A tall, dark figure is seated behind a large cherry Oak desk. His elbows on the table, his hands clasped, his head bowed in solemnity. He pondered.

Suddenly a sharp pain streaked at his throat. His head shot upward, his eyes piercing the wall beyond. Milton's hand went to his neck. He felt a thick wetness seeped between his fingers. He pulled his hand from his neck - blood.

The Alley.

Celly towered over Nyx's still corpse. "Oh God! O God! O God! TEMMEE!"

Seth whirlwinds into the "Prince". He shoves the flabbergasted fuku wearing Otaku out of the way and takes Nyx's limp, "lifeless" body into his arms. Tears were streaming down his cheeks...

Nyx sharply arches her back and gaps for air.

In his suprise, Seth tosses her from his arms. Nyx lands on the ground, with a hard "thud."

"Hey, I know that chivalry is dead, but can a lady get some help here?" She reaches her hand limply up towards the "Prince." Her once smooth, steady voice had become husky with a metallic quiality to it.

Celly begins to stutter. " Ah...b-b-but...I-thought....agh...."

Seth helps Nyx to her feet. She is feeling rather dizzy.

"Now why the hell did you drop me like that?"

"I'm sorry. It takes some getting used to, hun."

Nyx instinctively brushes her hand gainst her forehead and neck to wipe her sweat. As her hands grazes her neck, she feels the raised skin of the scar which Aneara's blade had left on her.

Celly, gasping in horror, mutters, "You...got a scar, man!"

Celly watches Seth casually step away from Nyx. She follows suit without question.

Nyx's back is to them. Her aura brightens as she slowly lifts her hands to her side and stretches them up to the sky.

"SHIMAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!" she cries out and simultaneously sends a powerful energy blast up to the heavens.

Seth sheilds Celly under his coat, his arms clasping her body tightly. A appears on his face, showing off his dimples. Ah, the ecchi-ness was returning to him.

Lightning rains down from the skies and destroy whatever was left standing from the pervious battle.

The sky brightens once more and Nyx collapses to her knees. She is spent.

Celly feels Seth's hands edging where they have no rights to "edge" towards. She pushed him away from her. "Hentai!"

Seth smiles sweetly. He turns to Nyx. "Are you through now?"

A pigeon falls from the sky, smoking.

"Okay," Nyx perks up. "Now I'm done..." an evil glimmer surges through her eyes, like lightning. "But not satisfied."

Nyx turns towards them. The look on her face causes Celly to gasp. Nyx was PISSED.

The trenchcoat clad girl waved her hand and the Mobius Continuum (MBC) opened before them. Nyx steppe through, followed by Seth and Celly.

"Where are we going?"

Nyx muttered one word. "Starside."

Seth furrowed his brow. Celly could sense his fear, although thickly masked by his bravado.

Starside.

The trio set foot on the red-orange dirt which clouded up beneath their feet. Before them was splayed something that resembled the Grand Canyon--to the 100th power. It was an endless wasteland. There was no sign of vegetation for miles--not even a damn weed!

"Starside. The Land of the Wamphyri." Said Nyx.

"Wamphyri?" spoke up Celly.

Seth remained silent.

Two dragon-like creatures ripped through the red clouds and descended in the clearing. Nyx hopped on the green flyer.

Seth mounted the other. He patted behind him, motioning to Celly.

"In dreams." Celly mounted behind Nyx.

The Immortal tugged at the reins. The flyers sped into the atmosphere. Celly clutched Nyx's trench and steadied herself.

"What is this, The Never Ending Story?"

Nyx only smiled. Her silence frightened Celly, but she would not admit it, of course :P

The flyers set down on the garden terrace of the Dweller's Array. The trio dismounted.

The Dweller, a monterous, humanoid creatre with the body of a man and the wings of a giant bat came towards, to great them. A stern, unyielding expression pervaded his visage.

"Welcome to my Array."

Celly looked around. Unlike the barren wasteland below, the terrace was teeming with life and from the massive fountains flowed the purest water she had ever seen. It sparkled in the noon day sun, droplets like diamonds, shimmering.

"It has been quite sometime, friend." Nyx and the Dweller clasped each other forearms in a traditional warrior's greeting.

The Dweller noticed the scar on Nyx's neck.

Nyx knew this and nodded.

"Come," he said. "You must be weary from your travels."

Inside the Dweller's Array was like an Aiden of Allibaba's fairest fancies. The servants attended to their every need. A grand feast of exoctic fruits and delicacies lay spread across the table. Celly, at first was hesitant, but then dove in, satiated her rumbling tummy. She realized that Nyx and the Dweller had gone. She truned to ask Seth where they had gone, but saw that he "preoccupied" with other things -- namely, making moves on the Dweller's servant girls.

She rose from her seat. Celly decided to do some snooping on her own, hoping not to get lost in the labyrinth.

She entered a long corridor, lined with armor and foreign etchings. Her hands rans arcoss the walls--ooh, cold stone. Very cold. Celly "sensed" Nyx's aura and ran headlong towards the direction the buzz was leading her to.

Nyx was seated on the bed, her back towards the door. The Dweller stood before her, his hands, poised on her neck. For a moment Celly feared that he was harming her. But a yellow glow emitting from his palms made her think otherwise.

"He's healing her," she thought to herself.

"I believe you have company." The Dweller looked towards Celly who was standing at the threshold. The Dweller moved past Celly and noded.

Celly walked to the edge of the bed. Nyx stood and faced her. The scar was still visible, but it was no longer a hideously raised mound plastered across her ivory neck.

"Not bad, eh?" Nyx forced a smile. Her voice was now back to normal.

"I thought you were going to have it taken away."

"No. It serves as a reminder...of my weakness."

"So, you're one of the First Children?" Celly began. She felt anger rise from the pit of the gutt. "How come you didn't tell me?" She pounded her fist on the bed. "I'm supposed to know these things! I'm--I'm pissed, damn it!"

"Yeah. I guess it slipped my mind. I was born 799 a.d. I was foundling. When my tribe discovered that I could not die, they banished me. A man named Methos found me. He taught me the ways--our ways."

"So," asked Celly, her anger abating. "How'd you get knocked off?"

Nyx laughed. "Um...well...I--"

Celly peered closer intently, "Yes?"

"Iwalkedoffacliff."

"Say that again."

"I walked off a cliff."

Celly chose to keep silent. But leveled a stare at her colleague.

"Anaera didn't know it, but she has actually done me a great favor. You see...by taking that energy from my body she has cleansed me. I am now raw. I thank her. I shall be sure to lay a weed on her grave."

to be continued...