The Dragon was dreaming- deep in a dream, deep in darkness- but then a voice called- no, two voices- calling the Dragon to come up to where they were, back into the sunlight.

The Dragon wanted to go to where they were- dreams replayed vague memories of the time before- back when the Dragon had lived happily in the sunlight, friends with everybody, before the fear, before the Dragon had been pushed down into this dark place- but the Dragon also remembered the fear, and how it had hurt to be forced down here.

And even the ones calling- they were hurting. There was pain and sadness and uncertainty in their voices, and those emotions made the Dragon remember the fear and how it had felt to become trapped in the dark even more.

The Dragon stirred restlessly before being swallowed by dark dreams again.

OoOo

Flint strode through the forest, ducking branches as he did so.

A part of Flint's mind knew that he wasn't going to find Claus like this, that if he'd had any chance of finding Claus like this he would have found him years ago. He didn't even call out anymore- couldn't keep calling out for a voice that never called back- not when his throat felt like it was ripping itself apart every time he did so- but he couldn't just stop searching either.

Claus was not dead. Flint knew the others thought he was crazy for believing it, but he knew it in a part of himself that was so deep and sure he didn't question it. Couldn't question it. He hadn't talked about it with Lucas, but he knew that his youngest child felt the same way- he must feel the same way.

His sons were all he had left, and he couldn't fail them again.

Something pale- something that might've once been white- glinted through the trees.

Flint stopped in his tracks, mesmerized by the sight. Something inside of him- something he didn't recognize, but he could tell that it came from the same part of him that assured him that Claus wasn't dead- pulled him towards the faintly gleaming structure.

OoOo

Kumatora snarled as the Masked Man countered her PK Thunder with one of his own.

Stupid Pigmask jerk- pulling the Needles without caring about what it was doing to everyone else- without caring that it was making the Magypsies disappear- without caring about what it was doing to the Dragon and would do to the world-

She lashed out with a PK Ground, and he stumbled, caught off guard- was knocked down, but started struggling to his feet again-

OoOo

Something was bugging Boney- he couldn't put his paw on it, but it had started when he'd tried to smell the guy in the helmet who was attacking them- Boney hadn't been able to smell anything but too strong cleaning chemicals and the sweat of the Pigmasks crowding around them. At least, that's when Boney thought the nagging sensation had started- had it started before that?

Boney wasn't sure, but now wasn't the time to be thinking about that anyway.

He darted at the boy in the helmet, determined to get him to stop trying to hurt his friends.

OoOo

If Hinawa still had physical lips, she would have bit them.

He couldn't hear her- she'd been calling to him and calling to him, but he couldn't hear her- or was it that he didn't understand her?

He'd been able to hear her in the beginning- not all the time, but most of the time- back then, sometimes she hadn't been able to find words to give him- was only able to scream and weep with sympathy and helplessness.

But now, more than ever, she needed him to listen- they all needed him to listen! But he-

Suddenly an idea occurred to her. She didn't like it- wanted to forget it. But nothing else was working-

Desperate times called for desperate measures- and she was desperate as a mother could be. It would place a great deal of pressure on Lucas- she looked across the field at him- his face was pale, but he was standing tall, keeping the shields over his friends strong, keeping them healthy with his healing PSI.

A small, proud smile quivered on Hinawa's face before -reluctantly, but not allowing herself to hesitate- she leaned over and began whispering something new into her eldest's ear.

OoOo

Duster cast a quick look over his shoulder- scanned Lucas for injuries.

The blond was a little paler than usual- but that was all Duster saw and even that- he turned and grabbed his wall staples, preparing to use them as he did so- the paleness could just be the thief's imagination.

But something wasn't right- it hit Duster just as he flung his wall staples, pinning the Masked Man long enough for Kumatora to dash forward and punch him twice.

Lucas was being too quiet. He was never the loudest of boys, but he didn't hesitate to caution the others and to encourage them- and though he was healing them and keeping their shields strong, he hadn't said a single word ever since they'd reached the Temple.

OoOo

Lucas knew Kumatora was shouting something at him, but he couldn't focus on the words.

