smile of self-mockery. Kumo explains to Sid that he and Kaze had been fighting illusions; they had been made to fight one another by Chaos. And by the time he discovered the truth, it had been too late. Sid says that means this was the work of Chaos.
Kumo: …Aura was a beautiful person.
Sid: Huh? What?
Kumo: …Never mind…
Sid wonder why Chaos would start a war between Kumo and Kaze's worlds instead of just destroying them like all the other worlds. This is when Kumo reminds Sid of the term "Unlimited". Kumo, no longer feeling like talking, asks Sid to leave him alone for a while and walks off.
Near the edge of the continent, Kumo finds the grave of his brother, Madoushi Akai Kiri. Kumo kneels at the gravestone and addresses his brother. He renews his determination to stop Chaos. Then, Crux finds him and gives him the Omega crystal she has discovered. Suddenly, Wonderland starts warping.
Soljashy has begun his project. After making a brief speech about how wonderful it is to conquer the world with the press of a key, Soljashy has initiated a system that converts every aspect of Wonderland to Wonderland characters (that funny alphabet used in FF:U) and sends it to the Outside World via the earth's technology. Computers, phones, cars, televisions, even vending machines display these Wonderland characters and go crazy all over the world. People panic in every country and capitol.
Ai, Yuh and Lisa are following the news on the television in the safe house when a car stops at the front, and they rush out the front door to meet Natalia and her two bodyguards Alexei and Borisov. Natalia shows them her desktop computer, which has transformed into some kind of half-monster which she held in a large cage in the boot of her car.
Natalia: Is this the Wonderland you were goin' on about?
Natalia and her bodyguards tell Lisa and the twins that Moscow, Washington, Tokyo and others are under martial law and preparing to make war upon the rampant machines. Lisa says this is a bad idea, it will only cause Chaos to grow. Natalia's mutated PC escapes from its cage and Alexei and Borisov open fire on it with their handguns, to no avail. Kaze appears in the porch and blows up the monster with his Shotgun. Ai and Yuh harden their resolve to go to Wonderland and defeat Chaos, and ask Kaze to join them.
Meanwhile, the military is fighting a losing battle against the rampaging machines.
C2 Organization is also in chaos. Michaelov again contacts the Privy Council, and his fellow staff members Zatopek and Ridchenko are shocked to hear what the Privy Council has to say. Apparently, everything is going according to plan. Another staff member storms into their office to tell them something is happening to the obelisk.
And indeed, the obelisk (the one Lisa spotted in the courtyard earlier) is transforming into another Pillar of Darkness. This, in fact, happens to obelisks around the world, and the primary one in the Sea of Japan grows larger and larger, sinking the observation ships around it. The seas of the earth turn the colour of Chaos and the continents of Wonderland surface from it. Amidst the madness, Crux Number 2 also crosses into the Outside World.
Kumo and the original Crux watch from Misteria as Tokyo steadily approaches. Sid shows up in his small aircraft Stefany to take Kumo back to Silvia.
(No, actually Kumo comments twice on Aura's beauty (once in FF:U Before and again in After) because he had a little crush on her, I believe. Sorry, fellows, but Makenshi is straight (even his symbol is a straight line as opposed to Kaze's spiral – just ask Fabula))
Natalia leaves the safe house again. Ai and Yuh tell Kaze that if they all stick together, they may be able to do something against Chaos. Lisa promises to protect the twins and to lead them to their parents no matter what. Chobi also joins in their enthusiasm. Poshepocket, however, is fast asleep, earning it a scolding from Ai.
A phone rings. Poshepocket coughs up a black telephone. "When did you eat that?" asks Ai. She answers the phone, but when she hears Soljashy speaking she surrenders the receiver to Lisa, who now addresses him as Dolk.
Soljashy and Lisa on the phone. Soljashy continues to vigorously deny his identity as Dolk. Soljashy explains that all he has done is convert Wonderland to data and send it to this world – from there, the people of the Earth have taken care of summoning Chaos themselves. Soljashy suggests that Lisa visits Red Square in Moscow, where she might "see something spectacular". Lisa tells everyone to get into the vehicle Natalia left them and heads for the city of Moscow.
The military's attempts to stop the walking machines prove ineffective, and in fact their bullets become one with the clusters of machinery. In every major city, as the machines reach the obelisk (which now resembles the Pillar of Darkness), they begin to merge with it, eventually forming a super-gigantic monster called Object Nova. (Note: In Japanese, the last part name of this monster's name sounds a lot like "Jenova", and the monster's description also reminds of Jenova in FF7. This could be a pun, however, and I believe the appropriate translation is "Object Nova".)
Kumo and Sid watch from Misteria as the same happens in Tokyo. Sid tells Kumo to come back to Silvia with him – he believes the Earl and his people might still be around and he wants to find them. Kumo remains however, and asks Crux to search for Gaudium.
Meanwhile, on the highway, Lisa, the twins, Chobi and Kaze come to a roadblock. Yuh remembers that they are designated suspects and says they'll be caught by the guards! Ai suggests they make a breakthrough like they always do on TV, but since they don't know if these guards have yet been told about them, Lisa stops the car.
A guard approaches and peeps into the window, though he does not seem to recognize Lisa, Ai or Yuh. However the commanding officer steps forward and says, "Excuse me. Aren't you Agent Pacifist?" Lisa tells Ai and Yuh to hold on tight and she accelerates. The car speeds away and smashes through the blockade (way to go, Lisa!). The guards take their aim but are told not to fire by their commanding officer, who says it's an order from C2.
Proceeding to Moscow, Lisa's car is the only one of the road. Ai is very impressed with having made a forced breakthrough and tells Lisa she has to do it again (awww!), an idea Yuh doesn't much fancy. Lisa, surprised that the guards aren't firing, suspects Soljashy's interference.
Lisa and the others find the city of Moscow abandoned, like a ghost town. They see the enormous Object Nova blocking the sun above and realize that everyone must have fled. The large, empty city reminds Ai and Yuh of Wonderland. Lisa tells the twins that she thinks Soljashy is not alone in this – she suspects there are humans willingly cooperating with Chaos.
Meanwhile, a limousine deposits Joe and Mary Hayakawa at some noble's mansion. The bewildered couple is led to a large room with expensively dressed gentlemen and a long table set with silver tableware. Tsar Pacifist invites them to sit down and eat while they discuss the future of his daughter (Lisa, duh) and their children.
Lisa drives her team to Red Square, and brakes the vehicle just before a dark abyss opens up in front of them. A subway train appears (vertically) from it and Soljashy disembarks. He barely has time to say hi, as Kaze has his Shotgun drawn and is already firing away. Lisa tries to stop Kaze from firing and tells him not to shoot Dolk. Soljashy introduces them to Object Nova, and boasts that he has one of these in every country.
Ai taunts Soljashy and tells him that they're not gonna be scared so he can't make Chaos grow anymore. Yuh declares that they'll fight Chaos. But Soljashy says they are misunderstanding. He kneels before Ai and Yuh and tells them that he has come for them, that they are to succeed the Earl in ruling Gaudium and the new Wonderland. Lisa warns the puzzled Ai and Yuh not to let him confuse them.
This provokes Soljashy and he tosses a business card at Lisa, but Kaze shoots it to pieces. Battle ensues. Lisa tells Ai and Yuh to get away, Chobi goes Ciel and takes the twins to the sky. Soljashy dodges Kaze's bullets with ease while Chobi struggles to dodge the tentacles of Object Nova.
"Dolk! Stop this!" shouts Lisa. Soljashy again denies his identity as Dolk, but Lisa holds up his severed keychain and says this is something she gave to him. Kaze interrupts, however, telling her that Soljashy is not human.
Above, Chobi (in Ciel mode, carrying Ai and Yuh) successfully evades Object Nova's tentacles. Ai loses her temper and scolds Soljashy for messing with Lisa's heart. Ai and Yuh decide that returning Soljashy to Dolk will be their way to fight Chaos. However, their resolution seems to trigger the Magun, which Kaze aims at Soljashy despite Lisa's protest.
In Silvia, Sid detects the Soil activity and Comodeen realizes that Kaze must also be in this world.
Kaze thaws his Magun, but Lisa steps in the way. In tears, Lisa tries to get through to Dolk, which seems to have an effect on Soljashy. He appears to transform back into Dolk for a moment, begging Lisa to kill him. Lisa says that ending his life will not accomplish anything, but as she comes to take his hand, Soljashy grabs her arm and uses her as a human shield against Kaze. Turns out he's been putting up an act.
Object Nova descends, causing a great wind, and Chobi takes refuge on the ground. Soljashy announces that he will now perform the intended task of his project, having the Object Novas attack the world in each country simultaneously. He is convinced that Kaze will not be able to stop all of the Object Novas in time. Object Nova charges its weapons. However, Kaze is not to be toyed with. He summons Knights of the Round, a huge knight that slaughters Object Nova and then splits into thirteen more swordsmen.
Kaze's thirteen Knights of the Round scatter from Moscow to vanquish the Object Nova in each of the other countries. One of them speeds past Crux. Kumo watches from Misteria as a Knight slaughters the Object Nova in Tokyo, and he realizes that Kuroki Kaze is also in this world and fighting Chaos.
Elsewhere, Joe and Mary Hayakawa are dining with Tsar Pacifist and several other gentlemen who seem to be holding the same title (I'm still unsure if "Tsar" is in fact the way to translate this title). There seems to be an older gentleman at the end of the table who is really the one in charge here, because Mr Pacifist reports to him that the Soljashy's plan has failed. The man is not surprised, though, and says that it is natural that Kaze has come to this world to destroy, as he is the "god of destruction". Joe asks Mr Pacifist what they could possibly gain from all this madness. Pacifist replies that this is a treaty to ensure that humanity survives.
Back in Red Square, Soljashy still staring in amazement at Kaze's magnificent summon when Kaze pulls out his Shotgun and shoots the salary man in the head, sending him flying and releasing Lisa. Ai and Yuh tend to Lisa. Soljashy's glasses are broken and blood runs down the side of his head – however the blood is black and throbs like a separate organism!
Upon seeing the blood, Lisa realizes that Soljashy really is Dolk no more. Consumed by grief and anger, she uses her Kigen Arts to attack Soljashy, feeding Chaos in the process. In Gaudium, Oscha notices a lonely Egret Orchid (Sagisou) blossoming in Herba's flower garden.
Ai and Yuh shout at Lisa that the Kigen Arts are not meant for attacking and that she must stop feeding Chaos. Lisa is shocked to discover that even anger feeds Chaos. Soljashy throws more business cards at her, but Kaze steps in the way and destroys them. Kaze turns his Magun on Soljashy and says his Soil line.
Soljashy, having been aimed at with the Magun, quickly sticks a business card to his subway train, which turns into the monster Metroidon. Kaze summons Hades, which destroys Metroidon with ease. Soljashy leaps away from the explosion and lands on top of (the fence of) a tower, muttering to himself about the rapid rate at which Kaze suddenly summons.
