Mia shivered at the entrance to the Goddess Tower. Although it was on the highest mountain, it never occurred to her that it might be windy and cold. After all, Vane orbited the tower, and she was comfortable there. But then Vane wasn't quite as isolated from the rest of the world.

She looked up in awe of the towering ivory structure and thought she saw a shape pass by one of the long thin windows of the second floor. Suddenly she longed to be high up in that tower and be able to look down at all the valleys and hills beneath her. Lemia never let her get close enough to the edge of Vane because she was afraid her daughter would fall off. She sighed, and wished she was like the goddess so that she could just sit in her tower and watch everything.

Ghaleon took a step forward, pulling her back to their present condition as she hurried to keep up with him. His long strides weren't too difficult for her to keep up with, and she trotted along, taking in all the vaulted ceilings and gilded statues they passed by on their way through the entrance hall. She let go of Ghaleon's hand to run ahead and peer at a gold-framed tapestry up on the ivory wall.

"Ghaleon, who's that?"

The premier had been trying to avoid looking at the figure in the tapestry, but exhaled heavily and turned to face it.

"Mia, that's a picture of Dragonmaster Dyne. Althena keeps tapestries of all the Dragonmasters that have served her over the years. I've seen quite a few of these in various rooms. So now you know what Dyne looked like, he saved Lunar from the black dragon the year you were born."

"Oh yes," she smiled. "Mommy always tells me stories about the adventures the four of you had. How come you never talk about it?"

"I just don't like to."

Mia looked disappointed, but didn't question him. So she looked back up at the tapestry. The young man depicted was wearing a gray armor with a red helmet. His face was round and clean-shaven, like a boy who had just barely reached manhood. But she noticed his bright green eyes more than anything else. However, the rest of the cloth looked faded, which bothered her. Somehow she felt the tapestry should be bright and happy since the goddess walked the halls.

Suddenly she asked, "Ghaleon, does the goddess know we're here? I thought we're supposed to knock before walking in."

"It's okay," he replied, not answering her question. "The goddess never answers the door. Usually anyone who wishes to see her must fight their way past the guards."

Ghaleon glanced meaningfully at several stone statues that lined the hallways. He remembered the statues coming to life during his last visit here. They were programmed to prevent anyone from reaching the goddess. But a prospective Dragonmaster and his friends should be able to defeat them. It was a good way of testing their mettle. However, unbeknownst to Mia, Ghaleon had cast a powerful warding spell over the both of them, preventing the magic that guided the statues from sensing the two. He didn't want the creatures to hurt Mia. It certainly would be a mess trying to explain that to Lemia.

"Now come along," he ordered, starting down the hallways again. Mia paused a moment and then skipped after him.

Being in the tower agitated Ghaleon more than he cared to admit. If his first visit had been incredibly soothing, this one was just as oppressing. Nearly all his magical energy was being spent to prevent the guardians of the tower from sensing his thoughts. He was confident that the statues would leave him alone, but the Dragon Angels were what bothered him. The twin angels were close to gods in their own right in that they were immortal. Ghaleon believed they could be killed, but he didn't want to test his theory. At least, not yet.

The angels could sense what was in the minds of others, and were able to read into the person's past, hence their names Thought and Memory. Ghaleon hoped his spells would protect him from their inevitable probes. Since all magic on Lunar was tied to the mana the goddess has given them, it could only be performed as long as the goddess and her dragon protectors lived. Because they were the source of magic, they could easily break through any defenses constructed with it, and ordinary magicks weren't that effective against them.

Dragon magic could hurt them, but only people who were Dragonmaster material could learn them, and such people would not use those spells against them, except in the test to gain AlthenaŐs Sword. Of course, Ghaleon thought, there was a time when both he and Dyne were trying to become Dragonmasters at the same time. Oddly enough, both had acquired the Dragon Bolt and Dragon Quake spells. But then the two had decided that it was going too far, and that only one of them should, could become Dragonmaster. To prevent later disappointments or conflicts should one of them not be approved by a dragon, or even worse, should the two be approved by all four, Dyne and Ghaleon had had their duel. Ghaleon never regretted the fact that Dyne won, since his friend definitely was the better swordsman of the two, but he sometimes wished later events had turned out differently.

At any rate, dragon magic and ordinary mortal magic were the only kinds seen in the modern world, and depending on their nature, they either drew their power from the dragons or the goddess. There was rumored to be a third kind of magic that the exiled Vile Tribe used, but he was unaware of what itŐs power source was. Since Ghaleon knew of the shortcomings of the magic taught in Vane, he knew he would need another sort of magic to accomplish his plans. Although in its rudimentary stages, Ghaleon discovered a way to cast new spells by harnessing the force of the one thing he knew he could always count on; his own spirit.

This new magic was very draining on the user, since it exhausted the soul. At first, Ghaleon couldn't cast any more than two or three simple spells at a time with it. But as time passed, he got better at managing the flow of energy. It still was better to use ordinary magic, but he felt this new magic was the only way to prevent the goddess, dragon angels, and the dragons themselves from foiling his plans. It would be his only defense since they were unaware of its existence and unlikely to look for it, let alone a way to break it down. Besides, if all the dragons died, the magic of Lunar would go with them. But his new technique would allow him to retain his magic because he would no longer need the dragons as a power source.

"Ghaleon?"

