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Shadow Hearts Game Script Version 0.9
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Original Script copyright Sacnoth and Midway.

Transcribed and typed by gutterfiend ([email protected]).

Completed 03/01/03


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Table of Contents
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1.)  Disclaimer
2.)  Introduction
3.)  Game script
    a)  Asia section
    b)  Europe section
    c)  Good ending
    d)  Bad ending
    e)  Sidequests


--======--
Disclaimer
--======--

I do not own this script as it was written by the people at Sacnoth and
translated at Midway.  I am not making any money off of this script nor do I
plan to.  Please don't try to pass off my work as your own, but feel free to
use this script for a fanfic, etc. because that's what it was meant for.  If
you have any questions, comments, concerns, please contact me at the above
email.

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Introduction
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When lines are in round brackets () it means they are actions, explaining the
setting, etc.

When lines are in square brackets [] it means they are part of the game and
are usually explaining an action or are part of the narration.

I included the little emotion bubbles found in the game because they show how
the character is feeling.  (...) is silence, (H) is love (the heart), (C) is
confusion (the spiral) and (S) is sweatdrop.


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Asia Section
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[Rouen, France – 1913]

(There is a picture of a nondescript street in Rouen.)

[A travelling priest, brutally murdered before sunrise!]

(Picture of a mangled body outside of a church, and a newspaper article
depicting the incident.)

[His body lay scattered in pieces, as if savaged by a beast!  His daughter,
believed to be travelling with him, is missing…]

[South Manchu, autumn, that same year]

(A train is travelling across the countryside in the night.  Inside the train,
an older, well-dressed English gentleman walks down the aisle and allows an
elderly woman to pass.  As he continues onward, he passes by a young man
sitting sideways in his seat with his back to the aisle, covered in his jacket.
As the gentleman passes, the young man’s eyes open.  Meanwhile, in the luxury
car of the Japanese army, several soldiers are on guard.)

Major Tsugi:  It’s already past 2300, and it’s a long way to Fengtian.

Soldier:  Major Tsugi, what’s this all about?  Why this special train in the
middle of the night to escort this girl to Japan?  She looks pretty ordinary to
me.

Major Tsugi:  Hell if I know…There’s no telling what the big shots in Tokyo
were thinking.  Next time I see you-know-who I’ll ask her, okay?

(A young woman, the major and two guards are sitting in the back of the car.
There are two guards at the door.  Suddenly a cry rings out and one of the
soldiers falls to the floor in a bloody heap.  The other guard at the door
tries to back away in terror but something flashes in front of him and his neck
is broken.)

Major Tsugi:  What’s going on?

(The two riflemen in the back of the car stand up and take aim as the English
gentleman walks through the door of the car and smiles.  His familiar, a small
windshear, hovers over his shoulder.)

Major Tsugi:  Shoot!

(The two riflemen open fire but all of their shots are blocked by the familiar
as the English man walks calmly toward them.  Both guards are killed swiftly as
the girl and Major Tsugi watch in horror.  The Major pulls out a pistol and
begins to wildly shoot at the killer.)

Major Tsugi:  Die!  Die!  Die!

(The Major’s pistol runs out of bullets yet he continues to try to fire.  He is
killed and the girl looks away.)

Girl in Danger:  Eeek!  It’s you!

English Man:  Yes…  Roger Bacon.  I’m honoured that you remember me so well.
(Bacon’s familiar threatens the girl and she cringes in terror.)  You can’t
escape.  Come along quietly, sister.  (Turns to look as the door behind him
opens and the young man steps in.)  Ah…  A new actor in our play.

(The windshear attacks the young man suddenly, severing his left arm.  He grabs
it’s head with his other hand and squeezes until it the small creature
explodes.  He then nonchalantly picks up his arm of the floor and melds it back
on.)

Roger Bacon:  (shakes his head)  I was fond of him.

(The girl slowly starts to back away from Bacon while he is distracted.  He
grabs her arm and holds his hand in front of her face, a blue light appears and
she slumps forward, unconscious.  Bacon tosses her over his shoulder and turns
to leave.  The young man begins to run after him but suddenly a light flashes
from Bacon’s eyes and he is knocked backwards through three of the train cars.
When he finally comes to a stop he sits up, laughs, and continues after Bacon
and the girl.  The luxury car is empty when he returns but there is a large
hole in the roof.)

Rude Hero:  Up there?

(He jumps through the roof and pursues Bacon, who stops running when he hears
the young man approaching.)

Bacon:  You’re a persistent little rat, aren’t you?

Rude Hero:  You ain’t getting away, pops!

BATTLE     Rude Hero Vs. Roger Bacon

(The young man loses the fight because Bacon’s Revelation attack can deal 999
damage.)

Bacon:  You’re stronger than I expected…

Rude Hero:  Agh…!

Bacon:  Now, foul monster… you shall cease to be!  (Bacon’s hand begins to glow
with a purple light, at the same time the girl’s pendant begins to sparkle
strangely)  W-what on Earth!?

(As the light from her pendant glows brighter the girl begins to float off the
ground in front of Bacon, who cringes away in horror.  The young man runs at
Bacon and punches him in the face hard enough to cave in his skull.)

Bacon:  Wha…  Damn!

(The young man has picked up the girl and jumps off the train with her.  Bacon
pulls his hand away from his face to reveal that it is rapidly healing itself.
The man lands on the ground and watches the train travel off into the
distance.)


~~Plains~~


(An open field beside a small stream and the railroad tracks.  The girl is
asleep on the ground and the young man is standing nearby with his back to her.
He turns around as she wakes up.)

Rude Hero:  Yo there.  Finally comin’ to, huh?  If you’re looking for the
train, it’s long gone.  (she looks around)  Heh heh… pretty exciting, huh?  You
getting a tingly feeling?  (reaches toward her)  Right about here?

Girl in Danger:  (jumps back)  N-no…  Stay away!

Rude Hero:  Stay away?!  I haven’t even done anything yet.

Girl in Danger:  Stay… stay back, please…  I… I can’t.  No… I… I can’t do
anything, I….  (runs away)

Rude Hero:  Huh!?  Uh…  Where do you think you’re going?  I’m telling you, it’s
not safe that way.  (shakes his head)  Aw, give me a break…  Hey, girlie!
Don’t run off like that!  (starts after her but then falls to the ground)

Mysterious Voice:  Dark… and Ligh… reun..ed…  Prote… a… find yo… reas… fo…
living…

Rude Hero:  AARGH!!  That hurts…!  Not that damn voice again…!  (stands up)
Stupid voices!  Okay, I got it…  I’m supposed to protect her, right…?  (runs
after her)

Girl in Danger:  (off-screen)  Eeeek…!!

(The man sees the girl laying on the ground nearby and runs over to her.)

Rude Hero:  Heh heh…  Huh?  Hey!  What are you doing?  Wake up!  Were you
attacked or something?  I TOLD you it was dangerous, didn’t I…  (H)  Looks like
I’m the one who’s getting all tingly inside.  Maybe I should make a move.
He he…  (moves closer)  Um, hello?

Girl in Danger:  …

Rude Hero:  (kneels down)  Wonder if she’d mind if I…

Girl in Danger:  …

Rude Hero:  (C)  (stands up and looks away, then back to the girl)  Hey!  Girl!
Don’t just lie there like a dead fish!  Get up!  (she stands up and backs away
from him)  I bust my hump savin’ you, then you take one look at me and run off…
Then you faint?  (points at her)  You got no manners, y’know that?

Girl in Danger:  A…  A monster just suddenly…

Rude Hero:  (nods) Yeah.  There’s lots of hungry wolves and bloodsucking bats
around here.  (looks around)  You’re probably attracting them.  You smell
pretty good, y’know.

Girl in Danger:  (looks around)  …

Rude Hero:  Anyway, don’t run off like that, okay?  Cause if I don’t do like
the voice says, my head’s going to split open!

Girl in Danger:  …Huh?

Rude Hero:  …Don’t “huh?” me.  Someone, or something, is pretty damn insistent
that I protect you.

Girl in Danger:  Protect… me?

Rude Hero:  That’s right.  It’s always “Go protect that person!” or “Go to that
town!”.  Stupid voice jumps into my head all the time.  And now it’s orderin’
me to protect you.  Anyway, at least I’m never bored.  Wherever it tells me to
go, there are always plenty of monsters.

Girl in Danger:  So that’s why you were on the train?

Yuri:  Yup.  But thanks to that voice, I'm changing from your ordinary bad-boy
type into a real psycho.  What about you?  Hey, are you psycho, too?  Do you
see weird things?

Girl in Danger:  (nods)  …Maybe.

Rude Hero:  Well you don’t seem quite like me, but… whatever.  We can’t just
chat all day.  First, we’ve got to find a place to rest.  And I’m getting
hungry.  (starts walking away, the girl hesitantly follows, he stops and looks
at her)  Whoa, almost forgot.  My name’s Yuri.  You can call me Yuri.

Girl in Danger:  Yuri…  I’m Alice Elliot.  Please, call me Alice.

Yuri:  Heh heh, Alice, huh?  Even your name’s cute.

Alice:  …

Yuri:  (S)  Okay!  I got it!  I won’t touch you!  Right, we’re off!

(The two find a path, unfortunately it’s covered in water and is uncrossable.
Further on they find and old sluice gate.)

Yuri:  …Tsk, a dead end.

Alice:  Um… maybe if we do something with this sluice gate, we’ll be able to
cross the river.

Yuri:  Huh?  Ah, of course!  Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing.

Alice:  …

Yuri:  (S)  Er, anyway, let’s have a little search, then.  (Alice shakes her
head once he turns around)

(The gates are investigated and found to be mostly rotten so the handle of one
is placed on the one remaining solid gate.)

Yuri:  Okay!  Perfect!  A little rusty, but I ain’t complaining.  Looks like
it’ll take a while for the water to drain…  Hey, I say we take a rest over
there.

Alice:  R-right.

(Later, a bonfire has been built and Alice is sleeping beside it.  Yuri is
sprawled nearby.)

Alice:  Zzz…  Zzz…

Yuri:  She’s asleep.  What’s that all about?!  She’s got some nerve…  (H)
Yeah, to hell with it.  I’m just gonna…

Alice:  Unh, uhhh…  Father…

Yuri:  Wha… you talkin’ in your sleep!?  Don’t scare me like that!  (stands up)
Boy!  Why am I stuck protecting this damn girl?  (kneels down beside her)

Alice:  Zzz…  Zzz…

Yuri:  Oh, please.  Don’t tell me she’s dreamin’ about her DAD.  (stands up)
Whew…  I’m getting’ a bit sleepy myself…  (as he walks back to where he was
sitting earlier, the fire flickers ominously)  Wh-what the!?  This aura, it’s…

(A man wearing a long trench coat and a fox mask appears beside Alice.)

Fox Face:  Heh.  At last we meet…

Yuri:  (steps back, startled)  Father!  What…  What are you doing here?!

Fox Face:  I’ve come to visit, boy.  The souls of the monsters you’ve killed
are quite lonely, you see…

Yuri:  Souls of the… monsters…!?

Fox Face:  (gazes at Alice)  What a lovely face.  And yet, I must show proper
courtesy.  It is thanks to this woman’s power that I am even here.

Yuri:  Her power?!  What?!

Fox Face:  Haven’t you noticed?  This world overflows with the ghosts of the
monsters you’ve slain.  The gate of eternal darkness was closed until now, you
see… this woman is causing it to open!  The ghosts sealed inside the darkest
depths of your heart… they call to me, boy.  And they demand that I devour your
very soul!  (laughs, disappears and reappears closer to Yuri)

Yuri:  Stay away!

BATTLE     Yuri Vs Fox Face

(Yuri also loses this battle as Fox Face can deal maximum damage.)


~~GRAVEYARD~~

(A small, misty graveyard in the dark.  There is an iron fence running around
the outside and several large trees.  There are two gates with lit lanterns on
them, one is locked and the other is open.  Yuri is laying on the ground in
front of the open one.)

Yuri:  (stands up)  Unh…  What’s goin’ on…  Where am I?!  This is just like in
my dreams!!  (puts up fists)  Huh?!  Where’s…!?  Where is he?!  Heh heh, so he
didn’t come with me, eh?  Damn!  I can’t believe this.  Honestly, this is a
pretty lame illusion.  If… it is an illusion.  (walks further in and looks at
the gravestones)  …Yup, this is it all right.  The graveyard from my dreams.
Aw, man, I don’t want to be remembering this!  Now’s the part where I get lost,
then wake up in a cold sweat just as a monster’s about to eat me.  (looks
around)  No, no, NO!  Nothin’ but trouble ever since that freakin’ voice showed
up!  Maybe I’ve lost it completely.  First, Dad jumps out of my nightmare and
shows up right before my eyes… and now I’M in the dream!  I save that girl and
don’t get so much as a SMILE.  C’mon, aren’t they supposed to get all
dewy-eyed, “Ooh, Mr. Yuri!  Thank you ever so much!  SMOOCH!”  …Ain’t that how
it’s s’posed to go?  …  (S)  Oh man, now I’m all depressed.

(Nearby there is a mausoleum with four mask floating in front of it.  Yuri
walks over to them.)

Yuri:  That door…  …Now I see.  So it was you all along pulling the strings,
eh?

Sword Mask:  We are pleased to see you, boy…  The detestable young Harmonixer
who damned us to eternal hell…

Yuri:  He he, no need to thank me.  But to be honest, I really haven’t missed
you guys at all.

Staff Mask:  Ho ho ho…  Your pathetic bravado can’t hide your fear.

Yuri:  (prepares to fight)  Keep laughin’!!  I’ll slice that stupid mask in
two!!

Gold Mask:  Ha ha ha!  Your mind may not comprehend this place, but your heart
understands it full well.  Yes.  This world is a reflection of your own mind’s
darkness, darkness you have created yourself.

Yuri:  …

Grail Mask:  Ho ho ho…  The more of our brethren roaming about the world you
strike down, the more you shall become saturated with venomous Malice, born of
their bitter vengeance…  And when the limit is passed, so then shall HE be
reborn into the world of the living.  Ho ho ho…  The man, the very thought of
whom make you shrink in terror…

(Fox face appears behind the masks, laughs and disappears.)

Yuri:  (startled)  Enough!  Shut your stinkin’ mask face!!  That’s enough!!
You think I’m scared!?  Don’t make me laugh!  I’ve been huntin’ monsters for
over ten years.  I can handle one or two of those guys with the flick of a
finger!  You got that, you bodiless freaks!

Sword Mask:  Ha ha ha…  Don’t get so excited.  You loved your father so much,
that now you’re wandering aimlessly in search of him.

Yuri:  Stay out of this!  Look, I’m just out for revenge for my parents.  It’s
none of your concern!

Staff Mask:  Heh.  Strange words for someone who still desperately wants to
believe his father is alive somewhere…

Yuri:  (clenches his fists)  You..  Now you’re really starting to piss me off!
Say another word and I’ll smash your smirking faces in!!

Gold Mask:  Ha ha ha!  Slow down, boy.  Worry not, we have a proper opponent
for you!  To sweep away the accumulation of Malice, you must do battle!

(The Masks call forth a Malice monster for Yuri to fight, which he defeats.)

Yuri:  Hah!!  C’mon, at least give me some sort of challenge!  Who’s next?  You
guys?!

Grail Mask:  Ho ho ho…  Well done.  Your victory has swept aside the vengeance
of our brethren.  And it appears that the reactions of that cursed talisman you
hold have vanished as well.

Sword Mask:  Heh heh heh…  It’s too early to get cocky, boy.  This purification
is only temporary.

Yuri:  What’s that supposed to mean?!

Staff Mask:  Ho ho ho…  When you return to your world, killing our compatriots
will only result in increased Malice.  Then you will come back here to lower
it.  No matter how many you slaughter, this hell will continue.

Gold Mask:  Ha, ha, ha!  Then, in due time, HE will be resurrected…  The man
you fear more than Death itself!

Grail Mask:  Tee hee hee…  Do you intend to keep running forever…?

Staff Mask:  Ho ho ho…  How much easier it would be for you if you’d simply
come here in death.

Yuri:  (turns to leave)  Enough!  Shut up!

Sword Mask:  Ha ha ha…  Be gone with you, boy!  Return to the world of the
living!

(As Yuri leaves, he inspects one of the tombstones, which is glowing.)

Yuri:  Yeowch!  Aren’t these tombstone thingies freaky?  Almost like they’re
alive.  Ha ha!  Wouldn’t it be hilarious if all the monsters I’ve killed
started crawlin’ out of these?  Heh heh…  This one’s glowing.  Seal of Earth,
huh…?  (there is a flash of light)  Huh?!

BATTLE     Yuri Vs Raging Tiger

Yuri:  Heh heh!  Yeah, I knew you’d show up!  But it didn’t quite go as
planned, eh?!  Huh?!  What the…?  Suddenly I feel… awful…!!  (falls to the
ground)

[A violent impulse wells up inside you…  You’ve received the Soul of Tigerion!]

Yuri:  A new spirit to fuse with…  Is this… my power?

(Yuri approaches the gate to leave.)

[…ease!  Wa… up!]

Yuri:  …Huh?  That voice…?

Alice:  (off-screen)  Yuri…!  Please, open your eyes!

Yuri:  (falls to the ground)  Aargh!  …My head again!!

(Fade out…)

Alice:  Wake up!  Wake up, please!  Yuri…!  Please, open your eyes!


~~Plains~~

(The fire has gone out and Yuri is laying face down on the ground with Alice
kneeling beside him.  They both stand and Yuri turns away.)

Yuri:  So… he’s back.

Alice:  Are you all right?  You were having a nightmare…  Mumbling about
masks…  And ‘Malice’.

Yuri:  (turns around)  …None of your business.  My head’s really starting to
hurt.  That’s all.  Whew…  How long was I out?

Alice:  Only two or three minutes since I found you.  But you seemed to be in
such pain.

Yuri:  Nothin’ to worry about.  I always have nightmares.  Ever since I was a
kid.  …C’mon, let’s go.


~~Outside Zhaoyang Village~~

Yuri:  Hey!  Look at those lights!  It’s a town.

Alice:  …

Yuri:  Why the long face?  We’ll have food, and a bed to rest on!  (starts
walking toward town, falls to the ground)

Mysterious Voice:  Be caref… … … Guar..ian … Purg...tory … Man..eater… tr..p
…wait…

Yuri:  Pant, pant…  It’s… gone…?  (stands up)  Aaaargh!!  Leave me alone!  Damn
you!!  Leave me ALONE!  I’m not a damn marionette, you hear me?!  (kicks at
ground)

Alice:  Um, Yuri…  That voice.

Yuri:  (glares at her)  Yeah, what about it!?

Alice:  I heard it, too…

Yuri:  Really?!

Alice:  (nods)  Yes.  I don’t think it means us any harm.  I didn’t sense
anything evil about it.  I think…  It feels like it just wants to tell us
something.

Yuri:  … … … …Oh yeah?

Alice:  Let’s head for the village.  (walks away)

Yuri:  That Alice…  She hears the voice but it doesn’t bother her!  Why?  Hey,
wait up!  Don’t leave me here!  (runs after her)

(Alice and Yuri approach the town’s large wooden gate.)

Yuri:  We’re here.  Looks like we’ll be able to get food and a place to rest.

Alice:  (looks at the gate)  …

Yuri:  What’s up?  Something wrong?

Alice:  The voice…  It tried to warn us about danger in this village, something
waiting to devour us.  That’s what it started to say, anyway.  I think we
should be extra careful.

Yuri:  Ha ha, how cool’n’collected you are!  You talk as if it’s happening to
someone else.  (Alice looks frightened)  But not to worry.  Nothin’ can
surprise me at this point.

(In the meantime, two children walk out behind the gate unnoticed by Yuri.)

Yellow-eyed Child:  Hey, look!!

Yuri:  (startled)  Wh-Wha!?  (runs up to the gate)  D-damn brats!!  Don’t
freak me out like that or I’ll kick your scrawny little asses!

Red-eyed Child:  I knew it!

Yellow-eyed Child:  You’re right!  It’s true!

Yuri:  (kicks the gate)  Huh?  Look, you brats live here, right?  Here in town?
Great.  Open the gate.  (kicks it again)

Red-eyed Child:  Um, nobody gets in at night, so you’re just gonna hafta stay
out there.

Yellow-eyed Child:  Yup, we can’t let you in.

Yuri:  Run along and get your mommy.  Tell her you’ve got guests.

(Both children suddenly notice Alice.)

Red-eyed Child:  Hey…  That’s a woman, right?!

Yellow-eyed Child:  Yeah, she’s TOTALLY a girl, right?!  Nice and soft!

Yuri:  (C)  Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?

Alice:  (walks up to the gate)  Sorry to trouble you so late, but we’re lost.
Would you allow us to stay here for the night?

Red-eyed Child:  Ooh, she looks so tender!

Yellow-eyed Child:  A nice, juicy girl!

Yuri:  ……

(The children open the gate and both run up to Alice.)

Red-eyed Child and Yellow eyed Child:  (H)

Alice:  (S)

Red-eyed Child:  Eh heh heh!  It’s okay, you can come in!

Yellow-eyed Child:  Tee hee hee.  Yeah, you can come inside now!

Alice:  Thank you.

Red-eyed Child:  Our house is at the very end of the square.  We’ll be waiting!
Bye!

Yellow-eyed Child:  Whee, whee, a girl, we have a girl!  Gotta go tell Granny
Mayor right away!!

Alice:  …

Yuri:  …

(They follow the children into town and the gate swings shut behind them.)


~~Zhaoyang Village~~

(There is a dirt road with wooden shacks lining each side and a well in the
middle.  There is a large house near the end of the road with a small clearing
beyond it.  In the clearing beyond the house Alice and Yuri find a shrine made
up of the bones of humans.  There is a small altar in the middle.)

Alice:  Th-those are all… bones!  Human bones!!  The bones of people… killed
here!  What’s happening in this village…?!

Yuri:  (inspects some of the bones on the ground)  Looks like the voice was
right.  These people’re cannibals.

Alice:  Look over there, that shrine…  (points)  It’s as if it holds all the
anger of people that died here.

Yuri:  …

Alice:  …

Vacant-eyed Old Man:  (walks up behind them)  Hee hee…  Good travellers, you
like the shrine?

Yuri:  What is it, pops?!

Old Man:  Hee hee…  Looking for the Black Tortoise God that was enshrined here?
He’s been gone for six months!

Alice:  The Black Tortoise God?

Old Man:  Yes, to pacify the Earth Spirits, humans deified him, and built this
shrine.  It’s all such nonsense!  But now with the troublesome Black Tortoise
God gone, we’re free to do as we please!  We can even take the form of humans!
We couldn’t ask for more!  The only problem is now we get hungry…  It’s all
thanks to the new protector of our town, Yamaraja!

Yuri:  Yamaraja?  What kind of a name for a demon is that?  (looks at the
shrine)  I suppose I’d find him in that shrine there?

Old Man:  How… how insolent!  But, no matter…  You won’t last long…  Tonight
there’ll be a special feast, for our rare guests…  Now, you just run along and
say hello to the Granny Mayor.  Hee hee…  (walks away)

Alice:  (runs up to Yuri)  Don’t tell me we’re going to be eaten…?

Yuri:  Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m not too fond of the idea.

Alice:  (stamps her foot)  I’m not happy about it either, I can tell you!

Yuri:  Ha ha ha!  It’s all right, I’ll protect you.

Alice:  …

(When they walk back into town they are met by the two children outside of the
largest house.)

Red-eyed Child:  Ooh, it’s the girl from before!  Thank goodness!!

Yellow-eyed Child:  You really came!!  We’re so glad!!  C’mon, c’mon, come
inside!!  (both children run back inside)

Alice:  …


~~Granny Mayor’s House~~

(An old woman is kneeling over an open pit in the middle of the main room.
There is an altar with lit candles behind her.)

Yellow-eyed Child:  Granny Mayor!  Granny Mayor!  We got visitors!  Visitors
with lotsa juicy, juicy meat.

Red-eyed Child:  …Juicy!

(The door creaks open and Yuri and Alice enter.)

Yuri:  You’re the mayor’s wife?  Great!  As you can see, I have a lady with me.
We sure could use a bed for the night.

Mayor Lady:  (without looking up)  Yes, yes!  I heard all about you from the
children.  You just make yourselves at home.  We rarely get visitors here.  We
don’t have much for you, but please rest your weary bones.

Yuri:  Hey, thanks, ma’am.  We’ll be out of your way by early morning.

Mayor Lady:  Hee hee…  Now, now, no need to rush.  You just stay as long as you
like!

Alice:  Thanks, ma’am.  It’s kind of you to let us stay, having just shown up
in the middle of the night like this.

Mayor Lady:  What a nice-mannered young lady.  But you don’t have to worry
about your manners so much here.  …For, it won’t change the taste of their
meat.

Alice:  …

Yuri:  Kind woman!  You all talk as if you’re going to have us for supper!

Mayor Lady:  Hee hee hee…  Well, at least one of you has brains!  Eat you both,
we will!  (Alice looks frightened but Yuri laughs)  I’ve got to go tell
Yamaraja we have an offering for him.  Hmph, let me get through here…  Okay,
okay…  (stands up and leaves)

Yellow-eyed Child:  C’mon you two, here, take a load off!

Red-eyed Child:  Don’t worry, we’ll be right outside so you can’t get away!
(both run off)

Alice:  …  (Yuri has begun investigating the room)  We’re in trouble now.
Looks like they’ve got us trapped.

Yuri:  It appears so.

Alice:  (stamps her foot)  How can you be so calm at a time like this?!

Yuri:  (walks over to her)  Aw, c’mon, if you get too anxious, it’ll just make
you hungry.  Let’s take a rest, and see what their next move is.

Alice:  (C)

(Fade out…  There is the sound of a door creaking open.)

Yellow-eyed Child:  They asleep?

Red-eyed Child:  Looks like it!

(Fade in…  Yuri and Alice are both sleeping on the floor beside the pit.)

Yellow-eyed Child:  Hooray!  Let’s just have a tiny little taste!

Red-eyed Child:  Quietly, now, or Granny Mayor’s gonna kill us!

(Alice and Yuri suddenly stand up.)

Yellow-eyed Child:  Yikes!  They’re NOT asleep!

Red-eyed Child:  Y-You tricked us!!

Yuri:  Well then, don’t sneak up on us!  And if you do, at least do a good job
of it…  You’re finally ready to show yourselves for who you really are?  Huh?
Little goblin brats!

Yellow-eyed Child:  Darn!  If we let you get away, everyone’ll get mad and then
they’ll eat us up!  And if we DON’T let you get away, they’ll know we tried to
sneak a taste, so they’ll eat us anyway!

Red-eyed Child:  If we’re gonna get eaten no matter what, I at least wanna
taste the girl!  Lemme have the girl!

Yuri:  Hah!  Tough luck, kids!  If anyone’s going to eat her, it’s me!

Alice:  (C)

Yellow-eyed Child:  Ooh, you’re so bad!

Red-eyed Child:  We’ll kill you!!

BATTLE     Yuri and Alice Vs two Hellcats

(Both kids fall to the ground.)

Yellow-eyed Child:  Oh nooo, Granny Mayooor!!

Red-eyed Child:  He’s not human!!

Yuri:  You’d just get the runs if you ate us, anyway!  Got it, fools?

Alice:  (walks over to the door)  Yuri, it sounds like something’s happening
outside!

Yuri:  Oh?  So the whole town’s decided to show their true selves, have they?


~~Zhaoyang Village~~

Alice:  !?  It’s like a sea of blood!  Is this what the village really looks
like?

Yuri:  Yes, this is what was left after the demons devoured the humans.  Be
careful.  I think they mean business this time.

(Granny Mayor is discovered at the shrine to Yamaraja.)

Mayor Lady:  Eh?!  How did you get here?!  What have you done to my beloved
children?

Yuri:  (laughs)  Hey, lady, I put the kiddies to sleep.  Permanently.  Why
don’t you show us your true form, too?  We’re tired of this endless procession
of fiends.  We figured if we came here, and took care of you…  Well, you know
how it always works!

Mayor Lady:  Ha!  Fools!  Even if I die, the monsters well remain and you’ll
still be imprisoned in this town.  Because all of this is the will of the great
Yamaraja, protector of our village!

Yuri:  Yamaraja?  C’mon, I could take care of him just by destroying the shrine
back there.

Mayor Lady:  Take a good look!  These are the bones of all those I’ve
sacrificed to him!  I used the malice of the townspeople, and made this fence
to keep one and all away from her.  As long as I’m alive, this fence will
protect Yamaraja.  Because without killing me, you can’t get near the shrine!

Yuri:  (laughs)  So I was right after all!  You ARE the one to get!

Cat Lady:  Hyahahah!  First, you’ll have to catch me!  POOF!  And I’m gone!
(disappears in a flash of light)

Yuri:  Where’d the demon-cat go?

Cat Lady:  (off-screen)  Hyah hyah hyah!  You’re going to wander aimlessly
through this village forever!  Wither and die in the village where morning
never comes!  Hyah hyah hyah!!

Yuri:  Damn it!!  I’ll skin you hide!!

Alice:  Where did she run away to?  I don’t think that cat-demon can escape
this place any more than we can.

Yuri:  Yeah, she must be somewhere in the village.  Let’s find her.

(She appears again by the well.)

Yuri:  (prepares to fight)  Found you!

Cat Lady:  (jumps back)  Hyuk hyuk hyuk!  You mean you didn’t get eaten by my
underlings yet.  You’re a tough cookie.  Poof!  (disappears)

(She appears by the store next.)

Yuri:  Dammit!  Yer not gonna get away this time!

Cat Lady:  (jumps back)  Hyuk hyuk hyuk!  Don’t you think it’d be easier to
just give up and let us eat you?  Poof!  (disappears)

Yuri:  At this rate, it’s just the same thing over and over.  I’m not getting
anywhere.

(At the front gate, a large seal covers most of the ground.  Two strangers are
inspecting it.)

Wanderer Meiyuan:  (sees Yuri and Alice)  Well, well…

Quack Oracle:  Ah-hah.  This is the “Reverse Seal of Tianfeng,” all right.
The mark of Dehuai…  But he was supposed to have lost his powers fifteen years
ago…  Surely it can’t be that he’s…  (shakes his head)

Yuri:  (walks up behind Quack Oracle)  Who’s that with you?  An elder munchkin?

Quack Oracle:  (jumps back in surprise)  Well, well.  Still people here, eh?

Yuri:  Stand aside.  (Quack Oracle moves out of his way, Yuri tries pushing on
the gate, and when that fails, kicking it)  Huh, it won’t open!!  (kicks it
again, everyone else shakes their heads)

Quack Oracle:  Unfortunately, you won’t be able to leave.  See this?

Yuri:  (looks at the ground)  What’s that?  You mean that Wind of Heaven
business you were talking about?  In this country’s language, it means you
can’t leave, right?  (begins investigating gate)

Quack Oracle:  Yep, that’s about the size of it.

Alice:  Excuse me, but how did you men get in here?

Quack Oracle:  Through here.  We just pushed the gate open.  It would appear
that anyone is free to enter.

Wanderer Meiyuan:  We got in, but it looks like we can’t go back out.  Ah, I
hate this, I hate it.

Yuri:  I see…  (walks back to Alice)  …And you are?

Quack Oracle:  Hahaha…  You want to know who I am?  I am the true ruler of the
nine heavens.  The absolute sage Master Zhuzhen.  Among exorcists and spirit
healers, I am quite well known.  There are many adepts in the world, but only I
will do that kind of work by the hour or day.  I was hired by the elders in the
neighbouring village to came and investigate this place tonight.

Alice:  An adept for hire by the day?  That’s quite unique.

Wanderer Meiyuan:  This guy’s weird all right.  But he’s invaluable to me, for
all the great jobs he brings in.  But wait, handsome, don’t you want to know
who I am?  (walks over to Yuri)  (H)  (Yuri jumps back)

Zhuzhen:  Hey, hey, hey, lay off.  That’s how you scare customers away.  Sorry
about that, kid.  This fellow here is a top-notch acupuncturist.  Even brand
new weapons feel like they’ve been yours for ten years once he’s worked on
them.  The only problem is, you have to learn to put up with certain
predilections he has.

Wanderer Meiyuan:  He’s right.  I can’t fight, but you’ll love the way I
assist.

Yuri:  Do you two have any other acts besides and odd couple?  Let’s hit it,
Alice.  We can find our own way out.

(Alice nods and they begin to walk off, but Zhuzhen starts after them.)

Zhuzhen:  Now hold on a second, kid.  You, too, honey.

Yuri:  I’m Yuri.  And this is Alice.  What is it now, pops?

Zhuzhen:  I admire your spirit, kid.  No matter how much you walk, you’ll never
get out of this village the way you’re going.

Yuri:  What’s that supposed to mean?!

Alice:  (steps between Yuri and Zhuzhen)  That’s because of this mysterious
mark here, isn’t it, Zhuzhen?

Zhuzhen:  Aha.  She’s a smart one.  Exactly.  This seal’s power separates the
village from the outside world.  The seal itself is just like the lid on a pot.
But this one has a lock that needs to be opened.

Alice:  How can we open that lock?  What do we do to break the seal?

Zhuzhen:  That’s right.  You get the idea.  Now listen carefully, both of you.
Someone in this village must be the key to this seal.  You must find and defeat
that person.  …Well, as they say, the journey IS the destination, so I’m coming
along to see how I can help out.

Yuri:  What a pain…  (Zhuzhen laughs and walks back into the village)

Wanderer Meiyuan:  I’m no good at fighting.  I’ll stay here and dodge monsters
till you get back  If you want to get the most out of a new weapon, come and
see me anytime. I’ll show you it’s true power.

(Back in the village, the cat-lady appears once again.)

Cat Lady:  Wh-what is that smell?!  (jumps back and disappears)

Yuri:  Is she bothered?  She isn’t acting the same as before…  Is it because of
pops?

Cat Lady:  (reappears)  Go away!  (disappears)


~~Granny Mayor’s House~~

Cat Lady:  Ha ha ha!  So, you’re here again!  You’ll never leave.  That is the
Yamaraja’s decision.

Zhuzhen:  (steps forward)  What you mean, granny, is it’s the decision of
whoever’s controlling Yamaraja behind the scenes.

Cat Lady:  Wh-Who are you?

Zhuzhen:  Heh heh heh…  I’m the adept hired to exorcise this village.  So, are
you ready to say uncle?

Cat Lady:  Ha ha ha!  You couldn’t even catch me.  Why would I be afraid of
you?  Poof!  (disappears)

Yuri:  (to Zhuzhen)  Hey, we missed her again.

Zhuzhen:  No, I can still feel her presence.  She’s still hiding somewhere in
this house.  I guess it’s time to apply the secret formula for smoking out cat
people.

Alice:  Do you have any idea what we should do?

Zhuzhen:  That I do.  I suppose you know how cats take to catnip?  (holds out
something to Yuri)  I made it by mixing catnip with a special dye!  Well, this
here is something called “Anti-Cat Powder”.

Yuri:  (jumps back)  Man, these leaves really stink!!  You just carry these
around?!  So that’s what that funny smell was…  Now I get it!  That’s why
Granny hid herself!!

Zhuzhen:  (laughs)  Right, she probably couldn’t stand the thought of running
into me and having to smell this odour again.  It’s actually an herbal remedy
for stomach aches, but it’s smoke has a powerful effect on cat people.  Simply
carrying it is effective, but burn it and the power multiplies.  Let’s smoke
her out.  Oh, but to do that, we’ll need a metal vessel and a torch.  You need
to go find those two things . When you bring them back, I’ll burn the incense
in this house.

Alice:  (nods)  A metal vessel and a torch.  Right.

(After retrieving said items and returning to the house…)

Yuri:  Okay, I’ve gathered up all the tools…  Well, I guess I’ll give it a go!
Let’s see, put the Anti-Cat Powder into the metal vessel…  And light it with
the torch…  (lights it, a blue flame appears and Yuri runs back several steps)
Whoa!  Now this stinks!

Cat Lady:  (reappears)  Hack!  Hack!  Wh-What is this?!  Hack!

Yuri:  I’ve got you now, old hag!  You ready to be skinned, cat?

Cat Lady:  H-How dare you!  I’ll show you all!  You’re all in big trouble now!

BATTLE     Yuri, Alice and Zhuzhen Vs. Felinus

Cat Lady:  (falls to the ground)  Ug…  I’ve been defeated by a human…  You’ll
never understand the pain of giving birth, only to have them devoured…  My
vengeance was in vain…

Zhuzhen:  I feel for you…  But I suggest you let it go and give yourself some
peace.  I’ll ask my employers to pray for the souls here.

Cat Lady:  I won’t accept pity from you!  Yamaraja!  I leave everything in your
hands…  (dies)

Alice:  …  So the monsters in this village actually came from the souls of
domestic animals, huh?

Zhuzhen:  Now, now, Alice.  We’re not done yet.  Next comes that so-called
“shrine” over there!

Yuri:  Heh, now for Yamaraja!


~~Zhaoyang Village~~

(The wall of bones in front of the shrine has been partially knocked down with
the death of the Cat Lady.)

Alice:  Be careful, Yuri!

Zhuzhen:  (nods)  Yamaraja is the Lord of Hell.  He’s quite different from
those cat people from before.  Be on guard.

Yuri:  Piece of cake!  Now let’s blow this joint.  (he opens the sanctuary
doors and there are several flashes of light)

BATTLE     Yuri, Alice and Zhuzhen Vs. Yamaraja (Earth)

Zhuzhen:  Whew, that takes care of him.  I’m impressed, kid.  You’ve got good
stuff for a youngster.  Thanks to you, too, girl.  I guess my work here is
pretty much done now.

Alice:  But, wait, something’s been bothering me…  Just who is this “person”
that’s supposed to be controlling Yamaraja?