Kaze senses something and looks up. So does Lisa and Soljashy. Makenshi Kumo dives from the sky and, to Lisa's horror, chops off Soljashy's arm, sending the salary man tumbling to the ground. Sid comes landing his small ship Stefany and checks on Lisa and the twins. When he sees Soljashy, he reveals that Soljashy was the one who requested that he builds Elizabeth (the original subway train), and also the Wonderland Clock around Chobi's neck.
Soljashy scolds Kumo, takes his severed arm and leaps into his briefcase, which disappears. Kumo stands at the clock of the Spasskaya Tower; Kaze stands below him in Red Square.
"Do you still wish to settle the score?" Kumo asks.
Lisa, Ai and Yuh realize that there is no stopping the two of them now. Kaze insists on finishing his battle with Kumo. All they can do is watch as the inevitable showdown begins.
This is the end of FF:U After
Unfortunately, this is where the book stops.
Before
Where does FF:U Before fit into the timeline?
FF:U Before, although it mainly features a flashback to the war between Kaze and Kumo's worlds, seems to take place somewhere during the start of FF:U After (the mook). It starts with Lisa, Ai, Yuh and the others washing up at Sado Island in the Outside World, which happens a couple of pages into After.
Story
A summary of the story of FF:U Before, from memory (I can't listen to the track here at work). Therefore the dialogue is not complete (i.e. not line-by-line) but rather meant to give you an idea of what is being said.
Lisa wakes up and finds Ai and Yuh with her. They see the Pillar of Darkness in the Sea of Japan and realize that they are back on Sado Island, Ai and Yuh's home. They find Poshepocket and Chobi, and see their parents also lying on the beach. Yuh asks if they are dead, which earns him a scolding from Ai, who runs over to their parents. Lisa knows that they have returned to their own world, but wonders what has become of Kaze…
Kaze, presumably plunging into the Sea of Japan (according to FF:U After), thinks back to the day his home world, Windaria, was destroyed. As his world collapses, Kaze searches for Aura. A foul-mouthed moogle (named Pepo) finds him. When Kaze asks him if there is any Soil left, Pepo tells him that all the other moogles have become Soil and blown away, and that he's gotten separated from Kupo (the moogle that joins up with Kaze in the series). Pepo adds that the Warriors of the Wind have also been annihilated.
"Am I… the last one?" Kaze asks.
Pepo despairs, saying that this is the end of Windaria. Summon creatures do not seem to have any effect on the enemy beyond the skies, and the moogles did not even have a chance to fulfil their purpose.
Kaze and his companion sense a presence. Kumo speaks to the warriors from his cloud of Mist. Kaze immediately takes his aim.
"Do not fire," Kumo speaks. "I bring a human from your world."
Though he has a hard time convincing Kaze and Pepo of his good intentions, Kumo steps into their vision, carrying the girl Aura. Kaze rushes over to her.
"She is unconscious, but otherwise uninjured," Kumo explains.
"Aura!" Kaze calls her name.
"So her name is Aura…" Kumo notes. "What a beautiful girl she is."
"What have you done to Aura, you bastard!?" Pepo demands.
"I have but saved her from being consumed by the enemy," Kumo states coolly.
"The enemy? Aren't you one of them!?"
"You have been made to fight one another, deceived by the true enemy."
"Deceived!?" Pepo still doesn't seem to buy a word Kumo is saying.
Kumo, filled with grief and regret, tells them that he has lost his brother and his world to this enemy, and now this same enemy is on the verge of destroying Kaze's world as well. Pepo still isn't impressed and tells Kaze to kill Kumo. Aura comes to, however, and stops him.
"This person… is telling the truth," Aura says.
*I'll need to review the next part, but here goes…*
Aura confirms Kumo's story. Kaze talks about having been born a warrior, and mentions how finding out that Aura is his younger sister has made him forget that. Kumo is surprised to discover that Kaze and Aura are related. Aura apologizes for making her dear brother suffer.
Pepo tells Kaze to use his and Aura's Soil against their true enemy, Chaos. Aura says she has undergone harsh training in order to become strong Soil (what kind of training is that!?) because she wanted to save their world. I think she says that their fallen warriors are cheering them on, but she did at least say the moogles are. Kaze declares that they will defeat Chaos. He starts up his Magun.
Aura becomes Tear Rainbow and Pepo becomes Soul Gun Metal, just like Lou ("Ruh") and Kupo did in Ep25. Kumo is amazed at how Kaze and his people turn their life force into energy. At the same time, Chaos is no passive opponent, and is draining Kumo and Kaze's power (just like the Earl Tyrant does in the series).
"I have a favour to ask of you," Kaze says.
"Of me?" Kumo asks.
Kaze asks Kumo to fire the Magun. Kaze chooses his own Soil, Endless White, to complete the combination. It seems here that Kumo realizes the true meaning of being Unlimited. He takes the Magun and fires it at Chaos, screaming, "To put an end to all of this!"
The same thing happens here as when Kumo attacked the Earl Tyrant in Ep25: at first, the Magun's attack seems to have no effect. Kumo is saddened to see even Kaze's efforts prove futile. But then, the enemy's head mutates into a gun mouth (as the Tyrant's did into a sword). Kaze says pretty much the same lines to Kumo as Kumo did to him in Ep25, telling Kumo to destroy him while he contains Chaos's power.
Kumo, impressed, says, "You truly are… fantastic, Warrior of the Black Wind."
Kumo summons himself on the enemy, which I expect defeats it.
The next part starts out as more monologue from Kaze. I suspect his all happens while he sinks to the bottom of the ocean (in FF:U After), because there is also a scene where Lou and the moogle Kupo encourage him. Anyway, Kaze is depressed, feeling that all is over. He has lost his Soil and his Magun. However, Lou's voice speaks to him.
"Who is that?"
"It's me, Lou!"
"Where are you?"
"In your eyes, Kaze-sama!"
Lou tells Kaze that she'll always be with him. One by one, more moogles pop into his mind and encourage him to use their Soil, for that is what they were born – to be Soil. This would explain where Kaze gets his Soil from in FF:U After despite having lost all his bullets in Ep25. The moogles give him summon creatures like Hades and Knights of the Round, telling him to use as much of their Soil as he wants.
Inconsistencies?
The only problem with my theory regarding the timeline is it creates an inconsistency. Kaze regains his Magun at the end of the FF:U Before drama. But in FF:U After, he doesn't. He still needs to steal his Magun back from C2 Organization. But I can't imagine when else this could all have been happening…
I don't know why it took me so long to get to the last scene of the drama. Kumo wakes up and realizes that he has been reliving his memories. He discovers that Crux has been nursing him all the while, and thanks her in his usual way.
One would assume all of this happens during the same part of the story. This implies that Crux has been tending Kumo until eventually Comodeen found and bandaged him in FF:U After. But then why wait until they are in Misteria before giving Kumo the Omega crystal? Perhaps Crux only found the crystal after Comodeen took in Kumo.
I have done a full translation of the FF:U Before story. In the process, I have discovered what I think is the solution to some inconsistencies that confused me earlier. Below is my theory.
FF:U Before (not the flashback described within it) does take place during the story of FF:U After. After defeating the Earl, Kumo and Kaze plunge into darkness (as Fabula describes it). Both of them think back to the battle in the collapsing world of Windaria. During this time, Kaze (in Cannon Beast mode) plunges to the bottom of the Sea of Japan. The second part of FF:U Before deals with his thoughts at the bottom of the ocean. Kaze has all but given up. This is when the spirits (the Soil, if you will) of Lou and the moogles talk to him and encourage him.
One by one, the moogles give Kaze their Soil. This is the Soil he uses to summon for the rest of the series (as his old supply was dumped into Chaos in Ep25). His Magun also returns, but since this scene takes place in Kaze's mind, I believe this is meant figuratively. Kaze's real Magun is locked away in the C2 labs. But he needs to summon to break out of the ocean – thus the Magun. This is what releases the shockwave from the Cannon Beast before Kaze walks to C2 HQ on dry land.
After Spiral
Summary from CD booklet
Moscow. The showdown between Kaze and Kumo. Sensing a change in the Maken-wielding Kumo, Kaze brings out the blades of his driller and uses them as a sword to block Kumo's attack. Kuroki Kaze realizes that the unmasked Shiroi Kumo has lost his Mist. There is no meaning to their battle if both of the two conflicting energies, Soil and Mist, are not present. This way, Chaos will not be destroyed either.
"Recover your Mist. Then we'll settle everything."
"Do you wish to destroy every world and every living being here and now!? Aura… would not have wanted that…"
Kaze answers not. He disappears along with the winding Soil. Having lost track of Kaze, Lisa and the others run over to support the wounded Kumo. Sid speculates that "Soil" and "Mist" – the "spiral" and the "straight line" – and Chaos are all separate forces in an eternal cycle that forms one universe. That perhaps the reason for Kumo and Kaze to keep on fighting lies herein.
* * *
Silvia flies over to Red Square. Lisa and the others are finally reunited with the people of Comodeen. Now with the assistance of Kumo and Crux, they take off in search of Gaudium.
Lisa uses what used to be the networks of C2 Organization to try and learn the whereabouts of Joe and Mary Hayakawa. In the dark city, the kind intelligence staff members cooperate with Lisa "in order to stay alive". However the whereabouts of the Hayakawas remains a mystery.
* * *
Strange rumours begin to spread among the people of the world. Having merged with Wonderland, Earth is filled with drifting space-time splinters of worlds destroyed and taken in by Chaos. These splinters are called "floating islands". Amongst these islands, gigantic flowers have popped up. It is said that those who see these flowers will someday be saved from the madness that glooms the world. In their hearts, people of a despairing world begin to believe this illusion. The sky-flying flowers of Gaudium become a symbol of hope to the people.
* * *
As a result of Soljashy's recruiting and Herba's inspection of his documents, people willing to pledge their loyalty to Chaos begin to collect. The existence of candidates from so many of the weird and wonderful world stratums becomes a threat to Soljashy's social position. Over and above that, Oscha handpicks several new Lords of Gaudium to carry on the fight in the front lines.
Crux finds and brings a newspaper to Silvia. A photograph of Gaudium appears in it. Lisa and the others are shocked to read in the article that Gaudium has become a symbol of salvation to the people of Earth. Knave comes up with a plan to attack the Pillar of Darkness and thus summon Gaudium, so they can destroy both Gaudium and the Pillar in one go. He instructs Sid to set a course for the Sea of Japan.
* * *
Going to the Sea of Japan brings back memories to Ai and Yuh of their beloved home. They ask Sid to let them go to Sado Island for a few days to settle their nostalgia..
After Spiral Zero
As the airship Silvia flies toward Sado Island by request of Ai and Yuh, Kumo falls asleep in a corner of its deck. This short episode of the After Spiral is basically a flashback of Kumo's past – before the battle that destroys Windaria and Misteria.
Long ago, in Misteria, a white haired youth (Kumo) looks out upon the practicing grounds from a window in a stone tower. He watches with admiration as his elder, red-haired brother defeats all of his opponents in a practice sword battle. Kumo gets caught by his teacher, who addresses him as "Your Highness". In watching his brother's battle, Kumo has neglected the task given him by his teacher, and mutters a pathetic apology.