Mia interrupted his thoughts. But he swiftly decided it was a good thing. If he ruminated over his magic too much, his thoughts may prove too difficult for his mental shields to contain.

"Yes, Mia?" he asked patiently.

"What's up that staircase?"

She pointed at an ornately gilded arch with marble steps spiraling upward.

"It leads to the goddess's inner sanctum where potential Dragonmasters are tested. That's where we'll be going."

"Why?" She peered at him quizzically. "Are you going to become a Dragonmaster?"

"No, I have some business with the dragon angels that stand guard up there."

He headed up the stairs and Mia followed, carefully not to scrape her legs against the hard marble corners.

When they reached the top, Ghaleon started towards the dais and the two angels who no doubt were already waiting for him. Their eyes were on him now, and he would have to be careful. He noticed Mia examining the many candles in the room, which was good. He wanted her to be in sight so that the dragon angels would feel less inclined to get into any physical or magic bouts with him. But hopefully they wouldn't feel he was doing anything out of the ordinary, so that precaution wouldn't be necessary. And it was good that Mia wasn't in earshot.

"What brings you here, Premier of Vane?" asked Thought, his deep voice rumbling with almost has much intensity as a full-grown dragon.

"Yes, we haven't seen you in over a decade and a half," added Memory, her voice emitting feelings of welcome and hope.

Ghaleon bowed to them in greeting and chose his words carefully. "I have been having some most disturbing sensations this past year. And then when I became positive about their source, I realized that they have been going on for nearly five years, but that I hadn't noticed it until they had increased to a level at which I could sense them."

"And what do you sense?" asked Thought.

Ghaleon stood straight and faced the male of the pair. "I have reason to believe that Goddess Althena is no longer in this tower and that she has come down to Lunar to live as a mortal again."

Neither angel commented, so Ghaleon continued. "As one of Althena's heroes, you know my bond to her is strong, so I can sense things such as this. I came here to confirm my suspicions. As you know, Lunar is more vulnerable without her. Next to the dragons and yourselves, the Vane Magic Guild is her next line of defense since she currently has no dragonmaster. So it would benefit us to know if this is true or not."

Thought turned to Memory. What do you think? Should we tell him?

I don't want word to spread about Althena's absence. It could create panic, and then if there is a potential danger, it may present itself because of the opportunity, she mentally replied.

But Ghaleon can sense it. If we don't tell him, he'll probably figure it out for certain on his own soon enough.

That is true. Perhaps we can extract a promise from him so that he will not spread the news. It actually might be better if someone in Vane knows the goddess is gone so that they can prepare quickly if a danger arises. The magicians there are quite efficient.

I think they are also likely to eventually discover Althena's absence on their own if given time, but it may be more comforting to know that there is some control over the situation.

I would have to agree with that.

Perhaps we should tell him. He may be our next Dragonmaster if something does happen.

Well, he's still young right now, but he will get old you know.

Do I? Ghaleon isn't human. I don't know much about him, and that bothers me.

You shouldn't let it, she chided. Anyway, Ghaleon's origin is not the issue.

All right, I guess we should tell him. But let's also extract a promise from him.

What kind of promise?

We'll ask him to make sure this knowledge does not spread. People will panic if they knew their beloved goddess was not watching over them. You know what could happen.

Yes, you have a good idea. Let us present it to him.

The entire interchange took place in seconds. Although Ghaleon knew they were communicating, he couldn't guess the volume of what took place, and imagined the conversation to be much simpler. However, he was pleased when he heard their answer.

"Your suspicions are correct, young Ghaleon," said Thought.

"Althena had decided that is was once again time for her to live among the humans," added Memory.

"So she was reborn and sent away."

"Now that you know this," began Memory.

"We have a request to ask of you," finished Thought.

Ghaleon didn't like the sound of that, but didn't change his expression. "What do you wish of me?" he asked.

"Nothing much," replied Thought. "We have imparted this knowledge to you in hopes that it will be guarded wisely. Considering your exemplary service to the goddess, we hope we have not made a mistake in telling you. As you know, there are many ways this knowledge can be used destructively. So we only ask that you not let this knowledge spread. As the years pass, we are certain that other mortals will also suspect the goddess is missing. We want you to try discouraging such ideas and rumors. This will make her absence easier on us all."

The young premier was relieved. This would work into his plans well. "You can count on me."

"One other thing," Memory quickly spoke up. "I am curious as to why you brought that girl with you."

Ghaleon replied, "She is Lemia's daughter, and she wanted to see the world outside of Vane. Since the Goddess Tower is central to our world, I thought it would be a good idea for her to see such a place while she is young and learning." His voice grew remorseful, but the dragon angels did not catch the change due to his magical wardings. "I want her to have a reverence for life, and to understand what to strive for. This place holds all that is dear to Lunar."

"You've made a wise choice in showing her this place," said Memory, laying a clawed hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps when she is older, we would like to see her again."

Ghaleon wordlessly nodded, and with a curt bow, took his leave of them. He motioned for Mia to come to him, and the child trotted down the stairs after him. They were back in Vane moments later, and Lemia never knew that they had gone.

The young premier was pleased that his suspicions were correct. Since Althena was gone, phase two of his plans could begin. But there were many preparations that would have to be made beforehand in order to for him to succeed in entering the Frontier and enlisting the help of the demons known as the Vile Tribe.