It was the thirty second day of the month of Molten, in the year 1999, the day that marked the end of a millennium and was supposedly supposed to mark the beginning of a new era of peace. In the time of the legendary ninja, on that same day of that same month, Molten and the legendary ninja won independence for the world. Many millennia later, in the time of Gaiden, on that very day of that very month, Shekan was defeated and an era of peace and prosperity was ushered in. But in both times, Tristran had underestimated humans and toyed with their destinies as though they were playthings. Tristran had only desired to rule over humans but this time, things were different, Tristran was now hell-bent on crushing all of Ryuujinn's creation. Thus this day could actually mark the end of all age as all creation knew it.
"Guys! Wake up! Today is the big day! It's the day that will decide the fate of the world so wake up already!" Ryu called everyone.
Michael and Rokkan yawned and stretched. Then they opened their eyes.
"It's morning already?" Nadia asked tiredly.
"Aren't you listening to me?! Today is going to be the day of our biggest battle!" Ryu exclaimed excitedly.
Ken got up.
"I can't believe you're actually excited" he said.
The companions packed their stuff.
"Shroud, Anna, you say Nemesis will invade the ryu today right? So what are you going to do?" Atlanta asked.
"We'll join the forces at your other hideout and fight the Shadow ninja that invade the Fire kingdom. If we fight in our ryu's costumes, we should be able to cause confusion amongst the Dark ninja" Shroud suggested.
"That's a good idea!" Michael applauded him.
"So Atlanta, Nadia, Rokkan, Ken, Tanya, what do you plan to do? Will you go off to protect your ryu or will you go with Michael and I to protect the Crystal clan and stop Nemesis?" Ryu asked.
"Why the heck are you even asking that?! You need us to seal Shekan and stop Nemesis in case things go wrong remember?! Of course we're coming with you!" Ken scolded Ryu.
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
"But first, we need supplies, let's head to the Fire Kingdom, it's the closest place" Atlanta suggested.
"I guess you know what this means right Tanya?" Rokkan asked.
"I get to see my Dragon partner!" Tanya exclaimed excitedly as she raised her ring.
There was a flash of lightning and Queen Melody appeared!
"Q-Queen Melody, it-it's you!" Tanya exclaimed in shock.
Ryu nodded.
"It is as I suspected" Ryu said.
"As…you suspected?" Tanya and Atlanta asked in surprise and stared at Ryu.
"Yes, you all need to know that…Queen Melody is the Saint of the Sound Ryu" Ryu said.
"That's crazy Ryu! Tanya's supposed to be the Sound Saint!" Nadia and Atlanta yelled in disapproval.
"I meant…Dragon Saint!" Ryu said with absolute certainty.
"DRAGON SAINT?! HOW CAN THAT BE?!" Atlanta asked.
"She said she was ageless, remember?" Ryu reminded them.
"And you've got to admit that a ryu hidden in five folds of genjutsu is somewhat…unnatural" Michael said.
"It is as Ryu said. Like Ryuujinn, I forsook my godhood so that I could be his eyes in this world but…unfortunately…Ryuujinn is no more" Queen Melody said as a bright light engulfed her.
When the light disappeared, a dragon similar to Crystal in colour and demeanour stood in her place.
"I am Melody! Dragon Saint Of The Sound Ryu!" Melody declared.
Music flowed around her. Everyone stared at her in shock and awe.
"It is my duty to join the other saints and you in your battle against Shekan" Melody chose her words carefully.
The others summoned their Dragon Saints.
"So you finally decided to stop being Queen, highness Melody" Molten teased Melody once he appeared.
"Don't even start with me Molten" Melody growled menacingly.
"You're still as unladylike as always Melody" Molten teased.
"Perhaps I'll let you taste my fangs and then you'll see just how unladylike I can be" Melody threatened.
"You are the one who gave life to the expression 'dragon lady'" Molten teased some more.
"Stop getting on her nerves already Molten. Melody can be quite ruthless" Crystal cautioned Molten.
The others laughed.
"Molten is just like a dragon version of Ryu don't you think?" Atlanta teased Ryu.
Everyone agreed with a laugh.
"Let us quickly head to the Fire Kingdom, get supplies and beat Nemesis to the Crystal ryu" Michael ordered.
"We'll head to Ryu no kokoro, your other hideout now. You have till sunset to do whatever you want to do. Remember, Shadow ninja lose their power in sunlight. That is, except for Nemesis, my squad and a few other elite Shadow ninja. The only time Nemesis can invade with his army is at night. Take care!" Shroud and Anna said as they waved to Michael and the others.