It is revealed in a short narration that Kumo never attended public school like other students, that he always had one-on-one sessions with his teachers. Save for his brother, Kumo has nobody whom he can call a "friend".
Later, on the practicing grounds below, Kumo's brother Kiri asks him about skipping work. Kumo explains that he wants to learn the sword, that's why he has been watching. Kiri is taken aback at Kumo's proclamation. He warns Kumo that if he tries to learn the sword just because he's interested, he will only get hurt. Kumo thinks back to an injury he sustained climbing a tree once, but Kiri laughs at him, saying that a real wound hurts a lot more than that. Kiri says that he would rather not have his little brother fight.
Kumo objects, explaining that he does not want to learn the sword to be strong, but to catch up with Kiri. When Kiri asks Kumo what he would do once he'd caught up with him, Kumo thinks for a moment and replies, "I'll decide once I've caught up with you."
"You sure have a way with words…" Kiri replies.
Kiri, not liking the idea of Kumo catching up with him, tries to discourage Kumo by telling him that he is too young. Kumo protests, saying that Kiri had already started learning the sword when he was that age. Kiri tries to hide his resentment by joking that he first wants to become the best swordsman in the land before teaching Kumo. Faced with no alternative, Kiri tells Kumo that he's got a lot of catching up to do. Kumo is still trying to puzzle out whether this means it's OK for him to learn, when Kiri goes to the storage house to get him a practice sword. Kumo hurries over to his brother with sparkling eyes, excited at finally getting a chance to do what his brother does best.
Present day, in Silvia, Kumo wakes up face-to-face with the bemused Chobi. Ai and Yuh come down the corridor looking for Makenshi, and tell him that they need him in the cockpit – Knave has a favour to ask of him. With that, they leave.
Kumo stares at Sado Island through the window of the airship. Sado Island, the home of the twins. He no longer has a home. All he has left are his memories. Kumo thinks back of his wise brother. Had Kiri foreseen these events? Kumo's daydreaming is interrupted by an angry Ai.
"Makenshi! Hurry it up! What are you still doing here?"
"I'm coming."
Before heading to the cockpit, Kumo closes his eyes once more. Has he finally caught up with his brother? Has the wish he had always harboured come true? If only in part?
After Spiral #1
As Silvia passes over the Sea of Japan, the nostalgic Ai and Yuh beg Sid to let them return to Sado Island for a short while. The reluctant inventor gives them three days. Silvia lands near the Hayakawa residence and Ai, Yuh and Chobi, guarded by Lisa and Kumo, disembark. Knave says that Comodeen will be in the area if they need help. Ai and Yuh unlock the door to their house for the first time since their adventure in Russia.
At Gaudium, Soljashy (having taken medication for his allergy beforehand this time) reports to Herba that the "Chaos Rulers" (Konton Ou, someone help me find a cooler unisex translation for this please!) are in Sado, and he proposes a plan to capture them.
In the Hayakawa residence, Ai, who normally hates chores, decides to have everybody clean the dusty mansion. After sending Yuh and Chobi to the bedrooms on the second floor, Ai spots Kumo loitering around and shoves a cloth into his hands.
"Look, Makenshi. You can't just stand there looking dumb. You help too!"
However, Lisa takes the cloth and volunteers to help instead, allowing the perplexed Kumo to slip away.
Meanwhile, Soljashy pops out of his suitcase behind a building in Sado. He sits down on a nearby bench and pages through the Dr Hayakawa's report on the twins' childhood, which is plastered with photos from when they were babies until present day. Soljashy comes to a photo of Ai and Yuh in kindergarten, and notices a boy their age posing with them. He continues to page through the report, amusing himself with the truth that the twins had been living a beautiful illusion.
"I must detach myself from the Outside World," he remarks to himself.
Just then, a young, sporty boy comes running past him, carrying something. Soljashy studies another photo in the report, a photo taken at the twins' athletic meet. Ai parades her 2nd place flag, Yuh clutches his 4th place flag miserably, and a taller boy stands smirking holding the 1st place flag. This is the same boy that had just run past Soljashy. Soljashy gets a sneaky smirk. He retrieves two boxes from his (apparently bottomless) suitcase and sticks a business card to a nearby red mailbox, which transforms into the monster Mailcarrier and swallows the two boxes.
On the balcony of the Hayakawa residence, Yuh and Chobi run into Crux, who is still searching for Gaudium as instructed by Kumo. Yuh asks her to look for Kaze too, and she flies off. Yuh feels bad about having to rely on someone else again.
Elsewhere, Kumo, new to the world of machinery, explores the Hayakawas' laboratory. Thinking back to the system the Hayakawas developed in Wonderland, Kumo takes out Clear's crystal. Ai sees this and comes running over, but Kumo pulls away.
"This is… Clear…" Ai stutters.
Kumo sees the look in her eyes and lets her touch the crystal. Ai hugs the crystal, glad to be reunited with Clear. Kumo is shocked that Ai knows of Clear. She tells him that they met in Wonderland and are friends. Kumo decides to let Ai look after the crystal.
After their tremendous cleaning job, Ai and Yuh collapse on the sofa in the living room. Yuh notices Ai wearing a new hairclip, and when he asks about it, she says, "Makenshi gave it to me. It's Clear's crystal… I want to give it back to his family one day." Sweet. Ai asks about Crux, and Yuh explains that he told her to find Kaze, because they'll need him if Soljashy shows up.
Suddenly, Kumo spots a monster from Wonderland in the garden and leaps out the open window, his hand on the hilt of his sword. He dissects the monster, which transform back into a destroyed red mailbox. Kumo spots two white slips fluttering in the air, but they disappear before he can study them.
They find two boxes lying in the garden, enveloped in gift wrapping that says "congratulations". Ai has them take the boxes into the house, where she and Yuh open them to find a junior high school uniform in each. They realize that, had their lives proceeded normally, they would have been in junior high school now. Lisa senses that the twins must be tired and sends Ai and Yuh off to bed with her superficial smile. Yuh listens, but Ai remains behind to scold Lisa.
"Lisa, I don't like that smile on your face. Stop it." It came out more bluntly than she meant it to. "You don't have to smile when you don't feel like smiling…"
Ai says good night and hurries upstairs carrying her uniform. Kumo silently approaches Lisa and tells her that the children are far more perceptive than she thinks. He tells her to get some sleep while he stands guard. Once Kumo has left, Lisa thinks back of Dolk who used to appreciate her smile. She also remembers Kaze telling her not to smile in Ep16. Lisa collapses in tears.
The next morning, Ai wakes up with the idea to try on her high school uniform, having always wanted to wear one of those beautiful skirts. So, she does just that, and finds that it's a perfect fit. She wakes up Yuh and tells him to try on his uniform while she goes downstairs to show off her new look to Lisa and Makenshi. Lisa says Ai and Yuh they look like two fine first-year students. Yuh notices that Lisa's eyes are red from crying, but doesn't say anything. Ai asks if they could go and visit the high school later that day, and Lisa is forced to agree. Kumo sighs.
That afternoon, the party sets off to visit the high school. On their way, they visit the stores Ai and Yuh have such fond memories of, even though at the moment they are all empty. When the party arrives at the school, Ai and Yuh run closer to the fence to have a good look while Lisa and Kumo watch over them from further away.
Chobi senses something and alerts Yuh. They all turn their glances at the approaching figure. It is a boy the same age as Ai and Yuh, an old friend, Touya Satomi, who is amazed to find Yuh there.
After Spiral #2
This story opens with a flashback to an autumn day, when a conversation took place between two old friends. In the flashback, Yuh tells his pal Touya about his decision to go to Wonderland with his sister to look for their parents. Touya tells him it's too dangerous, but Yuh has made his decision. He returns a book and computer games he borrowed from Touya, but Touya tells Yuh to keep them. When he comes back from Wonderland, Yuh would finish all of the games and then return them to Touya with his own two hands.
Present day. Yuh calms Chobi and tells the bird that Touya is a friend. Touya recognizes Chobi as a chocobo from Dr Hayakawa's book, and realizes that this means Yuh has gone to Wonderland and come back. Touya is very impressed with Yuh, but Ai complains when she doesn't get any credit. Ai and Touya get into a fight, and Yuh has to break them apart.
Once things have calmed down, Touya notices that Ai and Yuh are wearing school uniforms, even though all the schools have closed and the people of the island have taken refuge. Then it hits him – if Yuh is here, then where are his parents? Ai and Yuh, unable to explain, look frantically to Lisa. Lisa and Kumo approach, Kumo putting his hand on the hilt of his sword. Lisa stops him, however.
"Wait… He's their childhood friend."
"Childhood friend…?"
Ai introduces Lisa and Makenshi to Touya, who ponders the name "Makenshi" and the strange appearance of this white-haired character. Yuh says that his real name is "Shiroi Kumo", but this does not stop Touya from being suspicious of Kumo. When he sees Lisa, though, Touya blushes, grips Yuh and whispers a lecherous comment in his ear. Ai is not impressed. Kumo and Chobi look the other way.
Meanwhile, Soljashy is engaged in a spectacular monologue as he ventures into the goldmines of Sado. For those of you who don't know, these mines feature robots depicting the harsh conditions under which miners had to work in the past. Soljashy sticks business cards to these robots and turn them into what he calls Doldiers. Their task is to capture the Chaos Rulers.
Back at the school, Touya has shown everyone a path inside through a gap in the fence. Ai, Lisa and Kumo stay behind while Yuh and Touya go deeper into the campus. Ai is bored, but when Lisa tells her to go with them she says it's better this way – she and Touya (whom she calls by surname - Satomi) don't get along. They would just end up fighting.
"Well, you know what they say about fighting…"
"It just shows how much you care for each other? Forget it, Lisa. Everybody says that, but it's all one big misunderstanding."
Yuh and Touya head for the soccer clubhouse so Touya can get his sport stuff. After joking about Touya being good at sports and Yuh sucking at it, Touya tells Yuh that he'll be leaving the island for shelter the day after tomorrow. He is surprised that Yuh's parents aren't with him, and asks if perhaps he and Ai never went to Wonderland in the first place. The depressed Yuh says that they did go to Wonderland, and they did meet their parents, but they got separated. Touya says that it's great they at least got to see them again, and the two of them start talking about Wonderland, Kaze and the monsters.
Back at the baseball grounds, a very bored Ai is busy amusing herself seeing how far she can toss stones when an idea pops into her head.
"Hey, Makenshi! How far could you throw a stone? Come on, give it a shot."
"…Why?"
"I'm bored! The least you could do is entertain me for a bit!"
Ai's attention turns to the returning Yuh and Touya and she runs over to them. Kumo breathes a sigh of relief at not being her target anymore. He and Lisa notice a fight breaking out between the children, however.
Touya, having learned that Kumo and Kaze are Wonderlanders, doesn't want to trust them. He has seen the monsters on the TV, and has seen how Wonderland has turned his world upside-down. The twins try to defend Kaze and Kumo, but Touya doesn't want to hear any of it. He says that Wonderlanders aren't even human. Lisa objects.
"You're wrong, they are human!"