Zhuzhen:  He probably thought that if the Black Tortoise was here, it would
stand in the way of his evil plans.  So he used the cat people to steal the
Black Tortoise seal, actually just a small votive picture.  It’s quite sad.
He took advantage not only of the villagers but of the local, sleeping spirits.

Alice:  Is he a man named “Roger Bacon”?

Yuri:  Roger Bacon?

Alice:  He’s the warlock who tried to carry me off on that train.

Zhuzhen:  You two know Roger Bacon?!

Yuri:  Is he that famous?

Zhuzhen:  Hmm…  If Roger Bacon has reappeared…  Then probably…  There can be no
doubt…

Alice:  I was captured by the Japanese in Changchun, and was being escorted to
Fengtian on a special train.  Bacon showed up on that train, killed the
Japanese soldiers, and tried to abduct me.

Yuri:  (laughs)  But of course, I came in gallantly, and picked him off like a
helpless rabbit!

Zhuzhen:  Picked who off?

Yuri:  Roger Bacon!

Zhuzhen:  Ah hah hah hah hah.  Roger Bacon?  You actually think you killed him?
Sorry young man, but that’s impossible.  He’s not likely to succumb to you, no
matter how hard you may fight.

Yuri:  (clenches fists)  Hmph!  Well, thanks a lot, Zhuzhen!

Zhuzhen:  Now, now, don’t get all hot under the collar.  I know you’re strong,
kid.  Anyway, here’s what I think.  It wasn’t Roger Bacon who used the local
spirits, but I don’t doubt that he’s involved somehow.

Alice:  Someone else behind the scenes?  I wonder if this has to do with the
army trying to take me to Japan?  But the waves coming off this shrine seem to
be a more deeply-rooted, purer kind of malice.  It’s filled with hatred and
lust…  And vengeance.

Zhuzhen:  You’re really quite a girl, aren’t you?  In my profession, people
with powers of perception like yours are called “Demon Eyes”.  Of course, in
this country, anyone who has powers that others don’t understand will be tagged
a demon.  But your powers seem to be special  You can see things others can’t
see, and hear what others can’t hear…  Best not flaunt those powers.  You’ll
soon be the target of those who would use you, and then kill you.

Alice:  (looks frightened) ……

Yuri:  Hey, old man!  Keep your ominous fortune-telling to yourself!

Zhuzhen:  You too, kid.  The art of fusion is a forbidden art lost in ancient
Japan.  It’s a double-edged sword.

Yuri:  A forbidden art from the Age of the Gods?!  What ARE you talking about?

Zhuzhen:  If your heart becomes enclosed in darkness and your powers run wild,
you’ll be a danger to everyone.

Yuri:  (laughs)  Give me a break!  I can cover my own ass, thank you!

Zhuzhen:  I suppose your father taught you how?  Forget it.  But I want you to
know that the furor you’ve just been through is most likely only the beginning.
Now, then, let’s be going.  I expect we can open the gate now.

(Back at the now-open gate, Meiyuan is waiting.)

Wanderer Meiyuan:  It sure is dead around here.  This is terrible for business.
Well, I’m off.  Hope to see you again sometime.

Zhuzhen:  Yeah.  So long.  (Meiyuan flounces off)  He DOES do good work you
know…

Yuri:  …But who’d want to be touched by him?

Alice:  (?)  Isn’t he a nice man?

Zhuzhen:  I’m sure he’s perfectly safe for you, missy.

(They all leave the village.)

Zhuzhen:  Well, so long, kid.  So long, missy.  I need to return to my
employer, so we go our separate ways here.

Yuri:  Well then, see ya.  We’ll probably never meet again, but I hope your
business doesn’t fail, pops.  (laughs, Zhuzhen shakes his head)

Alice:  Thanks for all your help!  Take care of yourself.

Zhuzhen:  (begins to walk off, but stops)  Oh, by the way.  One last thing I
should tell you.  You two meeting up, then me, and then the events in this
village…  Somehow I can’t help feeling like all this is connected by a single
thread that somebody has spun.  And if it is, it means we’ll be meeting again
somewhere.  Heh heh heh.  Well, until then, take care!  (laughs and walks off)

Alice:  What a strange fellow he is.  He seems to know so much about
everything, too!

Yuri:  Shoot!  If only he were more generous about teaching me his secrets…
The jerk!

Alice:  Hee hee hee.  Well, if we’re going to be seeing him again, we can ask
him then.

Yuri:  That’s true.  A single thread spun by somebody… huh?  Now that’s
interesting!  (looks up at the sky)  Let’s pull that string for all it’s worth!


~~Trans-Siberian Express~~

(In the army car, Lt. Col. Kawashima and a soldier survey the bodies of the
military escort.)

Lt. Col. Kawashima:  Well, well.  What a lovely sight this is.  You there.
What were they escorting, anyway?  A man-eating tiger?

Private Mishima:  No, ma’am.  Alice Elliot.  Caucasian female.  Approximately
twenty years old.

Kawashima:  (nods)  Yes.  That’s how I recall her as well.  However, I don’t
see a body here of that description.  Am I to assume the girl killed all these
men?

Mishima:  I… I never imagined a human being could… kill like this…  It’s
horrible…

Kawashima:  (laughs)  Major Tsuji…  After your exploits in Changchun, did you
ever suspect you’d captured a monster?  Hmph.  If soldiers of the Imperial
Army can’t bring in one little girl, they don’t deserve to live.  Sigh.  I was
so looking forward to bringing a worthy souvenir back to Tokyo for father.
What a waste.

Private Fujii:  (enters from the front of the car)  Lt. Colonel!  Lt. Colonel
Kawashima!  We have a witness!  An elderly peddler says a suspicious-looking
man passed her in the aisle!

Kawashima:  What kind of man?  Someone from the Anti-Japanese Movement,
perhaps?

Fujii:  No, ma’am…  It seems he was a Western gentleman.

Kawashima:  …

Fujii:  And there was another man, as well.

Kawashima:  Another one, you say?

Fujii:  Yes, ma’am.  A wiry youth.  He seemed to be following the first man…
Apparently, they both headed off in the direction of the salon car.

Kawashima:  …  Does this mean he had help?  A foreign gentleman and a youth…
Hmm.  A strange combination.

Mishima:  What are your orders, ma’am?

Kawashima:  Take care of the bodies.  Have them sent to the Capital.  I recall
the Major saying his six-year-old granddaughter couldn’t wait for Grandpa to
come home…  The girl will surely shed tears of joy when she finds out he’s
returning earlier than expected.

Mishima:  (salutes)  Yes, ma’am!

Kawashima:  Place troops in Fengtian and surrounding cities!  Heh.  We must
use this chance to crush all the vile little termites that have infested our
Utopia.

Fujii:  (salutes)  Yes, ma’am!  (both soldier leave)

Kawashima:  This is getting interesting…  Just as I suspected, it seems the
girl possesses incredible powers.  Now I see why that wizened old demon in
Shanghai was so hell-bent.  Heh!  Beware, old man…  As the hawk in flight
snatches its prey away from the wolf on the ground, I mean to have that girl!
(laughs)


~~Kuihai Tower~~

(Dehui is standing at an altar as Bacon appears behind him.  There are many
candles and strange symbols on the altar, walls and floor.)

Dehuai:  My, my, this is quite an anomaly!  (turns to Bacon)  Heh heh, perhaps
I’m getting rusty.  Have I somehow summoned you here by mistake?  …It’s been
fifteen years, Roger Bacon!

Bacon:  Ha ha ha, it HAS been some time, hasn’t it?  I’m pleased to see you
looking so well, O great magician, Master Dehuai, Fallen Ruler of the Nine
Heavens, Earth Sage.

Dehuai:  I see you are still wearing that pasted-on smile.  You have too much
time on your hands, you infectious plague.  What brings you to Shanghai?
Surely not simply to pay me a visit?  …Heh heh.  No, say nothin, I already
know.

Bacon:  Indeed.  I’ve found myself at a loss in this strange land, and I’m
afraid I’ve made a slight blunder.  An unforseen meddler has entered the game,
and my little bird is still outside her cage…

Dehuai:  Heh heh heh…  How unlike you, to make excuses!  You need not apologize
for going behind my back and abducting the girl:  indeed, I suspected you
would.

Bacon:  (laughs)  Come now, there’s no need to be so severe.  I was merely
indulging myself in a small divertissement.  With your grand ceremony drawing
near, you needn’t deal with minor trifles.  I thought I’d lend a hand.

Dehuai:  Hah!  You jest!  Are you telling me you would have delivered me the
girl upon her capture?

Bacon:  Why, of course.  The progress of your secret ceremony is of great
interest to me, Master Dehuai.  If this girl called Alice truly is the key to
the ritual, I will do everything within my power to help.

Dehuai:  (C)  A sly old fox, you are…

Bacon:  The Divine Septagram!  So, in fact, preparations for you Demon’s Gate
Invocation are almost complete.

Dehuai:  I’ve taken the liberty of sealing up the Protector of the North, the
Black Tortoise of Zhaoyand Village.  It would have stood in the way of the
rituals… but that no longer matters.  The Spirit Machine of Kuihai Tower is
finally operational!  I can now focus entirely on finding the girl!

Bacon:  Well, well.  I look forward to seeing the great sage himself in action.
So then, have you discovered the girl’s whereabouts?

Dehuai:  Of course.  I have eyes everywhere on the continent.  Heh…  Very well,
I’ll tell you.  …She’s in Fengtian.

Bacon:  Fengtian…  Hasn’t the Japanese army set up operations there?  Hmm…  I
can’t imagine how they caught wind of it, but it seems they lie in wait for the
girl as well.

Dehuai:  Heh heh.  We have nothing to fear from them.  The Japanese Army is in
disarray, and staffed with morons.  They present little threat, save for a
bothersome fly named Kawashima that’s been snooping about.  The girl is already
mine.  Heh heh heh…

Bacon:  Splendid.  I’ll be off to Fengtian, then.

Dehuai:  …

Bacon:  Please, don’t concern yourself with me.  I haven’t got any intention of
getting in your way, good sage.  I’d simply like to observe your technique from
afar.  For future reference, you see.  Very well then.  (walks off)

Dehuai:  Hmph, do as you please…

Bacon:  (stops and turns around)  Ah yes, I almost forgot.  There’s a rather
odd fellow accompanying the girl…  Even stranger, he’s a Harmonixer, a master
of fusion.

Dehuai:  What?!  Fusion?!  Are you absolutely certain?!

Bacon:  I’m afraid so.  You yourself have substantial blood connection to the
Harmonixer line, do you not?  I’d rather not see a repeat of the events of
fifteen years ago.  Please, be wary…  (turns to go)  You wouldn’t want to lose
the half of your body that remains.  …Ah, that was uncalled for.  Forgive me.
(disappears)

Dehuai:  Hmph.  The tricky old bastard… He spies on me with impunity!  (turns
to altar)  Listen well, minions in Fengtian!  That fraud of a warlock is headed
for your city!  Do not be outwitted!  I shall be most disappointed should you
fail to capture a single heretic girl!  I shan’t allow anyone to stand in the
way of the Demon’s Gate Invocation…  Our success or failure depends entirely on
that girl, Alice Elliot!!  (laughs)


~~Fengtian~~

(Yuri is standing in a square with a fountain in the middle, there are many
tall buildings surrounding it.  Alice is asleep on a bench beside him.)

Yuri:  Ugh…  Morning already?  At least we got a little rest.

Alice:  Zzz…  Zzz…

Yuri:  Even after all that crap that went down, she walked all night.  Pretty
impressive… for a girl, I mean.  …I think I’ll let her sleep a little longer.

(A puppy runs up to Yuri.)

Puppy:  Sniff, sniff…

Yuri:  Hmph.  Y’are pretty cute, I guess, you dumb mutt.  (drops to the ground)

Mysterious Voice:  … life … dec..pt..on… a … sma..l be..l… you…

The puppy backs up and growls at Yuri.

Yuri:  …OW!  What is it, you mutt?!  …And, wait…  Why the voice?!

(Yuri talks to various people while Alice is sleeping.  He meets the Silent
Peddler, who explains how the pedometer system works, and the Building-loving
Man who explains the lottery.)

Alice:  Unh, uhhh…  (stands up and looks around)  Wh-where am I?

Yuri:  …Oh, you’re up?  You okay?  You were sweating like crazy… have a
nightmare or somethin’?

Alice:  It was terrible.  I was in a dark room… maybe a hospital, and there was
a woman, all alone, crying…  She… she was staring at me.  And then, that man!
The one from the train… Bacon… appeared.

Yuri:  What happened to the woman?

Alice:  I don’t know.  It got dark all of a sudden, I couldn’t see…

Yuri:  Hah!  Don’t let it get to ya.  It’s just a dream, right?  And the old
guy, what’s his name…?  Bacon, right.  If he shows up again… well, I’ll make
him wish he didn’t.

Alice:  Tee-hee!

(In the street beside the square, a shop-owner is pacing outside of his store.)

Shopkeeper:  Unbelievable.  Damn soldiers hangin’ about, scarin’ off all my
customers…!  (sees Yuri)  Oh hey, you there!  We got lots a’ good stuff!
C’mon, take a look!

(Yuri and Alice go into the store.  Meanwhile, there is a strange woman walking
on the roof above.  She opens a metallic briefcase to reveal some sort of radio
and begins speaking to it.)

Alluring Spy:  This is Malcovich.  I’ve placed the bomb in the South Manchurian
Railway depot, as scheduled.  We blow up those cars, and the Japanese Army’ll
be stuck here for at least two months!  Hah!  I can see the look on that idiot
Kawashima’s face now…  Not that I know what she looks like.

Person on Radio:  Malcovich, why is a pro like you always letting your personal
feelings get involved?  Our objective is to track the movements of the Japanese
Army, not cause unwanted trouble…  Speaking of unwanted trouble, you didn’t set
any unnecessary bombs this time… right?

Alluring Spy:  Don’t worry.  Only one.

Person on Radio:  Malcovich?!

Alluring Spy:  What else could I do?!  There are plenty of innocent people
working in that depot, too, you know!  And… and they all have these cute little
lunchboxes!  Anyway, all I did was set a little one outside.  See?  It’ll go
“pop” BEFORE the big one, everyone’ll come running out to see what it was,
then, KA-BOOM!!

Person on Radio:  …

Alluring Spy:  Ah, ah ha ha!  D-don’t get into one of those moods on me!  Look,
I’d better finish up my work here.  My handiwork’ll be in the papers again.
Make sure you check out the morning editions!  ‘Kay then, bye!  (closes the
case)

(When Yuri and Alice go to leave the store there is an announcement over the
radio.)

Fengtian Radio, Japanese Army Broadcast:  Kshh…  Kshhhh…  This is an emergency
broadcast from Fengtian Radio.  The Army has issued the following report:
criminals suspected in the mass murder of army soldiers aboard the
Changchun-Fengtian train today have disappeared into Fengtian.  The ringleader
is a thin Caucasian female.  All suspicious person are to be reported to HQ
immediately.  (Alice and Yuri look at each other)

Female Shopkeeper:  Hey, that… that broadcast just now…!  Don’t tell me…  Are
you people…?!  Honey!  Dear, help!!  (the shopkeeper comes in from outside)

Yuri:  Damn it, what a bother…  Let’s go, Alice!

(They both run for the door while the spy on the roof prepares to set off her
first bomb.)

Alluring Spy:  Right, here goes nothing!  I’m setting off the bomb… NOW!!
(Yuri and Alice exit the store below her)  What the…?

(There is an explosion.  The spy jumps off the roof to find a pile of rubble
and Yuri and Alice laying on the ground.)

Yuri:  …Ugh.  H-hey now…  What’s with the big boom alla sudden…  (looks up to
see the spy standing over his head, she just ‘happens’ to be wearing a skirt)
Whoa!  Lady, I can see your…

Alluring Spy:  Good, you’re alive.  Thank God the bomb I designed to SAVE
people didn’t end up killing them!  Anyway, I hope you got a good look, sonny
boy.  Just think of it as my apology.  (walks over to Alice)  …And how are you
feeling, Miss?

Alice:  I’m…  I’m all right.

(Alice and Yuri stand up as some soldier come around the corner.)

Private Ogawa:  D-damn it all, what WAS that?!

Private Takeuchi:  Hey look!  A white woman!  And there’s a guy with her!!
They’re the people from the radio!!

Private Ogawa:  Call for reinforcements!!  H-hurry, we gotta inform the
Captain!  (both run off)

Alluring Spy:  Ha!  Cowards.  About what I’d expect from Kawashima’s men… their
main talent seems to be running away.  Hee hee!  So they’re after you too, are
they?!

Yuri:  Us?!  We’re not bomb-toting terrorists, ya hear?  Jeez, lady, my ears
are still ringing!

Alluring Spy:  Don’t worry, that’ll clear up.  Now then, I’ve got to get out of
here before they get back, but…  What are you going to do?  I can’t baby-sit,
but you can come with me if you want.  (walks over to open man-hole)  Okay, I’m
going on ahead.  See ya!  (crawls down the ladder)

Yuri:  My God, what’s her problem?  We could’ve been killed!

Alice:  Yuri, did you hear that radio broadcast?

Yuri:  Yeah, sounds like they’ve blamed you for the attack on the train last
night.

Alice:  Me…?!

Yuri:  Don’t worry.  I’m your accomplice, after all.  Wait a sec, we can’t
stand around chatting!  Let’s move!  Looks like we can get out through here,
like that woman did.


~~Fengtian Sewers~~

(Alice and Yuri climb down the ladder and find themselves in the sewers under
Fengtian.  They soon find another ladder leading up to the surface, however
there is a large seal blocking the top.)

Yuri:  What the heck is this?  It won’t open…  Is it because of the spell
written on this thing?

Alice:  Some sort of seal, I’d guess…  Anyway, what’s this awful feeling of…
oppression I’m getting?

(Further on they find a hole in the wall and a pair of glittering eyes looking
out at them.)

Yuri:  Is something there…?

Alice:  Another monster…?

Yuri:  I dunno…

(A puppy jumps out and runs up to Alice and barks at her.)

Alice:  Eeeek!!

Yuri:  G-Goddamn it, don’t freak me out like that!!  …Well, if it isn’t the
little mutt from the station.

Alice:  (kneels down)  What are you doing here, little fellow?

Puppy:  Whine, whine…

Yuri:  The little runt got lost in here, and now he can’t find his way out!
Hah! How dumb!  (laughs)

Alice:  Tee-hee!  Just like us, no?

Yuri:  …  (S)  A-anyway, Alice!  We’re off!  Forget about the dog.

Alice:  But we can’t just leave it here!  Let’s take it to the exit with us, at
least.

Yuri:  Hey, suit yourself, baby!  I sure wish someone would take US to the
exit…  (shots ring out offscreen)  Gunfire!!

(Alice picks up the dog and they go to investigate.  They find the spy sprawled
face down on the ground at the end of the tunnel.)

Yuri:  Hmm?!

Alice:  It’s that woman…!

Yuri:  Oh…  Asleep again, eh?  Heh heh heh…  What should I do?  Um, hello?
Good heavens, she’s out cold.  I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if I just…

Alice:  …

Alluring Spy:  Go ahead.

Yuri:  (startled)  Whoa!!  You’re awake?!

Alluring Spy:  (stands up)  Ooh, that hurts…  Now look here, sonny boy.  Aren’t
you going to help me up with an “Are you all right, fair lady?” and a smile?

Yuri:  B-but, you obviously don’t need any help…

Alluring Spy:  I never imagined there’d be monsters roaming the sewers.  I
guess even I can slip up sometimes.  That was almost the end of my epic saga!
If the press were to lose me now, they’d be positively crushed.  Ow!  Ouch.

Alice:  Are you all right?

Alluring Spy:  (laughs)  Yes, I’m fine.  Thanks.  Oh, you’re the two I met
before, aren’t you?  The terrorist boy and the mysterious girl.

Yuri:  YOU’RE the terrorist.  We’re just a couple’a helpless “murderers”.

Alluring Spy:  Terrorist?!  Don’t lump me together with those barbarians!  I’m
a spy.  S-P-Y.  Get it?  A ravishing beauty that just happens to be Miss Spy
Genius.  The name’s Malkovich.  Of course, “Malkovich” is only my CODE name.
Say, tell you what…  I’ll let you in on a secret, sonny boy:  My real name.
A little “thank-you” for coming to save me!

Yuri:  Look, I didn’t come to save you.  And you don’t have to tell me your
name.  (starts walking away)

Alluring Spy:  H-hey, wait a minute!  And here I was going to give you my
telephone number and everything!

Yuri:  (stops)  Jeez!  I got it, already!  Okay, so what’s your name?

Alluring Spy:  (H)  You wanna know THAT bad, huh?  My, my!  I can’t keep them
away with a stick!

Yuri:  Fine, forget it.

Alluring Spy:  H-hold on!  All right, all right.  Here goes.  My real name is
Margarete Zelle.

Alice:  Margarete, then?  My name is Alice, and this is Yuri.

Margarete:  Nice to meet you both.  You won’t regret having me on board!

Alice and Yuri:  …

Yuri:  I’ve got a bad feeling about this…

(They then return to the seal which is blocking their escape.)

Margarete:  Hey, is this…?!  Yup, no question about it.  It’s a Taoist seal…
Maybe to keep us from getting out?  But who set it?  I doubt there’s anybody
in the Japanese Army that can use black magic like this.

Alice:  It’s a lot different than the kind of magic I know…

Margarete:  You’re right.  This feels far more sinister… and evil.  It simply
reeks of it.  Anyway, it doesn’t look like we’re going to be able to get out of
these sewers unless we break it…

Yuri:  Break a Taoist seal?  How?  I don’t have a clue.

Alice:  It looks like something fits into the centre of this symbol.

Margarete:  I’ve heard about this kind of occult feng shui magic before.  If
memory serves…  There are two ways to break that seal:  Open the lock on the
other side, or destroy it’s guardian…

Yuri:  (looks around)  There aren’t any guards around.  It’s just us three.

Alice:  But that terrible, oppressive feeling I get here…  It’s like someone’s
been watching us.  Ever since we arrived…

Yuri:  Ah, what a pain.  If you’re out there, save us both some time and show
yourself!  C’mon, let’s play!

Margarete:  Dear, dear.  There are plenty of situations where brute strength
just isn’t the answer, sonny boy!

Alice:  So that leaves the lock…  And all we’ve got to do is find something to
unlock it with!  Right?

Yuri:  Awright, let’s start lookin’…  …Huh? (a blast shakes the sewers)

Margarete:  Right on schedule!  The bomb I set in the train depot just went
off.

Yuri:  Damn, Margarete, how many firecrackers do you have up there?

Margarete:  Tee-hee!  That was the last one.  I bet the Japanese Army didn’t
even know what hit’em!

Yuri:  Didn’t know what hit’em…?!  If this whole sewer system collapses, we
won’t know what hit US, either!

Margarete:  Oh ho ho ho!  Come now, who do you think you’re talking to?  I’m
Margarete, Miss Spy Genius!  As if I’d make that kind of mistake.  It’s all
according to plan!  Every last detail!

Alice and Yuri:  …

Yuri:  I can’t believe this…

(Down one of the tunnels, the explosion has caused one of the walls to crack
and a blue light can be seen emanating from within.)

[The blue light is found to be emanating from the “Sealing Stone” which is
embedded in the wall.  Yuri removes it.]

Yuri:  (points to wall)  All according to plan, eh?  So why is it caving in,
Miss Spy Genius?

Margarete:  (S)  …Oh, oh ho ho ho!  Th-this is according to plan, too.  See?
We got the stone, right??

Alice and Yuri:  …

Margarete:  (S)  Okay, I admit it, it was a mistake.  But it turned out all
right, didn’t it?  See?  Now, let’s hurry!

(They return to the seal to place the stone.)

Alice:  The evil I sensed before… it’s getting stronger!

Margarete:  Indeed, I’m breaking out in a cold sweat.  This is just… icky.

Yuri:  (sets the stone)  …C’mon, baby…  (the stone glows blue and begins to
shake)

Alice:  S-something’s… coming!!

BATTLE     Yuri & Co. Vs. Water Tiger and 2 Kappas

Yuri:  Whew, that frightened me to death…  Hey, what happened to it being
either – or, lock or guardian?

Margarete:  Jeez, what kind of trembling little coward double-locks?  Hmph.  At
least it was an easy victory.

(Alice suddenly looks startled.)

Yuri:  …What is it?

Alice:  I know we destroyed that thing, but…  I can still sense intense evil…

Margarete:  Don’t worry.  The seal’s broken!  Up ahead’s a landing strip.
We’re gonna go get us an AIRPLANE!  C’mon!

Alice:  (looks around)  I still feel like someone’s watching us, though…


~~Fengtian Airfield~~

(Yuri, Alice and Margarete emerge from the manhole in front of a large hangar
containing a few airplanes.  Tiny the dog runs off immediately.)

Alice:  Hey!  Tiny!  Come back!

Yuri:  Hmm?  Aw, the mutt ran away, huh?  Forget about him, Alice.  He’s just
happy to be outside.

Alice:  But…

Yuri:  Okay, fine!

(All three go after Tiny, who runs toward the hangar.)

Tiny:  Bow wow wow!  Bow wow!

(A soldier comes out of the hangar.)

Private Tamura:  Huh…?  A stray dog?  You lost, boy?  Hmm?

Margarete:  Uh-oh!  Japanese troops!

(Another soldier appears.)

Private Tokizawa:  …I-it’s THEM!!  The wanted terrorists from Fengtian!!
S-sound the alarm!!  Prepare for battle!!  Inform Lt. Colonel Kawashima
immediately!!

(The alarm is sounded and Tiny runs off.)

Yuri:  Tsk!  Damn dog!

Margarete:  Looks like we’ve got no choice but to fight!

Yuri:  Hah!  This should be fun!

BATTLE     Yuri & Co. Vs. 2 Elite Guards

Private Teruda:  Damn, they’re tough!!  Keep your guard up!!

BATTLE     Yuri & Co. Vs. 2 Elite Guards

Yuri:  Over so soon!  They’re hardly worth their salaries…

Alice:  What are we going to do now?!  Reinforcements are going to be here at
any minute!

Margarete:  Right.  No time to waste!  Let’s grab that plane of ours!

(All three run towards the hangar, which promptly explodes.  After the shock
wears off they are laying on the ground near the burning wreckage.  Yuri stands
up, then Margarete.)

Yuri:  Hey Alice, you okay?

Alice:  (stands up)  Y-yes, I’m… I’m all right.

Yuri:  (looks at the plane)  Another ka-boom?  What the hell’s going on?

(Alice sees something off-screen and runs off while Yuri and Margarete are
gawking at the plane.)

Margarete:  The plane, it… blew up…

Alice:  (off-screen)  Eeeek!!

(Margarete and Yuri run over to her to find Tiny surrounded by a red aura.)

Tiny:  Hee hee hee…  Why, there’s nothing to fear, girl!  I’m just your cute
little dog, Tiny.

Alice:  …

Margarete:  T-the dog is TALKING?!  …You’re the one that blew up the plane,
aren’t you!?  And just as we were about to make our escape!!

Tiny:  As if I’m going to go chasing you halfway across the continent!  I think
not.  You’re coming with me.  …The heathen girl, that is.

Alice:  Who ARE you…?!  This evil aura…!!  So YOU’RE the one that’s been
watching us!  Ever since the sewers!

Tiny:  Hee hee hee…  That’s correct.

Yuri:  Ohh, I get it!  You’re Bacon!  What, did ya get reincarnated as a dog
after I killed you on the train?!  Haw haw haw!!  This… this is too much!!
H-how unbelievably LAME!!  Haw haw haw!!

Tiny:  (aura grows brighter)  No, foolish boy!  How dare you mention me in the
same breath as that… charlatan!!  You want to know who I am?!  Not that you
zeros are even worthy of hearing my name.  Hee hee hee…

Margarete:  Um, let’s see…  Is it “Tiny”, after all?

Tiny:  (aura grows brighter)  What…?!  T-that does it, you wench!!

Yuri:  I can’t follow all this.  Look, buddy, I don’t know who y’are, but we
don’t have time to chew the fat.

Tiny:  (aura grows even brighter)  Nnnghh…!  I will not stand for this!  You
shall repent!  Taste my wrath… the wrath of DEHUAI!!

BATTLE     Yuri & Co. Vs. Beast Dog

Yuri:  Now I get it… so this mutt’s actually some wretched old geezer named
“Dehuai”.  Ha ha!  Giving yourself away like that… real smart, DEHUAI!

Alice:  He seems to know about Roger Bacon.  Not only that, but…  He seems to
know about ME, too.

Margarete:  Hey, come on, you two!  We’ve gotta stay on our toes!  I know a
little something about hta Dehuai character.  I’ll tell you about it later.  In
the meantime, I’ll look for a plane we can use.  Be right back!  (runs off)

Yuri:  (looks at Alice)  (H)  Geez, Alice, you sure are popular with older
guys!  You DO have that whole innocence thing going on….  Or maybe it’s
because… you have some big secret.

Alice:  (stamps her foot)  Ooh…!  Don’t look at me that way!

(The sound of a plane can be heard sputtering to a start.  A rickety-looking
plane pulls up beside Alice and Yuri.)

Margarete:  Hey you guys, look what I found!  What do you think?  Pretty nifty,
eh?  It was abandoned, I think… but it started when I gave it a swift kick!

Alice and Yuri:  …

Yuri:  …Oh yeah, that’s a hand-me-down, all right.

Alice:  Y-you want us to RIDE in it?

Margarete:  Bingo!  Stop your chattering, kids, and hop in!

(Yuri and Alice get in the plane.)

Yuri:  Damn, is this thing made for midgets, or what?  And what’s with the
squeaking?!  Will it really fly?  Whoa!!

Alice:  Oh, I’m so sorry, Yuri!

Yuri:  N-no proble1  You’re plenty light, Alice!

Margarete:  Don’t you two get all cuddly on me now!  This is it!  Hold on
tight!

(The plane slowly gains speed, bouncing up and down on the runway.)

Yuri:  Y-yo, Margarete!  Maybe this plane wasn’t such a hot idea…!

Alice:  It’s really sh-sh-shaking!!  Eeeek!!

Margarete:  There’s no turning back now!  Come on, Yuri, you’re a BOY for God’s
sake!  Show a little gumption!!  Here goes!  Full throttle!!

(The plane lifts off the ground and flies away.  Meanwhile, back at
the airfield… Kawashima has arrived with some lackeys.)

Kawashima:  …Hmm.  It appears that we are moments too late.  And the garrison
has failed to stop them, I see.  Just how far do they think they can get in
that rust heap…?  Amusing little fools…

Private:  Koizumi:  Lt. Colonel, the pursuit planes are prepared to fire!  With
your permission, we can shoot them down!

Kawashima:  Ah hah hah.  No need to waste ammunition… they’ll crash before they
get too far.  One thing does surprise me, however.  I never imagined they’d be
involved with that “Malkovich”.

Private Sonada:  I-I apologize about the state of our troops, Lt. Colonel, I…

Kawashima:  Don’t worry about it.  I’m heading for Dalian; make the
preparations.  I suppose we shall have to set traps for them, then lay
patiently in wait.

Pravate Yokoyama:  (salutes)  Yes, ma’am!  Understood!  (soldiers walk off)


~~Flashback~~

Anne:  Yuri!  Slow down, honey!  You’re going to fall!

Young Yuri:  Hee hee!  Don’t worry, Mom, I’m fine!  I’m just gonna go tell Dad
it’s suppertime!  He’s been working so hard, he must be hungry!

(Fade in, Hyuga is chopping at the ground at the base of a large tree with some
sort of hoe.  The sun is going down in the distance.)

Hyuga:  Hmm?  You’re all out of breath, boy.  Did you run all the way here?

Young Yuri:  Heh heh…  Mom says supper’s ready!

Hyuga:  Oh.  Well, I could use a break.

Young Yuri:  (looks at the ground)  There’s still so many left!  Can you really
seed it all by summer?

Hyuga:  Sure.  Winter’s much harsher here on the continent than in Katsuragi,
where you were born.  First we work to plant lots of seeds.  Then, in fall, we
split the harvest with everyone from town.  If we all work hard and help each
other out, we can make it through even the toughest of winters.  Understand?

Young Yuri:  Yep!  …Say, Dad…  Will you have to go away again in the fall?  To
work?

Hyuga:  …

Young Yuri:  …For how long?  Will you be back soon?  It’s okay, Dad, I can wait
for you!  ‘Cause I’m a man!  But, Mom’s different.  She’s a girl so she misses
you.  She tries to hide it, but… I can tell how sad she is…

Hyuga:  …I know.  I feel terrible about doing this to you and your mother.
Yuri.  You look after Mom when I’m away, all right?  I’ll try to come back
before winter.

Young Yuri:  Okay… I promise.  Come back soon, okay…?

Hyuga:  Of course.  I promise, too.  C’mon.  Mom’s waiting.

(Both walk off.  Fade out…)

Mysterious Voice:  … as the y..ng m..n search..s for … fathe..’s … f..ce
d..stiny …Shanghai

(Fade in.  The plane is now bouncing badly and there is black smoke coming out
of the back.)

Yuri:  Uh, uhh…

Alice:  Yuri.  Wake up!  Please wake up.

Yuri:  …  Mnnh… huh?  …What?  Somethin’ happen?

Margarete:  Did something HAPPEN?  I’ll say it did!  How can you possibly sleep
at a time like this, sonny boy?!

Yuri:  Time like what?  Huh?!  The engine’s busted!!

Alice:  Yuri, I heard what you said… in your sleep.  You were saying, “Dad,
Dad, they’re coming to kill Mom, help”  …You seemed to be in so much pain…

Yuri:  …

Margarete:  Look here, Missy!  This is no time for casual discourse on
somniloquy!  We’re going to crash!  CRASH, I tell you!!  Aiiieeeee!!

(The plane goes into a nose dive.)

Alice:  Eeeek!!

(The plane hits the water and rolls.)


~~Dalian~~

(A peaceful port town.  Yuri, Margarete and Alice are sitting on the ground
beside a dock with a few boats moored at it.)

Yuri:  Man, I thought we were done for…

Alice:  Me, too…  I can’t believe we made it in one piece…

Margarete:  (S)  I-I never dreamed we’d CRASH!  Never in a million years!  Who
woulda thunk it, huh?  What a… what a GUTLESS plane that was!!  I thought we’d
at least get past Dalian.  Oh, ho ho ho!!

Yuri and Alice:  (stand up)  …

Yuri:  Forget Dalian!  You almost bought us a one-way ticket to hell!!

Alice:  …

Margarete:  Don’t glare at me, you two!  That’s not very nice!  C’mon, look on
the bright side… we’re all still here!  …Right?

Yuri and Alice:  (C)


~~Dalian~~

(If you try to approach the inn…)

Fish-Drying Woman:  Are you going to the inn?  (Yuri turns around)  Fine, but
don’t bother Sea Mother.  She’s the only person we can depend on now.


~~Dalian Inn~~

(The inn is dark inside, there is an innkeeper standing behind the front desk
and in the adjoining room there is a man laying on a bed.  An old woman is
praying over him, there is another man standing nearby.)

Old Innkeeper:  Another victim of the curse…  It’s so awful, I can’t bear to
watch…

Alice:  Yuri, do you think that old woman is…?

Yuri:  (nods)  Yeah, looks like it…

Sea Mother:  Mumble mumble…  O almighty God, I beseech you, prolong this boy’s
life…  I beg of thee…  Mumble…

Yen Yen:  Aaah… ugggh…  I-it hurts…  Brother, ask Sea Mother to…

Yen Yen’s Older Brother:  Hang in there, Yen Yen!  Don’t give up!  You’re going
to be all right!  Please, Sea Mother!  You’ve got to do something!  He’s the
only family I have!!

Sea Mother:  …  (stops praying and shakes her head)  Yen Yen…  I can’t help
you.  …You fought very hard.  You’re a brave, brave boy…

Older Brother:  You can’t say that Sea Mother!!  Oh, God, Yen Yen!!

Sea Mother:  I’m sure it was very difficult, but it’ll soon be over.  I do not
possess the power to eliminate Li Li’s curse…  Forgive me, Yen Yen.

Yen Yen:  Ugh, ughh…  Gurgle, gurgle…

Margarete:  T-this is horrible!

Alice:  Cursed and killed by someone’s hate…!

Yen Yen:  G-grgh…  (twitches)

Older Brother:  Yen Yen?!  Yen Yen!!  NO-O-O-O!!

Sea Mother:  …  (faces the wall)  Spirits in the heavens.  Spirits in the
heavens.  Our proud fisherman will be coming under your care.  Please be good
to him.

Older Brother:  Thank you, Sea Mother…  At least I won’t have to worry about
Yen Yen losing his way…  (turns to his brother)  Damn you, Li Li…!!  How can
you be so unthinkably cruel to our village…

Sea Mother:  …

(Sea Mother walks out of the room and towards the door, past Yuri, Alice and
Margarete who are standing in the hall by the front desk.  When the passes
Alice she stops and looks at her, then continues on her way.)

Old Innkeeper:  One burial after another…  Hmmm?  Are you guests?  I’m sorry,
but please, leave me be…


~~Dalian~~

(Outside the inn it’s grown dark and misty.  Everyone has gone inside for the
night… except for the glowing woman standing in the corner of the square.)

Yuri:  Hey…  Hey you!  The sun’s gone down…  Shouldn’t you be inside?

??:  Tee-hee…  Everyone’s so scared of me, they won’t open their doors…
(laughs)

Alice:  Th-that voice!  You… you must be Li Li!

Li Li:  …That’s right.  Tee-hee-hee, what a pretty voice!  My voice used to be
like that, too.  Even prettier, maybe…  ( begins to shamble towards them,
Alice and Margarete jump back)

Margarete:  It’s you, isn’t it?!  The evil spirit that comes out when the sun
goes down!