Michael and the other saints mounted their respective dragon partners and flew out of sight. It took till noon to reach the Fire Kingdom.
"We're finally here" Atlanta sighed. "Let us go and see my father" she suggested.
Michael agreed so they headed to the Fire Castle. They were met at the castle gates by a guard who ushered them into the king's presence.
The king was in the middle of a strategy meeting with the Masters of the other ryu and the fire ninja as well as some elite jounin from the other ryu.
"You must form five defensive units in each ryu. Four units will guard each entrance to the ryu. My ninja will be evenly spread out amongst all the units. Luckily, we are a centralized kingdom so our population is high and so is our military strength. Those gifted in summoning Phoenixes among my ninja will patrol the skies in case Dark mongerers are used in the impending invasion…" the king was saying when he spotted Atlanta and the others.
"Welcome Atlanta. We were just making plans to protect the other ryu. We intend to pull our own weight" the king said.
"I think Mikey can help. He is a master strategist" Ryu suggested.
"Michael has been helping us create the ultimate plan of defence against the Shadow ninja for the past year. To the Shadow ninja, it's going to look a little underhanded. I haven't had so much fun undermining their powers in a long time" the king laughed.
"Is it ready?" Michael asked.
"It's ready in all the ryu. The plans for 'Operation Limelight' were sent to all the ryu three months ago and with the cooperation of the Crystal ninja, the devices have been built to meet your specifications. We even added a few upgrades" the king said with a sinister chuckle.
Atlanta sighed.
"Anytime you laugh like that it means you're always planning something extreme dad. I hope it doesn't do more harm than good" Atlanta said.
"Of course, when it comes to protecting my only daughter, extremities…even underhanded tactics become a norm" the king laughed.
Atlanta smiled.
"We must be discreet in carrying out our plan. We don't want any…leakages" Michael whispered to the king.
"What's this 'Operation Limelight' thingy?" Ryu asked.
"Sorry Ryu but it's supposed to be a big secret" Michael informed him.
"Sorry Ryu, not even I know what it is" Nadia said.
Ryu looked at Atlanta who also shook her head ignorantly.
"Now if only we could stock up on weapons" Michael said.
"We're a little low on supplies because of the impending war but I'll give you what I have from my arsenal" the king said as he directed a guard to lead them to one of the storerooms.
Everyone stocked up on weapons though Ryu and Rokkan didn't seem to need them.
"We will be leaving now" Michael informed the king after they were armed.
"I hope you will return to this kingdom after this battle is over, Atlanta" the king said.
Atlanta smiled nervously and looked at Ryu. They were bound together by this quest but once their quest was over, what would happen to their bond? How would they return to their normal lives? Or would they remain together? All these questions passed through Atlanta's mind.
"Let's hope 'Operation Limelight' will be a success. For now, let's head to the Crystal ryu" Michael suggested.
"You guys take the lead. Atlanta and I will catch up later" Ryu said.
Michael looked at Ryu seriously and then he looked at Nadia as though searching for some kind of answer. Nadia nodded.
"Okay, but don't keep too long" Michael said as he summoned the Dragon Saints with the others and flew off.
When they were out of sight, Atlanta turned to face Ryu.
"So what are you thinking?" Atlanta asked.
"To use that technique means to prepare oneself to pay the ultimate price" Ryu recalled Master Hiruko's warning.
"Atlanta, we'll definitely defeat Shekan. That is a promise" Ryu said as he held Atlanta's hands.
Atlanta looked at Ryu suspiciously and withdrew her hands from his grasp.
"Something is not right" Atlanta said.
"What do you mean?" Ryu asked.
"Just yesterday, you were so unsure of yourself. But now…it's almost as if you are a whole new Ryu" Atlanta said.
Ryu looked determined. There was a look of absolute confidence in his eyes. Atlanta noticed this.
"No Ryu, you can't, you mustn't" Atlanta said worriedly.
"What are you talking about?" Ryu asked.
"Anytime you show that look on your face, it means you are about to sacrifice yourself, but you can't! I don't want you to!" Atlanta said desperately.
"It's like you said. It was a promise to the Dragon Of Destiny. If…If I'm going to die during battle…my final wish, my death wish is that…you'll be free from your promise" Ryu said with a reassuring smile.
Tears ran down Atlanta's face.