Lisa says that at least Makenshi and the people of Comodeen are human. They have consideration for others. Kumo remains speechless, staying on the alert. Ai scolds Touya for being narrow-minded and tells him that Chaos is the super-bad guy who wants to eat everything. She and Yuh tells Touya that Kaze and Makenshi are fighting against Chaos, and that they have decided to do this also. Touya is sceptical and asks them just how two ordinary humans like them are going to defeat Chaos. He doesn't know that Ai and Yuh are in fact not ordinary humans.
Their fiery debate is interrupted by an ominous sound.
Meanwhile, on the beach of Sado Island, Crux sails the sunset skies in search of Kaze, just as Yuh has requested. A huge golden spiral blows Crux away and Kaze appears on the beach, summoned, as ever, by Chaos.
After Spiral #3
The episode opens with Soljashy making a very motivated speech atop one of the rooftops, directed at his non-existing audience. He then pops away into his briefcase.
At the high school, Chobi senses danger. Everyone is on the lookout, and see something approaching on the other side of the fence – an army of soldiers, it seems. The children recognize the monsters as mutated versions of the puppets at Gold Park. Kumo notes this. The Doldiers jump over the fence. Touya is petrified at the sight. Kumo draws his sword and tells Lisa to take the children and run. Lisa obeys hesitantly. Ai leaves Kumo a few words of encouragement,
"Makenshi! Be sure to get yourself back home! Don't go getting lost, OK!?"
Kumo smiles at Ai's warning and meets the Doldier monsters in combat. Soljashy appears atop the school building and admires Kumo's sword fighting skills (remember that Kumo no longer has his Mist). Soljashy, calling Kumo "Shiroi-kun" (spelling Shiroi the way you would the surname), says that he still needs to bill him for destroying Mailcarrier.
Kumo continues to fight and destroy Doldiers, but their wreckage extend cords and regenerate. Kumo knows that he cannot afford to let even a single monster through, because Lisa would use her Kigen Arts to protect the children, and that is what Chaos wants. He remembers Yuh and Touya's words and realizes that the monsters must have been transformed from puppets. He searches for whatever made them transform. By striking an object hidden under the armour of one of the Doldiers, Kumo discovers that he is able to disable them this way. He finishes off the rest of the monsters and sees a shred of paper fluttering in the air, with writing on it in Wonderland characters, just like he did in the garden of the Hayakawa residence.
Before heading for Lisa and the children, Kumo sees the injured Crux approaching.
"Crux, what happened?" he asks. Crux replies saying another variation of her usual line. "Kuroki Kaze…?" Kumo asks.
Meanwhile, the twins and company stop in front of a hotel at the end of the island to catch their breath. Touya, having seen the monsters in real life for the first time, is in a state of trauma. He says Ai and Yuh are crazy dreaming of defeating that Chaos, and condemns them for leaving behind the "white Wonderlander". Ai and Yuh explain that Makenshi is very powerful and they only ran because he told them to. They realize that Touya thinks the Doldiers are Chaos, and explain to him that they are only lackeys of Chaos.
Suddenly, Lisa senses a change in the air and warns the three of them. Ai and Touya get into another fight over Kumo apparently not having done his job property. Ai demands that Touya calls him "Makenshi" rather than "the white Wonderlander". Their squabble is interrupted, however, when Soljashy himself appears on the scene and everyone collects behind Lisa.
Soljashy introduces himself to Touya, politely handing him a business card. Touya, overwhelmed by the businessman's courteous approach, accepts the card, but is shocked to see the Wonderland characters on it. Ai slaps the card out of Touya's hand and Lisa pulls him back. Touya is confused to hear Soljashy address the twins as "Chaos Rulers”. Soljashy must be the enemy, though, because he says he is from Gaudium, the place the twins told him Chaos lives.
The salary man applauds Ai and Yuh for how stunning they look in their new uniforms, and reveals that the packages were delivered by his late acquaintance Mailcarrier. Soljashy says that it is his tribute to the Chaos Rulers who shall rule over both Wonderland and the Outside Worlds. Ai, disgusted at this, screams and starts taking off her uniform right there and then. Yuh and Touya try to stop her, but she brushes away their hands. Fortunately, Lisa stops Ai with a forced hug before she gets any further than her ribbon.
Lisa confronts Soljashy, but he makes a remark on her affiliation with C2 and continues to propagate the enthronement of the Chaos Rulers. He then commands a detachment of Doldiers to seize them. Chobi goes Ciel, carrying Ai, Yuh and Touya, but the Doldiers grab its feet. Soljashy nods with pride as the Doldiers restrain the twins, Touya and Lisa. Just then, the hotel explodes.
"So you have come," Soljashy says. "What a gaudy entrance. Keep it down. You wouldn't want people in the neighbourhood to accuse you of noise pollution, now, do you?"
Several gunshots announce the appearance of Kaze. The Doldiers holding Lisa and the others are blown to bits. Kaze aims his Shotgun at Soljashy
After Spiral #4
Yuh's desire to be strong grows, and in the process feeds Chaos, making the Pillar of Darkness stir. The sky turns a foul red. Lisa senses the change in the Pillar. Touya is scared as hell.
Soljashy is in the middle of his rant about Kaze destroying the hotel when Kaze fires a shot at him. Soljashy jumps away. The Doldiers shot by Kaze are revived. Ciel Chobi can carry Ai, Yuh and Touya, but not Lisa as well. She tells them to go on and escape – she would link up with Makenshi. Ai kicks at the Doldiers' cords reaching for them and together with Yuh heaves Touya onto the chocobo's back. One of the cords catches the bird's leg, but Lisa uses her Kigen Arts to free Chobi. When Touya sees this, he comments to himself that that is no human skill…
Soljashy slips closer to Lisa in a flash and grabs her by the chin, talking to her in his sensitive Dolk voice and telling her that her smile is the only thing that gives him peace. The twins shout at Lisa not to let him deceive her, but Lisa cannot help but falter. Kaze aims his Shotgun at Soljashy from behind, but Soljashy senses him and prods Lisa between him and Kaze.
The twins are infuriated by Soljashy's foul play, but he tells them to come down if they do not wish Lisa to come to any harm. Ai and Yuh agree to do as he asks. Yuh tells Chobi to take Touya far away as soon as he and Ai get off. Touya objects, "Yuh!? Don't be an idiot! Why only me?" But Yuh says he doesn't want Touya mixed up in their battle.
Before the twins come down, however, Kaze fires. His bullet hits the frame of Soljashy's glasses, disturbing the disturbed salary man's balance and freeing Lisa. Soljashy leans on his Doldiers, whom he orders to capture the twins. The Doldiers go after Chobi, leaving Soljashy to land on his back. Kaze shoots at Soljashy. Lisa steps before him.
"Don't shoot! There may still be a way to cure him!"
"Step aside. Chaos must be destroyed," is Kaze's curt reply. He looks first to Soljashy, then to the twins up in the air.
"No, Kaze… You can't mean…!" Lisa looks up at the twins. "Ai! Yuh! You have to get out of here! Now!"
Yuh spots the Doldiers' cords creeping up on Kaze, but is unable to warn him in time. Kaze is restrained. Cords also block Chobi's escape. Lisa uses her Kigen Arts to fight off the cords and clear an escape route for Chobi. Kaze frees himself and attacks Soljashy, who tosses business cards at his loyal Doldiers, singing silly English phrases like "One for all and all for one". The monsters unite into one big monster, which Soljashy names King Doldier, a rather unoriginal name in Ai's opinion.
Lisa urges the children to escape. They are reluctant to leave Lisa behind, but decide that she should be OK because she has Kaze with her. Thus, Chobi flies off. King Doldier is ordered to exterminate Kaze. Not dang likely! Kaze's uses his Magun and summons Raidin, a creature that resembles Odin, only without any apparent armament. Just as Lisa wonders how it will attack, Raidin jerks up its head and pulls a long sword from inside its body. The now headless swordsman destroys King Doldier.
After Soljashy's retreat, Lisa tries to thank Kaze. He ignores her and walks on, headed for the Hayakawa residence. Lisa ponders his words, "Chaos must be destroyed", and fears that he will try to hurt the twins as well. She knows, after all, that the fear in their hearts are bringing growth to Chaos, and she witnessed herself the sky changing to red.
Far away, Chobi drops off Ai, Yuh and Touya and doffs his Ciel armour. Touya is still in a state of panic. Ai tells Chobi to give Satomi (Touya) a ride home, but Chobi just says "kweh". Ai gets angry and tells Yuh to translate. It turns out Chobi doesn't like the way Touya clutches his neck. Touya wants to know how Yuh can read the chocobo's thoughts, and Yuh shows him the Penna he got from Wonderland. Ai also tells him about Poshepocket. Touya is confused, especially after hearing Soljashy call the twins "rulers".
Suddenly, Chobi warns them of more Doldiers coming. Ai and Yuh load Touya onto Chobi's back and the chocobo sprints off, but not before Touya and Yuh promise to meet each other in front of the school at 3 o' clock the next day.
Ai and Yuh have to run for it. One of the Doldiers uses its spade as a boomerang and trips them, sending the poor kids scraping across the ground. Clear's crystal comes loose from Ai's hair and rolls away. Ai scoops it up and inspects it, and is relied to see that it is undamaged.
Anyway, the Doldiers catch up with them and surround them. Yuh tries to protect his sister, but the Doldiers snatch her from behind, holding her upside-down. They restrain Yuh also. Yuh wishes desperately to be strong, condemning himself for being so weak that he cannot even protect the ones he loves. Ai notices ominous clouds turning in the even redder sky. Then she spots something else and shouts with all she has.
"Makenshi—!"
Meanwhile, Chobi uncermoniously drops Touya off his back, turns Ciel again and flies off. Touya, left all alone, feels bad for being relieved that the monsters are after the twins and not himself. They're just ordinary kids – or are they? Touya thinks of how gentle Yuh always was, and how he would always hide behind his elder sister. Why would that gentle Yuh make a decision to fight Chaos? It just didn't seem to fit.
"My, you seem to be in a tight spot," Soljashy comments, appearing next to Touya from out of nowhere. "Terribly sorry about last time. Here is my business card again."
After Spiral #5
Flashback to Yuh and Touya walking home from school about six years ago. Yuh hears a sound and stops Touya. They follow the sound and find a small, sickly puppy in a wooden box opposite a small storehouse. Yuh picks it up. Touya reminds him that he can't keep it. The only pet the Hayakawa household could ever have was a goldfish (probably because it couldn't wreck the lab and doesn't shed hairs). The two of them decide to look for an owner for the puppy.
Back to the present, Soljashy acts friendly towards Touya and offers to tell him the "truth" of what happened in Wonderland. He takes out his ball pen (with a lollipop-like decoration fixed to it, courtesy of the late Earl) and writes on the back of the business card, "Tomorrow morning, 10 a.m., in front of the school building". He puts the card in Touya's hand and disappears tracelessly.