Yuri:  Hmph.  I thought I smelled a monster!  Right, let’s see what you got!!
(puts up fists)

Li Li:  Tee-hee.  What’s the point?  I only have business with her.  So, the
sacrifice for tonight…  Y  O  U  (a flash of lightning strikes Alice and she
slumps to the ground)

Alice:  Eeeek!!  (Yuri kneels down beside her)

Li Li:  (disappears and reappears on top of a fence nearby)  At sunset tomorrow
the girl will die.  All you can do is sit by and watch.  How glorious…  She’ll
be in agony until the very moment of her death.  The same agony I tasted…
Tee-hee-hee…  (disappears)

Yuri:  S-stop!!  Wait!! You little…!!  (runs over to where Li Li stood)

Margarete:  (kneels down)  Alice!

Yuri:  God damn it all to HELL!!  (runs back over to Alice and kneels down)
Alice, wake up!  Alice!!

(The door to the Sea Turtle Restaurant opens and Sea Mother steps out.  She
immediately notices Yuri and Margarete.)

Margarete:  (stands up)  S-Sea Mother?!  Help us!  Please!!

Sea Mother:  I-it can’t be!  But… it is!  That sound…  You saw Li Li, didn’t
you!?  The girl is in grave danger!  Bring her inside!!  Hurry!!


~~Sea Turtle Restaurant~~

(Alice has been laid on the carpet below the mural.  Sea Mother is standing over
her, Margarete and Yuri are nearby.)

Sea Mother:  It’s the same as Yen Yen, and all the other…  Li Li’s curse has
pierced deeply into her tiny body.

Yuri:  But what can we do, Sea Mama?!  There’s gotta be something!!  Please!!

Sea Mother:  Calm yourself!!  I’ve called upon a warlock more powerful than I.
He should arrive soon…  And yet, fate is cruel…  This girl seems to bear a
destiny similar to Li Li’s .  You lost your beloved father, did you?  In a
foreign land, far, far away.  Poor girl…

Margarete:  Did Li Li lose her father, too?

Sea Mother:  Yes, but under different circumstances.  Fate has dealt them both
a terrible hand indeed…

Yuri:  So, who is this Li Li?  Why did she turn into a ghost, and why is she
menacing this town?

Sea Mother:  Curious, are you?  About her tragic tale?  Yes, I suppose you
should hear this…  Indeed, it seems to me that Li Li may have drawn you here.
Hee hee hee.  …It will be a long story, though.

Yuri:  Fine, go on.

Sea Mother:  Li Li…  Her fate was cursed…  Fifteen years ago, there was a
sudden tornado that sank many ships, Li Li’s father was on one of them.  He was
her only blood relative.  She stood on the docks, praying fervently for his
homecoming…  She waited and waited, but still her father would not return.  So
she called out to the stormy sea.  “Blue Dragon!  God of Fishermen!  Anyone!
Please save my father’s life.  I will do anything!”  At that moment, a massive
bolt of lightening struck the water, and the ocean suddenly became calm.  Her
father’s ship returned safely, but the gods were cruel…  They had taken away
her voice.  But that was not all.  Her voice had become switched with her
father’s .  His rough, fisherman’s voice.  The father now spoke in Li Li’s
sweet, dulcet tones;  from that day on, he refused to ever speak again.  Sigh…
That year, a traveling theatrical troupe visited the village.  Such bad timing,
it was…  Li Li fell in love with one of the actors…  I tried everything to get
her voice back, to no avail  The only way was to kill her father.  One fateful
night, Li Li came to me, speaking n her father’s voice.  “Sea Mother, give me
that dagger.  The blade you use in your rituals.  I’ve made a decision…”  It
was shameful, but… one look into her eyes, and I froze completely.

(Cut scene…)

Sea Mother:  Ah, yes, I understand.  I’ll make this short.  Okay, okay.  By the
mercy of the Blue Dragon… no, no, it may have been a cruse; Li Li’s pretty
voice was switched with her father’s gruff voice.  And the only way to get her
voice back was for her to kill her father.

Having fallen in love with an actor in a travelling troupe, Li Li took my
ceremonial dagger to kill her father.  That’s where we left off, correct?
That’s right.  “Give me the sharpest knife so that my father won’t suffer for
too long.”  Horrible, isn’t it?  Just thinking about it gives me the shivers.
I still remember the horror, Li Li’s pretty lips spoke those horrible words in
the gruff voice of an old fisherman.

She didn’t kill her father right away, though.  She couldn’t.  Every night she
would go to her father’s bedroom and stand beside his bed.  She would lay the
dagger n her father’s bearded throat.  But still, she couldn’t commit the final
act.  She would just stand there in silence for awhile, and then leave the room
with tears in her eyes.  Every night, the same routine.  But actually, her
father was not asleep.  He was ready to die if it meant his daughter could have
her beautiful voice back.  The daughter, standing at her father’s bedside.  The
father, pretending to be asleep while his daughter places a dagger to his
throat.  My heart aches every time I picture the scene.

And finally, the troupe was ready to move out of the fishing village the next
day.  Li Li made up her mind and entered her father’s bedroom again.  But the
bedroom was empty!  Her father knew she’d leave the village with the theatre
troupe, so he thought, “I’ll send her off with a little something.”  And he had
gone out to sea to find some fish you could only catch on the night of the new
moon.  But irony of ironies, that very night a storm rolled in and the seas
raged wildly.

The next day, the sun reappeared and rose high overhead, but there was still
no sign of Li Li’s father.  It was just like that night some while ago.  Then,
as the sun was going down again, the debris of a fishing boat washed ashore
from the crimson red ocean.  Everyone knew her father was dead.  Li Li cried
and cried in despair.  Now neither her father nor her voice would ever return!
Her cries echoed all over the village, cries like a wounded beast!

Ohh ohhh ohh ohhh ohh ohh…

The young man from the theatre troupe went to Li Li’s house to console her, but
she would not let him in.  Of course, he never knew that the hideous cries
coming from the other side of the wall were Li Li’s own.  Late that evening
after the sun had gone down, the cries came again.

Ohhh ohhh ohhh…

Li Li’s voice had grown hoarse from her endless wailing, making it sound even
more fearsome.  But then, another very strange sound joined in.

Shloop, shlooop.  Splat.  Shloop, shlooop.  Splat.

It was like… a wet, sloppy piece of meat slithering across the ground.  The
sound was coming from the harbour, and it was getting closer and closer.

Shlooop, shloop, shloooop, splat.  …Shloo-oop.

And then the gulls began to screech, too, perhaps because they wanted that
meat!

Shloo-oop, skree skree, shoop, shlooop, splat.  Shloo-oop, skree skree, splat,
shloop, shloop.

The sound stopped right in front of Li Li’ house.  Soon, the door began to
open…

Crea-a-a-crea-a-a-k…

Man’s Voice:  Sea Mother!  Sea Mother!

(End cutscene.  Another man has entered the restaurant.)

Cowardly Chen:  Sea Mother!!  It’s the Adept!!  The Adept is here!!  (notices
Yuri and Margarete)  Wha…!?  You people are…!!

Margarete:  Well, I never!  Aren’t you rude, then?  You can’t just come barging
in, yelling and flailing about!  Now you look at me like you’ve seen a ghost!
Have we met before?

Chen:  Uh, n-n-no, no!  Not at all!!  I… I just, uh, didn’t expect to see such
a beauty in a place like this.  M-my apologies.  Heh heh, heh heh heh…

(The door creaks open and Zhuzhen enters.)

Zhuzhen:  …Looks like I’m finally needed again!

Yuri:  Y-you?!  It’s the quack oracle!

Chen:  …  (runs out door)

Zhuzhen:  You can drop the “quack” part, kid.  Long time no see.  (looks at
Margarete)  Hmm?  And who’s this?  Someone from the railroad company?

Margarete:  I’m Margarete.  I’m a high-ranking government official from a
certain large country.  Sigh…  Another shady-looking old fellow.  So, who are
you?

Sea Mother:  Master Zhuzhen!  Thank you for coming!  We’ve been expecting you.

Zhuzhen:  Sorry to keep you waiting.  Some idiot blew up the train depot, and
the trains aren’t running.

Margarete:  (S)

Zhuzhen:  (!)  (kneels down by Alice)  Isn’t this… Alice?!  …Whew.  That’s a
mighty powerful curse she’s under.  …But you needn’t worry anymore.

Sea Mother:  My arts are as good as useless against it.  More than ten have
died so far…

Zhuzhen:  (stands up)  It’s not about you lack of power, Mother.  It’s the man
pulling the strings…  It’s “him”.

Sea Mother:  What do you mean?!  You… you know why Li Li came back?!

Zhuzhen:  Oh, I have a pretty good idea.  I’m starting to see who might be
behind all this.

Alice:  Oh…!  It’s… Zhuzhen…

Zhuzhen:  (!)  (kneels down)  Don’t worry.  I know it’s hard.  This’ll be over
soon, I promise.  Just stick it out a little longer.

Alice:  Li Li… is in… pain, too.  S-somebody… forced her… to come back…

Zhuzhen:  Yes, yes… I know.  I know exactly who it is, and what he’s up to.
(stands up)  You just take it easy and get some rest.  I assure you, it’ll all
be over by tomorrow morning.  Okay?

Alice:  Yes…  Th-thank… you…

Zhuzhen:  Now then, I’m going to need you two to help.  Our first task is to
rid this town of it’s ghosts!  What do you say?  Are you with me?  What d’ya
say?  You want to tag along?

Yuri:  (nods)  If that’ll save Alice?  You’d better believe it!!

Margarete:  (nods)  Same here!

Zhuzhen:  Okay, let’s strike while the iron’s hot!  Good.  Let’s get cracking
then.  First we’ve got to find the place they’re all getting in from.  My guess
would be somewhere down by the water.  There’s sure to be a mark at the spot
where they enter.  …We need to destroy it.

Sea Mother:  Monsters are everywhere outside.  Be careful…  I shall look after
the girl.

Zhuzhen:  (nods)  Right!  We’ll leave her to you.  Don’t worry, it won’t take
long.  All right, let’s get going.


~~Kawashima’s Office~~

(A large, well-lit office containing a desk and two Japanese flags.  Cowardly
Chen has just entered.)

Kawashima:  So these three are in the port of Dalian.  And the Caucasian girl
has been stricken with a curse?

Chen:  Yes.  The man and the woman have set out to destroy the monsters that’ve
been appearing in town.  That’s how they’re going to break the spell on the
girl.  At least, that’s what they said.

Kawashima:  Heh heh.  There’ no question.  It’s Alice Elliot, all right…  So
the other two must be the thin young man and Malkovich…  Very well.  The beast
is caught in it’s trap!  Yes, we must proceed with caution…

Chen:  E-excuse me…

Kawashima:  Sending in brute strength may not be the best way…  In which case…
…Perhaps I’d better do this myself.

Chen:  E-excuse me, Lt. Colonel…  I was wondering, heh heh, that is, if you
don’t need me anymore…

Kawashima:  Yes, yes.  You may go.  Get your money before you leave.  And one
more thing.  You must not breathe a word of this to anyone.  Have you got that?

Chen:  Huh?  Oh, of course!  Honestly, I’ve got  a terrible memory.  I’ve
already forgotten the whole thing…  (Kawashima laughs and Chen leaves quickly)

Kawashima:  (paces)  …  …  …  …  …  Somebody!  At once!

Soldier’s Voice:  Yes, Lt. Colonel!

(An officer and two riflemen run in and salute.)

Kawashima:  Hmm?  I’ve never seen you before.  Are you new?

Sergeant Kato:  I…  I’m Sergeant Kato, ma’am!  Reporting from Tokyo for my
new post!  My… my expertise is…

Kawashima:  I’m sorry, but could you leave the self-introductions for later?
We don’t have time for this now.  (turns to riflemen)  I want you two to
dispose of the man who just left this room.  Make it look like a traffic
accident.

Robust Japanese Soldier:  (salutes)  Yes, Lt. Colonel!  (both leave)

Kato:  Wh… wha…

Kawashima:  Sergeant Kato, you’re coming to Dalian with me.  Get a boat ready.

Kato:  A… boat, ma’am?

Kawashima:  I don’t care what kind.  Any old thing will do.  Do you understand?
If so, we leave now.  Follow me!  (leaves)

Kato:  Ah!  Lt. Colonel!  Please, wait!  (follows)


~~Dalian~~

(A large red seal is discovered on the ground by the docks.)

Zhuzhen:  Hmph…  Just as I expected.  This is the mark that’s summoning all the
spectres.

Yuri:  If we get rid of this, the monsters disappear, right?  Awright, let me
at it!!

(Zhuzhen nods and begins gesturing.  He is surrounded by a red aura and the
seal is struck by red lightning.)

BATTLE    Yuri, Margarete and Zhuzhen Vs. Yamaraja:  Wind

(The seal disappears in a flash of light.)

Margarete:  Hah!  That takes care of THAT!!  But…  I wonder why this village
was targeted by evil spirits in the first place?

Zhuzhen:  For generations, the villagers have worshipped the Blue Dragon at an
undersea shrine just off shore.  A month ago, lightning struck, and the Dragon
was sealed away.  As a result, Li Li became a ghost.

Yuri:  Wait a minute, that sounds familiar…  (!)  It’s just like what happened
at Zhaoyang, isn’t it?!  Which means… Mr. Smarty-Sage, you know who the big
boss is, right?  …Wait, we were attacked in Fengtian, too!  It’s that old
geezer Dehuai, isn’t it?!

Zhuzhen:  (!)  Oh?  You’ve already met him, have you?  …At any rate, you are
correct.  He plays puppet-master from his tower in Shanghai.  He is attempting
to gain control over the entire continent… by using his Taoist magic in
forbidden ways.

Margarete:  What does Dehuai want from US?

Zhuzhen:  He wants Alice.

Margarete and Yuri:  (!)

Zhuzhen:  …In any case, we’ve successfully broken the spell that was cast over
this village.  Let’s go back to the restaurant from before.


~~Sea Turtle Restaurant~~

(Alice has recovered and is standing beside Sea Mother.)

Alice:  Oh, Yuri!  Everybody!  You’re back!

Zhuzhen:  Ah, you’ve recovered!  Oh, and Sea Mother…  I don’t think Dalian will
be having any more ghost trouble.  However… the fact that Li Li herself did not
appear does concern me…

Sea Mother:  We are indebted to you.  On behalf of everyone in this village, I
thank you.

Zhuzhen:  Don’t mention it.  But, you know… I feel like some sort of karmic
bond brought us all together here.  Will you listen to what I’ve got to say?

Yuri:  Aw, don’t go all formal on us.  Just spill the beans.

Zhuzhen:  Heh heh…  Well we have the Black Tortoise of the north, and the Blue
Dragon of the east…  They’re two of the four gods of directions.  Someone is
trying to seal them away to further his own evil ends.

Alice:  Dehuai…?!

Zhuzhen:  Yeah.  Now, this is the most important part.  The villainous Dehuai…
He’s after you, Alice.

Alice:  (!)

Margarete:  Yeah, you were saying that before, too, but… why’s he after Alice?
I don’t get it.  Or, hey!  Maybe this Dehuai guy’s just some sick old perv with
a Lolita complex!

Zhuzhen:  Now, now.  Well, Alice?  Is there something YOU can tell us about
this?

Alice:  I…  Actually, I don’t know anything at all about this man named Dehuai.
Except…  When Bacon murdered my father in France a month ago, the last thing he
said to me was…  “There are dark warlocks trying to bring about the
Valorization.  I won’t let them make you their key!”

Yuri:  Alice…  A “key”?

Sea Mother:  You’re no ordinary “Demon Eyes”, girl…  The star within you shines
far brighter than that.  Li Li’s power was nothing compared to yours.  I’m not
surprised there are warlocks seeking to abuse it.  Your father gave his life to
protect you from them, correct?

Alice:  (nods)  Yes.  And in the end, he sent me far away.  …He used up the
very last of his strength to keep me safe…

Yuri:  What, so you’ve gotta keep running forever and ever?  That’s the dumbest
thing I ever heard.

Alice:  …

Zhuzhen:  We could always make for Shanghai and go after Dehuai ourselves.
What say you?

Sea Mother:  Master Zhuzhen, if Dehuai is preparing another Valorization…

Zhuzhen:  Indeed.  It would mean a repeat performance of the nightmare we lived
through fifteen years ago.

Alice:  The nightmare fifteen years ago?  The “Valorization”…?

Zhuzhen:  It’s a ritual that, in effect, turns the entire world upside down.
Dehuai attempted the Valorization once before.  Countless people lost their
lives in the catastrophic earthquakes and disasters that followed.

Yuri:  Fifteen years ago, huh…  So this Valorization didn’t work?

Zhuzhen:  Hah!  You must be joking.  If he’d succeeded, it would have meant the
end of the world.  As I recall…  A certain man stood in Dehuai’s way, and gave
his life to stop the process of the Valorization.  Having lost half his body in
that battle, Dehuai went underground…  But now he’s plotting a comeback.  Yes,
plotting secretly to carry out the Valorization rite known as the “Demon’s Gate
Invocation”!!

Yuri:  “Demon’s Gate Invocation”?!  So if we don’t, like, stop it, this
battle’ll go on forever, right?  I like it!!  I say we go to Shanghai.

Alice:  I want… I want to go to Shanghai, too.  I can’t keep running like this
forever…  Not if confronting Dehuai will help me understand why my father died.

Margarete:  Y-you’re all going?!  …Hmm.  This means I’m outnumbered.  Sigh.
Guess I’m in this thing with you, then.

Yuri:  But how are we gonna get to Shanghai?  If we go overland, the Japanese
Army will catch us at a checkpoint for sure.  And… I’ve… had enough flying.

Margarete:  (S)

Female Voice:  You can use my boat.

(Everyone turns as Kawashima, disguised as a smuggler, enters.)

Smuggler Boss:  Evening, everybody.

Margarete:  Hey!  Were you eavesdropping on us?!

Smuggler:  I didn’t mean to.  I just happened to overhear.  I didn’t expect to
get into port THIS late, you see…  There was some big fuss about monsters.  It
was all I could do to protect my goods!

Zhuzhen:  Oh?  And what business ARE you in, Miss?  I does seems rather late
for honest traders to be out and about.

Smuggler:  Tee-hee.  The same could be said of you, no?  At any rate, I’m a
courier.  …Of course, “courier” is a bit euphemistic.  To put it bluntly, I’m a
smuggler.  Based on what I overheard, you’re looking for a way into Shanghai.
…And that means sneaking past the Japanese Army, right?

Yuri:  Heh.  No need for explanations, I guess.  So, you got a boat?

Smuggler:  Yes, but it’s old.  The Army thinks it’s a fishing boat, and they
let it right through the checkpoints.  They never guess that there might be
contraband under the floorboards… even if it’s human.

Zhuzhen:  Hmm.  I don’t know how comfortable I am with this, but… what would
you ask in return?

Smuggler:  You tell me.  You could say I’m a little short on cash…

Zhuzhen:  (…)  (nods)  All right.  It’s a deal.

Smuggler:  Excellent.  I’ll go ahead to the boat.  Make your preparations and
meet me there at first light.  (leaves)

Margarete:  (…)  I don’t like this… and I don’t like HER.

Zhuzhen:  Don’t fret.  You’ll find people making a living slipping under the
eyes of the law anywhere you go.

Margarete:  Is that the kind of person you think that woman is?

Zhuzhen:  (nods)  Most likely.  Besides, do you have any better ideas?

Margarete:  …

Sea Mother:  Yes…  You should call it a night and get some rest at the inn.

Zhuzhen:  Sea Mother has a point.  Let’s be going.

Margarete:  …


~~Dalian Inn~~

(Yuri has just awakened and is standing in the hotel room.  Alice and Zhuzhen
are by the door.)

Yuri:  Ugh…  Morning already?  At least we got a little rest.  Hmm?  Where are
the other kids?

Zhuzhen:  You’re finally up, huh, kid?  Margarete’s already left.

Yuri:  Now, this is the most important part.  The villainous Dehuai…

Zhuzhen:  (shakes his head)  Oh, shut up.  You were dead asleep.

Yuri:  (S)

Alice:  Yuri, let’s get going.


~~Dalian~~

(Margarete is talking to the smuggler’s subordinate (aka Sergeant Kato) down by
the dock.)

Margarete:  Aren’t we done yet?  Let’s go!

Courier Subordinate:  H-hey.  The boss told me all about you!  You ready to
leave?  Okay, all aboard!


~~Smuggler’s Boat~~

(A ramshackle room below deck with four bunks.  There are many crates scattered
about.  Yuri is laying face down on the floor and Alice is kneeling beside him
looking concerned.)

Yuri:  Ugh…  (C)  Ugh…

Alice:  Are you all right?

Yuri:  (S)  …No.

Alice:  But you seem a little better than before.  At least you can talk now.

Yuri:  (C)  I-I guess…  Oh, God, this isn’t right!  Do boats always… ROCK like
this…?

Alice:  Why don’t you try going out on the deck?  The fresh air might do you
some good.

Yuri:  (…)  Uh… yeah…  Maybe I’ll try that…

Alice:  Maybe I’d better come with you.  You still look pretty shaky.

Yuri:  (shakes head)  No, no!  I’ll be fine.

(Yuri walks up the stairs to find Margarete at the back of the boat writing in a
book.)

Margarete:  …The girl, Alice, possesses extraordinary powers.  She would make
an excellent research subject.  The young man, who calls himself Yuri, also
wields unusual forces.  In the future, our country must…

Yuri:  (…)  …What about my future?

Margarete:  (turns around)  Eeeek!!  (S)  H-hey!  What are you doing there?!
It’s not polite to try to find out a lady’s secrets, sonny boy!

Yuri:  …Uuuurgh!  …W-what’s with the memo?  What’s it say?

Margarete:  What?!  Oh… you mean… th-this?  (…)  Oh, ho ho ho!  THIS ol’ thing!
It’s just my… diary!!  I thought I’d better write down each and every detail of
this exciting adventure!  Good idea, no?!

Yuri:  I couldn’t… care… less…  (S)  (collapses)  …Hrrkk!!

Margarete:  (jumps back)  Eeeew!!  Gross!  Don’t you DARE throw up!!

Yuri:  Nnnhgh…  Gulp.

Margarete:  Eeeew!  Gross!  Don’t SWALLOW it!!

Yuri:  (C)  (stands up)  Uurgh…  I’m…  I’m done for…

Margarete:  H-how filthy!  How disgusting!  Go lie down or something!  Shoo!
Shoo!


(Yuri checks out the door to the wheel room on his way to the front of the
boat.)

Yuri:  Hmm?  Why’s this locked?  What’re they up to in there?

(The interior of the wheel room is shabby like the rest of the ship.  There are
bottles and creates scattered about.  Kato is manning the wheel while Kawashima
is standing nearby.)

Kawashima:  It’s gotten quite foggy.

Kato:  Yes, but not to worry.  The boat is sailing smoothly.  You know, I
didn’t think we’d actually have it this easy.  You’re incredible, Lt. Colonel
Kawashima!  They really think we’re their own personal couriers.  So, from
Shanghai, all we have to do is get them on the special charter and rush them
off to Japan!

Kawashima:  We can’t let our guard down.  These people butchered the soldiers
on the Trans-Siberian Express.

Kato:  Yes, well…  I heard about that incident, too, but…  I can’t imagine that
girl could be capable of such a thing.  She seems so sweet…  I mean, just look
at how she takes care of the young man who’s been sick ever since we left port.

Kawashima:  (…)  Hmm.  It could have been him… that Yuri… that did the
butchering.  Kato…

Kato:  Y-yes?

Kawashima:  I wanted to see for myself.  I wanted to see the girl and her
friends with my own eyes.  I assume you’ve heard about the old man in Shanghai
who continues to plot against our Army…?

Kato:  Yes.  I don’t know the details, but Dehuai seems to be a warlock, with
the powers of an Adept.

Kawashima:  Correct.  Thanks to him, we’re having great difficulty gaining any
measure of power in Shanghai.  Hee,hee.  He’s a sharp old scoundrel, that
Dehuai.  They say he tried the ultimate Taoist magic fifteen years ago, and was
about to blow Japan to bits.

Kato:  I… I had no idea…

Kawashima:  I don’t know how much of it is true…  But I think at least some
part of it really happened.  The bloated desk-jockeys we take our orders from
don’t have a clue about the size of the country.  They know even less about the
teeming varieties of people and ways of thinking here.  This “Utopia” we’re
pushing…  It’s nothing more than a dirty trick shrouded in a cute name.  Even
I might be just another cog in the wheel of this scheme, helping it move ever
onward.

Kato:  (…)

Kawashima:  The people here are victims of politics.  All they really want to
do is get on with their lives.  It’s no surprise this land would s produce a
warlock like Dehuai.  At least he makes things interesting.

Kato:  …Lt. Colonel.  …What do you think the connection between Dehuai and
Alice IS…?

Kawashima:  Ah, forgive me for going on and on.  It’s just boring talk.

Kato:  Not at all, ma’am!!  I always like to hear you thoughts, Lt. Colonel!!

Kawashima:  …You’re a funny fellow, aren’t you?  Fine, let’s get back to the
subject at hand.  I’ve been tracking Dehuai for some time.  Eventually, I
learned of the girl he was so desperate to catch.

Kato:  Is this… Alice?

Kawashima:  …Yes.  She has a unique spiritual power.  Even Tsuji met his death
when he encountered her.  Dehuai will stop at nothing to get her.  If used
properly, she’ll be an asset to the Shanghai offensive.  I wish to find whether
she’ll be a help… or a hindrance… to Japan’s invasion of the mainland.

Kato:  A Shanghai offensive… so the Japanese Army can take the mainland…  Is
that your real motivation, Lt. Colonel…?

Kawashima:  Hee hee hee…

(Back outside the wheel room…)

Yuri:  Ugh… I can’t… hear ‘em.  What are they babbling about?

He continues on to find Zhuzhen at the front of the boat.

Zhuzhen:  …Whew.  The sun’s gone down, and the fog’s rolling in…  Hmm…

Yuri:  Urgg…!  What’s with the scowl, pops?  Don’t tell me you’re throwing up
from seasickness.  Uck…

Zhuzhen:  Heh heh heh.  That would be YOU, if I’m not mistaken.  Say kid, are
you feeling better now?  And what do you make of this unearthly aura…?  It
seems to rise from the sea and permeate the boat.

Yuri:  Unearthly aura?!  Ulp…  Sorry, buddy…  I’m dealing with some pretty
earthly problems right now.  …Hrrkk!!  (collapses)

Zhuzhen:  Hey!  Watch it, will you?  Do not soil my robes!!

Yuri:  (…)  Nnnnhgh…  Gulp.  (stands up)  Cough…  Damn, now I’m just
dry-heaving…  Aren’t we in Shanghai yet?  How much longer will it taaaake??

Zhuzhen:  Ha ha ha, we should be there by a little after noon tomorrow.

Yuri:  What?!  I won’t last that long, pal!!

Zhuzhen:  Hey, kid, if you’re going to kick the bucket, do it over there, will
you?  (turns to the sea again)

Yuri:  Hmph, some help you are!  Couldn’t you have at least brought some
medicine for this kind of thing?  Hrk…  You and Miss Spy Genius are big
meanies…  Alice is the only one who really cares about me!

(Yuri returns to the room below the deck.)

Alice:  (!)  Yuri, are you okay?  You didn’t come back.  I was getting worried!

Yuri:  Yeah, I’m fine.  I learned just how kind you are, Alice… and how cold
the rest of the world is!

Alice:  (?)

Yuri:  Whew.  Zhuzhen and Margarete say there’s something wrong outside, but…
what could it possibly be?

Alice:  (…)

Yuri:  (?)

Alice:  Speaking of there being something wrong…  Yuri, your disposition has
changed since I first met you.  It seems like you’re changing more and more all
the time.  Maybe it has something to do with your powers…  I’m worried about
you.  It’s like there’s a dark shadow hanging over you… and it’s getting
stronger.

Yuri:  Oh?  Well, yeah, my powers have just gone a little wild since I met up
with you.  And now I can fuse with more spirits.  But hey, I say things are
fine just the way they are.

Alice:  The way they are…?

Yuri:  I haven’t had any headaches lately.  No mystery voice, either.  I must
be doing something right.  If you’re right about the voice wanting to tell me
something, and if what the voice says is true… then I want to know who’s voice
it is!  I’ve decided to protect you at all costs.

Alice:  (…)

Yuri:  (turns away)  So, I’m fine with things the way they are.

Alice:  Yuri…

Yuri:  But you know…

Alice:  Yes?

Yuri:  If… if I were to get devoured by the spirits inside me that  I’ve fused
with…  If they take over, and I’m not myself anymore…  You’ve gotta kill me,
Alice.  No hesitation.

Alice:  …Oh, come on!  That’s not funny.

Yuri:  (turns to her)  It’s no joke…

Alice:  Don’t worry!  You won’t lose to those monsters, so it won’t happen.
(steps closer)  I… I believe in you.

Yuri:  (…)

Margarete:  (off-screen)  Hey, you two!  Something’s going on!  (runs down
stairs)  (S)  Oopsie!  Did I come at a bad time?  Am I in the WAY, perhaps?

Yuri:  What is it already?!

Alice:  What’s going on?

Margarete:  S-something big!  You two had better come outside…  Let’s go!!

(Up on the main deck everyone else has gathered.)

Yuri:  What’s up?

Smuggler Boss:  The boat’s turning circles in the same place, over and over.

Alice:  Turning… circles?

Courier Subordinate:  Yes!!  There’s nothing wrong with the motor, but for some
reason the boat won’t move forward.  It’s as if… as if the boat was being held
by something underwater…

Haunted Voice:  You should die…

(Startled, everyone looks around for the source.)

Yuri:  What was that voice?!

Alice:  It’s Li Li…

Yuri:  Li Li?!

Smuggler:  What IS that?

Subordinate:  H-here it comes!!

(Li Li can be seen standing on the prow of the boat.)

Li Li:  Die!  Let the stinking saltwater fill your lungs, and DIE!!  The
mindless fish will pluck and poke at your rotting corpse, at you bulging
eyeballs!

Zhuzhen:  Here she comes, kid!  So this was what was raising the hairs on the
back of my neck…  (turns to Smuggler Boss and Courier Subordinate)  You two
better take cover!  This monster’s likely to give us some real trouble.

Smuggler:  A-all right!

Subordinate:  Eeeek!!  (both run off)

Alice:  (steps forward)  Li Li!

Li Li:  Tee-hee…  So nice you remembered.  I’ve been waiting for you…

Alice:  Li Li, please, tell us what you want us to do!  What can we do so that
your soul may rest in peace?!  What do you want from us?

Li Li:  (disappears and reappears closer)  Taste my suffering… and die!  That’s
what I want!  My friends are coming to greet you!  (disappears, reappears back
on the prow)

Yuri:  Damn!  She STILL hasn’t moved on yet?!

Sea Mother’s Voice:  On-tei-naa…  Kai-zei-chii-fuu-motsu-gyaku…  On-tei-naa…
On-tei-naa…

(There are several flashes of light and Li Li cringes.)

Li Li:  Y-you…?!

Alice:  (!)  Master Zhuzhen?

Zhuzhen:  (nods)  Heh heh heh.  When did you get her, Sea Mother?  You must
have masked your presence.

Li Li:  You think you can suppress my spirit with your feeble “power”?
Eeeeyyaaah!!  DIIEEEEEE!!

(A bolt of lightning strikes the hatch on the deck of the ship.)

Sea Mother:  Aaaahh!

(Zhuzhen opens the hatch, Sea Mother crawls out surrounded by some black
smoke.)

Margarete:  Sea Mother?!

Sea Mother:  (stands up and faces Li Li)  Li Li!  I will save your soul!!  You
will not be made to suffer any more.  Now, calm your spirit!!

Li Li:  S-SILENCE!!  (jolts Sea Mother again)

Sea Mother:  (collapses)  Gwaaaah!

Yuri:  Sea Mama!!

Alice:  Li Li, stop this!!

Sea Mother:  O-on… tei-naa…  On-tei… naa…  Kai-zei…  chii-fuu…

(There are more flashes of light and Li Li cringes again.)

Li Li:  Th-the pain…!!  C-creatures of the deep, attack!!  Drag these fools to
the bottom of the ocean!!  (disappears)

Zhuzhen:  She’s run away.  Couldn’t stand up to Sea Mother’s incantations, I
suppose.  (looks at her)  Are you all right, Sea Mother?  Why on earth did you
do that?

Sea Mother:  (stands up)  Forgive me, Master Zhuzhen.  I… I just wanted to send
Li Li off to Nirvana…

Zhuzhen:  That was an old-fashioned exorcism you preformed just now, yes?
Here, let me lend a hand.  If it’s all the same, why don’t we place seals all
over the boat to help Li Li’s spirit settle down?

Sea Mother:  Master Zhuzhen!  Are you sure?

Zhuzhen:  Think nothing of it.  At this rate, the ship’s going nowhere for the
time being.  Well, let’s get to it, then.  (turns to Yuri)  Hey, kid.  I’m
going to put up a seal here.  Help Sea Mother rest until I’m done.  And I
imagine the monsters will be attacking, so I need you to buy me some time, too.

Yuri:  Okay!  You got it.

(Later, Sea Mother, Margarete, Alice and Yuri are below deck.)

Sea Mother:  Thank you…  I feel better now…

Margarete:  Mother, did you hide on the boat to put Li Li’s soul to rest?
What, you KNEW this would happen?!

Sea Mother:  Yes…  I didn’t think Li Li would give up so easily.  I would give
my life to save that poor girl’s soul!

Alice:  Say, Sea Mother…  What happened after Li Li opened the door that night
fourteen years ago?

Sea Mother:  Ah…  We were interrupted.  When Li Li opened the door that day…
Well, it’s just as you might have imagined.  She saw her father, back from the
dead… he was in a terrible state.  He returned to let Li Li take his life.  He
returned to give Li Li her voice back.

Yuri:  He came back as a drowned corpse… to be killed by his own daughter?

Alice:  And did she?  Did she kill her father, who had finally returned?

Sea Mother:  No.  She came to return the dagger.  Then, with her father’s
drowned corpse on her back… she walked on towards the ocean, staggering under
the weight…  That’s the last time anyone ever saw them.  We couldn’t find their
bodies, either.

Alice, Yuri and Margarete:  (…)

Margarete:  No wonder her spirit isn’t at peace…

Sea Mother:  I-I couldn’t do anything for her…  Hack, hack…!  (collapses)

Alice:  Are you all right?  I’m sorry to bring up all these bad memories.  Why
don’t you get some rest?

Sea Mother:  (stands up)  Thank you…

(Yuri, Alice and Margarete go back up on the deck, leaving Sea Mother in the
room with the bunks.)

Courier Subordinate:  (off-screen)  Aiiieeeee!!

Smuggler Boss:  (off-screen)  Wh-what IS this?!

Yuri:  (?)  Th-the wheelhouse?  Has something happened there…?

(He finds that the door to the wheelhouse is locked from the inside.)

Yuri:  Open, damn you!!  (kicks it open and laughs)  Yeah!  Now we’re talking!

(Inside, the Courier Subordinate is laying on the ground with the Smuggler Boss
kneeling over him.)

Courier Subordinate:  (C)

BATTLE     Yuri, Margarete and Alice Vs 4 Ogre Flames

Yuri:  Tsk…  They’re an ELUSIVE bunch, aren’t they?

Smuggler:  (stands up)  Wh-what was THAT?

Yuri:  You said you saw them in Dalian, didn’t you?  Or their relatives.

Smuggler:  I-I… never imagined they actually…!!

Sea Mother:  (off-screen)  Foul monsters!  I’m not  about to lose to the likes
of you!!  Oryaaaaahh!!

Yuri:  Tsk, now Sea Mama’s in on the action?!  Well, isn’t this fun…
(runs out)

(Downstairs, they find Sea Mother kneeling on the floor.)

BATTLE     Yuri, Margarete and Alice Vs 3 White Wolflings

Yuri:  Hah!  Piece of cake.

Sea Mother:  You… you’re good, boy.  (stands up)  They must be after Master
Zhuzhen, too!  Please, boy… would you go and check?

Yuri:  Sheesh, Sea Mama, you sure know how to work people.  Anyway, that old
geezer won’t be beaten so easily.

Sea Mother:  Master Zhuzhen is in the middle of a ceremony!  He’s extremely
vulnerable right now…

Yuri:  (C)

(They go upstairs to find Zhuzhen performing a ritual.)

Zhuzhen:  On-tei-naa…  On-tei-naa…  (several flashes of light)

BATTLE     Yuri, Margarete and Alice Vs.  4 Ogre Flames

Zhuzhen:  All right.  That should just about do it!

(Zhuzhen becomes surrounded by a red aura and begins gesturing.  There is a
flash of light and a large yellow seal appears on the deck surrounded by five
lit candles.)

Alice:  (!)  So this is an old-fashioned exorcism pentagram?

Yuri:  Whoa!!  I have absolutely no clue what’s going on, but it’s damn
impressive!

(Sea Mother has come up from below the deck to investigate.)

Sea Mother:  Th-this pentagram… it’s incredible!

Zhuzhen:  Sorry to keep you waiting, people.  Everything’s ready now!!  Now,
Sea Mother, I’ll need your help.  We have to keep Li Li’s power in check.  (to
Yuri)  Give me a shout when you’re ready, kid.

Sea Mother:  Master Zhuzhen, I shall assist you!

Zhuzhen:  Are you ready?

Yuri:  Any time!!

Zhuzhen:  All right then, Mother.  Let’s do this!!

Sea Mother:  Yes, let’s!  On-tei-naa…  On-tei-naa…  Li Li, come before me!
(there is a flash of light)

Alice:  H-here she comes!!

(Lightning strikes the pentagram and Li Li appears in the middle.)

Li Li:  Graaarrrgh!  Damn you, mortals!!  How DARE you invoke that wretched
chant!!  DIE!!