"You won't die. I won't let it happen" Atlanta promised.
"Thank you Atlanta. I'm very happy you feel that way. Now let's catch up to the others" Ryu said as he summoned Molten.
Atlanta nodded and summoned Crystal. They flew into the sky and travelled in great haste. Soon, they caught up to Michael and the others.
"Hey Michael, so what are we going to do once we're in Crystal village?" Ryu asked.
"Something has been bugging me. If the statue of Shekan in our village became the Death-sabre Ryu wielded…it was shattered by Atlanta's technique. Perhaps, there might not be a Statue Of Shekan to unseal in the first place" Michael said.
"Well, I hope so" Nadia said.
"Actually…I'm hoping Nemesis unseals Shekan" Ryu said.
"WHAT?!" everyone except for Rokkan exclaimed in shock.
"So that we can settle things once and for all!" Ryu declared.
"H-Hey Ryu! Isn't that being overly optimistic?! At least consider the consequences of your words!" Rokkan scolded him.
"Are you crazy?! You actually want us to fight Shekan? Your Ryuugan must have clouded your perception!" Nadia roared angrily.
"I'm feeling you Ryu!" Ken said in excitement.
"My sense of perception couldn't possibly be clearer than it is now!" Ryu said.
Atlanta stared at him worriedly.
"Ryu" she thought with concern.
It was almost dusk when they finally reached the Crystal village.
"Mikey! We're home!" Ryu exclaimed in excitement as he breathed in the Kolmnid air deeply.
The Crystal village hadn't changed much since Ryu and Michael left except for the fact that there were new houses around. Ryu could also see some huge structures that seemed to be covered by thick cloths. He couldn't tell what they could be.
"Yep, we're home" Michael said.
"Well I hope you guys stop feeling nostalgic soon because we've only got like an hour until the sun sets completely" Rokkan warned them.
"Then let's quickly head to the Crystal Temple" Michael suggested.
So they descended from their Dragon Saints and ran towards the Crystal Temple. They were met by the monks.
"Michael! Ryu! You were not supposed to return until your quest was completed!" the leader of the monks scolded them.
"Well we didn't intend to return. Strangely enough, our quest ends here" Ryu said.
"We need to investigate the sacred passage" Michael requested.
"Absolutely not! The last time you went down there, you nearly awakened Shekan!" one monk reminded everyone.
"Sheesh! All we did was read the inscriptions on that godforsaken statue!" Ryu muttered angrily.
"And it led to the invasion of this ryu and Nemesis getting hold of the Crystal gem and gaining seven times more power than he had before not to mention the death of your father!" another monk said angrily.
Michael suddenly grabbed him by the collar.
"I can understand you badmouthing me and not wanting us to go down the passage but don't you ever think about blaming Ryu for the death of my father or I may just forget that you're supposed to be a holy man and punch your lights out!" Michael roared and let the monk go.
"That's my Michael!" Nadia cheered.
"Michael, you don't need to defend me. I'm not the depressed helpless brat I was when we lived here. Let me talk with these monks in a more civilized way" Ryu said.
"Hmmph! You've grown quite insolent but it looks like you've become more mature" another monk said.
"Listen to me you pretentious jerks! Do you think using your holiness as an excuse to exile a couple of defenceless kids was going to protect this ryu?! Well let me tell you! An enemy you dread whose name I will not even mention for the fact that he might possess your rotten souls is about to be reawakened! An enemy even more dangerous, the likes of which you could hardly imagine! The worst part is…he is going to be reawakened in this ryu! So if you don't want the world to be destroyed because of your so called strict rules, you will get out of our way and let us do what we have come to do!" Ryu roared.
The monks were shocked speechless.
"If what you say is true, th-then make your way to the Temple. However…we still can't let you through the passage" the monks said.
"There, nothing like a little civility to do the job" Ryu boasted.
"That was the most uncivilized thing you could ever say to a monk you idiot!" Michael roared as he knocked Ryu on the head.
"Ouch!" Ryu grunted in pain.
"But at least I see what you mean about you not being such a helpless brat anymore" Michael said.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
By the time the sun finally began to set, the companions were in the Crystal Temple.
"This is where we were raised" Michael said.
"I was beginning to wonder when we'd see your home ryu" Atlanta said.
"We'd seen everyone else's ryu except for yours" Nadia said.
"Now you've seen it" Ryu said with a smile. "To tell the truth, the monks are not as bad as I made them sound. They're actually like family. I just wanted to blow off some steam after fuming over our banishment for so long" he laughed.