Meanwhile, the Doldiers spin around at Ai's scream, only to be destroyed by the speedy Kumo. Ai is flung into the air and caught by Crux, and watches Makenshi finish off more of the Doldiers. Kumo is about to rescue Yuh when he senses the boy's state of mind. Was this Soljashy's plan? Kumo thinks. Just then, Chobi comes running, leaps over Kumo's head and kicks the Doldiers holding Yuh to dust. He transforms to Ciel and takes off to the sky with Yuh on his back. Kumo destroys the business cards controlling the last dying Doldiers, and once the coast is clear, Crux and Chobi take Ai and Yuh back to the ground.
"Hey, Makenshi!" Ai scolds, shoving a finger in Kumo's face. "You're late!" Crux tries to defend Kumo but is only pushed out of the way by Ai, who continues to scold her saviour. "But you did save us in the end, so thank you," Ai concludes.
"Think nothing of it," Kumo mumbles.
This is when Yuh asks Kumo to teach him to fight. Yuh is sick of having to rely on Lisa, Kaze and Makenshi all the time and wants the power to fight, the power to protect what is important to him. Kumo hushes him by raising a hand.
"Do not seek strength simply to fight," Kumo warns him. "Your heart will only empower Chaos."
Ai looks up at the red, pulsating sky, and realizes that it must have been Yuh's emotions that have turned it that way.
"Yuh… Have you always felt this way?" she asks.
"Always," Yuh replies.
"You children are not meant to fight," Kumo declares. "It is enough that we must take up arms and venture into the battlefield."
Though still reluctant, Yuh promises that he would be OK now. Their concerns turn to Touya, but Chobi tells them (through the Penna and Yuh) that Touya should be safe and sound. Chaos wants them and not him, after all. Ai tells Kumo that Kaze has turned up, and that they had to leave Lisa with him. Kumo suggests that they return to the mansion.
At the same time, Lisa and Kaze arrive at the Hayakawa residence. Kaze sits in the entranceway and closes his eyes. Lisa watches him and smiles at the familiar sight (as you have probably noticed, Kaze does this a lot).
"I can't exactly leave this man here…" Lisa thinks to herself. It is almost as if Kaze is waiting for something, she notes. The twins, maybe? But for what reason?
Suddenly, Kaze is standing, his eyes on the returning twins, Crux, Chobi and Kumo. Ai runs ahead to get to Lisa, but senses danger in Kaze and eyes him distrustfully. To everyone's shock, Kaze aims his Shotgun at Yuh's head! Kumo draws his Maken and moves in before Yuh protectively. Crux and Chobi take Yuh's sides.
"Even if you were to shoot Yuh now, Chaos will not feel your bullet," Kumo warns. Kaze does not reply.
"Kaze please!" Lisa shouts. "Don't shoot him. Yuh is fine, he's not feeding Chaos or anything!" She moves in front of Kaze. "I won't let you hurt him…!"
Just then, Ai shoves herself in front of Kaze with an incredible scowl. Ai says that they're at her house, and if Kaze doesn't behave himself, he will have to sleep outside. Ai pushes away the mouth of Kaze's Shotgun and glares at him.
"And Yuh is my little brother!" she scolds. "You think I'd let some stupid Chaos take my brother away from me!?"
Finally, Kaze puts his weapon back into its holster. Lisa breathes a sigh of relief and Kumo puts away his sword. Yuh, left speechless, only pities himself more for being so weak.
Later, Lisa watches the red sky from the living room window. She asks Ai, who is seated on the sofa, about Makenshi. Ai tells Lisa that Makenshi went to the roof, because the air is bad between him and Kaze. Ai blames Kaze for being such a grouch, and asks Lisa to keep her eyes on him while she goes upstairs to check on Yuh.
Ai finds Yuh in their room, putting the things he borrowed from Touya into a paper bag. She notices the dog owner's manual in Yuh's hand, an item he has been borrowing for a very long time. Crux and Chobi think this a good time to investigate the bookshelf. Yuh takes out the photo album Crux points out and they all sit down on the floor inspecting it.
They come to a photo of the twins standing in front of a fairy tale castle on one of their school field trips. Yuh thinks for a second and comments that this could also be "Wonderland" in a sense. Crux points out a girl dressed like a fairy on the photo, and Ai says, "Hey, that looks like you!"
The children come to a photo showing one of their classmates, a quiet girl named Kaori Kimishima. Ai points out that Touya has always been in love with Kaori-chan. Yuh is surprised, having never considered the thought. He thinks back of how Touya always seemed to be there when Yuh helped Kaori with schoolwork, and suddenly it all makes sense.
"Yuh, you're so~~~ slow!" Ai remarks. But with typical Ai tact she turns this remark into the opening line of a little motivational speech, telling him to focus on the things he can do instead of the things he can't. Yuh says he's glad to have a sister like Ai. Chobi and Crux join in the warm moment. Yuh thanks Crux for finding Kaze. Crux tries to tell them that she didn't really find Kaze, but they don't understand her. Yuh suggests that they ask Sid to create a translation device, but Ai scares Crux saying Sid might just take her apart for the sake of science.
On the roof, Kumo listens to the faint sound of the children's voices coming through the window.
The next morning, Yuh insists to go and meet Touya by himself. Lisa and Ai tell him it's too dangerous, but the determined boy hops onto Chobi and flies off. Ai is about to dash after him, but Kumo stops her, saying that he will follow Yuh in secret.
"Ai and Lisa, you stay here," Kumo command. "Kuroki Kaze is here. You… should be safe with him."
"Right!" Ai replies. "We'll make sure he doesn't tear down the house."
Kumo widens his eyes at Ai's comment, but smiles. He leaves to pursue Yuh.
Yuh is relieved to find Touya in front of the school building. He shouts at Touuya, but gets no reaction. Yuh runs over and finds him pale as a ghost, avoiding looking into Yuh's eyes. Yuh thinks Touya is mad at him for getting him into trouble the previous day and apologizes. He holds out the paper bag with Touya's possessions to him, but Touya slaps it out of his hands. Yuh is shocked at the coldness in Touya's eyes.
"Stay the hell away from me, you monster!" Touya shouts.
After Spiral #6
Flashback to Yuh and Touya searching for an owner for the abandoned puppy. They are having no luck and it is getting late. Touya says that their folks are probably worried sick about them, especially Yuh's sister. But Yuh can't make himself put down the poor puppy. Finally, Touya sighs and offers to ask his mom if they could take in the dog. They already have a pet, but since this one is still a puppy, perhaps there's a chance. Touya would never forget Yuh's face when he made him this offer.
Present day, Kumo watches Yuh and Touya from behind a cherry blossom tree. He does not want to trample over Yuh's wish of becoming strong. He marks a sudden pulsation from the Pillar of Darkness and looks back to Yuh and Touya.
Touya shouts at Yuh, thinking he's a monster from Wonderland disguised as his childhood friend. Touya demands that Yuh gives back the real Mr and Mrs Hayakawa, the real Ai Hayakawa and his pal, the "real" Yuh. Yuh, shocked, can only shake his head in denial.
"What an idiot I've been!" Touya says. "The world is in this condition, and still I expect the Hayakawa twins to come home safely from Wonderland! What was I thinking?" Touya tells Yuh that he knows they are connected to the Pillar of Darkness, and that the Hayakawa twins are not human. He blames Yuh coming to this world for the strange events that have been occurring. "I don't want to see your face ever again!"
Touya leaves the broken Yuh to lean on Chobi. Crux picks up the paper bag and hands it to Yuh. Yuh thanks her and, determined not to cry, suggests that they return home. "Sis and the others must be worried."
Kumo, having witnessed the entire scene, knows that this must have been Soljashy's plan. He heads home as well.
At the Hayakawa residence, Ai waits at the window until her little brother returns, still holding the paper bag. Ai asks him what's wrong, but Yuh says nothing and heads upstairs. At first Ai seems to uncharacteristically accept being kept in the dark, but when she sees Makenshi she quickly interrogates him.
"What happened? Why is Yuh pale like that!?" she demands.
"It would seem he has been played by Soljashy," Kumo begins.
"What? What's that supposed to mean? …Has Satomi done something?"
"……"
"It was Satomi, wasn't it? Did Satomi say something? What has that Wonderland salary man done!?"
There are times when Ai's baseless assumptions are spot-on. Ai is desperate to find out what has happened to her brother, but Lisa begs her to keep her voice down. Realizing how loud she's been, Ai drags Kumo away by the collar to continue her interrogation elsewhere. Kumo proceeds to relate the events to Ai, explaining that he did not hear their entire conversation and that it is only his assumption that Soljashy was involved.
At the shore of the island, Soljashy comes across a fleet of fishing boats tied to the harbour. In the distance stands the chalk white lighthouse, and behind it, the Pillar of Darkness. Soljashy makes a speech to himself about how the final scene should take place on a spectacular stage, and tosses dozens of business cards at the boats.
In his room, the depressed Yuh thinks about all the things Touya said, realizing that he was probably told all that by Soljashy. Yet Yuh and Ai aren't human. Sad that Comodeen would pick them the next day and that he never could return Touya's things, Yuh starts to cry. Crux suggests to Chobi that they deliver the package to Touya instead, and the two of them head out the window with the paper bag.
It is past midnight. Touya is lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, when he hears a noise at his window. He grabs the baseball bat next to his bed and pulls away the curtain. He finds a familiar-looking paper bag. Emptying the bag on his bed, Touya finds the computer games and book he leant Yuh. The book falls open and several photos fall out, one of them showing a young Touya and Yuh laughing, holding a skinny puppy.
"Really? You'll do it? You'll let him stay at your house?" Yuh's words echo in Touya's head.
He picks up the photo and stares at it. Then suddenly something dawns on Touya. If it was a Wonderland monster and not the real Yuh, how would he have known about this? Touya considers how Yuh always keeps his promises, always sticks to his decisions. Why did he ever believe Soljashy's words? Careful not to wake his parents, Touya puts on his spikes from his sports bag and exits via the window. His pet dog watches as Touya sneaks through the garden.
Chobi and Crux have confirmed the successful delivery of their package and are about to to go and report back to Yuh when they see Touya jumping from the window. As they follow him, they sense a sudden dampness in the air. Soljashy appears before them with a ship-shaped monster.
"Deary me, what a shame indeed," the salary man mutters. "Where might you be headed after all the effort put into keeping you away from trouble?"
"No, where do you think you're going!?" is Touya's aggressive reply.
"Me?" Soljashy answers with his business smile. "Why, I am going to take the twin Chaos Rulers back to our Gaudium Fortress."
Soljashy decides to change the final stage of his Chaos Ruler Capture Operation into a "lure operation" and instructs his monster, Besserio Number 1, to capture Touya. The ship monster launches a fishing net at Touya.
After Spiral #7
Ai goes to talk to Yuh in their room. Though she knew he would not want to hear it, she tells Yuh that Makenshi followed him. Yuh is not even surprised. Ai says that Makenshi couldn't give her all the details and wants to know what really happened. Yuh replies that she would only get mad at Touya if she knew what happened. Of course, telling her this makes her angry anyway. Noticing that Yuh's eyes are red from crying, Ai tries to comfort him, telling him that even if they are called the children of Chaos, nothing can change the fact that they are brother and sister.
"We're kicking Chaos's butt," she says. "Then we'll come back to our restored island and live here with Mom and Dad. Maybe even Lisa, Ojisan [Kaze] and Makenshi will be here too. I mean, shame, they've got no place to go. Maybe all of Comodeen can stay here too."