BATTLE     Yuri, Margarete, Alice Vs Li Li

Li Li:  H-help me… the pain…  Sea… Mother…

(Dehuai appears on the prow of the ship.)

Dehuai:  Hee hee hee…  This doll’s just about served it’s purpose.

Alice:  Who…?!

Dehuai:  (laughs)  How nice to finally meet you, Alice Elliot.  And Zhuzhen!
Long time no see.

Alice:  So you’re Dehuai!  You brought poor Li Li back, didn’t you?!  You were
USING her!

Dehuai:  That’s right.  Ah, Alice…  You’re even more beautiful than I had
imagined!

Yuri:  Well, well!  We finally meet the real Tiny, eh?  Except that you’re not
nearly as cute.

Dehuai:  Hmph.  So you’re the abominable Harmonixer, are you?  Very well.  I’m
sure you and the old man will make a lovely snack for the Shanghai crabs.  Li
Li, I shall unleash all of your power!!  Hate everything!  DEVOUR them with
your hate!  Hee hee hee hee!!

(Dehuai begins to glow with an orange aura.  Light is drawn to the fallen Li Li,
who also begins glowing and stands up.)

Alice:  Y-you not going to get away with this!  Wait, Li Li!!  I promise you, I
WILL deliver you to your eternal rest!

BATTLE     Yuri, Margarete and Alice Vs Li Li

Li Li:  Th-thank you…  (disappears)

Dehuai:  Grrr… not bad, not bad…

Yuri:  (steps closer)  It’s your turn next!!

Dehuai:  Hee hee hee…  (disappears in a ball of light)

(Sea Mother collapses after Dehuai disappears.)

Alice:  Sea Mother!!  (kneels down beside her)

Zhuzhen:  You… you’re really something, Sea Mother.  You gave every last ounce
of strength you had to save her…  It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such
fine magic.

Alice:  Rest in peace, good Sea Mother…  (stands up and walks to the prow of
the ship)  Spirits in the heavens!  Spirits in the heavens!  Our beloved magic
user will be coming under you care.  (…)  Our wonderful, wonderful magic user…
Please be good to her…

(Sea Mother’s body flickers and disappears.  Yuri, Margarete and Zhuzhen are
all startled.)

Yuri:  …Yeah, spirits.  Be good to her for us, won’cha?  See ya, Sea Mama…

Zhuzhen:  Heh heh.  A fine send off.  Sea Mother will be most pleased.

(The Smuggler Boss and the Courier Subordinate come out from the wheel room.)

Subordinate:  It’s finally over, right…  The monsters are gone.

Margarete:  …Yes.  Everything’s all right now.  Let’s get this thing moving.
Full speed ahead, please!

Subordinate:  (nods)  R-right.

Smuggler:  (looks around)  (…)

(Fade out…)

Kawashima:  What… what in God’s name did I bear witness to tonight…?


~~Kuihai Tower~~

(Dehuai is standing alone in front of a strange machine.)

Dehuai:  Grrr…!  I’ve failed again!  Fengtian, Dalian… and yet again on that
rotten boat!  I must not underestimate that boy’s power.  And now that Zhuzhen
has joined the girl…  Time to take a step back, and conjure up a plan.  Hmm…

(A thin man enters.)

Wugui of Kowloon:  …You called, Master Dehuai?

Dehuai:  Ah, Wugui!  So glad you could make it here from Kowloon.  I did not
wish to tear you away from Hong Kong, but I could not afford NOT to call you…

Wugui:  (nods)  Do not worry.  Not much is going on in Hong Kong, and to tell
the truth I was growing a little bored.  Indeed, we’ve already made puppets of
the newly-appointed French parliamentary officials.

Dehuai:  Excellent.  Damn the foreign superpowers.  They believe this country
is theirs for the taking!  Ha!  I’ll never let it happen…  As long as I’m here,
they won’t lay a finger on Shanghai!!

Wugui:  Master, if I may be so bold… are you experiencing difficulties with the
Demon’s Gate Invocation?

Dehuai:  Yes, well…  As you can see, the Spirit Machine of Kuihai Tower is
complete and ready to go…  But the girl… the KEY… is still running loose.  An
unwelcome guest blocks my way.

Wugui:  Unwelcome… guest?

Dehuai:  (nods)  Absolute Sage Zhuzhen!

Wugui:  Master Zhuzhen?  I never imagined he still lived.

Dehuai:  Well, he does.  The bastard… he’s been standing in my way ever since
we were in training together!  My Blue Dragon trap only succeeded in killing
an old hag.  Grr…!!  Pathetic, I tell you!

Wugui:  Not to worry, Master Dehuai.  I shall deliver the girl to you
immediately… along with the old man’s head.

Dehuai:  Hee hee.  Good, good!  You’ve always been my best student.  A word of
warning, though.  Do not underestimate them.  …One of them is a monster with
the power of Fusion.

Wugui:  (!)  Fusion?!  The Japanese man… he can’t still be alive?

Dehuai:  No, this one is different.  He’s still young, though there is no doubt
he’s a Harmonixer.  Two Yamarajas have fallen to him thus far.

Wugui:  Gods…!  Heh heh heh.  If what you say is true, Master, this should be
interesting.  I, Wugui of Kowloon, shall not fail you.

Dehuai:  Then I’ll wait for the good news.  Show that grinning bastard Roger
Bacon what we’re capable of.  Now, Wugui!  Go!

Wugui:  Yes, Master!  (leaves)


~~Flashback~~

[…Fifteen years ago.  1889 Shanghai]

(A rainy street in Shanghai.  Zhuzhen limps to the middle of the street and
collapses.)

Zhuzhen:  Wheeze… wheeze…  I really… made… a mess… of this…. didn’t I…
(collapses)

(Wugui follows behind him with two other men.)

Wugui:  Heh heh heh…  What a surprise, Master Zhuzhen.  An Adept of the highest
rank… fallen.

Underling Tachun:  Kee-hee-hee!!  Y’didn’t really think we’d letcha get away,
did ya!!  A little fly like you, always flitting about, causing trouble for
Master Dehuai?!  No, sir!

Underling Shaolin:  Y’know what happens to flies, old man?  They get SQUASHED!

(Zhuzhen struggles to his feet.)

Wugui, Tachun and Shaolin:  (!)

(Zhuzhen collapses again.)

Wugui, Tachun and Shaolin:  (S)

Zhuzhen:  Hee hee hee…  You’re a fine bunch.  Attaching yourselves to the
infamous Dehuai and calling him “Master”.  If you wanted a master, you’d have
been better off declaring loyalty to one of those mangy street dogs!

Wugui:  Hmph, scum!  After that torture session, it’s amazing you have any
energy left to oppose the Master’s teachings.  Of course, a maggot like you
can’t really be expected to comprehend the greatness of Master Dehuai…

Zhuzhen:  …Greatness?!  Greatness, you say?!  That’s a good one!!  Wah ha ha ha
ha !  That’s a real side-splitter!!  I think I’m going to die laughing!!

Shaolin:  Enough!!  Shut up, you maggot!!  Lord Wugui, let’s kill him and be
done with it!

Wugui:  Still, there’s one thing I do not understand.  Why do you oppose the
Demon’s Gate Invocation?  Our continent is being hacked to pieces.  Lacking
military might, there is one path to salvation…  The Demon’s Gate Invocation!
If we can destroy Japan, we shall send a clear and firm message to the West!
Do you know any other way to maintain peace on this continent?!

Zhuzhen:  Hmph!  I’ve no use for such drivel!  Destroy Japan?!  A warning shot
to the West?!  You’re a fool!  That’s not what a Demon’s Gate Invocation is
about….  Sure, like he says, it might be easy to blast Japan out of the water!
But… just one misstep… and you could wind up blowing the entire world into
oblivion!!

Tachun:  Shaddup!  As if you know!!

Wugui:  Bah!  I could stand here all day explaining it to you… you’ll never
understand.  Alas, it seems our discussion has now come to an end.  Allow us to
aid you on your trip to hell.

Quiet Male Voice:  …Hold it right there.

(Two men walk up behind Zhuzhen.)

Shaolin:  W-who are you?!  This ain’t no show, man.  Get outta here before you
get hurt!

Colonel Hyuga:  It seems the streets of Shanghai have become considerably more
dangerous than I remember them…

Tachun:  Y-you’re Japanese, aren’t you?!  Butt out, buddy, or I can’t guarantee
you’ll get outta this alive!

Zhuzhen:  W-wait!  These people have nothing to do with this!  S-sir. Gentleman
from Japan.  Please be on your way.  There’s no sense in you getting hurt, too.

Wugui:  He’s right.  It would be wise not to meddle in things that don’t
concern you.  No good will come out of opposing us.

Colonel Hyuga:  I’m sorry, but I heard you were in league with Dehuai.  I
simply cannot ignore you.

Wugui:  (walks up to him)  W-who ARE you?!

Colonel Hyuga:  That is of little importance… to those who are about to die.

Wugui:  Heh heh… what an amusing joke!!  All right, fool!  We’ll see who’s
about to die!!

BATTLE     Colonel Hyuga Vs.  Wugui and 2 Kappas

Wugui:  W-what are you… a demon?!

Colonel Hyuga:  I’ve changed my mind.  I will not kill you.  Run back to your
master, and tell him this:  “A man has appeared, who is coming for you.  Until
he arrives, live out your remaining days in fear.”

Wugui:  Grrr…  You… you will regret those words!!  (disappears in a blue
sparkly cloud)

Mr. Zhen:  Are you all right, old sir?!

Zhuzhen:  Ugh…  I’ll be all right…  Heh heh heh.  Not to sound ungrateful for
your help, but…  I don’t… exactly… consider myself so old yet.  Urgh…  (stands
up)

Mr. Zhen:  I’m Zhongyun Zhen, and this is Colonel Ben Hyuga.

Zhuzhen:  I thank you for coming to my rescue.  My name is Zhuzhen.  I’m an
Adept.

Colonel Hyuga:  It would appear so.

Zhuzhen:  E-exactly what… sort of person are you?  The Fusion technique…  I
heard about it a long time ago, but I never expected to see it myself…  Heh
heh… how amusing to hear that fiend call YOU a demon…  Talk about… the pot and
the kettle…  (collapses)

Mr. Zhen:  Please, Zhuzhen, relax!  Your wounds may be worse than you think…

Zhuzhen:  Damn!  If I weren’t in such a state, I’d have made short work of
those bastards.  Urgh…  Owww…

Colonel Hyuga:  Heh heh.  It’s clear that your injuries haven’t affected that
mouth of yours.

Mr. Zhen:  The shop I run is just down the way.  Come with us, and I’ll treat
your wounds.

Zhuzhen:  Th-there’s no need for that.  I’m feeling much better already…  Much
bet…  O-ouch…!

Colonel Hyuga:  Hah!  Come, Master Zhuzhen.  I will carry you there.  (bends
down)


~~Cypress Hotel~~


(Back to the present time.  Zhuzhen is looking out of the window of a large
hotel room.  Alice stands behind him.)

Zhuzhen:  …And that was how I first met the man.  The next thing I knew he was
carrying me piggy-back, and I could feel my face burning red!  He was an
incredible man, and handsome to boot… so much so that he almost had ME
swooning!  Hah!

Alice:  Goodness!  Was he really that strong?  He must have been amazing.  And
he had Fusion powers, just like…  (!)  …You… you don’t think he could be
Yuri’s…?!

Zhuzhen:  You guessed it.  You’re not going to find too many people in this
world who can wield Fusion.  But I just can’t make up my mind to tell the kid,
you know…  I guess I’m too much of a coward…

Alice:  And then?  What happened to Colonel Hyuga after that?

Zhuzhen:  (turns to the window and shakes his head)  …It’s hard to believe that
was fifteen years ago…  Time sure does fly.  The city’s completely changed,
too.  I feel like… I’ve been left behind to grow old and decrepit…

Alice:  Zhuzhen…!  What are you saying?  You’re still plenty young!!

Zhuzhen:  Heh heh heh.  It’s nice of you to say that.  You’re a sweet girl.

(Both laugh and Alice walks over to the foot of the farthest bed where Yuri is
sleeping.)

Alice:  Yuri sure has been sleeping a for a long time.  And here we are in
Shanghai and everything!

Zhuzhen:  Ha ha ha…  He’s probably sleeping off the effect of his seasickness.
Everybody’s got their weaknesses.  Well, then, I guess maybe I’ll be going out
for awhile.  After all these years, I feel like wandering around a bit, maybe
stopping by an old friend’s place.

Alice:  Tee-hee.  All right.

Zhuzhen:  I don’t expect to be out all that late.

(The lobby of the hotel is very fancy, with pattered wallpaper, Oriental rugs
and a chandelier.  Margarete is standing on the ground floor.)

Margarete:  Oh!  Are you going out?

Zhuzhen:  Yeah.  Thought I’d go kill some time.  By the way, you haven’t seen
our two smuggler friends, have you?

Margarete:  They both left a little while ago.  Seems they have someone to meet
more shady business, I’d guess.  But what a metropolis Shanghai is!  I just
went and had a look…  It’s nothing like Fengtian or Dalian!


~~Japanese Army Headquarters, Shanghai~~

(Kawashima and Kato enter a room similar to Kawashima’s office.  They are met by
an officer and two riflemen.)

Lieutenant Suketani:  We’ve been waiting for you, Lt. Colonel Kawashima!

Kawashima:  Ah, it’s been awhile, Lieutenant Suketani.  At ease, please.

Suketani:  Ma’am how are we doing on the “package” for the mainland?  The
special charter is ready.

Kawashima:  Yes, about that…  I was thinking we might postpone it for a bit.

Kato:  …

Suketani:  Understood, then I’ll relay a message to the mainland.  Is that
acceptable?

Kawashima:  Yes, please do.  Lieutenant Suketani, how’s the investigation
coming along?

Suketani:  Yes, ma’am.  We’ve managed to get our probes rather deep inside.

(He looks meaningfully at the riflemen who salute and depart.  He then walks
over to Kato and stands in front of him.)

Suketani:  (…)

Kato:  (S)

Kawashima:  Ah, yes.  I forgot to introduce you, Suketani.  This is Sergeant
Kato.  You may talk in front of him.

Suketani:  Is that right.  Then you must excuse me, Sergeant.  My apologies.
(walks back to the centre of the room)  An agent of the Investigative Committee
recently arrived from Tokyo.  Even I was cross-examined.  It seems that it is
YOU who are under investigation, ma’am.  You’re safe with me, but please stay
alert.

Kawashima:  I’M being investigated?!  It must be a spy sent by one of my
father’s political enemies…  The Capital is a pit of schemes.  I’ll be careful.
Please continue with what you were saying before.

Suketani:  Yes.  Dehuai, who’s fighting against our Japanese army, is planning
a Demon’s Gate Invocation.  But he still needs a few more things to cast the
Taoist magic needed for the invocation.

Kawashima:  A few more things?

Suketani:  A catalyst is necessary for the main part of the ceremony.  And that
will be the English girl.  Dehuai must also banish the four gods that block the
ceremony by protecting the earthly veins.  It appears that all of these factors
must be in place to make the ceremony possible.  In the past six months, Dehuai
has collected the Black Tortoise, the Blue Dragon and the Red Phoenix.

Kawashima:  So the only one left is the White Tiger, then…  And where is the
White Tiger?  Do you know yet?

Suketani:  It’s in Wuhan.  More precisely, it’s sealed in the temple ruins on
the edge of Wuhan.

Kawashima:  Of course Dehuai knows this?  Then before it falls into his hands,
we must send troops to seize it.

Suketani:  We’ve sent forces there… twice.  But…

Kawashima:  However?

Suketani:  Every last man was lost.  Not a single survivor.  Some terribly
powerful monsters have made a nest out of those temple ruins.

Kawashima:  Are those monsters protecting the White Tiger?  And I wonder why
they picked such a troublesome spot…?

Suketani:  I don’t know.  But apparently, Dehuai isn’t able to handle them,
either.

Kawashima:  (…)

Suketani:  (?)  Wh-what is it, Lt. Colonel?

Kawashima:  I’ve just had an idea!

Suketani:  A… an idea?

Kawashima:  We fight fire with fire.  We defeat the monsters with a monster…


~~Mr. Zhen’s Bar~~


(Zhuzhen enters a small club with a stage and a bar.  There are a few people at
the tables, drinking.)

Zhuzhen:  Sorry to bother you, but I’d like to see the proprietor.  Just tell
him Zhuzhen is here.

Bartender Ten Ten:  Sorry, sir.  The boss isn’t in.

Zhuzhen:  Doesn’t this place belong to Mr. Zhen?

Bartender:  Zhen?  Can’t say I recall the name…

Zhuzhen:  Let’s stop the kidding around, shall we?  I’m talking about that
young lady’s father.

Bartender:  Oh, if that’s who you mean, just have seat.  He should be along any
minute now.

Zhuzhen:  He’s not… the owner of this place?

Bartender:  Hah, give me a break.  This place changed hands years ago.

Zhuzhen:  …  (walks over to the tables)

(A young lady with a Chinese fiddle walks out on stage, bows.  As she plays
Zhuzhen has a monologue.  Cut scene…)

Zhuzhen:  You’ve grown into a beautiful young woman, Qiuhua.  Since I saw you
last, the sound of your playing has become so much richer.  Well, what do you
think, Zhen?  Why is it that the march of time, the endless rising and setting
of the sun, has to be so hard on us old folks?

Heh heh.  At any rate, Zhen, here I am back in Shanghai.  I intend to clean
things up once and for all… the legacy of Hyuga, who passed on so long ago.

Well, perhaps next time.

(End of cutscene.  Qiuhua leaves the stage then returns without her fiddle.)

Quihua:  U-uncle Zhuzhen?  Uncle Zhuzhen!!  (runs over to him)

Zhuzhen:  It’s good to see you, Quihua.  You’ve turned into a real knockout,
then, haven’t you?

Quihua:  It’s good to see YOU!  You look well.  In fact, you haven’t changed a
bit!

Zhuzhen:  So how’s your dad?  How’s Mr. Zhen?

Quihua:  …

Zhuzhen:  …What’s the matter?

(Quihua looks towards the door as a decrepit-looking Zhen shambles in.)

Zhuzhen:  M-Mr. Zhen…?

Drunken Lee:  What do you want now, man?  Begging fer coins again, huh?  Fine!
I’ll give you some!

Hoodlum Kan:  So you’re living off you’re daughter’s scraps?  Well, what a sob
story that is!  Gyahahah!

Mr. Zhen:  (!)  Zhuzhen?!

Quihua:  That’s right, Father.  Uncle Zhuzhen is back.

Mr. Zhen:  Y-you’re alive…?!  But… how?!

Zhuzhen:  What kind of greeting is that for an old friend?  Fifteen long years,
and you look like you’ve seen a ghost!  They tell me this place has changed
hands.  Is it true?

Mr. Zhen:  Err…  Erm…  Yes, it’s true.

Zhuzhen:  Aw, come on!  What’re you being so formal with me for?  That’s no way
for the owner of this place to…

Mr. Zhen:  …

Male Voice:  …I am the owner of this business.

(The curtains behind the bar open and a man in red steps through.)

Zhuzhen:  Y-you’re… Wugui!  So you’re still alive…

Wugui:  Heh heh…  I believe that’s my line, Master Zhuzhen.  I’m finally back
from Kowloon, and I find myself meeting old faces.  Let me welcome you
properly.

Quihua and Mr. Zhen:  (!)

Quihua:  Master Wugui, please leave Uncle Zhuzhen alone.  He just came here to
see father.  That’s all.  So please…  Please…!

Zhuzhen:  M-MASTER WUGUI?!

Wugui:  Why act so surprised?  Didn’t I just tell you?  I am the proprietor of
this place.  Once, Zhuzhen, Zhen opposed Master Dehuai.  Now, he and his
daughter are among my employees.

Zhuzhen:  I-I can’t believe it!  Is this true, Zhen?!

Mr. Zhen:  …  …Yes.

Zhuzhen:  (shakes head)  H-how could this have…?

Wugui:  Hah ha ha ha ha!!  What’s the matter, Zhuzhen?  Shanghai’s changed!
Now then, to begin the welcome banquet!  You remember how to play the old game,
don’t you?!  You two!  (Lee and Kan approach)  Back in his day, this old man
was the toughest guy around.  Beat him and I’ll reward you.

(Zhuzhen motions to Quihua.)

Quihua:  (!)  (runs off)

Drunken Lee:  Heh heh heh!  I’ll be accepting that reward, Master Wugui.  I’ll
take you on first, old man.

BATTLE     Zhuzhen Vs. Kappa

Zhuzhen:  Th-these bastards aren’t human…  Oh, I get it!  You’re all Dehuai’s
underlings, then, eh?!  Well, in that case…  In that case, if I win, I get this
place as my prize.

Wugui:  …Hmph.  In any case, your attempts will prove futile.  You’re far too
old for this.

Hoodlum Kan:  Not bad, gramps.  But can you hold up?  Maybe it’s time for a
prayer.

BATTLE     Zhuzhen Vs. Kappa

Wugui:  Amazing!  Zhuzhen, you truly are amazing.  Your arts are as sharp as
ever, even if you yourself haven’t fared as well.

Zhuzhen:  Hmph!  Are you quite finished?

Wugui:  Enough talk.  Now you face me.  Heh heh heh…  You DO remember, don’t
you?!  Your magic has no effect on me!

Zhuzhen:  …

BATTLE     Zhuzhen Vs. Wugui

(Wugui has extendible limbs and performs the “Game of Death” which results in
maximum damage.)

Mr. Zhen:  Zhuzhen!!

Zhuzhen:  (kneeling)  (S)  I-I’ll be all right!!  Y-you magic-sucking,
half-pint, slicked-back bastard…

Wugui:  Heh.  And I was thinking of allowing you a quick death.  As usual, you
had to go and say too much…  I’ll cut off your limbs and serve them to Dehuai.
And that wagging tongue of yours as well!

Young Male Voice:  Ah, there they are!

(Yuri and Quihua run in.)

Yuri:  (kneels down by Zhuzhen)  What’re you doing, pops?  I thought you were
off eating pot stickers or something.  Don’t tell me you’re half-dead?  You
hurt?  This guy did this to you?

Zhuzhen:  Heh…  What’s the matter, kid?  You sound like you’re actually
starting to care about me or something.

Wugui:  Some of your friends, Zhuzhen?  Poke around in other people’s business
and you’re bound to get hurt.  I’ll forgive you this intrusion.  Get lost!

Yuri:  (stands up and walks over to Wugui)  Oh, it’s you??  Dehuai’s lousy
servant!!  I don’t care if you get down on your hands and knees, I won’t let
you off the hook!

Wugui:  (S)  W-who are you?!

Yuri:  Why would I tell you?!  It doesn’t matter anyway, since you’re going to
die right here!  You really are dumb!

Wugui:  Wh-wh-wh…  What an amusing joke!!  A… all right, fool!  We’ll see who’s
who’s about to die!!

BATTLE     Yuri Vs. Wugui

(Wugui’s Game of Death has no effect on Yuri and he defeats Wugui.  Alice and
Margarete run in after Wugui collapses.)

Wugui:  F-fusion!!  Y-you… you’re… a demon…!

Yuri:  I changed my mind!  I’m not going to kill you anymore, so you run along
to Dehuai…  Since I’m here, he better hide his girlie magazines, ‘cause he
could get killed any day now!

Wugui:  Nnngh…  Things’ll go a bit differently next time, kid!!  (disappears in
a blue sparkly cloud)

Alice:  Are you all right, Zhuzhen?!

Zhuzhen:  (stands up)  Ugh..  I’ll be all right…  Heh heh heh.  Not to sound
ungrateful for your help, but… couldn’t you have come just a little sooner…?
Hey, I think I’m having déjà vu…  Urgh… owww…

Mr. Zhen:  Arrgg..  No…  What’s happening…  I can’t believe it…

Yuri:  What is it?  Something on my face?

Mr. Zhen:  There’s no mistaking it…  His eyes… and his mouth…  It’s an absolute
likeness!!  Like a twin…  It’s as if he’s alive… and… grew to be this grand…
ohh… urggh…

Yuri:  (S)  (turns to Alice)  Hey, he’s crying!  Er…  What should I do?

Quihua:  Master Zhuzhen, is he…?

Zhuzhen:  Heh heh heh…  You guess right, Quihua, Zhen.  Let me introduce you.
The kid’s name is Yuri.  It’s a memento from Colonel Ben Hyuga!!

Yuri:  (!)  Hunh?!


~~Cypress Hotel~~

(Everyone has gathered at the hotel room, Yuri is staring out the window.)

Mr. Zhen:  …Yes, when I was in Tongliao, your father saved my life.  Ever since
then, I accompanied him in his travels.  We opened a shop in Shanghai because
he said we should make this our base of operations…  But in fact, he did it out
of concern for young Quihua.

Yuri:  Each summer, father left the village for work.  Then he returned just
before winter began.  But there was that one year…  A cold winter arrived, and
snow was falling.  But no sign of father…  And instead, what came to our
village was…  Hmph…  Forget it…

Mr. Zhen:  I heard that the colonel had a Russian wife.  And that they had a
young son.  But…  I had no idea… that he would be alive…

Yuri:  …My mother died.  Heheh, but just my luck, I had to outlive them.

Mr. Zhen:  How can you say that?  I haven’t been this thrilled in my life.  And
how happy Zhuzhen must be as well!

Yuri:  (turns on Zhuzhen)  Old geezer…  You knew everything from square one,
didn’t you?!  But you kept quiet the whole time!!    Whether it’s about my
father, or me, or whoever else…

Zhuzhen:  …

Yuri:  Why is everyone so damn secretive!!  Why??  Tell me, you stupid old man!!

Alice:  (runs up behind him)  Stop it, Yuri!  Zhuzhen was agonizing over it all
the time.  He didn’t know how to tell you.  So, please…!

Zhuzhen:  I was the one…  I was the one who killed Hyuga.

Mr. Zhen:  Zhuzhen!!

Yuri:  (!)  What did you say?!  Those could be your last words!

Zhuzhen:  (looks out the window)  I first met Hyuga fifteen years ago, here in
Shanghai.  Hyuga was a special assassin sent to China when the Japanese Army
realized Dehuai was up to no good.  We spent much time tracking Dehuai.
Finally we learned what the Demon’s Gate Invocation was.  We hit Dehuai’s
stronghold, the Kuihai Tower, and finally defeated him.  It was a fierce
battle.

Yuri:  So then, the man you told me about in Dalian was…

Zhuzhen:  That’s right.  I was talking about your father.  Hyuga put his life
on the line and stopped the cursed Valorization.

Yuri:  Then… my father died, eh…

Zhuzhen:  …

Mr. Zhen:  Yuri…  Please forgive Zhuzhen…  Zhuzhen didn’t want to get involved
in the same fight your father got pulled into.  I can fully understand
Zhuzhen’s feelings.  If I were him, I would’ve done the same thing.

Yuri:  (turns and kicks the wall)  Arrg…  I know!!  I know…

Alice:  Yuri…

Mr. Zhen:  Zhuzhen.  If Dehuai is trying to repeat the same mistake he
attempted fifteen years ago…  Then the next target is surely Master Xifa!!

Zhuzhen:  !?  Y-you’re right!!  How could I have been so dense?!

Margarete:  Don’t shout like that all of a sudden!  You wanna scare me half to
death?!

Zhuzhen:  …But that temple is the holiest place in Nine Heavens Taoism.  It’s
protected my Master Zifa himself.  Even that miserable fool Dehuai should know
better than to mess with that place.

Alice:  Master Xifa?

Zhuzhen:  Yeah.  He was my teacher.. a mangy old goat.  He’s the protector of
the underground temple at Wuhan.  …And here’s the rub.  The White Tiger is
ensconced there… one of the Gods of the Four Directions.

Mr. Zhen:  At first, the White Tiger picture was kept elsewhere, but to keep it
from falling in Dehuai’s hands… Colonel Hyuga placed it in the care of Master
Xifa.

Zhuzhen:  Which means… Dehuai’s plotted out this scheme far more carefully than
before…  And if that’s what he’s called in Wugui for, then it’s all beginning
to make sence.  (…)  All right.  I’m ready to put my life on the line for this.
How about you, Yuri?  Do you have the guts to walk your father’s path?

Yuri:  My…  My father’s path?

Zhuzhen:  It will be a difficult and painful road.  And when you arrive, you
may find nothing but despair and ruin.  Are you up to the challenge?!  Huh?!
What do you say?!

Quihua:  Zhuzhen!  H-how can you ask such a thing of him?!

Zhuzhen:  Butt out, kid!  We’ve got absolutely no time to waste!  This has been
a race against time from the moment those bastards set their sights on Alice!!

Yuri:  (turns to Alice)  Alice said that she could find out why her father died
if she fought Dehuai.  Right?

Alice:  Yes, that’s right.

Yuri:  Pops, I…  No matter what the cost, if I have a chance to see what my
father saw, I won’t have a single regret.  If that damn Dehuai really is going
to release that Demon’s Gate Convocation upon us…  Then I’ll do everything I
can to make sure his little convocation is cancelled once and for all!

Zhuzhen:  Heh heh… good for you, kid.  And you can count on this broken down
old sage here to guide you through hell if need be.

Margarete:  (!)  (walks over to the door and opens it)

Smuggler Boss:  Wh-what’s this?!  Quite a big meeting, eh?

Margarete:  You!!  You were listening in again, weren’t you?!

Smuggler Boss:  No!  No, I wasn’t!  I just… happened to overhear.

Margarete:  How incredibly suspicious you are!  Now I’m SURE I don’t like you.

Smuggler Boss:  Now, now.  Don’t get so angry.

Margarete:  (…)

Smuggler Boss:  I’ve got some news that I just couldn’t wait to tell you all!
I hear Dehuai has sent his men to Wuhan.  And that’s not all!  The Japanese
military troops that were secretly stationed in Shangahai have been secretly
sent to Wuhan, too!

Mr. Zhen:  What?!

Margarete:  Hey!  How is that you know about Dehuai… let alone movements of the
Japanese Army?!

Smuggler Boss:  Hee hee!  We in the smuggling business can get our hands on a
lot of underground information.

Margarete:  Something smells here…  But if you’re trying to help us, I suppose
I ought to thank you.

Smuggler Boss:  Well, and here I went to all the trouble of gathering
information I thought you could use!  Yuri, Zhuzhen, what shall we do?  There
isn’t much time left.

Yuri:  (turns to Zhuzhen)  Pops, I’m sure it’s Wugui that is headed for Wuhan.
Don’t you think that even for a great Adept like yourself, he’ll be an awfully
tough opponent?

Zhuzhen:  Well…  I suppose you’re right…

Mr. Zhen:  Zhuzhen, we’ll go with you to Wuhan!

Zhuzhen:  No, Zhen.  You and Qiuhua stay here and gather as much information
as you can.  We need this place to be the base of our activities again!

Mr. Zhen:  Zhuzhen…

Yuri:  Wait here, and rest assured…  We won’t let them touch the White Tiger!

Mr. Zhen:  Yuri…  Okay, I understand.  Qiuhua, let’s get back to the shop.  Ah
yes, before you leave Shanghai, stop by our place.

Qiuhua:  Be careful, Uncle Zhuzhen!  Come back safe!

Zhuzhen:  Now, then we’d better get ready.


~~Temple Ruins, Wuhan~~

(It is foggy and approaching evening.  Yuri, Alice, Zhuzhen, Margarete and the
two smugglers approach a dilapidated old temple.)

Alice:  It’s old, but it certainly is a large and grand temple…

Zhuzhen:  This is the Nine Courts of Xiyuan, the sanctuary of Wuhan and the
apex of Nine Heavens Taoist Magic.

Yuri:  Wugui and his cronies aren’t here yet?

Margarete:  I don’t see the Japanese Army around anywhere, either.

Courier Subordinate and Smuggler Boss:  (…)

Margarete:  Don’t things seem a little too quiet?

(The two smugglers walk towards the entrance.)

Yuri:  (…)

(Inside the temple there is a central altar with some lit candles.)

Yuri:  This place is giving me the creeps…  Hey, pops, there ain’t nobody here.

Margarete:  Are you really sure this is the place?  You didn’t get mixed up or
something?

Zhuzhen:  Give me a break.  I haven’t gone that senile yet.  To proceed from
here, let’s see…  Oh, right, I need to chant the unlocking rites.  (…)  (shakes
his head)  (S)  Darn!  I can’t seem to remember them!  Hmm, how did it go…?
Hey, kid.  You guys can go look around for a bit while I try to remember the
chant.

Margarete:  Come on, don’t REALLY go senile on us!

(Zhuzhen eventually remembers the chant.)

Zhuzhen:  All right!!  I got it!  Now stand back, everyone.  Here goes…  (he is
surrounded by a red aura and makes some gestures, a secret door opens under the
altar)  Ahh, that musty aroma…  Sure does bring back memories…

Yuri:  So the real deal’s waiting for us inside, eh?

Zhuzhen:  That’s right.  Let’s go.

(The hidden stairway leads to a ladder that descends into a dirt passage.  At
the end, a partially opened door awaits.  A large room with two wooden doors is
on the other side.)


~~Samsara Pavilion~~

(The walls and floor are dirt and stone and the place is lit by an unseen light
from above.  As they enter the room begins to shake.)

Yuri:  W-what the…?!

Alice:  Enemies, perhaps?!

Zhuzhen:  I doubt it…

(A small boy in green appears before them.)

Master Xiaofang:  Meow, meow!!

Yuri:  …  …  …  And?

Xiaofang:  What do you mean, “And”?!  What kind of a response is that?!  I am
Master Xiaofang!  I guard this temple.  Nice to meet y’all.

Yuri:  And?

Xiaofang:  (stamps his foot)  Meeeow!  You insult me!  I’ll kill you!

Zhuzhen:  (laughs)  Hey, there, Master Xiaofang.  You’re speaking a whole lot
more now, I see.

Xiaofang:  (!)  (runs over to Zhuzhen)  Oh, Zhuzhen.  Long time no see, meow!

Zhuzhen:  Heh heh heh.  We’ve come to see Master Xifa.  So how is the old man,
anyway?

Xiaofang:  The meowster knew you’d all be here.  He told me to welcome you.
That’s why I’m here, meow.

Zhuzhen:  Great.  How about you take us to him right away, then.  Using the
short cuts, of course.

Xiaofang:  No way, meow!  You gotta follow the rules to get to Nirvana Palace!

Zhuzhen:  Don’t be that way, Xiaofang!  I’m sorry, but we just don’t have time
to play the old man’s games right now.  If we don’t hurry, Dehuai’s men or the
Japanese Army will get here.

Xiaofang:  Some Japanese soldiers have been here already.  They’re all dead
now, meow!  Meow!!  I ain’t afraid of no soldiers!

Zhuzhen:  As happy-go-lucky as ever, eh?  If you keep going like that, I may
have to turn you back into a cat.

Xiaofang:  (S)  (jumps back)  No!  You can’t cheat!  Follow the rules, meow!
You have to go through the Spiritual Trials before you can enter Nirvana
Palace, meow.

Alice:  Spiritual Trials?

Zhuzhen:  They’re like little tests of nerve.  They CAN get rather tricky,
though.

Xiaofang:  Here in the Nine Courts of Xiyuan, from the Samsara Pavilion further
on in…  There are three dungeons, called the Dan Tian Court, Jiang Palace, and
Ni Wan Palace.  Meowster Xifa’s Nirvana Palace is at the end of those dungeons!
Only two people can challenge any given location.  For the first dungeon, Dan
Tian Court…  (…)  (!)  (runs over to Zhuzhen, nods, then over to Yuri, nods
again)  You two!  You guys go, meow.

Yuri:  Hey now, kiddo!  What’d you choose us for?

Xiaofang:  I’m the one doing the talking around here, meow!!

Yuri:  (C)

Xiaofang:  All right, meow!  You Trial begins!  Meow-meeeow!!  (he begins
glowing and Yuri and Zhuzhen flinch)

[Your items have been sealed!]

Yuri:  Huh?!  Where’d my gear go?!

Zhuzhen:  Gods, do we really have to do this?

Xiaofang:  Okay, then!!  (the first door shudders open)  Cross over to Dan Tian
Court!  Meowch luck to you!!


~~Dan Tian Court~~

(Yuri and Zhuzhen enter a maze of rock passages supported by marble pillars.
They encounter many monsters along the way and eventually find a room cut into
the rock with an altar in it.  There is a glowing stone in the altar, if a hand
is placed in front of it all of the candles on the altar light.)

BATTLE     Yuri and Zhuzhen Vs. Xieshi

Yuri:  Well, that wasn’t too bad after all.

Zhuzhen:  Whew!  I’m glad that’s over.  I guess it’s the ladies turn next.

Xiaofang:  (off-screen, from above)  Meow, you got through Dan Tian Court so
quickly!  You really are an Absolute Sage!  Then…  Just wait right there, meow.
The door to Ni Wan Palace won’t open just yet, meow.


~~Samsara Pavilion~~

Xiaofang:  All right, now it’s your turn, meow!  I’ll open the door to Jiang
Palace.  (he glows and Alice and Margarete flinch)

[Your Special Skills have been sealed!]

Alice:  Wh-what?  We can’t use magic?!

Margarete:  That’s just RUDE!

Xiaofang:  Okay, then!!  (the second door opens)  Beyond the door is Jiang
Palace!  Meowch luck!


~~Jiang Palace~~

(Jiang Palace has the same appearance as Dan Tian Court.  When the small room
at the end is reached there is another glowing stone.)

BATTLE     Alice and Margarete Vs. Baigu

Alice:  Pant, pant…  We did it Margarete!

Margarete:  That wasn’t so bad.  I did break a sweat, though…

Xiaofang:  (off-screen, from above)  Meow, impressive!  You ladies are good!  I
can’t believe this is your first time.  The door to Ni Wan Palace will now
open, meow.


~~Dan Tian Court~~

(Yuri and Zhuzhen are both sitting on the floor by the altar.)