Nadia and Atlanta laughed.
A strange boy walked up to Ryu and the others. He had short dark hair and dark brown eyes. He had an innocent look about him.
"Excuse me but I happened to overhear your talk with the monks earlier on. You want to use the sacred passage right?" he asked.
"Who are you? I've never seen you around before" Ryu said suspiciously.
"Forgive my rudeness. My name is Arch. I am a Crystal element ninja born in another ryu. I came here a few months ago to develop my powers" he said.
"So what is your interest in us…or rather I should say, in our conversation" Ryu said quite suspiciously and rudely at the same time.
"Hey Ryu, aren't you being a bit rude?" Michael asked.
"I don't mind. I just want to say that I've thought of a way to get inside the sacred passage" Arch said.
"What?! For real?!" Nadia exclaimed in excitement.
"Thanks but we don't need your help. We can manage it on our own" Ryu said.
"Come on Ryu, we don't even have a plan" Atlanta said.
"There's…well, if you guys think it's okay" Ryu gave in.
"Okay, meet me here in two hours' time" Arch informed them.
"Okay" Michael agreed.
Immediately Arch left, Ryu frowned.
"I don't trust that guy. His presence here is just too convenient. I'm not that lucky" Ryu said seriously.
Atlanta opened her eyes in surprise, then she smiled.
"What are you thinking Ryu?" she asked.
She had learnt to trust his instincts.
"I mean, what are the chances that no sooner did we arrive in Crystal village and were told by the monks that we cannot enter into the sacred passage, than this guy shows up with a plan. It's almost like he was waiting for us" Ryu said.
"It is a little suspicious" Ken agreed.
"Or maybe he just wants to help" Tanya said thoughtfully.
"You're still quite naïve Tanya. No one drops such important information without an ulterior motive" Ryu said.
"I too find him suspicious" Rokkan agreed.
"For now, let's just play along. After all, he can get us inside" Ryu suggested.
"If you say so" Michael nodded in agreement.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Two hours later, the sun had completely disappeared and it was completely night time. Ryu and the others awaited Arch in the Crystal Temple. The room which contained the entrance to the sacred passage was further in and heavily guarded by Crystal ninja. Arch arrived on time.
"Okay, so here's the plan, we'll easily be caught if we all enter at the same time so Atlanta and I will enter while you guys distract the guards and the monks" Arch informed them.
"Something feels wrong but I can't seem to place my finger on it" Ryu thought as he bit his lip and thought deeply.
"Fine then, we'll catch up to you later" Michael said.
"Atlanta, take care" Ryu said worriedly.
"It's alright. I'll be fine" Atlanta said as she walked away with Arch.
"Okay, let's do this!" Ken exclaimed excitedly.
Michael and Ryu ran out of the Temple and transformed themselves into Dark ninja. Nadia, Rokkan and Ken pretended to confront them and they began to fight. Tanya wasted no time in seeking help causing many of the monks and ninja to leave their guard posts and confront the situation. During the confusion that ensued, Arch and Atlanta snuck into the inner Temple where the sacred passage was hidden. The Crystal Master came out and found the disguised Ryu and Michael pinned to the ground.
"What's going on here?!" he demanded.
"We caught these Dark ninja attempting to infiltrate the Temple" Rokkan lied.
"Nice try but those are no Dark ninja. Michael! Ryu, transform back into yourselves immediately!" The Crystal Master ordered.
"What a bummer. Caught so easily, right Mikey?" Ryu rubbed his head mischievously as he transformed back into himself.
Michael undid his transformation as well.
"As expected of the Crystal Master" Michael praised.
"What are you two up to? I refuse to believe all this was just for show" the Crystal Master examined their faces closely for answers.
"Well, who knows" Ryu said indifferently.
"We might have done it on a whim. Or perhaps we just wanted to test your skill level" Rokkan said quite confidently.
"I see but we don't have time to be distracted by your silly performances so you better behave yourselves" the Crystal Master warned them.
"Okay…if you say so" Ryu said insincerely.
The Crystal Master left with the Crystal ninja.
"Damn! The plan blew up in our faces! What can we…?" Ryu was saying when all of a sudden, a loud explosion rocked the outskirts of the Crystal village.
"Wh-What's happening?!" Tanya exclaimed in fear.
"Look up there!" Rokkan pointed towards the sky.
It was covered by an army of shadowy figures.
"They're here!" Ryu exclaimed.