A smile forms on Yuh's lips as he replies, "We don't have that many rooms, you know…"
"Then we can just land Silvia in the garden and have them live there," is Ai's solution. "Sid looks like he'll get along real well with Mom and Dad, so." She makes Yuh promise that they would come back here after everything is over. Then she takes her little brother's hands. "Now come on, Lisa's worried. And so is Makenshi, though it doesn't show on his face. Ojisan is half-asleep as usual, but forget about him. Let's go."
When Ai and Yuh come back down the stairs, Lisa notices that Yuh is better. When she asks about Crux and Chobi, Yuh tells her that they went to return Touya's things in his place. Then, they all seem to sense something. First Kaze, then Kumo, then Lisa. Chobi appears at the window just as the television set turns itself on.
On the screen is Soljashy, wrapped in a rain jacket to shield him from a rainstorm that seems to be coming from nowhere. He is screaming into a microphone like a reporter in bad weather. He points to the lighthouse in the background, and when the camera zooms in, they are all shocked to see Touya dangling from it by a rope. Powerful ocean waves strike the lighthouse, leaving Touya screaming. Soljashy, while trying to sound like a reporter of some kind, emphasizes that the Chaos Rulers are to blame for Touya's current predicament, and that if they want to save him, they must come to Gaudium. The television turns itself off.
Lisa volunteers to go, telling the twins to stay at the house with Makenshi. They would not step into Dolk's trap. Ai knows that Lisa couldn't bring herself to fight Dolk and says that she and Yuh will distract the salary man while Makenshi rescues Touya.
"Ai?" Kumo responds.
"Yuh and I are going," Ai explains. "But they definitely won't catch us. If they think we're gonna let things go their way, they've got another thing coming!"
"I'm going," Yuh joins in. "We're the ones Soljashy wants. And besides…I want to meet Touya again. I want another chance to talk with him, properly this time.
Herba watches Soljashy's report on her own television and commends the businessman on his convincing tempest. However, while she enjoys his jokes, Herba is getting impatient. Soljashy, while clutching onto the railing of the lighthouse in order not to be blown away by Besserio Number 2's wind, promises that the final stage of his production is near. Herba says it better be good, otherwise Soljashy will face a salary reduction. The mention of the word stuns Soljashy so that he lets go of the railing and is taken up by the wind, much to Herba's entertainment.
Soljashy stops the wind. Touya cusses at Soljashy and demands to be released. Soljashy refuses, saying that Touya is an essential component to his "lure operation". Touya says they would never come for him, not after everything he said to Yuh.
The good guy party does arrive, of course, and Soljashy instructs his four Besserios to cast their stormwind and slow the twins down. Kumo steps forward and volunteers to deal with the monsters.
"Remember this. You two are not to seek strength for the purpose of fighting," he warns Ai and Yuh.
"Makenshi…" Yuh replies. "Thanks again, for everything."
The twins, supported by Lisa, Chobi and Crux, head for the lighthouse. Besserio Number 1 blocks their way and launches a net at them. Lisa wards it off using her Kigen Arts, and Chobi uses his Chocobo Kick to knock it into two of the other monsters. Besserio Number 4 retrieves a mast from its body and uses it as a spear, but Kumo blocks its attack with his sword. Kumo goes after Soljashy, who annoys him with more of his business talk. Ai warns Kumo just in time for him to dodge Besserio Number 4's mast.
The twins then hurry into the lighthouse. As they climb the spiral staircase, Lisa senses a familiar energy.
Outside, Kumo continues to fight the Besserios, seeking and destroying the business cards that are the source of their power. Kumo has finished off Besserios One, Two and Three, when he notices that Soljashy is up to something. The businessman promptly takes off his wet coat and necktie, takes a new pair from his briefcase and puts them on. He ties his new necktie, combs his hair and smiles a fresh smile. Distracted by the Wonderland Consultant's comical behaviour and dramatic ranting, Kumo is caught in Besserio Number 4's steel-enforced net. Soljashy utilizes the moment to toss a business card at the lighthouse.
At that moment, Yuh and the others step out onto the lookout space of the lighthouse.
"No, you idiot…!" Touya shouts. "Run! Get out of here!"
The lighthouse starts to squirm, transforming into Soljashy's monster Twin Cage. Chobi goes Ciel and tries to save the twins, but the railings of the lighthouse seize Ai and Yuh's arms and legs. Ai calls for Makenshi, but she doesn't see him anywhere.
"Don't tell me they got Makenshi…" says Yuh.
"Oh, the truth can be so very cruel!" laughs Soljashy.
"Stupid Wonderland salary man!" Ai cries. "Why is Ojisan never here at a time like this…!?"
Just then, as if summoned by Ai's scream, Kaze appears, using his Shotgun to destroy the business card powering the lighthouse. The lighthouse returns to normal, its railings letting go of Ai and Yuh. Kaze aims his shotgun at Soljashy.
Suddenly, Besserio Number 4 (which has jumped onto Kumo after trapping him in its net) splits in two, and Kumo emerges, having cut its business card. Soljashy, facing Kaze's Shotgun, has another little rant about Kaze's lack of refinement.
"Kaze, please don't shoot…" Lisa begs. "Don't shoot this man…"
Of course, Kaze does fire. Soljasy dodges and throws a business card at the lighthouse, partially cutting the rope holding Touya. Yuh grabs hold of the rope, which is unable to bear Touya's weight, and gets rammed into the railing. Ai helps him, but the two of them alone wouldn't hold out long, and they call for Crux and Chobi. Soljashy has his monsters cause a powerful wind, and this wind keeps Crux, Chobi and Lisa away from helping twins.
"Touya-kun… Try to bear it… just a while longer…!" Yuh says as they struggle to keep Touya up.
"Satomi… You need… to go on… a diet…!" remarks Ai. ^_^
Lisa fights the wind and makes it to the rope to help Ai and Yuh, but the mighty wind keeps them from pulling Touya up. Kumo and Kaze are fighting Soljashy's monsters. Soljashy tosses a business card at the wreckage of the destroyed Besserios and the wreckage begins to transform.
When the wind stops, Ciel Chobi flies in and picks up Touya, whom he deposits on the lookout space of the lighthouse. Yuh unties Touya and gives him a teary smile. Touya wants to know why, after all the things he said, Yuh would come to save him. Yuh is quiet for a while, then answers.
"Because we're friends," he says. Even if he is not human, this world and its people are precious to him, and he wants to someday come back here.
"It's just as Yuh says," Ai joins in, glaring at Touya over her nose. "Even if you're an idiot, at least try to understand this. We're the same two people we've always been. And it's not like we know why they keep calling us the stray children of Chaos!"
Soljashy is annoyed that instead of despair, they are now overflowing with hope. He lets the wreckage of the Besserio monsters merge, and is just about the name the resulting monster when Ai chips in, attacking his unoriginality.
"Oh please, not King Besserio~…!"
The businessman hesitates for a moment, then proceeds to name his creation "Tornado Besserio". The massive Tornado Besserio spins its enormous propeller, vibrating the lighthouse. Lisa tells everyone to get down from there immediately, and they hurry down the stairs. Lisa senses an energy from Kaze, however, and returns to the railing to watch. The children reach Kumo as Kaze's Magun activates.
Soljashy, knowing very well what will happen next, disappears into his briefcase. Kaze summons the majestic Alexander, which cancels Tornado Besserio's stormwind and destroys the monster in its entirety. After the summon creature disappears, Kaze looks to the lighthouse, where Lisa sits sobbing.
The group on the ground notices that the sun is rising. They hear a barking sound and see Touya's dog, Yamato, running at them. Touya is delighted that his dog came looking for him, but when Yamato spots Yuh, it decides to bowl Yuh over instead. Yuh and Touya have both helped with raising it, and it seems Yamato thinks of Yuh as its master.
As Yamato continues to lick Yuh, Ai plants her hands in her hips and starts calling Touya an idiot all over again.
"Now what did I do!?" Touya protests.
"Yamato knows Yuh is Yuh one shot, but you get deluded," Ai points out. "I'd say that's proof you're an idiot. Even the dog gets it, but you don't. You idiot! I'm gonna keep calling you an idiot because that's just what you are."
"………Big Sister Hayakawa, are you mad at me?"
"Of course I'm mad! You doubted my little brother! What kind of a question is that?" Of course, Ai is not only angry because Touya doubted Yuh, but because he also doubted her. Kumo watches with a quiet smile as the indignant Ai crosses her arms. He then looks to the lighthouse also.
Later that day, Touya heads down the harbour with his family, thinking about Yuh's promise to come back here, to his hometown. When they're all together again, Yuh said, Touya could teach him to play soccer.
"Yup. He's still the same Yuh… If perhaps a bit stronger," Touya notes as he strokes Yamato's head. "We'll be back here before them, to welcome them back, won't we?" As he watches the blue airship hovering above the Hayakawa residence, Touya prays for his friends' safe return.
Aboard Silvia, Ai and Yuh watch in silence as the island of Sado grows smaller. Lisa stands watching further away. In her desperation to save Dolk, she starts thinking of the place where she was taught the Kigen Arts. Her own hometown. She approaches Sid and Knave and tells them that there is a place she would like them to go.
After 2
Summary from CD booklet continued
In their dear home town, Ai and Yuh meet their dear friend Touya. However, the encounter also teaches them something of what it means to be the children of Chaos. They are caught in Soljashy's crafty strategy to capture the Chaos Rulers, but with the help of Lisa and Kumo, they rescue Touya and harden their resolve to fight Chaos.
They love this world. This world is their world. Therefore, they must do what they can to save it. Fighting does not mean taking up weapons and going to battle. Ai and Yuh have made their decision. They will fight for their friends. For their parents whom they have lost a second time. For Lisa, who suffers more and more because of her feelings for Dolk. For Kaze and Kumo who have lost their worlds to Chaos, and for everyone of Comodeen.
* * *
Sid completes his Flight Water Recycling System. The heart of Omega – Clear's crystal – is given new life through this system. Clear, who now contains his power with a Flight Water mantle handmade by Miles, vows to fight Chaos along with Ai and the others.
* * *
Soljashy's business talk is loved by all. He is as clever with his mouth as he is with his hands and knows no shame or regret. He wins the trust of the world through disinformation and counterintelligence, smiling a little in that country and bluffing a little in this one, making use of gorgeous titles and prettified terms aplenty.
He creates all kinds of inorganic monsters using his business cards and continues to feed Chaos through the nightmares he creates. And where Chaos stirs, Kuroki Kaze shows up. Kaze fires his Magun and finishes off the monsters.
* * *
Lisa and Kaze's paths cross often. Soljashy makes ingenious use of his "Dolk" and "Soljashy" faces, trifling with Lisa's heart. Lisa, having lost her mother and never really known her father, was finally able to live peaceably when she had come to know Dolk. Now, again, her heart is atremble, and no amount of sweet words from Ai, Yuh and Sid can take away her pain.