Yuri:  You think those two’ll be okay…?  These dungeons aren’t easy.

Zhuzhen:  Don’t worry.  That girl’s pretty steady on her feet, and she’s got
Margarete with her, too.  I doubt they’ll be long.  That door’ll open soon and
we’ll all be able to enter Ni Wan Palace.

Yuri:  Hey, pops…

Zhuzhen:  …What?

Yuri:  What kind of person was my dad?  Tell me about him… even if it’s just a
little.  I only remember him working the farm, and the fox mask he bought me on
the day of the festival…

Zhuzhen:  (stands up)  Heck, he was a real stand-up guy.  Do you have any idea
how I wound up helping Hyuga out, kid?

Yuri:  (…)

Zhuzhen:  When I first met him, he was a Japanese Army operative, you know.  So
I didn’t trust him right off.  Like with you, we got into fights now and then.
But, he’d always laugh them off afterwards.  What I really liked about your old
man, though, was, well…  Like you, he would rally against any injustice, even
if it meant opposing his own country.  He didn’t just fight for his country, he
fought for everyone who lived on this continent.  He often wondered if there
wasn’t some way he could build a truly good county with his own hands.

Yuri:  So he was a good man?

Zhuzhen:  Absolutely.  He was a true friend to me… a better friend than I
deserved.

Yuri:  (stands up)  …I see.  My dad must’ve felt the same way about you.

Zhuzhen:  Heh heh…  It’s nice of you to say that, kid.

(The door behind Yuri suddenly slides open.)

Yuri:  Hey!  The door opened!

Zhuzhen:  All right!  I knew the girls had it in ‘em!

Xiaofang:  (off-screen, from above)  Let’s do it people!  The last dungeon, Ni
Wan Palace, is just ahead.  Meow!!  But before you step in, it’s time for yet
another Trial!  Meow!!  Meow-meeeow!

[Your items and Special Skills have been sealed.]

Yuri:  Ack!  You mean I’ve lost my fusion abilities, too?!

Zhuzhen:  Cripes, can’t the old goat cut us SOME slack…?


~~Ni Wan Palace~~

(Ni Wan Palace is the same as the others except that instead of a glowing stone
there is a slot into which a wooden token must be inserted.)

BATTLE     Yuri and Zhuzhen Vs. Quinggu

(The door opens…)

Yuri:  Whew, finally…

Zhuzhen:  Good work…  All right, then, Master Xiaofang!  We’ve passed the
Spiritual Trials!  Show yourself!

Xiaofang:  (appears)  Meow, meow!!

(Margarete and Alice run in through the open door.)

Xiaofang:  I’m impressed!  I didn’t think young people like you could make it
through the Trials, meow!

Zhuzhen:  Come on, you’ve got no grounds for denying us further.  Take us to
the old man, won’t you?

Xiaofang:  Of course, meow!  I’ll open the door to Nirvana Palace.  Hold on.
(turns around)  Meeeow meow meow…  Um…  MEEEEOW!!  (another door opens)  Go
ahead!  The Meowster awaits!


~~Temple Ruins, Wuhan~~

(Kawashima and Kato are still waiting outside.)

Kato:  …They certainly are late.

Kawashima:  Yes.  Maybe Lieutenant Suketani was right about them.  Maybe
they’ve failed.

Kato:  That can’t be!  I… I put my faith in them to the end!

Kawashima:  Heh.  It’s ironic, isn’t it?  I find myself rooting for the enemy.
I wonder why?  They’re so reckless… yet somehow I envy them.

Kato:  (…)  (!)

(Kato steps in front of Kawashima as an officer and two riflemen approach.  As
they get closer he salutes and steps aside.)

Suketani:  Lt. Colonel Kawashima!  Lieutenant Suketani reporting.

Kawashima:  That was fast, Lieutenant.  What happened to the others?

Suketani:  We have twenty men hidden nearby.  If something happens, they’ll be
ready.  Lt. Colonel, how is the situation?

Kawashima:  Yes… there’ll be no movement for now.  Please wait a little longer.

Suketani:  Understood.  (walks over to Kato)  Sergeant, don’t take your eyes
off the Lt. Colonel.  The Investigative Committee’s up to something.

Kato:  Up to something?!

Suketani:  I’m counting on you, Sergeant!  (leaves with riflemen)

Kato:  (…)


~~Nirvana Palace~~

(There is a large room cut into the rock which is lit by an unseen source.
Many shelves covered with books line the walls.  An old man stands at a table.)

Xiaofang:  Meowster, I’m back!  I brought everyone here.

Master Xifa:  (turns around)  Welcome back, Zhuzhen.  Nice to meet you, ladies,
and Hyuga’s son.

Yuri:  So you’re Master Xifa?

Xifa:  The very same.  And you’re Yuri?  Like father, like son, it seems.  You
both carry a heavy burden.  At any rate, welcome.  I’ve been so bored lately…
Today’s Trials were quite a pleasant change.  I’ll give you back your power and
items now.  I’ve added something for finishing the Trials.

[Your items and special skills have been unsealed.  You’ve received Fruit of
Yggdrasil.]

Zhuzhen:  Your pardon, Master Xifa, but we don’t have time for a joyful
reunion.  This place isn’t safe.

Xifa:  Heh.  I don’t care how much strength Dehuai has… he can’t break through
this seal so easily.  Just as I cannot leave it, he cannot come in.

Alice:  It’s an honour to meet you, Master Xifa.  I’m Alice.

Xifa:  Ah!  So you’re the blue-eyed prophet I’ve heard so much about.  My, you
DO have incredible power…  No wonder Dehuai is drooling over you…  He probably
would succeed in his Valorization if he had you in his possession.

Alice:  (…)  My father lost his life protecting me from a warlock with similar
plans, in a country far away…  Tell me… why do people like Dehuai attempt such
awful things?

Xifa:  The reason is simple.  They believe they are superior beings, but are
the sons of humans not also human?  They’re motivated by vengeful hearts…  They
sacrifice many victims to their idol of revenge.  I’m sure Dehuai hasn’t fully
considered how the Demon’s Tate Invocation might change the world.  Or course,
I don’t know what would happen, either… but it must be stopped.  …Oh, I almost
forgot.  There was something I wanted to give you.  Xiaofang!

Xiaofang:  (runs over)  Yes, Meowster.

Xifa:  There’s a Votive Picture tablet of the White Tiger on the back shelf.
Please fetch it for me.

Xiaofang:  Gotcha!  (runs over to the shelf)  Ah, here it is.  I found it,
meow!  (begins to run back, a flash of light envelopes him and he falls down)
Meeeoowww!!

Xifa:  Wh-what?!  The barrier may have become slightly weakened by the Trials,
but… this cannot be!

Yuri:  (runs over beside Alice)  D-Dehuai?!

Xifa:  No…  Even Dehuai isn’t this powerful…  …!!  I know who this is!

Xiaofang:  (stands up)  M-Meowster…!!  Meooww…  (begins glowing)

Dehuai inside Master Xiaofang:  Hee hee…  I didn’t need your help…

Margarete:  That voice!  Dehuai!

Dehuai inside Xiaofang:  Heh.  Long time no see, Master Xifa!  I’ve finally
made it inside your seal!

Zhuzhen:  Bastard!  What have you done with Xiaofang?!

Dehuai inside Xiaofang:  Too late!  The Votive Picture of the White Tiger is
mine!

Xifa:  Zhuzhen!  Give me a healing talisman!  A broken seal can’t be repaired.
We must seal the entire temple!

Dehuai inside Xiaofang:  Ha ha ha!  I’ll bring this temple down around your
heads before you can!!

(The aura surrounding Xiaofang flares and the temple begins to shake.  Everyone
falls down.  Dehuai appears in a flash of light beside Alice.)

Dehuai:  What a pathetic place this is…  Master Xifa, you thought I’d be as
weak as I was fifteen years ago?  You fool…  (steps closer to Alice)  Ah, such
beauty…!  If I’d only come earlier, this moment would not have been delayed so
long…  (both disappear in a flash of light)

Xifa:  (stands up)  Dehuai…  I… underestimated his dark power…  (walks over to
Xiaofang and prays over him)  Poor Xiaofang.  Please, forgive me.  (Xiaofang
disappears)  I shall give my life to extend yours.  Nnnnnggh…!  (begins to
glow)

(Yuri, Margarete and Zhuzhen come to and stand up.)

Zhuzhen:  M-master!!

Xifa:  It’s all right, Zhuzhen.  My time has come and gone.  The rest I leave
to you.  (collapses)

Yuri:  Master Xifa!!

Xifa:  Young Hyuga…  Do not fear the dark.  If you accept it, it will protect
you in return.  Then, what frightens you… will also disappear…

Yuri:  N-no, you old fool!  We’re not gonna let you die here!!

Xifa:  Heh heh.  I’ll transport you to the Samsara Pavilion with the last of my
strength.  Good luck…  Now, go!  Go to Kuihai Tower and rescue the girl!!

(The room begins to shake.)

Margarete:  I-it’s collapsing!

Yuri, Margarete and Zhuzhen disappear, Xifa collapses.


~~Temple Ruins, Wuhan~~

(The ground begins to shake.)

Kato:  Wh-what the?!

Kawashima:  Yes!!  They finally started something!  All right, Lieutenant
Suketani!!

Suketani:  So it’s finally time?!

Kawashima:  Take your troops underground!  We don’t know what’s down there, so
proceed with extreme caution!

Suketani:  Yes, ma’am!  (leaves with riflemen)

Kawashima:  Kato, it doesn’t hurt to trust in people now and then.  All right.
Let’s move out!!  (runs off)

Kato:  Lt. Colonel Kawashima…  (follows)


~~Samsara Pavilion~~

(Yuri, Margarete and Zhuzhen reappear.)

Yuri:  …  Ngh…  …Where are we?!

Zhuzhen:  (looks around)  It’s the Samsara Pavilion!

Margarete:  Master Xifa transported us here, didn’t he…

Zhuzhen:  We’ve got no time to waste!  We’ve got to get back to Shanghai before
this place collapses.

That Man’s Voice:  Heh heh heh…  Where do you think you’re going in such a
hurry?

(Wugui of Kowloon enters through the rubble.)

Zhuzhen:  Wugui!!  That Dehuai doesn’t miss a beat, does he… leaving Wugui
behind to block our return…

Yuri:  You don’t know when to give up, do you?  You here for another beat-down?
(walks up to Wugui)  You’ve caught me at a bad time.  I won’t forgive you over
my dead body!

Wugui:  My sentiments exactly, boy.  You will pay dearly for what you did to
me.  Graaaaaah!!

BATTLE     Yuri, Margarete and Zhuzhen Vs. Yamaraja:  War

Wugui:  I-impossible…!!  Defeated… again…?!

(Bacon appears beside the body of Wugui.)

Yuri:  Y-you?!

(Bacon hits Yuri with some sort of ball of light.  Yuri is thrown back several
feet and Bacon disappears.  Zhuzhen and Margarete run over to Yuri, who tries
to stand up but collapses again.)

Yuri:  Damn…  (the room starts shaking harder)

Zhuzhen:  Oh no!!

Margarete:  Hurry, before everything collapses!!

(Fade out…)


~~Cypress Hotel~~

Zhuzhen:  You’re awake?  It appears we’ve been brought back to Shanghai
somehow…

(Fade in…)

Yuri:  (gets out of bed)  (…)

Margarete:  Who do you think rescued us from the rubble?  Hmmm…  I’d better go
next door and check it out myself.

(Yuri goes next door to the smuggler’s room without saying anything to Zhuzhen
or Margarete.  As he enters two riflemen posted by the door aim their guns at
him.  Kawashima waves them off and they leave.)

Kawashima:  Ah, you’re awake.

Yuri:  Yeah, I’m awake all right!!  Care to tell me what’s going on here?!  Why
the Japanese Army?

Kato:  Yuri, this is Lt. Colonel Kawashima.  Her unit saved you from the temple
ruins.

Yuri:  “Lt. Colonel Kawashima”?!  The Japanese Army is our enemy!  They went to
the temple ruins for the White Tiger Votive Picture!!  …Right?

Kawashima:  (turns and walks over to the window)  Sergeant Kato and I posed as
smugglers, entirely to maintain contact with you.

Yuri:  (!)  (walks up behind her)  You’re… Kawashima?  Of the Japanese Army?

Kato:  Please, try not to be angry…  We apologize for withholding information
from you…

Yuri:  Shaddup!  You think you can just let bygones be bygones, pal?!

Kawashima:  Heh.  Calm yourself.  At present, we are not your enemies.

Zhuzhen:  (off-screen)  Take it easy, kid.  Let’s hear what they have to say.

(Zhuzhen and Margarete walk in.)

Yuri:  What’re you saying, pops?!  How can you be so calm?!  We don’t know what
could be happening to Alice!!

Kawashima:  Alice is fine.

Margarete:  So you’re Yoshiko Kawashima of the Japanese Army…  If only I’d
realized sooner…  I would have killed you without a thought.

Kawashima:  Now, now, let’s not get hostile.  The only ones who’ll profit from
our fighting are Dehuai and the Japanese who aim to take Shanghai.  Please,
think about it.  If we truly hated you, would we have gone through the trouble
of putting our men in danger, asking them dig you out of that monster-infested
rubble?

Yuri:  You said that Alice is okay, right?  How do you know that?!

Kawashima:  If I were Dehuai, I’d protect her.  She’s a treasure to him.  Her
very existence gives him satisfaction.  He will leave her in some secure
location, while he hastens preparations for the Valorization.

Zhuzhen:  Which means that Alice is safe until the Demon’s Gate Invocation
begins.

Kawashima:  Precisely.  While we don not have too much time, we are not too
late.  Dehuai has made Kuihai Tower his fortress.  But since there’s no way we
can break through the front…  …Master Zhuzhen.  You are the most familiar with
this, correct?  Why don’t we collaborate?

Yuri:  So everything’s just part of the plan, huh?  I can’t believe you!!  (he
walks towards Kawashima and Kato jumps in front of her)  We may as well be your
damn puppets!

Kato:  Yuri!  You shouldn’t say that!  The Lt. Colonel…  The Lt. Colonel was at
the temple ruins the whole time, praying for your safety, waiting with the
unit.  She waited, and waited… believing you’d come back…

Yuri:  (…)

Kawashima:  …Enough, Kato.  The fact is, we did use you.  I truly apologize for
that.  (Kato returns to her side)  If you won’t call me your friend, will you
at least call me your ally?  Let me put this bluntly.  Yuri, I want to join in
arms with you.

Yuri:  …

Kawashima:  I aim to make Shanghai a staging base for the Army, but it can’t be
done with Dehuai at large.  Dehuai is your enemy, as well.  Joining forces to
stop him is the most logical strategy.

Margarete:  Why do you want us to cooperate?  It should be easy for your famous
army.  Why not wipe everything out with your military might?

Kawashima:  That’s not it at all!!  Certainly, there are many who’d like to do
just that…  But I am not one of them!  An invasion of Shanghai, once begun,
cannot be easily stopped.  A huge number of people will be involved in the
battle, and a lot of them will die.  The best course of action is to fell the
ringleader, before the winds of war kindle an inferno.

Zhuzhen:  That’d be awfully convenient for you wouldn’t it…  I’d sooner take
Dehuai’s side than do anything to abet Japan’s designs on Shanghai.

Kato:  (!)  Master Zhuzhen?!

Yuri:  (walks past Kawashima to the windows)  I’m…  I’m tired of being used by
people, just because it’s convenient for them.  If the Japanese Army wants to
invade Shanghai, so be it.  After I finish Dehuai, I’ll fight them.  Now,
Kawashima, I may not be as smart as you, but I know what’s important in life!

Kawashima:  (…)  Are you saying a joint effort is impossible?

Yuri:  Look, I have two goals right now.  I have to save Alice, and I have to
stop the Valorization.

Kawashima:  Don’t underestimate Dehuai!  If you leave here on your own, all
that awaits you are his traps!

Yuri:  I don’t care if it’s a trap.  I promised myself I’d protect Alice at all
costs.

Kawashima:  (laughs)  Y-you…  You’re.. a fool.

Yuri:  People like you, people who plan out every little detail of their lives.
You could never understand me.  (walks past Kawashima, then stops)  I thank you
for saving us.  Goodbye.  (leaves the room)

Kawashima:  …

Zhuzhen:  If the Demon’s Gate Invocation actually takes place, there’ll be no
point in debating about Japan.  (leaves with Margarete)

Kato:  C-can we just let him go, Lt. Colonel…?

Kawashima:  Everything will be fine.  Illogical people can just be… difficult…
Kato, is Suketani still away?

Kato:  Yes, ma’am, he said he’d be back right away…  I’ll go check on him.

Kawashima:  Oh, and Kato… give them the Yawang Gate Key.

Kato:  Lt. Colonel?!  Are you sure??  Our spies worked so hard to get such an
important…

Kawashima:  Just do it.  We can’t let Shanghai become a pile of ashes.  Even
if we can’t cooperate with them… we can gather our troops and prepare to invade
Kuihai Tower.  Understood?

Kato:  (salutes)  Understood.  Lt. Colonel, please wait here.  I’ll take care
of it.  (leaves)


~~Japanese Headquarters, Shanghai~~

Suketani:  All right!  I’ve hidden it well.

(Fade in…  There is a knock at the door.)

Suketani:  Enter.

(Two riflemen enter and point their guns at Suketani.)

Suketani:  What’s wrong with you?!  Have you gone mad?!

(An officer enters.)

Major Kutsugi:  I’d like to ask you the same question, Lieutenant Suketani.

Suketani:  (salutes)  M-Major Kutsugi?!

Kutsugi:  I ordered Kawashima’s whereabouts reported the moment you located
her!  You tried to trick my spies?

Suketani:  N-no, heavens no!  I… I haven’t found Lt. Colonel Kawashima yet!

Kutsugi:  Enough lies.  I am assuming Shanghai command.  This is a direct order
from the Imperial Capital.  You were with Kawashima in Wuhan, weren’t you?
Tokyo may charge her with treason.  You’re a good soldier.  Tell where she is.
I will not ask again.

Suketani:  I-I know nothing of it!  And the Lt. Colonel had no plans for any
treason!

Kutsugi:  She failed to report many key details, and moved ahead without
approval from the Capital.  That doesn’t sound like treason to you?  Hmph.  In
any case…  The truth will be revealed soon enough, as my soldiers turn the city
inside out.  Farewell.  (leaves)

(Fade out…  Two shots are fired.)


~~Mr. Zhen’s Bar~~

(Qiuhua and Mr. Zhen are waiting in the empty club.)

Qiuhua:  Hi, Yuri!  Good to see you again!

Mr. Zhen:  How did it go?  Did you retrieve the White Tiger?

Yuri:  Well…

(The screen fades out then back in again.)

Mr. Zhen:  I… see.  But we must be thankful that everybody made it back safely…

Zhuzhen:  So, tell us, Zhen.  How have things been here in Shanghai?  I sense a
disquieting air about the town.

Mr. Zhen:  Indeed.  The Japanese Army’s preparing for something…  The number of
troops has increased!

Yuri:  Hey, how do we get inside Kuihai Tower?  If you know, you’ve gotta tell
me!

Mr. Zhen:  Fifteen years ago, Dehuai destroyed every entrance to the Tower but
one Yawang Gate.  The door is sturdy, and locked tight.

Margarete:  It’s locked?  You can do something about it, right, Zhuzhen?

Zhuzhen:  Hmph!  If all it takes is an unlocking spell, that’s a simple enough
order.

Yuri:  Yawang Gate, eh?  Thanks, Mr. Zhen!!


~~Huayuan~~

(Japanese soldiers are everywhere in the streets when Yuri leaves the club.)

Yuri:  What the --?!  This place is crawling with Japanese soldiers!

(As Yuri walks back towards the hotel, Kato runs up from up from another
street.)

Kato:  Yuri!!

Magarete:  What’s going on?  Is this the start of the Japanese invasion?!

Kato:  N-no!  It’s terrible, just terrible!

Zhuzhen:  You’re a grown man!  Get a hold of yourself!

Yuri:  What is it?  What happened?

Kato:  Yes, yes…  Well…


~~Flashback~~

(Back at the Japanese Headquarters up the street.  Kato opens the door to find
Suketani slumped against the desk in a pool of blood.)

Kato:  L-Lieutenant Suketani!!  (runs over and kneels beside him)  L-Lieutenant
Suketani!!  Please, please, say you’re all right!

Suketani:  Kato…  You’ve… come…

Kato:  Wh-who did this to you?!  Lieutenant!  Who was it?!

Suketani:  Ku-kutsugi…  Major Kutsugi…  He’s after… the Lt. Colonel…  Listen
carefully, Sergeant…  I hid it… the p-precious item…  I hid it in the boat…
Tell that to them…

Kato:  Tell Yuri’s party, right?!  Understood!  Please, don’t say another word,
Lieutenant!  I’ll send a medic over right away!

Suketani:  Forget it…  Sergeant, forget about me…  The Lt. Colonel…  Protect
her!  There’s no… time…  G-go!  I… leave it to you…  (slumps forward)

Kato:  Lieutenant!!  Lieutenant Suketani!!


~~Huayuan~~

(Again in the present time.)

Yuri:  …I get it.  So these people are after Kawashima, too!!  But… what in the
world is this precious item that Lieutenant Suketani wanted us to have?

Zhuzhen:  He says he hid it on board his ship?

Kato:  Yes!  Please go get it right away.  I must return to the Lt. Colonel!

Yuri:  Got it.  As soon as we find whatever it is we’ll head back to the inn!
Until then, you stay put!  Got it?!

Kato:  Y-yes!  (runs off)

(Down at the dock, the key is discovered in fish hold where Sea Mother hid.)

Yuri:  Man, this is a rugged key!  What’s it for?

Zhuzhen:  Let me see…  Is that…  It’s the Yawang Gate key!!

Margarete:  Then… we can get into Kuihai Tower!

Zhuzhen:  That’s right!

Yuri:  Awright!  Back to the inn!


~~Cypress Hotel~~

(In the smuggler’s room, Kawashima is standing by the window and Kato is laying
at her feet.  Kutsugi is standing in front of them with two riflemen with their
guns aimed.)

Kutsugi:  I expected to find a mannish woman indeed, but you’re actually quite
beautiful.

Kawashima:  So you’re the new dog Tokyo sent?  I had no idea they wanted me so
badly…  They sent you all the way to Shanghai, just for me?!  Don’t think my
father will take this lightly!

Kutsugi:  Hmph.  Watch your mouth.  You’re speaking to the new ruler of
Shanghai.  You’d best forget your father.  Oh, you haven’t heard the news, eh?
Well, I’ll tell you.  Your father adopted a new daughter… someone from the Qing
Dynasty.

Kawashima:  (!)  Wh…  WHAT…?!

Kutsugi:  He’s busy raising her.  He doesn’t have any time for you now.

Kawashima:  Wh…

Kutsugi:  (walks toward her)  Your time’s up.

(Yuri casually enters the room and walks up to Kutsugi.  The riflemen aim their
guns at him.)

Kutsugi:  Wh-who are YOU?!

Yuri:  Heh heh.  I’m your worst nightmare, buddy.

Kutsugi:  Are you one of her underlings?!  Get him!!  Nobody stands in my way!!

BATTLE     Yuri, Zhuzhen and Margarete Vs. Two Sergeants

Kutsugi:  I-I’ll get you for this!!  (runs out with riflemen)

Kawashima:  (kneels down)  Kato!  Kato!  Are you all right?!  Hang in there!!

Kato:  Ungh…  (both stand up)

Kawashima:  You came… but why?

Yuri:  Consider this our thanks.  You’ll have to take care of the soldiers
outside by yourselves, though.

Kato:  Y-you came back for us!  All of you!

Margarete:  Hee hee.  We just stopped by to say hello!  You can thank us later.

Zhuzhen:  We seem fated to keep meeting.  We may be on opposing sides the next
time we meet, but do take care.

Kawashima:  Yuri.  You’re going, right?  To Kuihai Tower.

Yuri:  …Yeah.   You know her, she’ll sob and cry if I don’t rescue her.

Kawashima:  Heh.  Be careful, ok?  And, Yuri…  I’ll pray for your success.

Yuri:  (turns to go)  Heh.  Thanks.  (leaves with Margarete and Zhuzhen)

Kawashima:  No, really…  I’ll be praying…


~~Kuihai Tower~~

(Alice has been strapped into the Spirit Machine.  Dehuai is standing nearby on
a platform.)

Alice:  Wh-where am I?!

Dehuai:  Hee hee hee…  Are you awake, Alice?

Alice:  (lifts her head)  D-Dehuai!

Dehuai:  This is my Kuihai Tower laboratory!!  What do you think?  Impressive,
isn’t it?  But before we begin the Demon’s Gate Invocation, I must test your
power… just a little.  Hee hee hee…

Alice:  Wh-what do you think you’re going to do to me?!  I’ll never, ever
cooperate!

Dehuai:  Hah!  We’ll see how long that sassy little attitude lasts.  You’ll
soon give up and do whatever I wish.  Well then, shall we begin?  Hee hee hee…
I hope you enjoy this.  Now, answer me!

Alice:  (They’ll come for me, I know it…  I just have to buy some time…)
       1.)  Quit it, you dirty old man!
       2.)  This strange machine is so sexy!
       3.)  Please don’t hurt me…

Dehuai:  1.)  (!)  Hee hee.  I like stubborn girls.
        2.)  (electrocutes Alice)  You can’t trick me.  Do you feel like
             cooperating now?
        3.)  (electrocutes Alice)  Heh heh heh!!  I won’t hurt you if you do
             as I ask.  What do you say?

Alice:  1.)  Wh-what’s going to happen to me…?
       2.)  I-I…  I’ll never…
       3.)  Uhh…

Dehuai:  Okay, here it comes!

Alice:  Wh-what should I do?!
       1.)  Just get away from me!
       2.)  This scary tower is sexy, too!
       3.)  Please, stop…

Dehuai:  1.)  (!)  Heh heh.  You don’t want to see my face?!  Aww, that’s too
             bad.
        2.)  (electrocutes Alice)  Hmph, don’t get cute with me.  You’re
             beginning to  smell toasty, though.  Now, say you’ll cooperate!
        3.)  (electrocutes Alice)  Wah hah hah hah!!  You’re starting to get
             crispy, girl!  So?  Still won’t change your mind?

Alice:  1.)  S-stop, please…
       2.)  Hahh…  Hahh… s-somebody…
       3.)  Unnh… you sick meanie, Dehuai…

Dehuai:  Okay, one more time!

Alice:  (Wh-what should I do?!)
       1.)  Ignore him.
       2.)  But YOU’RE the sexiest!
       3.)  Forgive me…

Dehuai:  1.)  (!)  (stamps his foot)  D-d-don’t you dare ignore me, you little
             brat!!  And… and yet, how beautiful your profile is…
        2.)  (electrocutes Alice)  Wah hah hah hah!!  What say you, Alice?!
        3.)  (electrocutes Alice)  Wah hah hah hah hah hah hah!!  Wah hah hah
             hah hah!!  Wah hah hah…  Huh?  (!)

Alice:  1.)  Help…  Help, Yuri…
       2. or 3.)  …

Dehuai:  1.)  Such a stubborn girl…!  Do you really believe that brat will come
             to save you?!  That damned, filthy Harmonixer!  Wugui’s sure to
             have sent him to hell by now…  (turns around)  …Where is Wugui,
             anyway?  I don’t think he’d return to Kowloon without telling me…
        2 or 3.)  Tsk!  She passed out…  How sad.  I’ll have to stop before I
             put her into a coma…  Heh heh…  Finally… finally!  I begin the
             Demon’s Gate Invocation!!  Bear witness, lowly maggots!  I shall
             soon show you the face of God!!  (laughs)

(Meanwhile, Yuri and co. approach the Yawang Gate.  The outside of Kuihai Tower
looks like a very large pagoda and is surrounded by gold lion statues and
torches.)

Margarete:  Whoa, check this place out…  So this… is Kuihai Tower…

Zhuzhen:  Well, well.  It’s a whole lot bigger than it was fifteen years ago.

Yuri:  Just wait, Alice.  I’m coming for you.

(They reach the enormous door…)

Yuri:  So this is Yawang Gate, huh?  I’m sure hordes of monsters’ll pour out
the minute it’s opened…

Margarete:  Oh, quit it.  Even an idiot like Dehuai wouldn’t use the same
tactic again.

Zhuzhen:  Heh heh…  Well, there’s one way to find out.

[When you use the Yawang Gate Key, the gigantic, heavy door slowly opens…]

BATTLE     Yuri, Margarete, Zhuzhen

Yuri:  See?  See?!  I told you it would happen!

Margarete:  (…)  I guess both you and Dehuai think on the same level, sonny
boy!  No, I’m kidding.

Zhuzhen:  All right!  This is it!

Margarete:  (!)  Wait!!  There’s something on the ground.  (picks it up)  Huh?
What’s this?  There’s, like, a turtle on it.

Zhuzhen:  Damn, if it isn’t the Black Tortoise Votive Picture!!

Margarete:  So, this is the one that Dehuai took?

Zhuzhen:  That’s right.  I never expected we’d get it back in a place like
this.

(Inside, there are several flights of stairs surrounding a central altar.  Once
all of the votive pictures have been found the seal is broken and Dehuai’s lair
can be accessed.)

(Alice is still in the soul machine and Dehuai is standing beside her.  They
are on platform higher than the rest of the room which is accessed by stairs.)

Yuri:  (!)  Alice!!

Dehuai and Alice:  (!)

Alice:  Yuri?!

Dehuai:  (hobbles over to the edge of the platform to look at them)  Hee hee
hee…  Congratulations.  You’ve made it all the way here, despite rather heavy
security!  No matter.  You are too late to stop my Demon’s Gate Invocation, the
ultimate Nine Heavens’ magic!

Zhuzhen:  You never change, Dehuai.  I’m ashamed to have a brother who’s twice
strayed from the right path.  So, I figured I’d deliver the last rites I failed
to deliver fifteen years ago.  That’s why I came all this way to see you.

Dehuai:  Ha!  Still alive, eh, Zhuzhen?  You will lose, just as you did fifteen
years ago.  I’ll make you beg for mercy – if you survive.  This Demon’s Gate
Invocation is quite different from last time, you see.  Hee hee hee…

Yuri:  Sorry, pal, but there won’t BE any Invocation.

Dehuai:  Detestable Harmonixer boy… son of that monster, Hyuga!  You think you
can stop me?!  Heh heh.  Like father, like son.  Kuihai Tower will be your
grave!  Take this!!

BATTLE     Yuri, Zhuzhen, Margarete Vs. Badger Devil

Yuri:  Hah!  What’s with these small fry?  They won’t even buy you time!

Dehuai:  Ah, but it wouldn’t be any fun if I didn’t try!  (walks back over to
the spirit machine)

(As they approach the platform…)

Dehuai:  Hee hee hee…  Let’s begin, shall we?  In truth, you should be on your
knees giving thanks for the chance to witness such an event!

Margarete:  Wait a second!  Valorization went out of style a long time ago, old
timer!

Dehuai:  Alice!  The time to unleash the power that sleeps within you has come!
The four gods are sealed!  I call thee with storm, fire and quake!  Let the
Valorization commence!!  (touches a button and Alice is surrounded by a white
light)

Alice:  EEEYAAAAH!!

Yuri:  (!)  Alice!!  (tries to run up to her but Dehuai appears in front of
him)  It’s too late.  The Spirit Machine of Kuihai Tower will siphon off all of
Alice’s life energy.  The Mandela of Hell shall open, and the Seraphic Radiance
will be summoned!

Zhuzhen:  The Seraphic Radiance?!  You mean you’re NOT plotting to carry out
the Demon’s Gate Invocation?!

Dehuai:  Correct.  This magic is far more complex than the simple Invocation
used to summon an Earth spirit!

Zhuzhen:  I-it can’t be!

Dehuai:  I suppose I should keep you entertained while the tower fills with
Alice’s life energy.  Now… you shall taste the wrath of Earth Sage Dehuai, True
Ruler of the Nine Heavens!  Wah hah hah hah!!

BATTLE     Yuri, Margarete and Zhuzhen Vs. Dehuai

Dehuai:  D-damn you!  Such… skill…

Yuri:  Pant, pant…  Give it up, Dehuai!

Dehuai:  Fool!  You think you’ve won?!  Time is on my side.  The girl’s spirit
has filled the tower!  We are but moments away from the final act!  Heh heh
heh…  (disappears)

Yuri:  S-stop!!

(Dehuai reappears on a platform above them, laughs and then walks out a door
that seems to lead outside.)

Yuri:  Alice!!  You okay?!

Alice:  Yuri…  You came…  And everybody…

(Fade out.  Fade in after Alice has been removed from the machine and is
kneeling on the floor.)

Zhuzhen:  She’s had nearly all the life energy sucked out of her body.  We need
to do something right away!

Alice:  I-I’m okay.  We must stop Dehuai… and the Demon’s Gate Invocation…

Margarete:  But how?  Isn’t it too late?!

(Yuri collapses.)

Mysterious Voice:  Please…  …Just a little of my power…

Margarete:  Wh-what was that light?  And that voice!!

Zhuzhen:  Ohh…!!  Alice, you’ve… you’ve regained your strength?!

Alice:  (!)  (stands up)  The voice… gave me back my power with that gentle
light…  I can fight!

Yuri:  (stands up)  Heh heh!  It’s been awhile since I’ve heard that damn
voice!

Alice:  She’s watching over us.  Let’s go!

Yuri:  All right!  This is it, Dehuai, time to rock!!

(Meanwhile, some Japanese riflemen burst in at the base of the tower.  Kato and
Kawashima follow.)

Kato:  Lt. Col. Kawashima, this is the end of Kuihai Tower!  You’ll show Tokyo
you’ve done your job!  Just like you hoped , Shanghai will become a stronghold
for the Japanese Army!

Kawashima:  (…)  …So it will.

Kato:  (?)  What happened, Lt. Colonel?  Is something wrong?

Kawashima:  No.  They’re… still fighting above, right?

Kato:  Yes’m!  The monsters are nearly wiped out, and we were able to get in
thanks to their keeping Dehuai busy!  It’s quite astonishing that your plan to
storm Kuihai Tower has gone so smoothly!

Kawashima:  Still fighting… him, too.  Very well, we’ll fight those monsters
too!  To the top of the tower!

Kato:  Yes, ma’am!

(At the top, Yuri and the others have followed Dehuai out to the tower’s roof.
There is a large red and black seal covering the entire roof, and four carved
metal spires stand in the corners.)

Yuri:  There’s no turning back now…

Dehuai:  Hee hee hee…  Fool!  The time is at hand!

Zhuzhen:  (!)  The Mandela of Hell is drawn!!  The Vessels of the Gods of the
Four Directions face the heavens!  So this is why you soiled Nine Heavens’ most
sacred ground…  The most secret magic of all…  I understand now, Dehuai.  Even
I understand now…

Dehuai:  Correct!  The ultimate skill of Nine Heaven’s Taoist magic!  The
Reverse Demon’s Gate Invocation!  (light pours out of the top of the spires and
Dehuai begins to glow red)  Ha ha ha!  Prepare yourself, boy!  The power of
Heaven… the power of GOD fills my body!!  Let us settle the score, before I
create a new world!!

BATTLE     Yuri & Co. Vs. Yamaraja:  Calamity

Dehuai:  Gggh…  Fifteen… years… fifteen… years…!  My… my dream…  How… dare you…
stand in my way…

(Alice collapses and Margarete kneels down beside her.)

Zhuzhen:  Are you all right?

Alice:  I’m fine…

Margarete:  You… shouldn’t push yourself so hard…

Dehuai:  Hee hee hee…

Yuri and Zhuzhen:  (!)

Dehuai:  (begins crawling across the roof)  It’s… not too late…  If I funnel
just a little more chi into the Machine… my dreams will…  J-just… a little…
more…  Heh, heh…

Yuri:  What is he trying to pull…?

Dehuai:  (drags himself to his feet)  Seraphic Radiance… awake from thy slumber
and come before me…  (begins glowing)  Heh… heh.  (falls over backwards)

Yuri:  Is he… dead?

Zhuzhen:  Yes.  The bastard tried to loose his last bit of strength and ignite
that Spirit Machine.  Even though he no longer had the strength to stand…

(Roger Bacon appears beside the body of Dehuai.)

Bacon:  Heh heh heh…

Yuri:  You!!

Alice:  Roger Bacon!

Bacon:  Both sides fought valiantly indeed.  For a battle between ants, I was
unexpectedly moved.

Zhuzhen:  What the hell’s that supposed to mean?!

Bacon:  Now for the Reverse Demon’s Gate Invocation.  Such a pity you won’t get
a chance to see it.  Perhaps one more push is in order!!  (lightning strikes
him and shoots out towards the spires)  Break your seal, o god of the heavens!

Yuri:  BAAACCOOONN!!

(Cut scene…)

(Kuihai Tower begins to disintegrate.  A large green seal appears above the
roof, growing larger and larger.  The Seraphic Radiance emerges out of it,
hovering above the tower.  There is debris and energy from the Invocation
flying everywhere and a fierce wind emanating from the seal.)

Yuri:  Heh, heh…  Now you’ve made me mad, pops!

(Yuri sees the Seraphic Radiance and begins to run toward it.)

Margarete:  Hey kiddo!  What do you think you’re doing?!

Zhuzhen:  No!  He can’t!  Is he planning to fuse with that monster?  No!  No,
don’t!

(Yuri keeps running and draws closer to the Radiance.)

Yuri:  Let’s get friendly!

(Meanwhile, Bacon is also floating above the tower, fighting to keep afloat
against the wind.)

Bacon:  Ha ha!  Most interesting…  Fusing with a god, to defeat a god… but at
your level, you’ll be swallowed up by the darkness, just like the other one.