"PRAISE LORD NEMESIS! HE HAS SUCCESSFULLY INFILTRATED THE CRYSTAL TEMPLE! SHEKAN, OUR FATHER WILL SOON BE RELEASED!!!" a loud voice sounded from the sky.
"Those are…" Michael exclaimed in horror.
"Dark mongerers!" Rokkan completed his sentence.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Meanwhile, the same thing was happening in the other ryu. Nemesis' forces were invading in a full scale assault. In the Fire Kingdom, the king gave orders for 'Operation Limelight' to be executed. The order was simultaneously relayed to all the ryu by their superiors. Michael's plan was simple. It involved mainly the participation of the Fire and Crystal ninja. For a year, the Fire and Crystal ninja had been evenly distributed amongst all the ryu. The Limelight device was a huge contraption made up of a huge diffractive crystal at its centre, surrounded by ten huge lenses, two on each side, and one above and below it. The upgrade the king had added consisted of millions of tiny crystals that surrounded the device. The plan was to render the Shadow ninja powerless by using light to take away their power. That was where the Fire ninja came in. The lenses surrounding the Limelight device contained a special property allowing them to separate heat from light. The Shadow ninja noticed the devices but they ignored them in their ignorant pride. The other ryu had unveiled their devices and the Fire ninja began to execute operation Limelight by shooting their fire techniques through the lenses. The heat was sieved out of the flames leaving pure light. When the light entered the huge crystal, diffraction took place and was amplified by the millions of crystals surrounding it, lighting up the ryu like daytime and effectively rendering the Shadow ninja powerless. During the confusion of the Shadow ninja, Anna and Shroud appeared and caused more confusion by attacking them. Many other ninja in the resistance had also clothed themselves in the ceremonial clothes of the Dark ninja and spread themselves amongst the ryu attacking and confusing the Dark ninja while riding tame Dark mongerers. For a while, it seemed like the Dark ninja were at a terrible disadvantage.
In the Crystal ryu, Ryu and the others admired Michael's plan.
"But what did that Shadow ninja mean by Nemesis has infiltrated the Temple?" Ryu wondered.
Then he thought back to Atlanta and Arch's departure.
"Atlanta and I will enter while you guys distract the guards and the monks" Ryu recalled Arch's words.
"OH NO!" he exclaimed in horror.
"What?" Nadia asked worriedly.
"Arch knew Atlanta's name even though he was a stranger and none of us mentioned our names to him. The only name mentioned in his presence was mine! There was no way he should have known Atlanta's name! Atlanta!" Ryu called as he ran into the Temple.
"Ryu!" Michael called.
"Hold off the Dark ninja! It should be easier now thanks to your plan! I'll aid Ryu!" Rokkan ordered and ran after Ryu.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Meanwhile, Arch and Atlanta had successfully made it into the underground Temple.
"We made it!" Atlanta said excitedly.
Arch saw the long flight of stairs with the Statue of Shekan at its zenith. He walked to the stairs and began to ascend them.
"Arch, shouldn't we wait for Ryu and the others?" Atlanta asked uncertainly.
Arch remained silent and continued to ascend the stairs. When he was halfway up the stairs, he paused and turned to face Atlanta who remained at the bottom of the stairs.
"All my life, my entire purpose, travelling with Gaiden, invading the ryu…it was all for this one moment and now…that moment has arrived" Arch said.
"What? It…It can't be!" Atlanta opened her eyes in shock as Arch slowly transformed into Nemesis.
"Thank you Atlanta. I would never have come this far without your help" Nemesis said seriously.
"Nemesis! But why?! Why do you insist on this madness?!" Atlanta yelled angrily.
"For one reason only…revenge!" Nemesis said arrogantly.
"On whom do you want to wreak this vengeance?!" Atlanta asked.
"On the Saint Of The Dark ryu…on Tristran!" Nemesis declared.
"Tristran?!" Atlanta drew back in horror.
"But…why?" she asked.