* * *
Lisa's friends look for a route to the Privy Council, but every clue leads to a dead end. Soljashy's secret manoeuvring exceeds their expectations every time, and Lisa and her comrades' every encounter with Soljashy inevitably leads to a bitter battle.
* * *
In his business talk, Soljashy continues to advocate Gaudium as a figure of hope and Silvia as a figure of despair. The world is controlled by Soljashy. When Silvia tries to get through to the Pillar of Darkness to find Gaudium, it starts receiving attacks from human kind. On land, sea and air, the countries of the world see Silvia as the hateful "root of all evil" and shower the airship with bullets.
* * *
When Silvia has nowhere left to flee, Lisa's father, Tsar Pacifist, appears before them. He tells them that Joe and Mary Hayakawa are safe, and explains to them the "treaty between Chaos and mankind" that the Privy Council has signed. In order not to have their world destroyed like all the others, humanity has agreed to live supporting Chaos. The Wonderland Consultant Soljashy has revealed to them the true nature of Chaos and shown them a way to organize the treaty.
In essence, the treaty entails that a selected few members of humanity are spared while the rest are offored as feed for Chaos. Their lives, souls and bodies belong to Chaos. This was what set off Soljashy's plan to invade the Outside World, and lies at the centre of the anguish that rules people's hearts. That is also why people are looking to Gaudium for hope.
"It was not an easy choice to make," Lisa's father declares casually. "When your mother realized that the Privy Council was my first priority, she left my side. But I needed the practice of Kigen Arts for the future of mankind, no matter the cost."
His was a loveless marriage. Lisa has little recollection of affection from her father. He was an ambitious man who sacrificed all for the Privy Council. His marriage and his family were nothing but political bargaining tools to him. Lisa is too shocked at her father's words to even criticize him. This is where Knave steps in.
"Get out of my sight before I have my men slit your sorry throat!"
* * *
Ai and Yuh think back. To their meeting with Touya and the precious twelve years they spent in Sado. Lisa's family was nothing more than a device in a conspiracy. It was no surprise that she had found such comfort in Dolk's kindness.
* * *
Similar revelations are made to Joe and Mary Hayakawa by the Privy Council in a room somewhere in London. The Hayakawa couple's research was meant to lead to a new kind of energy, but this very energy is brought on by Chaos. Their research was supposed to elevate the lifestyle of mankind. But the Privy Council developed an interest in the results of their research. The fragments of Chaos, spread throughout the countries of the world, are more profuse than the Pillar of Darkness. The completion of a system that activates these fragments might pacify Wonderland.
* * *
Crux finally dsicovers Gaudium, but as she draws nearer she is a pursued by Crux Number 2. A mid-air battle ensues between the original Crux and her sequel! Crux, wounded by the armed Crux Number 2, crashes in the ruins of Misteria. Crux Number 2 aims to finish off Crux, but is repelled by the Madou force effusing from Madoushi's grave.
Crux senses a powerful "will" in the Mist that flows from the gravestone along with the Madou force. Her wings badly damaged, Crux flutters with difficulty, grasping in her tiny hands a jewel that solidified from the Madou.
* * *
Lisa, looking to set up a word-wide barrier that keeps people's emotions from being donated to Chaos, directs Silvia to a small village in the mountains of China, where she was raised as a little girl. This village also used to be her mother's home town. Today, a person called the "Spirit Master", who taught the Kigen Arts to Lisa's mother, lives a secret life there along with her students.
Lisa has not visited the place since the death of her mother, but is relieved to find the scenery untouched. However, as she and the others disembark from Silvia, they find themselves caught in an ambush of miasma monsters.
* * *
As the monsters prey on the users of the Kigen Arts, Soljashy appears. He has anticipated Lisa's actions and has already begun wiping out the disciples. Lisa uses her Kigen Arts to save the still surviving Spirit Master, but her wavering heart is overclouded by the anger she struggles to contain.
Soljashy makes a hasty retreat, leaving Kumo to battle his monsters. Crux, on the verge of death, arrives. Kumo touches the jewel she has brought, and the final thoughts of Madoushi are transmitted to him. He inherits his brother's power. Mist flows from the jewel and fills his body. Crux gradually stops moving, but fusing with the jewel, she morphs into the Cross Sword.
Kumo is brilliantly revived, armed with both his Maken and the Cross Sword! The monsters join together and attack, but Kumo summons the Twin Sword Beast and crushes all resistance. Afterwards, the Cross Sword transfigures back into Crux.
* * *
The flow of energy from Lisa and anger from Ai and Yuh stir Chaos and cause the Pillar of Darkness to grow, summoning Kaze to the village. The revitalized Kumo and Kaze face each other once again. The time has come for Kaze to have his final showdown with Kumo.
* * *
The Spirit Master needs only look at Lisa once to recognize her. The dying Spirit Master tells Lisa that she "must not allow her heart to ripple". Also, she tells Lisa that Soljashy is nothing more than a puppet.
"The life energy of that creature flows from the case he carries. Other than that… he is merely being animated by evil. Even if he was once human, he has a human heart no more."
Dolk is already dead. A dark shadow veils Lisa's heart. The more she tries to suppress them, the more her feelings get out of hand.
"I am naïve… because of my weakness…"
"There's no wrong in being naïve. Listen for the Spirits that fill this earth. They will make up for your inexperience. Fighting is approved of, but it certainly is not your true duty. One's duty beyond living lies in restraint."
The Spirit Master tells Lisa not to fight.
"…If you do, you will be doing just what your father wants…"
What the enemy wants is to prevent the barrier. The Kigen Beast. To intensify people's Spirits and present them to Chaos as the ideal intermediary. The Spirit Master dies with these words.
* * *
The Spirit Master's words are burned into Lisa, Ai and Yuh's memory. The duty of life is not the choice to fight or the choice to surrender. The duty of life, the duty of the heart, is "restraint". Fighting oneself. Will they be able to restrain themselves?
* * *
The fierce battle between the revitalized Kumo and Kaze continues! Their showdown causes a mighty flow of energy, demolishing parts of the Outside World, not to mention the floating islands. Kumo warns Kaze of the tremendous power they are unleashing.
"Our battle only summons destruction. Why do you not see the peace there is in life at this moment?"
Kaze replies.
"Just where do you see peace?"
The ones to bring an end to Kaze and Kumo's battle are Lisa, Ai and Yuh. Because there are so many things they want to protect. Kaze's heart moves. Why does he fight? Why does he keep on destroying? For what reason?
* * *
Having thwarted the barrier, Soljashy promotes Gaudium as a kind of Noah's Ark, calling it the "Flower of the Gods". Riots occur all over the world. People fight to get to Gaudium first. Soljashy releases new information in an attempt to stop the riots, saying that the day the path of salvation will lead to the Flower of the Gods will come soon. He gives them advanced notice of this day.
* * *
Silvia, monitoring the current situation, crosses the Sea of Japan. On board, Lisa struggles desperately with herself, trying to restrain her emotions. She explains to Ai and Yuh that, after she had been taken to C2 Organization, Dolk was her only support in a collapsing world. Lisa had a hard time bearing the Spirit Master's teachings, her mother's teachings and Dolk's expectations. By loving Dolk and feeling loved by him, Lisa was protecting her fragile self.
"But that is all in the past now. They are nothing but memories. I want to be strong…"
* * *
At the Privy Council, humanity's treaty with Chaos has advanced into its final stages. Soljashy receives from the Lord of the Privy Council a document that sells the souls of humanity, and he signs it. None other than Kaze arrives on the scene.
"You're the ones who have summoned me."
The Council for the first time see a Summon Creature with their own eyes. During the uproar, Joe and Mary Hayakawa are able to escape. They hook up with Lisa's fellow agents and are taken to shelter.
Now, the world awaits the day of the path of salvation.
Notes
- Know that the gender of the Spirit Master is not revealed. Because I had to write something, I groundlessly assumed female because both Lisa and her mother use the Kigen Arts.
- I am unsure of how to translate the title of Lisa's father. I guessed Tsar because of his and C2's Russian origins.
- In Knave's threat to Lisa's father, he says that he'll have the guy's throat slit by his darts (the ones Comodeen soldiers always use) but I couldn't make it sound quite as good in English.
Story
As the airship Silvia passes through the floating islands, Sid detects pulsations throughout the planet, and suggests that this must be related to the "Path of Salvation" Soljashy has been talking about. Yuh, annoyed at the fact that they could not stop Soljashy, hits Silvia's window, much to Sid's anguish. Ai asks Makenshi to do something for poor Lisa, but Kumo says that compassion will only further sustain Chaos.
"You can't expect all of us to supress our feelings like you and Ojisan, Makenshi!" Ai complains. "We've got human hearts, you know!"
"I know…"
Enter Fabula's palace, where Fabula does a little prologue as usual and announces the title of the episode, which translates into something like "Lisa - Her Chains Undone".
Ai and Yuh try to convince the suffering Lisa to get some rest, but Lisa, as always, says she will be fine. She wants to help in some way. Miles objects to this and tells Lisa that in her current state she will only get in the way. Lisa apologizes.
"…You're not fighting on your own here, you know," Miles preaches. "You've gotta have some faith in us. OK?"
"Thank you."
"I hope you were listening to Miles just now," Ai says to Kumo, "because the same goes for you, Makenshi!"
"I shall take those words to heart… Ai," Kumo replies.
Suddenly, the local sensor airhead Fungo detects danger. Chobi senses it also, and tries to warn Yuh. There is an explosion and people panic. Sid reports that countless gigantic plants are growing from the earth's surface. Yuh realizes that this is what Chobi was trying to warn them of. Ai warns Sid of tendrils coming for the airship and Silvia turns left. More tendrils come from the left, and Knave orders the ship to climb.
At Gaudium, Soljashy makes another exaggerated entrance. Herba notes that he carries a new keychain. Soljashy reports that he is ready to deviler their words of salvation to the whole world via live broadcast. He leaves to perform his duty, but not before Herba fixes his crooked necktie. Herba orders Oscha to prepare her TV.
Next, Soljashy, always having to make a comic out of everything, does a hilarious mic test before proceeding to address the world. The gang listens in Silvia as Soljashy tells the people that, though many are terrified by the infinity of humongous trees sprouting across the face of the earth, this is actually the Path of Salvation (Ai points out for us that trees aren't a path, by the way). With their desire to be saved, people of the earth make the trees transform into a spiral staircase resembling that of the subway. Soljashy continues to promote the "Flowers of the Gods" as the key to people's salvation, then ends his broadcast.
"Dolk is turning people's anxiety into hope," Lisa notes. "Those who care only about saving themselves, even though it surely means leaving others behind, will head for Gaudium… Egoism is born…"
Back at bad guy HQ, Soljashy is applauded for his magnificent speech. The demented salary man says that the humans will take of the rest themselves. There is only one obstacle remaining. When Herba asks if this "obstacle" referes to Soljashy's "girlfriend", he vehemently denies it, saying that he was referring to Kuroki-kun and Shiroi-kun (Kaze and Kumo).
Having landed their ship, the crew of Silvia watch as people bump and trample each other like barbarians, each trying to get up the staircase first, just as Lisa predicted.