(Yuri is visible as a glowing form floating through the air towards the
monster.  As he merges with it a bright light obscures everything.)

Alice:  (pushes Margarete away and tries to stand up)  Don’t!!

(The light disappears and the Seraphic Radiance and Yuri are one.  The wind at
the top of the tower lessens somewhat.)

Zhuzhen:  The monster seems to have settled down… does that mean the fusion was
successful?

Alice:  Yuri… your soul is fading…

(Alice begins to cry.  There is a picture of Yuri smiling and fading away into
darkness.  The Seraphic Radiance suddenly releases a wave of energy, destroying
everything surrounding Kuihai Tower.)

Bacon:  Ah, most impressive!  Such is the unfettered power of a god!  But,
compared with what I had in mind, it is mere child’s play.  Well, for Dehuai I
suppose I must admit it was something of an achievement.  Well, there’s no
sense in my lingering here.  I believe that I’ll return to London and have
myself a spot of tea.  Well then, ta-ta everyone!  If you survive, I hope
you’ll pay me a visit there someday.  Ah ha ha ha, ah ha ha ha ha!  (gets hit
with a piece of debris)  Doh!

Alice:  (voice-over)  That day, the flames were almost beautiful as they turned
Shanghai to ash.  In the blink of an eye, they took away so much:  thoughts,
hopes, dreams.  And as they watched their world burn, the people cried out in
grief.  It was like a scene from hell… one of our own making!  And that night
was the last time I ever saw him…

(The Seraphic Radiance is shown standing on top of the tower as Shanghai burns,
then flying away.  The last scene is of Yuri’s pendant laying in the rubble.)

(End of Asia Section.)


---========---
Europe Section
---========---

~~Prague~~

[…Six months later.  Prague.]

(There is a brick gate in front of the town and a stone path leading beyond it.
There is an iron railing overlooking a ravine on one side and houses and shops
on the other.  It is evening and there are guards posted all along the path.
Zhuzhen and Alice approach.)

Zhuzhen:  Ahhh, another hard day’s work complete!

Alice:  (laughs)  Yes, and that was just too funny!  He thought it was a
poltergeist?  It was just the lady next door doing aerobics!

Zhuzhen:  Heh heh heh…  Ah, the world’s a peaceful place.  Anyway, what do you
say we get a bite to eat and then unwind a bit?

Alice:  Are you asking me out for a drink?

Zhuzhen:  You know me too well!  Ha ha ha…


~~Gismot’s Bar~~

(A small bar in Prague.  The floor and walls are wood and there are several
round tables as well as the bar to sit at.  The walls are covered in pictures.)

Zhuzhen:  Sigh…  The older I get, the more often I have to…  (walks into the
men’s room)

Zhuzhen:  (returns from the men’s room)  What’s the matter, Alice?  You seem
depressed.  Are you thinking about the kid again?

Alice:  Huh?  Oh…  It’s just that…  I can’t believe it’s been half a year
already.  I asked Margarete to bring me to Europe, but…  (turns away)  What…
what if he’s… dead?

Zhuzhen:  Don’t be ridiculous.  You know that kid’s not the kind to die so
easily.  Even if he HAS been absorbed by a monster, so long as his soul remains
alive, we’ll meet again,  And besides, your sixth sense tells you that he’s
still alive, right.?

Alice:  I’m not sure, but that’s how I feel.

Zhuzhen:  Don’t you believe that if we continue our work, we’re bound to run
into him again?

Alice:  (…)  Yes… I did.

(A man enters and approaches Gismot at the bar.)

Owner Gismot:  (?)  Hello, stranger.  What can I do for you at this hour?

Terry:  Um…  I heard I could find some exorcists here.

Alice and Zhuzhen:  (?)  (walk over to Terry)

Alice:  …Well, that’s us.

Terry:  (!)

Zhuzhen:  If you came looking for us, I assume you need something exorcised?

Terry:  Y-yes!  My name is Terry.  I came from Bistritz, a small village east
of here.  I run a general store.

Owner Gismot:  Bistritz?!  That’s quite a trip!  It must’ve been a hard
journey…

Zhuzhen:  By the look on your face, I’d say you must have had good reason.  Why
don’t you tell us your story?

Terry:  R-right.  It’s… it’s like this.  My village is attacked by vicious
monsters every night…

Alice and Zhuzhen:  (!)

Zhuzhen:  Vicious monsters?!

Terry:  It started about a month ago.  Every night, dark shadows surround the
village…  They’re… they’re not human.  No matter how many bullets they take,
they don’t die.  So many villagers have lost their lives…  I heard a rumor
about you from a friend, so here I am.

Zhuzhen:  Are they ghosts or demons, I wonder…?  Go on.  Tell us everything you
know.

Terry:  Well, Bistritz is a small village located about two days walk east of
here.  A lord used to rule the village, but his bloodline died out some three
hundred years ago.  the strange thing is that since the attacks began, there’ve
been lights seen in the castle windows.

Alice:  Are the monsters and the castle related in any way?

Terry:  I don’t know.  There’s no history of  any of four liege-lords ever
attacking his people.  Howeverk in the off chance that it does involve the
castle, I would like you to investigate.  I’m here on behalf of my village to
ask for your assistance. Will you accept the job?

Zhuzhen:  So… it would seem that you’ve got tow assignments for us.  One,
getting ride of the monsters attacking the village.  Two, investigating the
lord’s castle.

Terry:  Yes…  Even at this very moment, the monsters are preying on my village.
I’m so worried about my wife and daughter…  You’re our only hope.

Alice:  Let’s check it out, Zhuzhen.  Margarete should be back soon, too.

Zhuzhen:  All right, leave it to us.  We’ll eradicate these monsters for you.

Terry:  Y-you will?  Oh, thank you!!

Zhuzhen:  We’re waiting of one of our companions, but once she arrives, we’ll
go straight to Bistritz.

Terry:  Wonderful.  I’ll head back and tell them the good news!

Alice:  Just wait for us to get there, okay?  We’ll be right behind you.

Terry:  Certainly,.  Excuse me.  (leaves)

Owner Gismot:  Sounds like another tough job.  Bistritz has an old reputation
for been a target for monsters.

Flirtatious Yuria:  I’ve heard the same.  It’s always been a poor village…
I’ve never heard anything good about it.

Zhuzhen:  Heh.  We’re well acquainted with monster dens, constantly wandering
into them back in Asia.

Alice:  Zhuzhen, do you think Terry will be okay?  I have a bad feeling about
this…

Zhuzhen:  Now, now, stop trying to scare me.  Margarete will be here soon.
Then we’ll be off.

Man’s Scream:  (off-screen)  Gwaaaaahh!!

Alice and Zhuzhen:  (!)

Alice:  What was that?!

Zhuzhen:  It can’t be!!


~~Prague~~

(All of the guards are facing the end of the street, where the town wall is.)

(Back by the wall, an old woman is standing over Guard Darcie and Terry.)

Guard Darcie:  Urrggh… m… monsters…

Suspicious Old Woman:  Hee hee hee…

Zhuzhen:  (!)  What… what’s this terrible evil I perceive?!

BATTLE     Zhuzhen and Alice Vs. two Birdmen

(The old woman has disappeared.)

Alice:  (kneels by Terry)  Terry!  Are you all right?!

Terry:  Ugh…  Th-they… followed… us…  Please… save the village…  Mi…chelle…
Nina…  …Hrrk!

Alice:  Terry!

Zhuzhen:  Damn!  We were too late…

Alice:  (stands up)  We should have stayed with him…!

Zhuzhen:  There’s nothing we could have done.  That evil I was feeling… this
was no ordinary monster.  You felt it too, surely?  That bloodsucking hag could
have killed us, too, if we weren’t careful.

Alice:  yes… it’s the first time I’ve felt such evil in Europe.  Zhuzhen, I
don’t think we can wait for Margarete.

Zhuzhen:  I think you’re right.  Maybe the two of us should go on ahead to
Bistritz.

Alice:  …Yes.


~~Bistritz~~

(Alice and Zhuzhen approach the gate which is made of stone with two carved deer
heads on top.  A thick fog covers the area.)

Zhuzhen:  So, this is Bistrutz.  There certainly is a spooky air about the
place.  It’s been awhile since I’ve felt such a strong ghostly presence!  This
is exciting!

Alice:  Don’t be overconfident.  First we should look for Terry’s shop.

Zhuzhen:  Yeah, let’s do that.  I just wish we weren’t the ones who had to
break such bad news about Terry.

(The village is very small and consists of a dirt road with some board houses on
either side.  There is a boarded-up church beside an old graveyard on one end
and a locked iron gate on the other.)

(At the last house…)

Girl’s Voice:  Who is it?  Dad, is that you?

Alice:  I’m a friend of your father.

Girl’s Voice:  Dad!  Is that you?  Come inside!


~~Terry’s Store~~

(A woman and a young girl are waiting inside the small shop.  There is counter
and many bags and boxes piled up around it.  A door at the back leads to the
rest of the house.)

Michelle:  …Who are you?!

Alice:  We’re the exorcists from Prague.  Terry asked us to investigate this
village.

Michelle:  Exorcists…?  Where is my husband?

Alice:  Terry is…

Michelle:  Nina, why don’t you go play over there?

Nina:  Mom…?

Michelle:  …

(Nina leaves.  Fade out.)

(Fade in.)

Michelle:  …I see.

Nina:  (enters from the back)  Mommy, is Daddy dead?  Will he ever come back?

Michelle:  I-I’m afraid not, Nina.  Daddy went to call these people to come
save the village.

Nina:  (looks down)  H-he…

Alice:  I’m so sorry…  I wish we’d realized sooner…  Maybe we could’ve saved
your father.

Nina:  …

Michelle:  No, that’s all right.  The important thing is that you came…

Zhuzhen:  We will do everything we can.  I’m sure we’ll be able to send the
monsters packing.

Nina:  Thanks, mister.  (the front door opens)  Oh, Mayor!

(A man walks in.)

Kevin:  Hi, here, Nina.  Michelle.  I heard that some strangers were seen
coming into this shop.  That’d be you folks, I suppose?  I’m the mayor of this
village.  The name’s Kevin.

Zhuzhen:  We’re exorcists from Prague.   The master of this shop asked for our
services.

Kevin:  Ah-hah, so that’s what’s going on!  Most reassuring!  And where’s
Terry, then?  He’s not with you?

Alice:  After Terry gave us this assignment, he was attacked by monsters.

Kevin:  I see…  I’m so sorry  to hear that.  I don’t know what to say.  (to
Michelle)  You have my deepest condolences.  It’s such a shame, just when you’d
made arrangements to move to America.

Michelle:  …

Kevin:  But you needn’t worry.  I will make sure you are taken care of!  Please
try to cheer up!

Michelle:  Kevin, you don’t have to worry about us.  Nina and I have each
other.

Kevin:  Now, we’re not strangers, do don’t hesitate to call on me any time,
whatever concerns you might have.  Whew…  Well, I guess I’ll be going.  (goes
to leave)  I should warn our two exorcists that the monsters appear when the
fog turns red.  Please be careful.  (leaves)

Alice:  …Were you all planning on going to America?

Michelle:  Yes.  A good friend of my husband’s is in New York.  He sent us a
lot of gifts and took good care of us.  From this fall, he was going to help us
with work over there.  But now…

Nina:  He’s a famous professor at a new York university who grows flowers.

Alice:  I see…

Zhuzhen:  Well, let’s you and me go take a look around outside.  We need to
explore the village a little more.  Ma’am., what can you tell me about the
castle where the lord of this domain used to live?

Michelle:  The nobleman’s castle?  Yes… the people of Bistritz call it “Blue
Castle.”  It’s an ancient castle past the forest east of the village.  It was
deserted 300 years ago…  No one goes near it.  Are the monsters coming from the
castle?

Nina:  No!  There’s no monsters in the castle!

Michelle:  Nina!!  You promised not to tell that silly story anymore!!

Nina:  But…  Mom.  (walks into the corner)

Michelle:  I’m sorry.  Please find out what you can about the village.  I’m
awfully tired.  We have to rest.

Zhuzhen:  We’ll be leaving, then,  Sorry t have brought you such bad news.  If
you think of anything else we should know, please be sure to tell us.

Alice:  I’m so sorry.  We won’t let your father’s death go to waste.  (both
leave)


~~Bistritz~~

Alice:  The fog is turning red…

Zhuzhen:  So it’s time for the monsters to show up.  Heh heh heh…  I can’t
remember the e last time I was this excited.

(They go to investigate the house nearest the church, which has a white cross
above the door.)

[There’s a rustling sound from the inside of the house…]

Alice:  I feel something evil from the other side of this door…

Zhuzhen:  This is the mayor’s house, right?  Hmmm…  Did you notice how Michelle
and Nina were kind of cold to the mayor?  Something’s fishy here.

Alice:  Let’s ask the people here.


~~Terry’s Store~~

(Nina is alone in the store.)

Nina:  Hey, Alice.  My mom’s feeling sick.  I’ll look after the shop while she
rests.

Alice:  Nina, can I ask you something?  The mayor…  What kind of person is he?
Could you tell me anything?

Nina:  …  I don’t like him.  He keeps bothering my mom.  He also keeps asking
to see all the gifts my dad gave me.

Alice:  From you r dad?  He gave you lots of gifts?

Nina:  yeah!  One of them is a letter from my dad’s friend in America.  It’s
got a cute little leather bag attached to it .  It’s my favorite.

Alice:  Do you still have it?

Nina:  Yeah, I hid it in a secret place.

Zhuzhen:  Hmm, so perhaps the mayor is just an oddball who doesn’t seem to be
very well liked…?

Alice:  Maybe…  Does that mean the monsters are coming from Blue Castle?

Nina:  (!)  The master of the castle would never be friends with monsters!

Zhuzhen:  You know the master of the castle?!

Nina:  There are no monsters in that castle.  That blond-haired master of the
castle saved me from the wolves.

Zhuzhen:  He did?  Really?

Nina:  Yeah.  A month ago, a person with big wings flew toward the castle!  I
ran after this person, but I got lost in the forest  Soon, the wolves came
after me.  Then… the master ran out of the castle to save me!

Zhuzhen:  Then what did the master of the castle do?

Nina:  The master of the castle took me back to the village, and went home.  My
mom keeps saying that the master is a vampire.  She tells me that if people
find out about this, they’d think I’m a vampire, too.

Alice:  Did he suck your blood?

Nina:  No!  The master was very nice.  We joined hands and sang together.

Alice:  Oh, really?

Zhuzhen:  So it seems there really is someone at the castle  Maybe we need to
check that out first?

Alice:  But if what Nina said is true, then I wouldn’t think the master and the
monsters are related.  But he might know something more about the red fog and
the monsters.

Nina:  Alice, are going to see the master?  Then take this key with you.  You
can open the east gate with it.  (gives key)  There are lots of wolves in the
forest.  Be careful.

Alice:  We’ll be right back.  Wait here with your mother, okay?

Nina:  Ok.


~~East Forest~~

(Alice and Zhuzhen approach the castle, which is high up on a hill in the
distance.)

Zhuzhen:  What is this?  They call it “Blue Castle” but it’s not blue at all.

Alice:  My father told me that most location names are based on legends or
superstition.  I think that’s nice.  It’s more evocative.

Zhuzhen:  You’re a real romantic, aren’t you?  If I said anything like that,
stones would come flying.


~~Blue Castle~~

(There is a huge iron door with a path leading up to it, lined with lit torches
and griffin statues.  There are a lot of old trees nearby.)

(At the door…)

Alice:  It’s not locked, but it won’t open.

(Alice and Zhuzhen begin to walk away and the door creaks open.)

Zhuzhen:  What the heck?  It opened all on it’s own.  That’s a fine howdy-do.
Do you suppose that’s supposed to be an invitation?

(Inside, there are more griffins and torches.  A set of stairs leads up to the
second level and then down to the basement.  As they walk towards the stairs a
see-through apparition passes behind them on the second level.)

Alice:  (!)  (turns around)

Zhuzhen:  What’s the matter, Alice?  What made you turn around all of the
sudden?

Alice:  I felt someone pass behind us…

Zhuzhen:  you felt someone…?  But there’s no one there.

Alice:  …

(Finding both door on that level locked, they prepare to investigate the
basement.  The figure appears again.)

Alice:  It happened again.

Zhuzhen:  W-what?  What’s wrong?!

Alice:  Who’s here?  I know you’re watching!  Show yourself!

Zhuzhen:  Really?!  I don’t fell a thing.  Where is it?!

(The figure walks away.)

Alice:  He’s gone again…

(In the basement there is a room full of coffins.  There are eight smaller
coffins lined up and one larger one on a raised platform by a statue and a
lit candle.  The large one is open.)

Alice:  Is this an underground chapel?  This coffin is open.

Zhuzhen:  I guess it means this really is a vampire castle, just like that lady
Michelle was saying.

Alice:  But…  I don’t feel any evil here like I did in Bistritz.  Instead…  I
feel eternal silence here, as if this place has been cut off from the rest of
the world.  Only eternity exists here… no sadness or hate.

(The figure walks up between the rows of coffins.)

Zhuzhen:  …?!  You’re right!  There’s someone there!  Hellooo there!!  Are you
the prince of the castle Nina was talking about?

The figure walks away.

Alice:  Please, wait!

(Once the coffin puzzle has been solved, the door to the throne room on the
second floor opens.  It is unlit but very nicely furnished.  There are two
windows behind the throne and many nice paintings and furnishing.)

Zhuzhen:  Oops, it’s a dead end…  For all it’s splendor, it’s an awfully bleak
room, isn’t it?

Alice:  It seems so empty, but someone definitely lives here…

(They turn to leave.)

Listless Male Voice:  Are you looking for someone, my pretty young lass?

(The figure enters the room and snaps his fingers, all of the candles suddenly
become lit.0

Zhuzhen:  Well, well!  A most interesting welcome.

Alice:  I am Alice.  This is Zhuzhen, a monk.  Are you the master of this
castle?

Listless Male Voice:  Yes, I am the master of this castle.  (waves his arm and
becomes visible)

Alice and Zhuzhen:  (!)

Bored Vampire:  However, it seems that I dozed off for a time and the castle
forgot all about me.  When I finally awoke, a band of monsters had moved in and
were prowling all around the castle.  And a pesky demon had found it’s way into
the tower as well.  Now, then, Alice, what brings the two of you to my humble
abode?

Alice:  We’re here to find out who is causing the monster attacks in Bistritz.
Did you wake up around the same time monsters began attacking the village?

Bored Vampire:  Ahh, so that’s it.  You suspected me of setting the monsters
upon the village.  So, you came to question me about it… and kill me if your
suspicions proved true.  Am I right?

Zhuzhen:  Bingo.  Glad we’ve reached an understanding so quickly, Mr.
See-Through Man.  (prepares to fight)  What’s the scoop?  Are you the master of
the monsters?!

Bored Vampire:  I’m afraid not.  Neither I nor my ancestors have ever brought
any harm to the people of our domain.  If I did that, my granddaddies would
come flying out of those caskets you saw and chew me out all night.

Alice:  You must be a vampire.  Are you a good vampire, like Nina believes?

Bored Vampire:  Hah hah hah, a good vampire?  Yes, I am a vampire, and it is
true that not all vampires are evil.  It is the same among humans, is it not?
There are good people and there are bad people.

Zhuzhen:  (drops stance)  Huh.  I was ready to kick some butt, but you just
took the wind out of my sails.  In that case, who’s behind the monster attacks
on Bistritz?

Bored Vampire:  I don’t know either, but if the village is under attack, you
certainly can’t ignore it.  As it happens, I’ve just been dying of boredom
around here, so how about if I help you out?

Alice:  Y-you’d help us?

Bored Vampire:  Sure.  And it’ll be nice to see my cute little friend in the
village again.  Shall we be going, then?  (begins to walk towards the door)

Zhuzhen:  You certainly are an unusual man.  What’s your name, anyway?

Bored Vampire:  My name?  Oh my!  How many years has it been since I gave
anybody my name, I wonder?  My name is Keith Valentine.  Please, just call me
Keith.

Alice:  Okay, Keith.  Let’s get to work.

Zhuzhen:  Now, look.  I understand vampires suck human blood.  You’d better not
chomp into our necks or anything.

Keith:  Ah hah hah hah…  I guess the books say all sorts of curious and silly
things about us.  But true vampires aren’t like that.  Daylight and crosses
don’t bother me a bit.  Nor garlic.  We may be “undead” but that doesn’t mean
we can’t be killed.  We’re just tougher than humans.

Zhuzhen:  Hmmm.  A most curious constitution you have.  I wonder whether being
that way is boon or bane.  At any rate, it’s good to have you with us.

Keith:  The pleasure is mine.

(At the other locked door…)

Zhuzhen:  What’s on the other side of this door?  I feel a sinister aura – a
very powerful one.

Keith:  A fearsome demon has taken up residence on the top floor.  I really
don’t know what to do.  He is much stronger than he looks, so I decided to
seal him off like this.


~~Terry’s Store~~

Alice:  Michelle…?  Nina?

Zhuzhen:  Hello-o-o?!  Anybody home?!

Alice:  …

Nina:  (runs in)  Alice!!

Alice:  Nina!  What’s wrong?!  What happened?!

Nina:  My mom!  It’s my mom!

Alice:  What happened to your mom?  Calm down, now.  Talk to me.

Nina:  A little while ago…


~~Flashback~~

(Terry’s store, earlier that night.  Nina and Michelle are alone in the store
when Kevin stops by.)

Nina:  Oh, hello, Mayor.

Kevin:  Hello there.

Michelle:  …Anything I can help you with?

Kevin:  (looks around)  Let’s see.  I was short on Mana Leaf.  Oh, yes, I
needed some Pure Leaf, too…  (investigates a set of shelves)  Ahh, I almost
forgot!  I’m out of Thera Leaf.  What else…?  (investigates a table)

Michelle:  Kevin!

Kevin:  (…)  I haven’t seen the exorcists around.  Do you know where they went?

Michelle:  Exorcists?  …Oh, you mean those two.  I have no idea where they
went.

Kevin:  You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?

Michelle:  Hiding something?!  What are you talking about?!  I think it’s time
you left.

Nina:  (…)

Kevin:  Terry sure didn’t do me any favors by going and getting those guys.
Just when my research was ready to pay off, he had to go and pull a trick like
that!

Michelle:  (!)  Wh-what on earth are you talking about…!?

Kevin:  Don’t you know about the research I’ve been doing?

Michelle:  You mean digging for gold, right…?

Kevin:  Officially, yes.  But actually, I’ve been looking into the life of
vampires.

Nina:  (!)  A vampire?!

Kevin:  Hah hah, there’s no need to be so scared.  Your father was helping me
with my research, you know.  I was researching vampires to crack the Blue
Castle mystery and get the treasure hidden there.  But the moment Terry got
word of that job in America, he lost all interest in the research.

Michelle:  So… those monsters attacking the town…

Kevin:  Heh heh heh.  In our research, we happened to discover a way to summon
monsters!  The monsters that have been attacking the village lately are all
monsters that we summoned!  But then Terry panicked and went all the way to
Prague to find some exorcists.  It was foolish thing to do.  If he’d only
listened to me, he’d never have had to die.

Michelle:  You’re… controlling the monsters!

Kevin:  Monsters are extremely obedient to the summoner.  They’re much more
pliable that way than humans.

Michelle:  A-and you also…

Kevin:  I couldn’t afford to let word about the powers I’d discovered get out.
It would have ruined me.  Now, I want you to hand over what Terry’s friend in
America sent him.  It was some gold dust, right?  Once that’s in my possession,
I can depart this stupid village.

Michelle:  Gold dust?  I don’t know anything about that…

Kevin:  Still playing dumb?  I was going to spare your life if you handed it
over, but you force my hand!

Nina:  Go away!!  I won’t let you have what Dad gave me!

Kevin:  (!)  Ahaa, so you’ve got it, have you, Nina?!  Excellent!  Now be a
good girl and hand it over!

Nina:  …

Kevin:  Hrumpf!  Why so stubborn?  Well, in that case, take this!!  (goes to
hit her)

Michelle:  (!)  (jumps between Kevin and Nina)

Nina:  AAAHHHH!!

Michelle:  Nina!

(Fade out…)

Kevin:  If you value your mother’s life, then bring me the gold dust.
Understand?!

Michelle:  NIIIIIINNAAAAAA!!


~~Terry’s Store~~

(Fade in.  Back to the present time.)

Alice:  How horrible!

Zhuzhen:  (clenches fists)  That son-of-a-bitch!  He’s finally shown his true
colours!  And raising his hand against a child?!  It’s unforgivable!

Keith:  Are you all right, Nina?  That must have been terrifying.

Nina:  Oh!  You’re –

Keith:  I promise I will rescue your mother, so try to keep a stiff upper lip,
okay?  What a fool the mayor is!  There’s no treasure hidden in the castle.

Zhuzhen:  Let’s get our rear ends over to the mayor’s house, then.

Nina:  Wait!!  (takes something off of the table and gives it to Alice)

Alice:  What’s this?

Nina:  Dad gave it to me.  Kevin told me to bring it to him.

Zhuzhen:  What’s this?  There’s a letter attached.

Alice:  “Dear Terry.  This is to wish you and your family happiness and wealth
everlasting…”  This is from your father’s friend, right?  I wonder what’s in
the bag?

Zhuzhen:  Do you suppose it really does contain gold dust?  Here, let me take a
look.  Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!

Alice:  I see…  Thank you for sharing it with us, Nina.  (gives it back)  This
is yours to keep.  What a wonderful treasure you’ve got.

Zhuzhen:  You can bet that’s going to be a whole lot more use to you, Nina,
than to that rotten old mayor.  Be sure to take good care of it.

Nina:  (nods)


~~Mayor’s House~~

(After breaking into the Mayor’s House through a side door, Michelle is found
laying on the floor with Kevin standing over her.  The lab is covered with
books and jars of chemicals, there are also some nice paintings on the walls.)

Kevin:  Huh?!

Alice:  Nina told us everything!  We’re here to take Michelle back.

Kevin:  So you actually came back.  I figured you’d slunk out of town with your
tails between your legs.  If you’re here in place of Nina with the gold dust,
then hurry up and hand it over!!

Zhuzhen:  Put a sock in it!  What made you think it’d be some piffling gold
dust anyway?  The only thing you’re going to get from us is a hundred knocks on
the head.

Kevin:  Is that right?  So you don’t care what happens to Michelle here?  Well,
it’s gonna be too late for regrets when she dies because of you!

Keith:  (steps forward)  I won’t tolerate anyone causing people injury on my
land.  I’ll kill you if you lay so much as a finger on that woman.

Kevin:  A new addition to your party?  Well, more food for my loyal servants.
This is my village!  You have no right to come here and tell me how I should be
doing things!

Keith:  You don’t know about me, do you?  I’m your master, you know.  I’ll show
you the true power of a vampire.

Kevin:  (!)  What?  A vampire?!

Zhuzhen:  That’s right!  He’s the guy you’ve been looking for.

Kevin:  You can’t trick me!  Why are you all so eager to die?  I’ll devour you
with my new body!

BATTLE     Alice, Zhuzhen & Keith Vs. Tindalos

(Kevin’s body disappears and Nina runs in.)

Nina:  Mom!

Michelle:  Nina!

Alice:  I’m so glad to see you two back together.

Nina:  Thanks, Alice!!

Alice:  You’re welcome.  Let’s go home.


~~Terry’s Store~~

Michelle:  Thank you so much.  I don’t know how to thank you.  The red mist has
cleared, and there are no monsters in sight.  Everything is back to the way it
was.

Zhuzhen:  No need to thank us, lady.  We were just keeping our promise to your
husband.

Nina:  Alice, I want you to have one of my treasures.  (hands it to her)

Alice:  Wow, thank you.  You know what?  I want you and your mom to keep this.

Zhuzhen:  Yeah.  The wheat seeds in the bag will grow, even in a cold place
like this.  The seeds have been cross-bred.  They’ll grow and bring happiness
to this village.

Nina:  Seeds of happiness…

Keith:  Sow the seeds with your mom, okay?  You let me know if anything scary
happens again.

Nina:  Yes, that’s right.

Alice:  Goodbye, Michelle.


~~Bistritz~~

Keith:  I’d like to see the mayor’s laboratory before we leave the village.


~~Mayor’s House~~

Zhuzhen:  Why did you wanna come look here?  Something on your mind?

Keith:  No, I just wanted to talk to you about something.

Alice:  What is it?

Keith:  I know now that you are both skilled exorcists.  Here is the thing.
I’d like you to exorcise a demon out of my castle.

Zhuzhen:  Ha ha ha!  That’s funny!  Even a vampire like you is scared of
something?

Keith:  Of course…  He flew in from some place and started living in my castle.
I can’t even sleep at night.  I don’t want to fight this one by myself.  He
looks human, but he transforms into a monster.

Zhuzhen and Alice:  (look at each other)  (!)

Alice:  That must be…

Zhuzhen:  ?!  Well, let’s not get too excited before we’re certain.

Keith:  What’s wrong?

Alice:  Keith, would you please take us there?

Keith:  Sure.  So you’ll do it?

Zhuzhen:  Yeah.  If the demon you’re talking about is the guy we’ve been
looking for, our work has paid off.

Keith:  Let us head back to my castle, then.  Please don’t forget to prepare
for battle.  Many strong monsters live on the top levels of the tower!


~~Blue Castle~~

(Keith breaks the seal on the tower door.)

Keith:  Now we can climb the tower.

When they reach the top of the tower, there is another door.

Keith:  He’s inside this room.

Zhuzhen:  This aura belongs too…  Yes!  I’m sure of it!

Alice:  He’s inside…

Keith:  Do be careful.  He really did a number on me once.

(Inside, Yuri is sitting on the ground, leaning up against the far wall.
Otherwise, the room is empty.)

Alice:  (!)  Yuri!  You’re alive!  (runs up to him)

Zhuzhen:  Wait.  He’s definitely not his normal self!

Keith:  You know him?!

Yuri:  Rmn… mn…

Zhuzhen:  Not only know him…  We’ve been through struggles of life and death
with him.  How on earth did he get to be like this?!

Keith:  Do be on your guard.  He attacks very unexpectedly.

Alice:  (walks closer)  Yuri?  It’ me, Alice.

Yuri:  Nggnn… argg… unn… mmn…

Keith:  He has every appearance of a human, but it’s as if he has lost his soul
somewhere.  In his present state, he is nothing but a maleficent monster.

Zhuzhen:  Come on, kid…  Did the Seraphic Radiance completely consume your
soul…?

Yuri stands up.

Alice:  Yuri?  Don’t you remember me?

Yuri:  …You….  You’ve come… to kill mom, haven’t you…?

Alice:  Huh?

Yuri:  You damned monsters…  You’re here for mom, aren’t you?!

Keith:  Watch out!!  Stand back!!

BATTLE     Alice, Zhuzhen, Keith Vs. Yuri

(Yuri fuses into Death Emperor halfway through the battle.  Once he reaches
critical HP the screen fades to black…)


~~Graveyard~~

(Alice wakes up in the gate of the graveyard.)

Alice:  Where am I?  A graveyard?  How barren…  This entire land mourns and
suffers…  I can feel his despair…  So many tears…  So much loneliness…  This
must be…

(If the tombstones are investigated…)

Fire   [A faint bravery in the face of adversity remains within the
       consciousness living in the seal.]
Water  [A faint spirit of repentance remains within the consciousness living
       within the seal.]
Earth  [A faint hope for tomorrow remains within the consciousness living
       within the seal.]
Light  [The spirit of a mother’s warmth faintly remains within the
       consciousness living in the seal.]
Wind   [A faint trust in one’s companions remains within the consciousness
       living in the seal.]
Dark   [A longing for one’s father remains within the consciousness living
       within the seal.]

(Alice walks over to the masks.)

Sword Mask:  Tsk, tsk, tsk!  What have we here?  Well, you’re a beautiful
little girl, hmmm?

Staff Mask:  Ho.. ho.. ho..!  Who’d have thought she’d come all this way to the
mind’s darkness?  You wish to sacrifice your body, your heart, your very life
over to the lad?

Alice:  Who are you?

Gold Mask:  Bwa.. ha.. ha..!  Are you not frightened by us?  My, you’re brave
for a little girl!  We are the unconscious inside the boy.  People call us
Fear, Envy, Anger, and Hate!

Grail Mask:  Yeh.. heh.. heh..!  The boy’s soul you’re searching for is seeking
death, and preparing for it.

Alice:  (!)  Seeking death?

Sword Mask:  Tsk, tsk, tsk!  Yes, retreating to the memories of his childhood.
He earnestly seeks the escape of death – a place with no suffering, where no
one can hurt him.

Staff Mask:  Ho.. ho.. ho..!  So cute…  Those who come here can find peace.
One can join the consciousnesses of their dead mother or father.  No need to
continue life’s hard struggles.  The lad is mistaken.  Running away isn’t a bad
thing.  After all, each person cares about themselves the most.

Gold Mask:  Bwa.. ha.. ha..!  What’s the matter?  Your expression… are you
upset?!

Alice:  (…)  Yuri…  I won’t let Yuri die.

Grail Mask:  Yeh.. heh.. heh..!  What a silly thing to say.  Would you drag a
poor soul who’s finally about to find tranquility back to the burdens of life?

Sword Mask:  Tsk, tsk, tsk!  My you’re an interesting girl!  May I ask?  To
this soul who was unable to obtain his father’s protection or his mother’s
affection…  What exactly do you have to offer?

Alice:  (looks down)  I… I don’t know.

Staff Mask:  Ho.. ho.. ho..!  The freedom of death – a resting place for a
soul.  Are you saying there is something more this lad desires?

Alice:  I don’t know what I have to offer Yuri.  I just know that we can get
through any hardship if we stay together.

Gold Mask:  Bwa.. ha.. ha..!  And what do you want of the lad in return, for
your devotion?

Alice:  I want nothing in return.  I just want to be with him.

Grail Mask:  Yeh.. heh.. heh..!  You make me laugh.  Unconditional devotion…
No such virtue exists.  …On second thought, there is one.  The incomprehensible
behaviour humans call “love”.  But you don’t… not this soul?

(Alice nods.)

Sword Mask:  Tsk, tsk, tsk!  This gets more interesting by the minute!  To hear
such a silly statement…  …Very well.  If you’re that determined, we’ll open the
Gate of Self.  The lad’s soul is inside.

Alice:  The Gate of Self…  (begins to walk away)

Sword Mask:  However!!

Alice stops and turns back.

Sword Mask:  Set one foot in there… and you must bear the lad’s karma with him.
Even so, will you go?  The Four Mask’s curse is binding.  In return for opening
the Gate, we will one day come for your soul.

Alice:  I don’t care, as long as I can reach out to his soul.

Sword Mask:  Are you willing to sacrifice your own soul to rescue him?  If so,
proceed…

(Alice walks away.)

Sword Mask:  I will watch this with interest.  Is there really such a thing as
this “love”…?

(The second gate in the graveyard is now open.  Alice enters and finds herself
in a field with a large tree in it (the same scene from the Yuri’s dream about
his father)  It is night, and there is a large full moon.  Yuri is at the base
of the tree, digging a hole.)

Alice:  (!)  (runs up to him)  Yuri!!  What are you doing?  (!)  What the…
This is a grave!

Yuri:  (…)

Alice:  Stop!  Stop it right now!

Yuri:  (stops digging and wipes his brow)  What is it, mommy?  Heh heh, aren’t
I a good boy?  I’ve got to help dad any way I can!

Alice:  This is no garden!  You’re digging your own grave!  Don’t you see?

Yuri:  Oh, c’mon, stop pulling my leg!  I’ve got to seed the farm before winter
comes.  Now, move aside.  (starts digging again)

Alice:  (…)  Yuri…

Fox Face:  (steps out from behind the tree)  Heh heh…  Hey, you.  What are you
doing here?

Alice:  Who…?!  You put Yuri under a spell, didn’t you?

Fox Face:  (comes closer)  Wow, wait a second here.  He chose to dig his own
grave.  (laughs)  He failed to fuse with the Seraphic Radiance, and it devoured
his soul.  What’s left of his consciousness is screaming to disappear!  He
wants to go away before the Seraphic Radiance inside him comes out and turns
the world to ashes.  I’m only helping him.  Don’t you see?

Alice:  You’re his father!  Why do you make him suffer so?

Fox Face:  (walks up behind Yuri, who is still digging)  I’m not making him
suffer.  He’s scared and he’s weak.  He thinks all the monsters he has fused
with will devour his soul…  “I don’t want to turn into a monster!” he screams,
every time he fuses.  He thinks he might lose it and go on a killing spree if
he keeps this up.  (shakes his head)  He might even turn against his own
friends…  Hmph!  He can’t bear the dark fate of a Harmonixer.

Yuri:  (stops digging and wipes his brow)  Dad, how much do I have to do?
Should I keep digging?

Fox Face:  Deeper, idiot.  Dig deeper!

Alice:  (steps closer hesitantly)  (…)

(Yuri starts digging again.)

Fox Face:  You could not match your father.  Didn’t protect your mother.
You’re responsible for everyone’s misery!  So much regret…  So many lies…
Poor boy…  His fear attacks him like a monster.  I’m the embodiment of his
weakness.

Alice:  Yuri is not weak!  There’s still hope and courage left in him!  He’s a
fighter!

Fox Face:  Ha ha ha!  Look at him!  He’s a weakling!  Don’t you see?  He can’t
face himself.  He wants to escape, that’s why he keeps digging.  He doesn’t
want to fight the Seraphic Radiance.  He wants to disappear!  How pathetic!

Alice:  (…)  (yells as loud as she can, at Yuri)  Stop!

Yuri:  (!)  (stops digging, wipes brow)

Alice:  (to Fox Face)  You wouldn’t understand!  You can’t believe in anything!
(begins to cry)  What do you know?

Fox Face:  Ha!  You cry for him?  I hate that weepy crap, you know!  (punches
Alice, who falls down)

Yuri:  (!)