Part of his brain was focused on his PSI- throwing shields over his friends, reinforcing them as much as he could, then healing them when they got hurt, sometimes healing himself too- but another part of him was focused on the one standing in front of them-he was shooting at them and sometimes dashing at them and swinging that sword at them- sometimes he even tried PK Thunder again, but unless he was using it to counter one of Kumatora's PK Thunders, the bolts were always drawn to the Franklin Badge, always thrown back at him and hurting him worse.

Lucas winced every time that happened.

The helmet on the other's head hid his face, and he darted around so fast- but it didn't make any difference- not to Lucas.

He called out to his healing PSI and watched it heal the most recent marks on his friends' bodies- even felt it banish bruises from his own body- but it refused to jump over to the boy dashing at Lucas- to the one who was finally so close, yet still so far away-

OoOo

The voice was stronger when the boy was near.

Perhaps that was why the voice was insisting that he needed to take the boy with him.

He had tried to ignore it. He always tried to ignore it, sometimes more successfully than others. But the voice had a good point now.

If he took the boy with him, the boy wouldn't be able to interfere in the Master's plans anymore. That would be good, right? Maybe - probably - killing the boy would keep him from interfering too, but...

The voice wailed at the thought- his ears rung with the wailing- anyway, it wasn't necessary to kill the boy. He wasn't really a threat, right?

The subject of his thoughts strengthened the shield surrounding his opponents. He was just a boy- both the man and the older girl- they must be the ringleaders. They must be the ones telling the boy what to do. The boy hadn't even attacked him once- that was proof, wasn't it?

He tossed another PK Thunder at the boy, mostly to keep him and the others at a distance as he tried to think.

The boy and the others were winning.

That should be impossible. All his equipment was supposed to be first class- as advanced as it could be. And he himself- he was the strong one- the scientists had told him that they had made him out of the strongest parts they had. Because he was the strong one-

"*****, you're the strong one and ***** is the sweet one- so you have to protect him-"

He flinched- the voice was so clear for a moment- he clenched the sword, trying to focus-

These others were winning. These others- these people opposing the Master- these people telling the boy what to do- keeping the boy with them-

The lightening reflected back at him.

Struck by a thought as well as the lightening, he let himself fall to the ground.

The soldiers squealed and ran away. Silly men. But that was why there was a commander- why he was there- for the things the men couldn't do.

While the boy and the others stared after them, he activated the wings- they turned to look, but not fast enough.

He was much faster than the boy- than any of them- he grabbed the boy in his arms and took off into the sky.

The others shouted after him, but there was nothing they could do- he flew too fast, too high- he lost them easily.

The boy struggled at first, but froze when he saw how high they were. He stared at the ground rushing past, then turned wide eyes to his captor.

He wasn't terrified.

Somehow, he'd been expecting the boy to be terrified.

The boy was worried- nervous- but he met his eyes without trembling.

The voice whispered something- he thought he heard the word "stronger" in a pleased tone.

Something touched him- he didn't know what- he didn't want to know what-

With these hands, he had stopped the boy from pulling the Needles. The boy must not be allowed to escape- so he'd keep the boy with him. That way, the boy wouldn't interfere anymore, wouldn't cause trouble anymore… the Army's mission would continue without any more problems, and the boy would be unable to stop them, because the boy would stay safe at the base. Safe with him.

OoOoOoOo

Okay, I know there are at least two stories out there already with the same basic premise, but I do feel pretty confident that this fic is sufficiently different from both of them. For starters, Duster and Kumatora do have a fairly big part of the plot to themselves. Despite the fact that Flint, Hinawa, Boney and the Dragon all got POVs in this chapter, they're not main characters to the same degree as the others, even though they are important. In some cases (like the Dragon), they become a bigger part of the plot later on.

This story is going to be rather huge(by my standards at least), with 40 chapters in Book One and I don't even know about Book Two. There may or may not end up being a third book as well. (bangs head against wall). For the most part, this book is already written and just needs to be revised... I just wish I could revise faster.

For the most part, the story is going to have one POV per chapter, with that POV belonging to either Claus, Lucas, Duster, or Kumatora.

Also, a big thank you to ChocolateAntelope, who is helping me revise!

Remember, reviews are always welcome!