"Chaos destroys the heart," Kumo says. "Every living creature is born with the basic instinct to survive. Chaos is using their instincts against them. At this moment, what we see happening in this country must be occurring all over the Outside World. And as this goes on, Chaos thrives in strength."
Kumo, accompanied by Crux, heads to destroy what he calls the Forest of Chaos, telling Sid and the others to proceed towards the Pillar of Darkness. Kumo summons his Quartet of the White Wall and burns the forest of giant trees. Soljashy, who has been waiting for this, tosses a couple of business cards and destroys Kumo's four summon creatures.
In Silvia, Sid reports the destruction of the blade beasts, as well as the approach of a large aircraft. They see a Gaudium Sentinal Satellite approaching, Soljashy riding on top. After gloating to Kumo, Soljashy damages Crux with a business card.
Knave orders Sid to turn Silvia around – they would support Makenshi. Lisa objects, reminding that Kumo said for them to head for the Pillar. Sid says they understand her feelings of wanting to help Dolk. They feel the same way. Knave commands them to use their breath-powered cannon, but Soljashy's Sentinel Satellite easily destroys their missile with its beam, which also hits Silvia, sending the ship crashing. Sid snaps again, but is unable to prevent the inevitable impact.
Kumo runs up to Crux to make sure she is uninjured. He sends her off to check on Comodeen, taking it upon himself to deal with Soljashy.
"Shiroi-kun!" Soljashy says as he approaches Kumo. "You poor tormented soul. When I see the tender care between human and puppet, I find myself moved to tears~!"
"Come to your senses! Dolk!" Kumo retaliates.
"Uh oh… Even you call me by that name now, Shiroi-kun?" Soljashy mutters. "What a bother."
"Teaming with Chaos is as good as selling your soul," Kumo chides. "It is the act of a defeatist who chooses the safest path to survival!"
Soljashy says that Kumo and his comrades fight advocating the cause of order. But they themselves are nothing but scum in the eyes of the Outside Worlders.
"What I seek is not order," Kumo corrects him.
"WHoT!? Then what is it you seek?"
"What I seek is a world where people can accept each other's emotions as a natural thing," Kumo explains. "A world that allows a blend of laughter, tears and anger."
"Which means, your world will have chaos," Soljashy concludes smugly.
"I am aware of that! You of Chaos are to return things to the way you were meant to be."
"The universe is constantly changing, just like Wonderland," Soljashy counters. "What if this is something that is necessary for the evolution of the world to its next stage?"
"Then I will change that necessity," Kumo declares with determination.
"My, you have a way with words!" Soljashy applauds (incidentally giving Kumo the same compliment his brother did in After Spiral Zero). "You'll make an excellent business spokesman!"
"I tire of listening to your idle blather!"
Battle ensues. Soljashy, of course, uses a monster to fight. He sticks a business card to the Gaudium Sentinel Satellite, transforming it into a vicious monster he names Satelligon. Kumo and Satelligon do battle.
Silvia's crew slowly comes to. Sid is outraged at the crash of his beloved airship and puts Comodeen to work fixing it. Lisa meets Crux. She asks her what happened to Makenshi, and realizes that Kumo is fighting Soljashy. Lisa wants to go there, but the twins stop her. Lisa's heart will only give power to Chaos. Ai and Yuh decide to head out with Chobi and Poshpocket and cause a diversion so Makenshi can save Dolk. They ask Miles to take care of Lisa while they fly off on Ciel Chobi.
"You don't have to worry about those kids," Miles says to Lisa once the twins have lft. "They've become strong… A whole lot stronger than you think!"
Meanwhile, Satelligon is chasing Kumo around, not giving him time to summon. Ai and Yuh come flying on their chocobo. Ai tells Poshepocket to attack, and the twins are surprised to see Poshepocket coughs up a swarm of missiles.
"Just when did you eat those?" Ai asks the silly handbag.
Soljashy takes the bait and sends Satelligon after the Chaos Rulers Ai and Yuh lead the monster away from Kumo.
"Chaos Rulers!" Soljashy shouts. "Do you not think it is time you accepted your fate?"
"Quit calling us 'Chaos Rulers'!" is Ai's aggressive reply.
The abominable businessman tosses a card at the twins, but Chobi dodges. In the time Ai and Yuh have bought him, Kumo has Crux transform into the Cross Sword, which he uses in combination with his Maken to summon the Twin Sword Beast. Kumo's summon destroys Satelligon, and the swift swordsman cuts loose Soljashy's briefcase (presumably severing another). Soljashy's severed case runs screaming. Ai and Yuh realize that the Spirit Master was right about Soljashy's life being in his case.
Dolk, released from Soljashy's control, finally has a chance to talk to Lisa. Lisa is distressed at not being able to sense Dolk's spirit. Soljashy (the briefcase) explains that Dolk has been fuelling him with his life energy and will only live long enough for a brief reunion. The briefcase is about to go on about the business principles behind it all when three shots from Kaze's Shotgun loads it with lead. Kaze, summoned by Chaos, has come to kill Soljashy, and does just that.
"Well, then, ladies and gentlemen," the dying briefcase mutters. "We seem to have reached the end of our business relationship… Das vedanya~~~…"
In Gaudium, Oscha points out that this seems to be Soljashy's dying hour. Herba is not worried, however, since Soljashy was simply a minor player according to her. What interests her is seeing what poor Lisa does next.
"I'm sorry, Lisa…" says the faltering Dolk. "This is the way it should be…"
A fissure cracks in Dolk's body. Sid explains that the symbiosis between Soljashy and Dolk has advanced to such a stage that the one can no longer exist without the other. There is nothing more they can do for poor Dolk.
"I won't let you die! I won't!" Lisa declares and invokes her Kigen Arts to try and save Dolk, but he stops her.
"Don't," he says. "Let me be at peace now…"
"Live! Please!" Lisa begs, in tears.
"I can finally… say goodbye," Dolk smiles. "Don't cry… You are a strong person."
"There's nothing strong about me!"
Kaze points his Shotgun at Dolk, much to the twins' shock. Ai tells Makenshi to stop Kaze, but Kumo says if Kaze does not shoot, he will cut. Lisa begs Kaze not to shoot, but Dolk says he wants to become her strength to fight Chaos. Kaze proceeds to destroy what remains of Dolk and Soljashy, leaving Lisa crying.
Soljashy becomes what Kaze calls the Soil of Grief – Chain Gold.
"Kill me!" the despairing Lisa says. "Shoot me… using that Soil!"
Ai and Yuh tell Lisa not to give up, but Kaze points his gun at her.
"Kuroki Kaze!" Kumo steps in. "The pain she is suffering now is something every living being, every human heart experiences. Why can you not understand this!? If she does not overcome this, she will not be able to fight Chaos!"
"Chaos…" Kaze repeats.
Kaze pulls the trigger and fires several gunshots into the sky. Gaudium has arrived on the scene, Herba showing off the blossoming flower on her head (they have not met her face-to-face since the destruction of the Earl Tyrant). Herba continues to fuel Lisa's anger, first playfully scolding Kaze for kiling pretty girl's boyfriend, then going on about how Dolk was feeding Chaos as he struggled inside Soljashy. Throughout Herba's speech, Kaze keeps on shooting at her non-stop, which annoys her.
"You're the ones that did this to Dolk…" Lisa drones, unable to contain her anger. Lisa's furious spirit causes the earth to quake around them.
"That's it, get angrier! Cry more and more!" Herba giggles. "I love that feeling of disorder! You know, Dolk-chan was only thinking of saving you. He didn't give a thing for what was to happen to himself – what a hero! Oh, now you've got me crying too! Just kidding~~~, of course~~~!"
"I can never forgive you…!" shouts Lisa. Ai and Yuh try to get Lisa to calm down, but she releases her life force and knocks them back.
Sid takes care of the twins. Miles asks if this is also a form of Kigen Arts. Sid explains that Lisa's heart has summoned Chaos. Lisa transforms into the Kigen Beast, dropping Dolk's severed keychain, which Ai and Yuh collect.
Oscha helps his princess make a safe escape. He explains to Herba that the Kigen Beast is headed for the Pillar of Darkness, where it would open the door to Wonderland for them. Below, the twins also realize where the Kigen Beast is headed.
"It is her anger that drives her there," Kumo notes. "It all began twelve years ago, with that Pillar of Darkness. Lisa is aiming to cut the source, in exchange for her own life."
"It can't be… Is Lisa going to die!?" Ai asks.
The Kigen Beast collides with the Pillar of Darkness and merges with it, opening a gateway to Wonderland just as Oscha has predicted. He leads Herba through the portal. The good guys feel they have to do something to help Lisa, but Sid warns that the Kigen Beast is drawing power from Chaos – trying to separate it from the Pillar now might well result in strengthening Chaos. Kumo uses his Maken and the Cross Sword to summon a double-bladed Sword Beast, but it fails to stop the Kigen Beast. Kaze steps forward.
"The Soil is screaming," he says.
"The Kigen Beast is Lisa's very life!" Kumo warns him. "You realize that, don't you?"
Kaze thaws his Magun. Ai can't believe that Kaze is actually going to summon on Lisa. She gives the guy a proper scolding and runs over to cry on Makenshi's shoulder.
"Ai… Let's trust him with this," Kumo says. He senses the Soil also – Soil that has gathered to the Outside World to animate Kaze.
Kaze proceeds to use Dolk's Soil, Chain Gold, in combination with Silent Black and Pain Blue to summon Anima. The chained summon creature appears.
"Lisa-san's heart, tied by forgotten memories…" Sid comments. "The shape the Soil has taken is a mirror reflecting the enchainment of Lisa-san's heart."
"How do you know that, Sid?" Miles wants to know.
"I can hear them too…" Sid explains. "The voices of the Soil that are trying to protect this planet. Kaze has called them together, and has granted them his strength to craft that shape."
"Sid…" asks Miles. "Who are you?"
Anima seizes the Kigen Beast and puts it to sleep. This is the first time Kaze has summoned anything like this. Everyone is impressed by the fact that for the first time, Kaze did not simply destroy. Kaze leaves Shiroi Kumo to take care of the rest. Kumo uses his Twin Sword Beast to free Lisa.
Miles and the twins hurry over to collect the unconscious Lisa. Sid warns that the balance between Wonderland and the Outside World has been upset and that the floating islands will disappear from the Outside World. He orders everyone to return to Silvia, which he seems to have fixed in time. When Lisa does not wake up, Miles decides to carry her to the airship.
Lisa does wake up. Confused, she apologizes for what she has done. Yuh tells her that it was Kaze who saved her. Surprised, Lisa looks to Kaze.
"You save me…?"
"It was his Soil… that saved you," Kaze replies (implying that it was in fact Dolk who saved Lisa and not Kaze). "Sleep for now."
"Let's go, Kuroki Kaze," Kumo says.
"Right."
When Ai wants to know where they are going, Kumo explains that the door to Wonderland has opened and that Chaos has not yet been destroyed. Yuh says they will come along, but Kumo refuses.
"You must continue to live your lives here," he says.
Kaze tells Lisa not to use her life again and walks away. Lisa runs after him, but Kaze tells her to stay back, threatening her with his Shotgun.
The End