(Yuri throws the pickaxe away and runs over to Alice, kneeling beside her.  She
tries to stand but falls to her knees.  Yuri walks up to Fox Face.)

Fox Face:  What do you think you’re doing?

Yuri:  No, Dad!  Don’t hit Mom!

(Alice stands up.)

Fox Face:  Oh, shut up, you idiot!  (hits Yuri, who falls down)

Alice:  (!)  (runs over to him)  Yuri!!

Fox Face:  Keep digging!

(Yuri stands up and kicks Fox Face off his feet.)

Fox Face:  (stands up)  Darn it!  …You’re turning against me?

Yuri:  You…  You’re not my dad…

Fox Face:  This is too funny!  Let’s do it, you weakling!  (punches Yuri down
again)

Alice:  (kneels beside him)  Yuri, don’t be afraid!  He’s just a part of you.
Accept him!  Don’t give up.  Don’t grieve.  Because… you’re still alive!

Yuri:  (!)  (stands up)  That’s right…  I am alive…  I’m not afraid of you
anymore!  (steps forward)

Fox Face:  (!)  (puts up fists and jumps back)

Yuri:  Yup.  No problem!  No matter how many times I lose, or collapse, or spit
blood…  As long as I have my life, and as long as I don’t give up…  I can
always stand up and fight again!

BATTLE     Yuri Vs. Fox Face

(After the battle, the moon has been replaced by a sunset.)

Yuri:  …Heheh!  Long time, no see.

Alice:  Yes.

Yuri:  I…

Alice:  Yes?

Yuri:  Wasn’t that stupid of me?

Alice:  (nods)  Yeah.

Yuri:  (S)  Hmph!!  I’m sorry.  Making you come for me in this place.

Alice:  Not at all.  I wanted to see you.

Yuri:  (walks off and gazes at the sunset)  You know, that day… when I fused
with the Seraphic Radiance?  For a moment, I thought I’d won.  I thought to
myself, if I can control him, I could save Shanghai!  But reality bit me in the
butt.  It’s consciousness flowed into mine, and I could feel myself losing it…
I…  I didn’t know what to do…  I was scared.  Very scared.

Alice:  That’s why you wanted to die?

Yuri:  Because I’d much rather die than go on living with a dead soul.  I
didn’t even have the will to fight.  When I called out for help, that damn Fox
Face showed up.  For the longest time, I thought the God of Death was my Dad…
But it was a manifestation of my weakness.

Alice:  I was never scared of this graveyard or that fox.  That fox is half of
your soul…  A very important half.

Yuri:  (…)  (turns around)  Heheh…  Well, now the two halves are one.  I’m not
ashamed of being afraid, or weak, anymore.

Alice:  Yeah.  Let’s travel together again.

Yuri:  Yeah.

(There is a flash of white light.)


~~Blue Castle~~

(In the tower room, Yuri and Alice are both laying on the floor while Zhuzhen
and Keith are standing up.  They both wake up at the same time.)

Zhuzhen:  Alice!!  Are you all right?!  Hey!  The kid’s with you!!

Keith:  What in the world happened?!

Yuri:  (steps forward, Zhuzhen jumps back with his fists up)  Heheheh…  How’ve
you been all this time, pops?

Zhuzhen:  Yuri?!  Is it really the honest-to-goodness Yuri?

Alice:  Yes, Zhuzhen.  It really is Yuri.

Yuri:  Now, why are you taking that tone with me?  You know I never was
honest-to-goodness to begin with.  You old adept-at-nothing Adept!

Zhuzhen:  So, it’s really you, kid?!  I’m not just seeing things?  Choke… sob…
you gigantic knucklehead, you…

Yuri:  Ah, c’mon.  Don’t go crying on me now, pops!  Now, c’mon!  Stop it!
You’ll dry yourself out if you cry like that!

Zhuzhen:  Aw, stuff it!  Don’t you know I’ve been worried sick over what kind
of trouble you might be in?!  That’s why I came looking for you, you ungrateful
son-of-a-bitch!!  It just chokes me up!  Can I help it if the tears come easy
in my old age!

Yuri:  Hahah!  Well, as you can see, I’m chipper as a graveyard butterfly!
There’s nothing to worry about anymore.  You can retire from all this, pops.
Leave the rest to us.

Zhuzhen:  Aren’t you funny!  I have no intention of retiring as long as I
live!!  And who’d want a booger-picking kid like you to look after them,
anyway?!

Keith:  (to Alice)  My goodness, it’s hard to know whether these two are bosom
buddies or sworn enemies…  Which is it?

Alice:  (laughs)  Oh, I guess you could say both.

Yuri:  You’re from the castle, right?  I’m sorry we caused you so much trouble.

Keith:  Ha ha, not at all.  Besides, it was your intense burst of energy which
finally roused me from my sleep.  And with the world changed so much in the 200
years I was asleep, I think I’m in a travelling mood.  Which reminds me.  You
all seem to be on some sort of special journey yourselves.

Alice:  Well, kind of…

Keith:  You did what I asked you to do, so I guess you’re finished here.  But
you have piqued my interest.  If you don’t mind, can I join you in your
travels?  I promise not to get in the way.

Zhuzhen:  We appreciate your interest, but… the enemies we are fighting are no
ordinary monsters.  We can’t possibly guarantee your safety.  Listen.  You’ll
have a lot more fun if you travel with that widow and her daughter from the
village.

Keith:  Oh, no, I certainly don’t expect any guarantees!  I’m just insufferably
tired of all the empty hours.  I just want to be freed from this endless tedium
of nothing to do.

Yuri:  In that case, why don’t you just…  Er…

Keith:  Keith.

Yuri:  Welcome aboard Keith!

Zhuzhen:  Yeah!  Things are getting livelier on our European travels, too!

Keith:  So, where are we headed?

Alice:  Let’s head back to Prague, Zhuzhen.  Margarete might be there by now.

Zhuzhen:  Good idea!  We can plan our next move when we get there!  Yeah!  This
is getting exciting again!  Come on, then.  No sense in letting the grass grow
under our feet! (leaves the room along with Keith)

Yuri:  Wow!  The old man’s really calmed down since I’ve been gone.

Alice:  He’s happy.  He kept me going for the last six months.  Oh.  I almost
forgot.  This is for you!  (hands it to Yuri)  I found it in Kuihai Tower.

[You’ve received a brightly polished talisman from Alice.]

Yuri:  …

Alice:  Let’s go!

Yuri:  Um, yeah.


~~East Forest~~

(Everyone stops to take a last look at the castle from a distance.)

Alice:  What’s wrong?

Zhuzhen:  Look!  It was red, but now…  It really IS a blue castle!

Keith:  Farewell, dear castle.  Farewell, my ancestors.  Do not begrudge me a
little bit of time to travel.  And if I don’t return, may you vanish again into
the mists of time until a new master arrives.


~~Gismot’s Bar~~

Owner Gismot:  Hey there, Alice, Zhuzhen!  Looks like your company has grown!
I have a message for you from Margarete.

Alice:  A message?

Owner Gismot:  Uh-huh.  I thought she would just wait here until you two got
back, but she rushed off in a big hurry.  She said she wanted you to meet her
in Rouen, north of Paris.

Alice:  (!)  Rouen?  (everyone looks at her)

Zhuzhen:  What’s the matter?  Why the sudden outburst?

Alice:  Rouen is the place where my father fought Bacon and died.

Yuri:  Is that right?  But why did Margarete do that?

Zhuzhen:  It’s been quite awhile since she went off on her own in an attempt to
track down Bacon.  Maybe this means she’s finally got some leads!

Yuri:  I see…  So he’s been hard at work even after I got swallowed up by that
beast in Shanghai…

Alice:  I’m sure that Bacon is somewhere in Europe.  Either England… or Rouen.
Margarete is looking for him, but to no avail.

Zhuzhen:  Considering how he taunted us to come after him… he must have some
trick even more sinister than Dehuai up his sleeve.  We’ve got to find him!  We
haven’t heard a peep out of him for six whole months now.

Flirtatious Yuria:  (walks over from corner)  Hey, why so glum?  You’re back
safe.  Let’s celebrate!  Let’s party!

Zhuzhen:  Wh-whoa!  You’re drunk!

Flirtatious Yuria:  Me?  Drunk?  No way.  (walks over to the ladies room)

Zhuzhen:  Good grief…

Keith:  Hmm…  Roger Bacon, huh…  Do I understand correctly that another member
of your party is waiting for you in France?

Alice:  Yes.

Yuri:  Hey, friend… hic!  …Where’s this France place, anyway?  Is it far?

Zhuzhen:  From here, it’s, let’s see… well… um…

Yuri:  C’mon pops!  You either know or ya don’t!

Zhuzhen:  O-of course I do!  What do you think I did on the long boat trip from
China?!  I studied up real good, that’s what I did!  So anyway, let’s see…

Yuri:  (laughs)  C’mon pops!  You’re a regular country bumpkin!

Zhuzhen:  Aw, shut up!  Takes one to know one!!

Yuri and Zhuzhen:  (…)  (glare at each other)

Alice:  I think it’ll take less than a month to get there.  I’m sure we can
catch a carriage somewhere along the way.

Yuri:  Oh yeah?  So whadd’re we waitin’ for?

Zhuzhen:  You’re right.  What do you say, Alice?

Alice:  Yes.

Zhuzhen:  In that case, we’d better get a solid meal in our bellies before we
set out.  Say…  Whatever happened to Yuria?

Yuri:  She hasn’t come out of the bathroom for ages.  She’s probably out cold!
You saw how drunk she was.

Alice:  I’ll go take a look.

(In the bathroom there are two stalls, two sinks, a mirror and some cleaning
supplies in the corner.)

Alice:  Yuria?  Are you in here?  (looks in 1st stall)  Yuria?  Are you okay?
(looks in 2nd stall)  This is so strange…  Where did she go?  (looks in the
mirror)  There’s nothing wrong with… this mirror.  (she walks away, her
reflection returns and laughs)  Hello?  Anybody here?  Yuria?  (looks in both
stalls)  Not in here, either.  What’s going on…?  (looks in the mirror, her
reflection laughs at her)  (!)  Wh-what the--?

Alice in the Mirror:  Hee hee hee…

(The reflection changes to that of an old woman.)

Alice:  Who…?!  (it changes back)  It’s gone…  Was that an illusion?  I know
you’re in here!  Come out!  (looks in the first stall)  Your tricks won’t work
on me!  (looks in the second stall, comes out looking like the old woman)  …
(looks in the mirror)  (!)  Th-that’s not me!

Old Woman in the Mirror:  Heh heh heh…

(There is a flash of light and Alice and the old woman are standing side by side
with opposite reflections, showing their true forms.)

Alice:  Y-you’re the one who killed Terry!

Alice-faced Witch:  Hee hee hee…  That’s right.  That was the mayor’s request.
What a beautiful young woman you are.  Makes me feel good just assuming your
form.  If your body was to become mine…  Hee hee hee…

BATTLE     Alice Vs. Olga

(Each woman has returned to her own form, Yuria is laying on the floor between
them.)

Suspicious Old Woman:  Not bad.  I knew you were a first-rate exorcist…  I’ll
let you go for now.  I’d be more careful next time!  You were under my spell
the moment you entered the bathroom.

Yuri:  (runs in)  What’s wrong, Alice?!  (!)  You!

Suspicious Old Woman:  Hmph, you’re back from the spirit’s graveyard, eh?  I’m
sure you’ll make Lord Bacon proud.  I am Arcane Olga!  Remember my name!  I’ll
be seeing you again.  Hee hee…  (disappears)

Alice:   Arcane Olga…  A new enemy?

(Back in the bar…)

Zhuzhen:  …So that’s what happened to you?  What a relief that you came out of
it unscathed.  But you have to give the guy credit for how he set his trap with
ut anyone knowing.  On top of that, we now know she’s connected to Bacon
somehow…

Yuri:  Heheh!  The plot thickens once again.  Now I’m really lookin’ forward to
France!

Alice:  …


~~Calios Mental Hospital~~

(Bacon is in a room with a torture chair in the middle.  There are chains and
iron bars everywhere, the room is very bright despite being lit only by
candles.)

Arcane Olga:  I knew you’d be here.

Bacon:  Ahh, you’re back.  So, how did it go?

Arcane Olga:  It’s shameful.  I couldn’t return with that girl.

Bacon:  Heh heh heh.  Don’t worry.  We’ve just begun.  We still have plenty of
time to hunt her down.  (pause)  Oh, yes.  That Harmonixer fellow seems to have
returned to his normal self and rejoined the party.

Arcane Olga:  I couldn’t see how far the girl delved into the man’s soul, but…
She brought him back from the spirit’s grave.

Bacon:  The kid doesn’t look like much, but he’s actually quite a troublemaker.
We need to get rid of him early on.

Arcane Olga:  Lord Bacon!  You can’t tell me you’re afraid of that young boy.

Bacon:  Well, I’m not entirely sure what to think.  The trouble is that the
soul of the Seraphic Radiance remains sealed somewhere deep in his being.
Fortunately, he hasn’t yet awoken to his true power.  But if he ever does,
he’ll be a fearsome enemy.

Arcane Olga:  The Seraphic Radiance?

Bacon:  An ancient god summoned up by an old man in Shanghai.  One of the
guardian deities of this planet.  No mere human should be able to bring the
god into submission, and yet he managed to do it…  So what power is it that
protects him?  That’s what I want to know.

Arcane Olga:  Hmm…  Lord Bacon, she still hasn’t given in yet, has she?  She
may die if you continue to torture her like this…  I think you should warn the
inquisitors.

Bacon:  You needn’t worry.  She’s not the sort of witch to succumb to this
level of torture.  If anything, she’s the one with the upper hand.  She’s
merely toying with her inquisitors who wield the whips.

Arcane Olga:  …  …

Bacon:  How about a nice cup of tea in the other room? (both leave)


~~Rouen~~

(Rouen has wide cobblestone streets lined with wood and plaster buildings.
There is a church at one corner.)

Alice:  (…)  (looks at the church)

Zhuzhen:  So this is Rouen.  For a small town, it looks very pleasant.  I
wonder if Margarete has arrived yet?  Well, let’s try the inn.

(Yuri, Zhuzhen and Keith start walking.)

Keith:  (?)  Is something wrong, Alice?

Yuri:  (?)

Alice:  Hmm?  Oh, nothing.


~~Rouen Inn~~

Innkeeper:  Good evening!  And welcome.

Yuri:  Excuse me, but we’re looking for a lady named Margarete.  Is she staying
here?

Innkeeper:  Miss Margarete?  Please wait a moment.  Yes, she is staying here.
But she’s out at the moment.

Zhuzhen:  Ah-hah.  So she beat us here!

Yuri:  Okay!  Guess we’ll be staying here, too!  Some rooms, please!

Innkeeper:  Absolutely.  We haven’t had a lot of customers lately, so I can
give you a deal!  You seem to have a lady with you, so I’ll prepare two rooms
upstairs.  Use them as you wish.

Alice:  (steps forward)  Thank you.

Innkeeper:  (!)  Oh?!  Are you…?  Aren’t you the young lady who stayed here
with her father about half a year ago?

Alice:  …Yes.

Innkeeper:  I still remember that incident.  Such a terrible incident…  Oh,
that poor priest, rest his soul.  But at least you’re safe, child.  It’s a
blessing of God.  Now, go along and rest in your quarters.

(Fade out…)

Yuri:  Agh…!  Wh-what the…?


~~Graveyard~~

(Yuri wakes up in the gate of the graveyard and goes to talk to the masks.)

Sword Mask:  Tsk, tsk, tsk!  Welcome back, lad!  I see you chose to live again
in hell.

Staff Mask:  Ho.. ho.. ho..!  How foolish!  You were on the verge of entering
paradise, where you would no longer experience pain or suffering!

Yuri:  Heheh!  Well, I see you’re still a bunch of blabbermouths.  I couldn’t
care less what you say about me!!  Hmph!!

Gold Mask:  Bwa.. ha.. ha..!  How strange to hear those lines from one who not
so long ago was so eager to die!  You should be thankful to that little girl!

Grail Mask:  Yeh.. heh.. heh..!  That’s right.  For she has taken upon herself
the burden of your karma.

Yuri:  What do you mean?

Sword Mask:  To save your soul from the God of Death, the one who wears the fox
mask, this girl offered her soul to us!

Yuri:  What’d you just say?

Staff Mask:  Ho.. ho.. ho..!  When Malice reaches it’s peak… we’ll come for
that girl’s soul, in place of Fox Face!

Gold Mask:  Bwa.. ha.. ha..!  There is no escaping from us!  No matter where
she runs, her life will eventually burn out.  Even if she’s within your very
arms!!

Yuri:  Damn you!!  I won’t let you lay a finger on her!!  (kicks the ground)
Your curses are as worthless and phoney as a three dollar bill, you got that?
Now, apologize!!!

Grail Mask:  You wish to challenge us?  How very interesting!  No matter how
hard you try to protect her, you will fail.  All you can do is sit helplessly
by and watch this precious life depart.

Yuri:  (clenches fists)  Arrrrrgg!!  Now I’m pissed off!!  You want some of
me?  I’ll take you all on!!

Sword Mask:  Tsk, tsk, tsk!  We’ll be watching your vain attempts to drive off
our spell.

Yuri:  (turns to go)  Enough!  Shut up!

Sword Mask:  Tsk, tsk, tsk!  It is time for you to depart, lad.  Your world
awaits you!


~~Rouen Inn~~

(Yuri wakes up in his hotel room.  Keith and Zhuzhen are standing nearby.)

Zhuzhen:  What’s wrong, Yuri?  Did you have a nightmare or something?

Yuri:  N,no… don’t worry.  I just had a bad dream.

Zhuzhen and Keith:  (?)

(Yuri goes next door to Alice’s room but finds it empty.)

Yuri:  (?)  She’s gone?  Where did she go by herself?

(He then returns to the other room.)

Zhuzhen:  What’s that?!  Alice has disappeared?!  She wandered off somewhere
while we were resting?

Keith:  We’d better go look for her right away.

Yuri:  I’ll go look for her.  But she might come back in the meantime, so you
two wait here.


~~Rouen~~

(Yuri finds Alice kneeling by the back door of the church.)

Yuri:  (walks up behind her)  Here you are…

Alice:  (…)  Hi, Yuri.  Sorry to disappear on you like that.

Yuri:  (…)

(Alice stands up but doesn’t turn around.)

Yuri:  Hey, is this place…

Alice:  Yes.  This is where my father died.

Yuri:  (steps closer)  Alice…

Alice:  He died to save me…

Yuri:  …

Alice:  It’s just as if it happened yesterday.  (turns around)  That evening,
Father and I were waiting here for someone.  But before that person arrived…

That Man’s Voice:  I showed up.

Alice and Yuri:  (!)

(Bacon and Olga appear in the alley.)

Yuri:  You!!

Alice:  Bacon!

Bacon:  Heh heh heh…  Long time no see.  I’ve been looking forward to seeing
you again.  Both of you.  Congratulations on your rebirth, Yuri.  Returning
from the graveyard of souls is a laudable feat.  Though, of course, Alice here
had to sell her soul to the God of Death in order to make it happen.

Yuri:  Hah!  I’m not afraid of that masked freak!  Well, thanks for showin’ up
here.  It saves me the trouble of huntin’ you down.  It’s payback time for
killing Alice’s father!

Bacon:  At ease, young man.  I have no desire to fight the two of you today.
I merely wanted to announce myself.

Yuri:  Hah, don’t hold back on our account, old man.  We’ve ready to go!  Or
are you afraid?

That Female Voice:  That’s right.  I’ll give you a full course on the house!

Alice and Yuri:  (!)

(Margarete jumps down off the roof of the church.)

Alice:  Margarete!

Margarete:  Hello, kids!  So you’re okay, huh?  We’ll talk later.  I’ve got
lots of questions for you.

Bacon:  Another one of your friends, is it?  You youngsters multiply like
viruses.  Fine, I’ll play along.  Step forward, my servant!

(Olga steps forward.)

BATTLE     Yuri, Alice and Margarete Vs. 2 Bifronzes

Bacon:  Heh heh.  You’ve gained more power.  That will make our future meetings
more interesting.  A word of caution.  I will no longer be playing along in
future fights, so be on your guard.  (disappears with Olga)

Yuri:  Bastard!  He got away again!

Margarete:  (…)  (walks over to Yuri and starts looking him over)

Yuri:  Whoa!  I kinda like that!

Margarete:  (jumps back)  Ahhhh!  It’s a ghost!

Yuri:  Wait!!  I’m not!!

Margarete:  So, you’re real?  You look solid.  I guess you’re not a ghost.

Yuri:  He he.  Yup, I’m just as ya see me.

Margarete:  You’re tougher to kill than a cockroach.

Yuri:  (S)

Margarete:  Well, I’m glad to see you’re alive.  (to Alice)  How are you doing?
How’s the drunk old man?

Alice:  He’s doing well.  He’s waiting for you at the inn.

Margarete:  Great.  I’ve got some crucial information.  Let’s head back to the
inn!

(Alice and Margarete start to walk away.)

Margarete:  Get moving, sonny boy!

Yuri:  (…)


~~Rouen Inn~~

(Everyone has gathered in Alice’s room.)

Zhuzhen:  Ah!  It’s good to see you, Margarete!!  I sensed a massive cloud of
evil descending on the town.  So I was a little worried!

Alice:  (nods)  We ran into Bacon again.

Zhuzhen:  You saw Bacon?!  Did he try to harm you?!

Margarete:  No, they said hello and went away.  (?)  (notices Keith)  Huh?
Who’s this handsome man?

Yuri:  Oh, this guy?  He’s the master of the castle where I stayed.

Keith:  Yes, I’m the one who took care of the moocher here.  My name is Keith.
Enchanted, Mademoiselle.

Margarete:  I’m Margarete, the moocher’s babysitter.  Nice to meet you, Keith.

Yuri:  (C)

Zhuzhen:  Why did you go out without saying anything, Alice?  We were worried.

Alice:  …

Zhuzhen:  I mean, uhh, please don’t be angry with me, and if you’d rather not
talk about it, fine.  But maybe if we knew about what your father was trying to
do, certain details may fall into place.

Alice:  (…)  That day… my father and I were supposed to meet with a certain
person.

Zhuzhen:  A certain person?

Alice:  My father said this man was a warlock as powerful as Bacon.  My father
and I travelled all over Europe exorcising demons.  But… my father was working
on secret missions for the Vatican.

Keith:  (!)  The Vatican?!

Yuri:  Umm, what’s a “Vatican”, anyway?

Zhuzhen:  It’s in Italy.  It’s the seat of the Pope – the leader of the
Catholic Church.

Yuri:  Oh yeah?

Keith:  So, did you actually meet this person?

Alice:  No.  Bacon appeared before he arrived.

Margarete:  Can I have your attention, everyone?  I don’t know who he really
is, but I have been investigating Bacon closely for the past several months.
The first person recorded in history by the name of Roger Bacon appeared in
England in the 13th century.  As a priest in the Franciscan Order, his
scholarly training was at Oxford and Paris Universities.  His skills as an
alchemist and a warlock were superb, and his name was known throughout Europe.
At that time, he was branded as a revolutionary, but there were also many who
felt he was persecuted.  It seems he was very critical of the Church and was
even imprisoned for it.

Yuri:  Huh?  That guy is 700 years old?  So, he’s not human after all?

Margarete:  But, as I looked deeper into his past, I began to notice some odd
things.  Roger Bacon may be a peculiar fellow, but in many ways, he seems like
a very upright individual.  It seems that for many years he has also aided
leading scholars in the fields of medicine and chemistry.

Yuri:  Upright?!  Anyway you look at it, that guy’s twisted!!  Why, then, did
he kill Alice’s father?!  It doesn’t make sense.

Margarete:  That’s it!  That’s the problem.  Finally, in Nuremburg in 1540,
something happened that completely changed his life.  At the time, all of
Europe was caught up in the mass insanity of the witch hunts…  Bacon was
accused by one of his pupils.

Zhuzhen:  (!)  Accused?!  You mean he was put on trial before the church?

Margarete:  (nods)  A pupil warned the tribunal that Bacon’s research had gone
too far, threatening to corrupt society.  It finally ended in his exile.  After
that point, we can only catch glimpses of him throughout history.  Such as now,
as a force of evil.

Zhuzhen:  I see.  I guess he got sucked down into the murky black depths of
sorcery.  So, the question is, this person that Bacon was trying to prevent
Alice’s father from meeting…  Who on earth could it be?!

Margarete:  …Wouldn’t it be best to ask that person directly?  Alice.  The
person who introduced Father Elliot to this mystery man, it was Father Doyle,
wasn’t it?

Alice:  Yes, but the church was closed and we couldn’t get in.

(There is a flash of light.)

Voice of Arcane Olga:  Ha ha ha…  You fools.  Lord Bacon spared your life.  Yet
you still intend to go to the church?  I won’t let you!  Ha ha ha!

Yuri:  (!)  That voice!!

Alice:  Arcane Olga…  She’s watching us from somewhere!  Let’s hurry!!


~~Rouen~~

(They find the back door of the church locked.)

Yuri:  (…)  Open, damn you!!  (kicks it open)  Hey!  Take a look!


~~Rouen Church~~

(There is a large altar in the front of the church.  It is very dark inside as
it is only lit by candles.)

Frightened Male Voice:  Who, who is it?

Yuri:  Hey, are you the priest here?

Frightened Man:  Wh-what do you want?!  H-have you come to kill me?!

Alice:  Father Doyle!!  It’s me, Alice Elliot!!

Father Doyle:  (!)  Alice?!  Th-that’s impossible!  (S)  Alice was kidnapped by
the Devil a long time ago.  S-she can’t be alive…

Alice:  I’m sorry to scare you, but it is me.  I’m finally back in this town.

Father Doyle:  Is it really you, Alice?!  N-no, I don’t believe it.  You can’t
fool me!  You’re just and illusion!  You must be the Devil – come to take my
life away!!  Ohhh, woe…

Alice:  Please, Father Doyle.  Tell me about the man my father was trying to
meet that day.  I want know.  Whatever it takes, I must stop Roger Bacon.

Father Doyle:  (!)  B-Bacon?!  No-o-o-o!  Wait!  I-I’ll tell you everything!
J-Just please spare my life…  P-please…!  Don’t kill me…

Zhuzhen:  This is quite serious.  He thinks we’re all Bacon’s lackeys.  He must
have gone through some unimaginably dreadful experience.

Yuri:  Father, relax!  We’re not gonna do anything to you.  Just answer our
questions.  That’s all we want, okay?

Father Doyle:  (…)  Okay, okay.  Anything you say…  (walks over to the altar
and crosses himself)  Alice…  I’ll tell you everything I know about your
father.  It all started 23 years ago.  In 1890, three secret books of magic
were stolen from the Vatican.  The books contained forbidden secrets of sorcery
and alchemy…  Long held under lock and key by the Pope, the disappearance of
the books caused the Vatican to panic.  They immediately called in two of the
finest exorcists to find and recover the secret books.  One was your father,
Father Morris Elliot.  And the other was his friend, Father James O’Flaherty.

Alice:  Father O’Flaherty…

Father Doyle:   The two of them wandered through Europe for many years in
search of the missing volumes.  They travelled together at first, but when a
daughter was born to Elliot, they travelled separately.  Then, in 1899, Father
O’Flaherty disappeared in England.

Alice:  I remember that!  I was only 5 or 6 years old.  It was all in that
last letter he sent to my father.  It said that one of the books had been
purchased by a scholar living in Wales, so he went to take a look.  But no
second letter ever came.

Father Doyle:  (…)  Afterwards, Father Elliot began to hunt for the criminal
himself.  And then, he finally found him.

Margarete:  And it was Roger Bacon!

Father Doyle:  Yes.  But Father Elliot was terrified of Bacon.  As well he
should have been.  Bacon’s a thousand-year-old demon!  There’s no humanity left
in him.  Your father had to protect his wife and daughter, but he knew that if
those books were defiled, terrible forces of hell could be summoned to earth…

Zhuzhen:  So, that was the Demon’s Gate Invocation…  Curse you, Bacon!  You
steal a holy book and then defile it with your foul experiments?!  Blasphemy…

Father Doyle:  In order to discover Bacon’s weak points, he continued to look
for someone who could help him.  That person was also a great warlock and had a
history of conflict with Bacon.  Fortunately, I was able to contact him.  I was
certain that he would prove to be a powerful ally.

Yuri:  Huh?  So, this other guy you’re talkin’ about…  Who is he?

Father Doyle:  Cardinal Albert Simon.  Alice, that is the man that your father
was waiting for that evening.

Alice:  Albert Simon…

Zhuzhen:  So, this cardinal that Bacon didn’t want your father to meet…

Keith:  Father, where is Cardinal Simon now?

Father Doyle:  I believe he…  (he is suddenly struck by lightning)
Yeeeearrrghh!!  (falls to the ground)

Arcane Olga:  (appears beside him)  You talk too much, old man!  You know, I’ve
always hated churches.

Yuri:  Olga!

Arcane Olga:  I think it would be best if we finished this here!  Lord Bacon
will be pleased to be rid of unwanted pests.  Well, are you ready?

Yuri:  Hah!  What a laugh.  When I’m done with you, there’ll be nothing left!

BATTLE     Yuri & Co. Vs. Olga

Arcane Olga:  (collapses)  You…  (disappears)

Alice:  (kneels down)  Father!!  Hold on!!

Father Doyle:  Uh…  Uh…  Alice…  The cardinal… is in… London…

Alice:  Father!!


~~Old Castle Street~~

(Yuri, Alice and Margarete arrive in London.  Zhuzhen and Keith are presumably
kicking around somewhere too, just not in this scene.  The street is lined with
brick walk-ups and there is a river at one end.  Looks like it used to be a
nice neighbourhood but has gotten shabby in later years.  There is also a
drunk throwing up in the middle of the street.)

Yuri:  Oh boy…  I guess “London” doesn’t exactly pinpoint it…

Margarete:  Well, it is the capital of England.  Anyway, doesn’t this place
look suspicious?

Yuri:  But you think he’s really here?  This card guy or whatever.

Alice:  Cardinal Simon.

Yuri:  Yeah.  That’s the one.

Margarete:  Enough with the dumb act already!!  I know you know who I mean!!

(When they reach the bridge over the river, they see a man trying to drag off a
kid.)

Child’s Scream:  No-o-o-o!  Sto-o-o-p!  He-e-elp!

Man in Black:  (holding the kid)  Hey!  Quiet down, will ya!

Margarete:  You!  What are you doing to that child!!

Man in Black:  Who the hell are you?!  Shut up and mind yer own business.  The
law in this town says that all orphans go to the orphanage.

Yuri:  Shut up.  Mind yer own business, is it?  You and me got a problem, punk.

Man in Black:  Har!  (pushes kid down and runs away)

Margarete:  (kneels down)  Are you all right?!  You scraped your knee!  Let me
have a look at that.

Runny-nosed Kid:  Yeowch!  I’m okay, ma’am.  (C)  That hurts!  Ma’am!

Margarete:  You mean “miss”, don’t you?  (both stand up)

Runny-nosed Kid:  O-okay, m, miss!!

Alice:  What a horrible way to treat a child.  Say there, where’s your home,
little boy?

Runny-nosed Kid:  My home?  (runs down to the street and points)  That way!

Margarete:  Do you want us to take you there, little boy?

Runny-nosed Kid:  Really?  Thank you, miss ma’am.

Margarete:  (C)  I don’t appreciate that phrase…

Yuri:  Ha ha!  Now that’s a brave lad there.

Margarete:  (turns around)  Did you say something?

Yuri:  (S)  Er, nope…

Alice:  Well, let’s go, shall we?

(A young girl runs up.)

Chris:  Joshua!

Joshua:  Chris!!

Chris:  What happened?  You’re hurt!

Joshua:  I’m okay.  But I was almost taken away by this guy in black.  These
people helped me!

Chris:  Oh, my!  I see.  Thank you so much for coming to my brother’s rescue.
Come on, Joshua.  You need to thank them, too!

Joshua:  Thanks for everything sir, miss…  and er, miss ma’am.

Margarete:  Oh think nothing of it!  Well, I’m so glad it all worked out.
Anyway…  Next time you call me “miss ma’am”…  I will kill you.

Joshua:  (S)

Margarete:  Bye bye now!

Joshua:  She’s scary!  (runs off with Chris)

Yuri and Alice:  (…)

Alice:  So I wonder if it’s just the two of them…

Yuri:  The older sister seems like a nice kid.

Margarete:  Well they certainly didn’t look at all alike.  Anyway, let’s go.
(turns to go)  (!)  (pats herself down)  (S)

Yuri:  What is it?

Margarete:  My w… wallet?!  I was hiding it in my shirt.  I’ve lost it!!

Alice:  Is it true?!

Margarete:  That little punk!!

(They take off after the kid.)


~~Castle Street Bar~~

(Looks much the same as the bar in Prague.)

Bar Owner:  Hello!  Come right on in!  Why the long face?  Did you run into
some trouble?

Yuri:  Yeah.  I tried to be nice, and the brats stole my wallet.

Bar Owner:  Stole your wallet?  It must have been the London Rats.  I know a
little bit about them.  They’re a kid’s street gang, with a punk named Halley
as their leader.  I see them all the time, so I figure they must live around
here somewhere.

Yuri:  Well, I guess I’ll go back to the inn.  The old man should be here by
now.  I’d better go meet him.


~~Castle Street Inn~~

(Yuri, Alice and Margarete meet up with the rest of their group.)

Zhuzhen:  What?!  You got your pocket picked and lost every last penny you had
to your name?  (steps forward)

Margarete:  (jumps back)  (S)

Zhuzhen:  And cripes!  You had all of MY money too!  I let you out of my sight
for a minute and this is what happens?!  You can’t do this to me!!

Margarete:  That’s why, that’s why I’m trying to apologize!  Okay?

Yuri:  (laughs)  It’s not like we needed the money.  I mean, look at us!

Zhuzhen:  That’s right.  You come from the same kind of stock, don’t you?

Keith:  I don’t suppose there’s any use crying over spilled milk.  But what do
you intend to do about it?

Margarete:  I’m going to catch that punk and get our money back!  And maybe
bury him up to his neck in the sand!  Do you understand?!  If you do, then come
on!!  Let’s find us some London Rats!!

Yuri:  Okay, I got it.  I’m with ya.

Alice:  Um, count me in, too.

(Across the river, there is an abandoned house with a boarded-up front door.
However, there is a secret passage hidden beside the house.  Yuri and the
ladies follow it and find themselves inside the ramshackle old house, which has
been fixed up somewhat to make it liveable.)

Yuri:  What’s this?  It looks like someone lives here.

(The two children are found in the top room of the house.  There is another
young girl with them, about Joshua’s age.)

Joshua:  …Then I reached over and lifted the wallet like this!  Lookit here!
Cool colours, huh?

Sharon:  Wow!  Joshua, that’s awesome!

Joshua:  Yeah!  On top of saving my life, they gave me all this money!  I’m
almost thankful!

(Margarete comes up the stairs, the children run into the corner.)

Margarete:  We found you!!  But I never thought this place could be the hideout
of the London Rats.  Well now, do you want to give back what you stole?

(Alice and Yuri come up the stairs behind her.)

Joshua:  H-how’d you find out?!

Margarete:  I can smell a rat, get it?

Chris:  I-I’m so sorry.  You see, those kids haven’t eaten in three days…

Margarete:  That’s no excuse for stealing someone else’s money, you know!

Chris:  I really am sorry.  Here’s the wallet… though we already used some of
the money…  Please forgive them…

Joshua:  Sorry.

Sharon:  I’m sorry.

Joshua:  This… is a token of my apology.  (gives something to Margarete)

[You got a Crucifix!  It’s very expensive-looking.  Who could this have
belonged to?]

Margarete:  Thank you.  It would have been enough just to return it.

Yuri:  He he!  Sorry we scared you like that.  We’re not gonna hurt you.

Alice:  Do you all live here together?

Chris:  Uh-huh.  None of us has any parents to take care of us.  In this town,
whenever they find a homeless child, they take him to the orphanage.

Margarete:  And don’t they take good care of you at the orphanage?

Chris:  No way!  Once they take a kid there, he’s never seen or heard from
again!

Sharon:  All the kids at the Orphanage become monsters!

Yuri:  What’s that mean?

Boy’s Voice:  It means that there aren’t any good people in this world.

A boy comes up the stairs.

Sharon:  Halley!!

Alice:  Who are you?

Halley:  I’m Halley, leader of the London Rats.  I’m like their big brother.
Sorry about Joshua, but you should’ve kept your guard up!

Margarete:  Hmph!  You have some nerve.

Halley:  I’m glad you’re not from the orphanage, though.  All the kids taken to
the orphanage disappear mysteriously.

Yuri:  So that’s why these kids are hiding here?

Halley:  That’s right.  All the residents of this area keep their mouths shut,
too.

Yuri:  Not an easy place to live in.  But you know, it was about the same fo
me when I was your age.

Halley:  What are you doing here in this dump, anyway?  I’ll help you in return
for saving one of our little ones.

Alice:  We’re looking for someone.  Do you know if there’s a mansion around
here owned by a person named Cardinal Albert Simon?

Halley:  Albert Simon?

Chris:  Halley, I wonder if Old Carl might know something?

Halley:  Yeah, sure.  He’s an odd one, but he knows a lot about this area.  I’m
sure he’d help you out if I asked.


~~Old Carl’s House~~

Halley:  Old Carl!

Knowledgeable Carl:  Oh, it’s you, Halley.  (?)  (looks Yuri over)  Who’s this
stranger?

Halley:  They saved Joshua from the orphan hunters.  Carl!  You know Cardinal
Simon?  They’re looking for him.

Carl:  What?  You want to know about Cardinal Simon?  Hmm…  I’ve got it!  That
mansion is across the Thames river, in the residential area in the north!