"Hmmph! Since you are about to die anyway, I'll tell you. Shekan was the only family I had. I was an orphan whose village had just been destroyed by Tristran's creatures of hate, the Dark mongerers. I watched everyone I knew die and I couldn't do a thing. As I lay there…on the verge of leaving this mortal coil, Shekan found me and then he said something to me I will never forget. 'If you believe this world is warped, then become stronger and fix it with your own hands'. Shekan trained me in the ways of the Samurai and the ninja. We travelled the world together and eventually decided to stay in the Light ryu. I considered Shekan my father, and he considered me his son. But one day, while he was training in the Sacred Temple Of Light, Tristran's spirit appeared and told him that the cause of all humanity's suffering was because of the existence and rule of the Dragon Saints who toyed with humanity's destiny and sufferings. Enraged, Shekan began to allow Tristran into his heart until, the father I knew was no more. To save him, I travelled the world and heard of a rising hero who had saved many ryu. Gaiden promised to help me release Shekan but…he betrayed me and sealed my father! Everything is Tristran's fault. I will release my father from his cursed fate and exact vengeance on Tristran!" Nemesis declared.
"Y-You did all this! Killed so many people, hurt the ryu countless times, took away Ryu and Michael's parents, Ken's family, Nadia's village…Rokkan's comrades…Tanya's mother...ALL FOR SUCH A PETTY THING AS REVENGE?!" Atlanta yelled angrily. "I don't care if I lose my life but…I am going to stop you Nemesis! Now I know your reason, I can't let you go through with this! Don't you see you have allowed Tristran into your heart just like Shekan did?!" Atlanta yelled.
Ryu and Rokkan were nearing the Temple when they noticed that a strange crimson light had begun to shine over them and over the entire village. In fact, it shone all over the world.
"What's this evil light?!" Ryu exclaimed and raised his eyes to look at the sky.
Rokkan did the same.
When their eyes were completely raised towards the sky, their shock made their knees give way and they collapsed to the ground, shivering from fear. For in the sky, the sixth and final moon of Tristran had appeared. The power of all six blood red moons gave the world a crimson evil glow.
"No! No! NO!" Ryu screamed in horror.
Rokkan recovered his senses.
"Ryu! Snap out of it! It's not too late just yet. We must stop Nemesis!" Rokkan said.
"You're right Rokkan" Ryu said as he stood up.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Back in the Crystal Temple, Nemesis and Atlanta were still arguing.
"I don't need your opinion and…I no longer need you!" Nemesis said as he charged up a dark orb of electricity. "DIE! ATLANTA!" Nemesis roared as he hurled the orb towards Atlanta.
Atlanta dived out of its path. The orb hit her side and she collapsed to the ground and lost consciousness.
"I will not be foiled" Nemesis said as he ascended the stairs.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
The moons of Tristran had returned the power of the Shadow ninja and the clash became severe. Luckily, the Shadow ninja had already lost a large number of their forces due to Operation Limelight. Now they attacked even more fiercely than before. The Fire ninja summoned Phoenixes and ordered them to shoot concentrated beams of fire through the lenses. The light became brighter than before impairing not only the power of the Shadow ninja but their sight as well. The power of the moons of Tristran was so much that Operation Limelight only cut the power of the Shadow ninja by half. Therefore, the ninja had to engage in decisive combat. All civilians had been evacuated to underground shelters and caves for safety. They could still watch the battle through openings in the roofs and walls of the shelters. It was now an all-out war between the ryu and the Dark ryu.
Ryu and Rokkan pushed the Dragon head back and the sacred passage opened. They descended the stairs leading to the sacred underground Temple.
"Atlanta! Atlanta!" Ryu called desperately as he descended the stairs hurriedly.
At the bottom, he found Atlanta lying in a pool of blood.
"Atlanta!" Ryu called as he rushed to her side.
He concentrated on utilizing his mental and spiritual energy.
"Come on Atlanta! Come on! You can't die, come on Atlanta!" he called as he focused more power.
A bright blue light enveloped Atlanta's wound. Ryu felt his spiritual energy flow into Atlanta's body and her wound slowly closed up.
"How did you do that?" Rokkan asked in surprise.
"Magic, weren't you taught?" Ryu asked.
Rokkan shook his head.
"No" he said simply.
"Atlanta, please open your eyes!" Ryu called as he hugged her tightly.
"Ryu, you must…ugh…stop…Nemesis" Atlanta said weakly.
Ryu looked around and saw Nemesis at the top of the stairs, close to…the Statue Of Shekan!
"The time is finally at hand! Watch me Ryu…as I unseal my father…SHEKAN!" Nemesis called as he ripped the top of his armour and removed the Crystal gem from an amulet around his neck.
"NEMESIS NO! DON'T DO IT!!!" Ryu screamed at the top of his voice as Nemesis fixed the gem into the chest of the statue.
There was a loud sound like the beating of a heart and the statue began to pulsate with power!