Halley:  Thanks, Old Carl!  Let’s go, Yuri!


~~Orphanage~~

(Yuri, Alice, Margarete and Halley walk up to a large mansion.  It’s dark
outside.)

Halley:  (stops)  This is…!

Margarete:  What’s wrong with you?

Halley:  (stamps his foot)  This is it!  This is where all the kidnapped
orphans end up!

Alice:  What do you mean?  It certainly seems that this is the mansion of
Cardinal Simon.

Yuri:  So you mean Cardinal Simon’s mansion has become an orphanage?  Hmm…  So
let’s just ask the people who live there directly.

Halley:  I don’t want them to find me.  I’ll wait here.

(Yuri and the others go up to the door.)

Low Male Voice:  Who’s there?

Yuri:  Hello, I need to ask you something.

(Inside, the foyer of the mansion is very large and has a chandelier hanging
from the ceiling.  There is an open second story with some closed doors, there
are also some doors on the main level.)

Low Voiced Man:  What business do you have with my orphanage?

Yuri:  I was told this is the mansion of Cardinal Simon.  Is that true?

Low Voiced Man:  Cardinal Simon?

Alice:  A man named Albert Simon.  I believe he moved here from Italy…

Low Voiced Man:  Oh, yeah, I believe that was the name of the previous owner.
I bought this mansion to start an orphanage, but I don’t know anything about
the previous owner.

Alice:  But…

Margarete:  …Is that right?  I’m Malkovich, a reporter from the USA.  I’m doing
research on the subject of “War and Orphans”.  Excuse me, but may I have your
name?

Low Voiced Man:  My name is Jack, but…

Margarete:  Well, Jack, this is an orphanage, isn’t it?  Where are the
children?

Jack:  They’re asleep in their rooms.  It is awfully late, you know.

Margarete:  But I really would like to gather some data, so perhaps we could
just talk with them a little.

Jack:  That won’t do.  I told you they’re asleep!  And I don’t like people from
the papers anyhow.  Now run along!

(Yuri and the ladies leave and meet Halley outside.)

Halley:  So?  Is this Cardinal Simon’s mansion?

Yuri:  Yes, it appears to be…  But the guy we’re after disappeared two years
ago.

Margarete:  That seems kind of suspicious…

Alice:  I think they’re hiding something…

Margarete:  Well, for the time being, let’s go back to the inn…

(They leave the area, as they go Jack open the door to the orphanage and
watches them.  Once they’re gone he goes back inside.)

Man in Black:  Did you call?

Jack:  We’ve got some pests here.  They’re the ones who kept me from grabbing
that kid before.  You stay on their trail.  And don’t let them spot you.

Man in Black:  Yes, sir…  (leaves)

Jack:  Preparations are almost complete.  I won’t let allow anybody to stop me
now.


~~Castle Street Inn~~

(Yuri and the others have gathered in the foyer.)

Zhuzhen:  So Cardinal Simon’s mansion has become an orphanage where a shady man
is gathering up children, huh?

Keith:  Can’t help wondering what happened to the Cardinal, but it’s disturbing
about the missing children, too.

Margarete:  Let’s take a look.  We still don’t understand the connection
between Cardinal Simon and this Jack.

Alice:  That’s true… but from what I’ve seen so far, there’s something funny
about that orphanage.  There’s no sign of children anywhere and the whole place
seems so gloomy.

Yuri:  All right, let’s ask the townspeople about that orphanage.


~~London Rats Hideout~~

(Halley enters the top room and finds it empty.  He is followed by Yuri, Alice
and Margarete.)

Halley:  (…)

Yuri:  Hmm?  Where are the other kids?

Halley:  They’re not here…  They were taken away!

Yuri, Alice and Margarete:  (!)

Alice:  Taken away…  What do you mean?!

Margarete:  They found this hideout?!  (Halley runs towards the stairs)  Hey,
where are you going?!

Halley:  I’m going to rescue them!

Margarete:  No!  If you go there all alone, you’ll get yourself killed!

Halley:  What do you expect me to do, then?!  (he is surrounded by a yellow
aura)

Margarete:  Wh-what the - ?!

Alice:  This power…?!

Halley:  (collapses)  Pant, pant…  This is my power…  It’s why my mom abandoned
me…

Yuri:  (I’ll go with you.  We’ve gotta help those kids.

Halley stands up and nods.

Alice:  Yuri…

Yuri:  One of you, go tell the old man what’s happened.

Alice:  Please be careful.  I’ll be back at the hotel.  (leaves)


~~Orphange~~

(They investigate one of the doors on the first level.)

Yuri:  Hmph!  Locked, eh?

Voice of Joshua:  W-who’s there?!  That voice.  Is that you, Yuri?

Halley:  Joshua!  Are you in there?

Voice of Joshua:  Halley!!  You’ve come to help us?!

Halley:  Yeah!  Hold on just a little longer, okay?

(A man in black walks up behind them.)

Yuri:  …Well, we finally get our welcome.

Man in Black:  You’ve managed to sneak in here, but it won’t be so easy to
leave.

Halley:  Damn it!  I knew it was you!

BATTLE     Yuri, Halley and Margarete Vs. Night Stalker

[You’ve received Kid’s Room Key.]

(The door is unlocked and everybody enters the room.  There are several bunk
beds and a fireplace.  Joshua and Sharon are inside.)

Joshua:  Halley!!

Sharon:  I was so scared!

Halley:  You’re safe now!  (looks around)  Where’s Chris?

Sharon:  A man wearing white clothes took her!

Joshua:  Halley, Halley, you’ve got to help Chris!!

Halley:  I will.  You two head back, okay?

Joshua:  All right.  Let’s go Sharon!

Sharon:  Yeah.

Both go to leave but stop in front of Yuri.

Joshua:  Oh yeah!  Hey, take a look at this!  I got it from the funny old man.
It’ll probably come in handy!

[You received the Guestroom Key.]

(Joshua and Sharon leave.  Everyone else goes up to the guestroom.  It has one
bed and a fire place, there is a table with many books and papers scattered on
it.)

[An old picture was in the book.  It shows a woman holding a baby.  The
following is written on it:  5 March 75.  With my dearest Jack, one year old.
Mary.]

[There is a thick diary atop the large desk.  Apparently it belongs to the
person who used this room.  4 February 13.  It’s been two weeks since I was
moved into this room all by myself.  Every night the doctor comes to talk about
his dead mother.  He sounds just like a little child…  He always becomes so
emotional.  He starts to cry.  He even gets up and screams all of the sudden.
At first I was scared, but I got used to it.  If I just listen, I get warm
soup and bread.  Every night, I listen to the sobs of the new kids here.  But
then again, I’m usually crying too.  I hope I can find new parents soon and get
out of this place…  Isn’t God listening to my prayers?  Feb 13, ’21.  The
doctor seems so excited.  He smiled and started talking as soon as he saw me.
He was happy because his experiment went well and some book was going to make
his dreams a reality.  Sometimes I shiver when I hear about his research.  It
sounds like the story of Frankenstein to me.  I can’t hear the crying of the
children tonight.  Even though it’s definitely time for it.  22 Feb 13.  I had
a great dinner tonight.  I’ve never eaten so much delicious food at once.  The
teacher was all smiles too.  It seems it’s going to be my turn to help his
experiment tomorrow…  This is the last entry in the diary.]

(The other room upstairs is similar to the guestroom.  There is a locked drawer
in the desk inside.)

[You found a heavy file inside the drawer of the desk.  It looks like the
master’s diary.  Apr. 18 ’09.  We finally finished the move.  My mother seems
to like the mansion too.  I was worried when I first came here but I don’t
believe that the ghost of the old owner will return here.  Tomorrow is my first
day as a doctor.  It will be difficult, but my mother and I will make it.  27
May ’09.  It’s been a month since I started working as a doctor.  So far so
good.  But the change in climates has given Mother a chill.  She is always
tired and I’m worried.  11 Oct ’09.  What is going on?  I have no idea what is
making my mother so ill.  Each day her illness worsens.  It’s unbearable
watching her appearance change so rapidly…  She used to be so beautiful, but
now her body is changing, drying out as if she was becoming a mummy.  Please
give me the power to help Mother!  I would do anything to return the smile to
her lips…  2 November ’09.  It rained hard all night long.  My mother passed
away before dawn.  The mummy in front of me will not move again.  I tried to
halt her illness, but in the end I failed.  My mother screamed like a beast,
went into convulsions, and died with an agonized look on her face.  She ne’er
failed to grace me with her smile, and was rewarded for it by God with a
torturous end.  Tell me “God”, why did my mother deserve this?  We honoured
you, prayed to you as we were taught…  Why have you forsaken us?  It is
something I simply cannot fathom…  8 Jan ’10.  As I suspected previously, my
mother was killed by some kind of curse.  The more I study the black arts, the
more I am certain.  If I can but unpuzzle their arcane logic, perhaps I can
solve the enigma of my mother’s death.  But why am I doing this?  Even if I
can uncover what caused the strange disease, I cannot bring the dead back to
Bacon.  He told me my mother’s disease lies in the secret arts practised by the
ancient Druid monks.  What an unsettling man.  He told me that he knew
everything about me, although we had never met before.  He has given me an old
book.  The text is all in Greek, so it will take some time to decipher it.  30
February ’10.  What have I done?  Have I come face to face with God?  A week
has passed since I last slept, yet my excitement and curiosity build all the
more!  Decoding the Emigre Document shouldn’t take much longer.  Then a whole
new world will open to me.  2 March ’10.  It was already dark outside when I
finally awoke.  My relief at finishing decoding the document must have lulled
me into a deep sleep.  But I shan’t hesitate anymore.  I have discovered the
path that I must take.  I can bring the dead to life with the Emigre Document!
I can see my mother’s smile once again!  I’m going to be quite a busy man…]

Yuri:  (!)  Bacon again?!

(Downstairs there is one room left.  Inside, there are two screens blocking the
back of the room.  Jack is waiting in front of them.)

Halley:  You!

Jack:  So you’ve come after all.

Halley:  Where is Chris?  (tries to approach Jack but Yuri holds out an arm to
stop him)

Jack:  Chris?  Ah yes, the girl?  As an essential resource for my upcoming
experiment, she is of course being well taken care of.

Yuri:  What the hell are you up to?!

Jack:  Do you really wish to know?  All right, then, I’ll tell you.  I shall
become a master of life and death, transplanting the soul of the dead into a
living vessel.  Never again shall we feel the pain of losing those dear to us:
they shall glow with ever-lasting life!  Are you with me?  Can you see the
beauty of it?  The brilliance?  (walks over to the screen on the left and
knocks it over revealing a large cauldron)  Let us proceed to the final
adjustments.  Chris, it’s finally your turn!

Chris shambles out from the screen on the right.

Halley:  Chris!

Chris:  …  …  …

Jack:  (referring to cauldron)  Look upon this great spiritual vessel!  A holy
womb for the soup of life!  Even as we speak, a life has nearly blossomed
within it!  Chris…  Use your life to reawaken my dear mother!

(Chris shambles toward the cauldron, Halley runs forward.)

Halley:  Stop!

(Chris prepares to step in.)

Jack:  Hahahah!!  That’s hardly enough to break my hypnotism!  Awaken, dear
Mother!!

Halley:  (powers up)  Stoooop!!

(Jack falls down and Chris falls off of the steps leading up to the cauldron.
Margarete collapses.)

Yuri:  Calm down!  You’ll destroy everything!  (collapses)

Mysterious Voice:  Halley…  Halley…  Calm down…  Don’t give in to your anger…

Halley:  M-Mom?!

Mysterious Voice:  Your power… is not for your own use…

Halley:  (powers down)  (…)  Mom…

Yuri:  (stands up)  Mom?!  Ouch-ouch-ouch!!  I haven’t felt this pain in a long
time.

Jack:  Mother…!  Mother!!  She was almost resurrected!!  (pounds on the floor)
Mother!!  Mother!!  Mo-the-r!!  (stands up)  Damn you!!

BATTLE     Yuri, Halley and Margarete Vs. Jack

Yuri:  Talk about an Oedipus complex…

(The cauldron begins bubbling purple steam.)

Jack:  Mother?!  It’s not even complete…  Why?!

Halley:  Wh-what the heck is that?!

BATTLE     Yuri, Halley and Margarete Vs. Mammon

Jack:  (crawls towards the cauldron)  Mother…  Mommy…  I’m so sorry…  Mommy…
(collapses)

(Halley runs over to Chris.)

Yuri:  This is the new life?  Hmph…  Gimme a break.


~~London Rats Hideout~~

(Everyone has reunited in the top room of the hideout.)

Zhuzhen:  To begin with, it’s great to see that everybody got back alive.  It’s
a true relief!

Margarete:  But can it be true?  Can the person behind that voice really be
Halley’s mother?

Yuri:  Holey moley.  When Halley’s anger got the best of him and he nearly lost
it…  That voice came and calmed you, keeping you from going Berserk…  Hey, was
that really you mother?

Halley:  Yeah, I’m positive…

Yuri:  That voice has troubled me for years.  I hear it in my head, telling me
to do this-and-that.  But of course, it’s saved me dozens of times, as well.

Alice:  Halley.  You said that your mother abandoned you, right?  Perhaps your
mother wants to tell us something.  Maybe that’s why she’s sending her voice to
us.

Halley:  …  …  (walks a little ways off)  Do you all think I’m a monster?

Zhuzhen:   A monster?!  (looks at Yuri)

Yuri:  Whatcha looking at me for?!

Alice:  Nobody here thinks you’re a monster.  You just have different abilities
than most people.

Halley:  My mom used to say we were both human.  But… those guys didn’t think
so.

(Cut scene.)

Halley:  My mother told me that too, that she and I are people just like
anyone else.  It's just that, when we were born, God gave us some powers that
are a little different.

That's not the way those guys saw it.  The Friar Knights of the Inquisition
decided from the start that my mother was a witch, and they locked her up in a
mental hospital.  All my mother ever did was use her special powers to help
people who were possessed by ghosts, or to heal people who were hurt.

She didn't fight back at all.  Because they threatened to kill me if she did.
They weren't my mother's enemies at all.  It was all because of me… all because
of me!

(End of cut scene.  Halley powers up, Alice and Zhuzhen collapse.)

Margarete:  Calm down, Halley!

(Halley collapses.)

Keith:  Wow!  It’s really an amazing power!  And it’s the same power your
mother had.

Halley:  (stands up)  I’m sorry…  I can’t control my power very well…

Margarete:  …So you mother was taken away by the Friar Knights of the
Inquisition?

Halley:  Yes.

Alice:  The Inquisition… in this day and age?  How could there still be such a
thing…

Yuri:  Hey, what’s an inquisition?

Alice:  The Inquisition was a religious tribunal formed to stamp out heresy in
11th century Europe.  They burned witches and warlocks in God’s name, but many
innocents were slaughtered as well.  Many were killed for political purposes as
well.  They were beaten, tortured and burned alive.  It was terrible.  Started
by people who derived their authority form their religion.

Yuri:  Those guys took your mother away?!  Halley, I promise you I’ll save your
mother!

Halley:  Yuri, thou hast not won even once.

Yuri:  If I can hear her voice, she must still be alive.  And you must want to
talk to her in person, right?

Zhuzhen:  Do you know where your mother is now?

Halley:  I know where the mental hospital is.  The security is tight, though.
I’ve already tried breaking in…

Margarete:  We don’t know where Cardinal Simon is right now.  It seems like we
know where we have to go next!!

Zhuzhen:  All right, then, let’s start getting ready right away!

(Downstairs in the toy room…)

Joshua:  Hey!  The kidnappers won’t come anymore, right?!  Yes!!  Oh yeah,
Halley.  If you’re not using that slingshot, could we borrow it?

Halley:  This slingshot?  Sure.  What are you going to use it for?

Joshua:  Haha… it’s still a secret.  Just relax and wait.


~~Calios Mental Hospital~~

(The mental hospital is a large, dark stone building situated on a cliff
overlooking the sea.  There is a guardhouse at the base of the cliff, two
guards run out of it as the group approaches.)

Guard A:  Okay, what’s your business here?

Guard B:  The Calios Mental Hospital doesn’t allow visitors!  Get lost!

Yuri:  Get out of our way!

BATTLE     Yuri & Co. Vs. Two Specters

Yuri:  You call this a mental hospital?!  More like a fortress!!

Halley:  It’s true.  No patient has ever made it out of here alive.

Yuri:  (laughs)  Well, doesn’t that sound like fun.  I’ll be careful not to go
nuts and wind up here!

(Inside, Olga, Bacon and another man are waiting in a decorated room.  There
are fountains in each corner and the floor is covered with designs.)

Viscount Rausan:  So Lord Bacon is here, eh?

Bacon:  Is something the matter, Viscount Rausan?

Rausan:  I’ve just received word from the gate.  Just as predicted, the bandits
have arrived.

Bacon:  So, they have now made it this far!  I presume they have come for the
woman?

Rausan:  …Of course.  But they’ll be surprised to have the tables turned.
Vulgar lot playing right into our hands.  How lovely.

Bacon:  Good man.  Your reputation as the last true leader of the Temple
Knights is well deserved.  Your powers may be on the wane, but surely you have
no plans to retire, eh, Friar Knight Rausan?

Rausan:  Is that sarcasm?  Do not misunderstand me, Lord Bacon.  I’d not have
joined with you were it not for that girl.  She may be the last witch of this
age.  I’m interested in the power she carries.  She may be a heretic, but her
power seems to be God-given…  Now, it wouldn’t be much fun if I let such a
precious girl go under someone else’s control, would it?

Bacon:  I understand.  Anyway I’ll count on you to finish them off.  But one of
them…  Please keep in mind, however, that the Elliot girl must be taken alive.

Rausan:  Hmph, yes, of course.  Well then.  (leaves)

Olga:  Hmph, he makes me heart-sick!  That cocky old knight.

Bacon:  Heh heh heh, don’t let him get to you.  I’m sure he will do fine work
for us as a pawn.

Olga:  I sure hope so.  So, Lord Bacon.  What do we do now?

Bacon:  We wait.  The moment of truth is at hand.  I’m just so excited.  How
will the great gamble end?  Will it be white or black?  The mother’s heart
residing in her breast, or the stoic witch mask?  (a secret door opens in the
floor)  Which will be the victor?  That is what we are about to see.  (leaves)

(Yuri and the others enter the front door of the mental hospital.  There is a
long hallway with metal doors running down both sides.  Two more guards are
waiting.)

Friar Knight:  You rabble there!  We will not allow you to pass through here!
Say your prayers, heretic monsters!

BATTLE     Yuri & Co. Vs. Two Spectres

(Further down the hall there is another pair of guards.)

Friar Knight:  In the name of God, evil spirits be gone!  Agents of the witch!
We will not allow you to see your master!

BATTLE     Yuri & Co. Vs. Two Spectres

(The torture room where Olga and Bacon were talking earlier in the game is
reached.  When the torture chair is approached there are several flashes of
light.  Halley collapses.)

Halley:  Wh-what is this…?!

Yuri:  What’s wrong, Halley?!

Halley:  (stands up)  I-I feel my mother’s spirit from this chair…!  Yuri, I
think my mom’s already…

Yuri:  Don’t say that, dummy!  We’ve got to look for her.  We can’t give up!

(They find the fountain room with the secret passage.  There is one last pair
of guards.)

Friar Knight:  You filthy messenger of the Devil!  I’ve got you cornered now!

Yuri:  Hah!  Those’ll make nice last words for ya!

BATTLE     Yuri & Co. Vs. Two Spectres

Alice:  They call themselves “knights”!  They’re nothing more than monsters!

Yuri:  (to the fallen knights)  Hahah!  I’m not holding back on you, buddy!

(There is a key on the body of one of the knights.  After the vase/coin puzzle
is solved the hidden staircase opens.)

Yuri:  Hmm?!  A hidden staircase here?!

(The staircase leads down to the final cell.)

Yuri:  Wow, that’s a mighty thick door…  (tries the key)  (C)  Arg!!  This key
doesn’t fit!!  (collapses)

Mysterious Voice:  Be… careful.  He’s close…

Halley:  Mom!  Mom!  It’s me, Halley!  Are you in there?!  (powers up)  Damn
it!!  (collapses)

Arrogant Male Voice:  Ah hah hah hah hah…  You miss your mother’s milk that
much, do you?!

(Rausan walks down the stairs.)

Yuri:  What is it now?!

Rausan:  This is our mental hospital.  The patient in that room is special.
She’s not ready to be released.

Halley:  Let my mother go!

Rausan:  Give it up, you heretic slime.  You’ve picked a fine place to meet
your doom.  Time to meet your Maker.

BATTLE     Yuri & Co. Vs. Rausan

Rausan:  H-How did you??!  (body disappears)

Yuri:  Go back home to yer master.  Idiot!  (kicks door)  Ouch…  It just won’t
budge…

(While Yuri and Alice are discussing what to do, Halley wanders
over to a spot beside the door where a grate is visible.  Yuri kicks the door
again.)

Alice:  (notices Halley)  What’s wrong?

Halley:  (kneels)  Looks like we can get in through here!  (kicks in the grate
and crawls through)

Yuri:  Hey, Halley!!

(On the other side of the wall, there is a table of some sort with a woman in a
straitjacket sitting on it.)

Halley:  (stands up)  Mom…?

Straitjacket Woman:  …

Halley:  (runs up)  Mom?!  It’s me!

Straitjacket Woman:  …

Halley:  Don’t you recognize me?  You’re kidding, right…?  Mom?  Please…  Say
something.

Straitjacket Woman:  …

Halley:  No…!

Yuri:  (off-screen)  Halley!  Hey, what’s wrong?!

Halley:  Yuri!  My mom…  She’s…

Yuri:  (off-screen)  Your mom?  What’s happened to her?!

Halley:  Mom…

(Outside the room…)

Yuri:  Hey, Halley, can you hear me?!  Arrgh!!  Damn!!  (kicks the door)

Alice:  We can’t open it by force!  There must be a key somewhere.  Let’s try
to find it!

(Back inside…)

Halley:  You’ve been tortured and lost your voice, huh?  You’re okay now.  I’m
here with you…  I wanted to come sooner but nothing worked out.  Yuri and his
friends helped me out this time.  They’re weird, but nice.  They’re
trustworthy.  So, don’t worry…

(A bolt of lightning knocks Halley off his feet.  Bacon and Olga appear.)

Halley:  Ug…  (stands up)  Wh-who are you?!

Bacon:  Heh heh heh…  I’m afraid your sappy little reunion will have to come to
an end.  It appears that even an emotionless witch cannot forget the child she
carried in her womb.  Even after such torture, her human emotion has begun to
awaken just a small bit.

Straitjacket Woman:  Uh…  Uh…

Bacon:  Bwah hah hah hah!  How utterly delightful!  You who sacrificed both
mind and body to protect your magic powers, you actually wish to speak?!

Halley:  You!  Don’t you dare touch my mom!  (powers up)

Bacon:  Ah.  The same power as your mother?  But it seems that you do not yet
have the power to control it…  Take that!  (shoots Halley with lightning again)

Halley:  (collapses)  Damn it…!  Ugh…  Yuri…  (passes out)

(Yuri and Alice return after locating the key.  The woman is still sitting on
the table and Halley is on the floor.)

Yuri:  You again, huh?  Bacon!

Bacon:  So we finally have all members present, do we?  I see that Rausan
proved to be no match for you people.

Alice:  (sees Halley)  Are you all right?!  (starts to walk over to him)

Olga:  Freeze!  One false move, and this kid’s dead.  (laughs)

Bacon:  Now, then, Yuri.  You are wondering why in the world I am here, are
you not?  Very well, heh heh heh…  I shall explain.

Yuri:  …

Bacon:  To fulfill by dreams, I’ve been doing research into a deeply secret and
arcane form of magic.  When that is done, I’ll be able to cleanse the world of
it’s filth and help usher in a new age.

Yuri:  What the hell is the difference between that and Dehuai’s plot?!  You’re
just another nutty magician!

Bacon:  Your problem is that you think too concretely.  You must approach
reality in a more flexible way.  Heh heh.  Do not lump my dreams together with
that child’s play Dehuai was engaged in.  Now, then…  (walks over to the woman)
Tell me.  What does this woman look like to you?

Yuri:  Are you nuts?  It’s Halley’s mom, for crying out loud!!

Bacon:  Well, yes, that is one correct answer.  But her true value does not lie
in such a mundane dimension.  She is necessary to my goal of bringing forth a
new Eden.  She is the beacon to an approaching god.  If Alice is the Key of
Light, embodying positive magic, then she is the Key of Darkness.

Yuri:  This is way too complicated!  So what you’re saying is, she’s the Key to
unlocking your magic, right?

Bacon:  In a word, yes.

Yuri:  You could have said that right from the beginning, dummy!

Bacon:  (…)  (hits Yuri and Alice with lightning and they are knocked down)

Yuri:  D-damn you…!!

Bacon:  Well, I suppose play time is over.  Take that!  (Halley trapped in a
triangle of lightning)

Halley:  Aaaahhh!!

Straitjacket Woman:  (!)  (falls forward off the table)  Uh…  Ah…  (begins to
crawl to Halley)

Bacon:  (puts his foot on her)  Hah hah hah!  What have we here?!  She can bear
the pain in her own body, but she cannot bear the pain of her beloved son!  A
fatal weakness!

Straitjacket Woman:  Uh…  Uh…

Halley:  M-mom…

Bacon:  (walks away)  And so the friends you guided here with your telepathy
have failed you!  Bwah hah hah hah!!

Yuri:  (stands up)  I’ve had enough…  (to Olga)  You damn witch…

Bacon:  I am amazed that you still have the strength to stand, monster!

Yuri:  Oh yeah?  Then you’ll really be impressed when I smash you to pieces.

Bacon:  How amusing.  I shall accept your challenge.

(There is a flash of light.  The woman is surrounded by a white aura and
struggles to her feet.  Yuri collapses and the lightning prison around Halley
vanishes.)

Straitjacket Woman:  Drop this act now, you who claim to be Bacon…

Bacon:  (!)  Ahhh!  So you have finally opened your eyes?!  You are ready to
obey me?!  Koudelka Iasant!!

Straitjacket Woman:  Yuri, thank you for coming.  It means a lot to me.  Now is
not the time for you to die…

Yuri:  (stands)  Y-you…?

Straitjacket Woman:  I’ll go now with this man.  You go and meet an old man in
Wales…  And, please… take good care of my Halley.

Bacon:  All right, then.  In exchange for the lives of this rabble, you are now
mine!  Olga!  I’ll leave you to clean up here!  (disappears with Koudelka)

Halley:  Mom!!  (runs over to where she stood)

Olga:  Ha ha ha!  I’m here to take your life on behalf of Master Bacon!

Halley:  I’ll never forgive you for what you’ve done!

BATTLE     Yuri & Co. Vs. Olga

Olga:  (collapses)  Aaaahh!  Master Bacon…!!  (dies)

Halley:  (collapses)  Mom…  (passes out)


~~London Rats Hideout~~

(In the top room, Yuri is sleeping on the floor in front of the fireplace while
Alice is kneeling beside him.  He wakes up.)

Alice:  You’re awake?  You’ve been sleeping since we got back.  You must have
been exhausted…

Yuri:  (looks around)  Yes?

Alice:  His mother’s death was a big shock to him…

Yuri:  (…)

=====
(In the toy room…)

Joshua:  Big bro!  Mommy…  Mommy did it!  Yippee!!  Yippee!!  To celebrate,
I’ll show you my special items!  First of all this!  It’s a strange goblet.
It’s the goblet of a king who sold his soul to Death!  It decorated a church
once, but it’s mine now.  But I don’t need it, so you can have it!

[You’ve received Oath Grail!]

Chris:  Halley’s not returning to normal.  Ever since he came back, he’s been
acting strangely and won’t talk.  I wonder what could have happened to him?

(Off to the side, a pit fight ring has been set up.)

Knowledgeable Carl:  The world sure is full of surprises!  Sharon can summon
strange creatures now!  Her ability isn’t very stable yet, though…

Sharon:  I had a dream about monsters!  The old man made me a room, so that the
monsters can come out.  So, hey!  (pit fight ensues)  Ahem, cool, huh?  But you
can’t expect it all the time.  Thing’s aren’t always the way you want.
=====


~~Old Castle Street~~

(Alice and Yuri find Halley on the bridge by the hideout.)

Yuri:  Here you are…

Halley:  …  …

Alice:  Let’s go home.  Everyone has been worried about you.

Halley:  (walks away)  …  …

Yuri:  What is it?  You mom’s dead and now you’re just gonna fall apart like a
baby?

Halley:  (!)  (turns)  What did you say to me?!  (walks up to Yuri)  You
wouldn’t understand!  My mother was taken from me – right before my eyes!  She
was trapped in that god-forsaken place for three years!  I thought I’d finally
rescued her!  Well…  (collapses)

Yuri:  Hah!  Go right ahead, cry you whole life away!  That’ll make your mother
happy!

Halley:  (stands up)  You bastard!  (takes a swing at Yuri)

Yuri:  (decks him)  I don’t have time to sit around babysitting weaklings like
you.  Maybe you should figure out why your mom is at that monster’s beck and
call…  Then decide what to do yourself.  (starts to walk off)

Alice:  Hey, where ya goin’?

(Halley stands up.)

Yuri:  I was wondering what Halley’s mom’s words meant.  The man calling
himself Bacon…  That’s what I need to check on.  I’ll go to the ends of the
earth to reveal his true identity.

Alice:  The man calling himself Bacon…  …  …Can it be?!

(Fade out…)


~~Flashback~~

(Rouen, the alley behind the church.  There is the sound of a door shutting.)

Alice:  Father!

(Fade in…  Father Elliot has just walked through the back door of the church.)

Father Elliot:  Sorry to keep you waiting.  Doyle still hasn’t come out of the
confessional.  And he said he was going to go and meet Cardinal Simon…  Has he
not shown up yet?

Alice:  …Not yet.  Father, is that person really going to come?

Father Elliot:  Yes, he’ll definitely come.  He’s the only one capable of
defeating Roger Bacon…  (walks down the steps, Bacon appears in the alley)
Hel…  (Bacon steps into the light)  What!!  You?!

Bacon:  Heh heh heh…  Pleased to meet you.  I’m Roger Bacon.  (begins to charge
a lightning bolt)


~~Old Castle Street~~

(Back to the present time.)

Yuri:  Hey?!  What is it, Alice??

Alice:  Huh?!

Yuri:  Hello?  Earth to Alice!!  Is anyone up there?!

Alice:  Yuri!  I’m going to go to Rouen again!  There’s something I need to
make certain of!

Yuri:  Huh?!  Right now??  I’ll go with you.

Alice:  No.  I’m going by myself this time.  I know I’m being selfish…  But
please let me go…


~~London Rats Hideout~~

(The remaining party members are in the top room.)

Zhuzhen:  What?!  You let her go all by herself?!

Yuri:  What was I supposed to do?  You wouldn’t believe how stubborn that girl
is.

Halley:  She said she’d be back soon.  I think we should just wait for her.

Margarete:  Hmm, it’s unusual for that girl to do something so rash…

Keith:  But why would she be going to Rouen now?  What could it be about?

Yuri:  Who knows?  All we can do is pray she comes back safe.

(Everybody but Halley and Yuri goes downstairs.)

Halley:  Yuri, I’m sorry about what I said…  I heard about what happened to
your parents.

Yuri:  (…)  My parents?  Who did you hear that from?

Halley:  From Zhuzhen.

Yuri:  (clenches fists)  Arrg!  So now the old man is Mr. Sensitive?!  How
could he!  Careful, Halley.  When people reach the end of their lives they get
all talkative and heartfelt.  Yech.  So far as I’m concerned, old farts should
just go…

Halley:  Yuri!  Yuri…  You helped me because of what happened to your own
mother, right?

Yuri:  So I’m saying old folks are just…

Halley:  Once Alice comes back, you’re going somewhere else again, right?

Yuri:  Huh?  Yeah.  I’m going to go find this Old Man of Wales that your mom
was talking about.

Halley:  I wanna go with you.

Yuri:  Halley, thou hast not won even once.  (begins to walk off)

Halley:  PLEASE!  Not for your mother.  For myself.  Just as your mother did
whatever she could, now I…  I want to do whatever I can.  Please?  It’s ok,
right?

Yuri:  (…)  Okay, I got it.  We’ll go together.


~~Rouen Church~~

(Alice enters the main part of the church and walks up to the altar.)

Alice:  That day, I was praying here myself and then I went outside the back
way.  Father went to call on Father Doyle who was closed up in the
confessional…

(She goes inside the confessional.)

Alice:  I wonder what Father Doyle was doing here…  Why didn’t he go with us
to see the Cardinal…  Maybe he didn’t want to meet Cardinal Simon?!  Cardinal
Simon?  (turns)  Aha!

[There’s a hollow in the back of the shelf, a hiding place for Father Doyle’s
papers.]

Doyle Letter:  I have committed a terrible, heinous act…  I sold my best
friend, Elliot, and his daughter to demons to protect my own life…  I will
never be able to purge this sin, no matter if I burn myself a thousand times…
All I can do now is repent my sins alone to God every day…  But I know who
Roger Bacon really is.  How long is he going to leave me alone?  I’m going to
be next…  Next…

[There’s a picture between the papers…  “1888 Revival Festival.  With Father
Hans Doyle and Cardinal Albert Simon.”]

(It’s a picture of Doyle and Roger Bacon!)

Alice:  (!)  We met him that night…  Cardinal Albert Simon!!

Alice leaves the confessional and comes face to face with Bacon in the hallway.

Alice:  !!

Bacon:  Heh heh heh…  Looks like you’re onto us…  (walks out into main part of
church)

Alice:  …  (follows)

Bacon:  Please set your mind at ease, Sister Alice.  I have no intention of
harming you.  I just wish to speak with you a little.

Alice:  Oh is that so… Roger Bacon.  Or should I say… Cardinal Albert Simon.

Albert:  That’s right.  That’s my true name – though you may call me whichever
pleases you.

Alice:  Father Doyle knew your secret from the very beginning, didn’t he.  That
Cardinal Simon and the dark warlock, Roger Bacon, were one and the same.
That’s why you concealed your identity from us by using Olga, to kill my
father…

Albert:  Exactly so.  You see…  I just had to have your powers.  Only one
person every hundred years or so is born with powers like yours.  But now I
have obtained a different key.

Alice:  You mean Koudelka?

Albert:  Soon I will begin final preparations.  With her help.  And I’d prefer
that nothing  stands in our way.  Neither you, nor any of your friends.

Alice:  That’s impossible.  As long as you continue in your wicked ways.  But…
why are your so insistent in using magic you know is forbidden?  Why is it that
you want to destroy the world?

Albert:  Alice…  Do you think things are right in the world?

Alice:  Huh?

Albert:  True peace is impossible.  Only an illusion of peace exists in the
superficial calm of our lives…  In fact, the blood and tears of the poor are
sacrificed daily by a handful of elite power-mongers.  No matter how far
science and technology advance, repression will never cease.  We’re only human.
Whenever the calls for revolution turn into concrete action…  Instigators are
met by the full resistance of the elite, who stop at nothing to keep their
power.

Alice:  (…)  But then…  Then why do you…

Albert:  I am motivated by… revenge.

Alice:  (!)  Revenge…?

Albert:  Yes, revenge.  Revenge against the dead who have lost their very
souls.  I’m glad we have been able to talk today.  Thank you, sister.
Unfortunately the next time we meet it will be as enemies.  Please give my
regards to the others.  Well then…  (disappears)

Alice:  Albert Simon…


~~London Rat’s Hideout~~

(Everyone is assembled upstairs.)

Zhuzhen:  I can’t believe it!  You mean Bacon himself was the very man we were
looking for – Cardinal Albert Simon?

Yuri:  So, he said he was beginning his final preparations, right?

Alice:  Yes.

Keith:  If he’s serious, then we don’t have much time to waste.

Margarete:  We’d better head to Wales too.  I wonder what’s waiting for us
there.

Halley:  Wales, huh…?

Zhuzhen:  What’s the matter?

Halley:  My mom told me about an incident experienced in Wales…  A scientist
was trying to raise the dead in a monastery he bought.  I heard that the dead
turned into horrible monsters.

Yuri:  What the…?!  It’s just like the orphanage!!

Alice:  Maybe there’s some connection with Cardinal Albert Simon…

Margarete:  Well, I guess we’re off to Wales.


~~Nemeton Monastery~~

(The group approaches a bizarre house.  It’s round and made of metal and
consists of many beams and pipes surrounding a central core.  A curved
staircase leads up to the door.  Some sort of satellite is perched on top. The
house is beside the ocean, beyond it is a large hill with some sort of ruins on
top.)

Yuri:  What the hell?  Is this some sort of alien’s house?

Alice:  Hmm?  (Yuri starts walking towards it)  Be careful!  It may fuse or
transform or something!

Yuri:  Are you kidding?!  Don’t tell me you believe that junk?!  Oh boy
(walks back)

Keith:  Why have you returned?

Yuri:  Huh?  But, you know, it’s dangerous…  What if they transform?

Keith:  …

Yuri:  (S)

Alice:  Well, it might be dangerous if you get too close.  Come on, let’s go!


~~Strange House~~

(Inside, the stairs spiral down to the ground floor.  There is some strange
machine in the middle of the room.)

Keith:  What IS this place?

Alice:  There’s a strange machine here…

Yuri:  I think this house is going to transform.  Yeah, and then the whole
thing’ll rocket off!!

Alice:  Where did you grow up?!


~~Nemeton Monastery~~

(Yuri and the others go up the hill to check out the ruins.  Only the shell of
the enormous walls remain.  Off to the side there is a tombstone overlooking
the ocean.)

[A person’s name is crudely carved into the tombstone…  “James O’Flaherty, rest
in peace with your loved ones…”]

Keith:  My goodness!  These are some huge ruins.  I wonder what the place
looked like before it fell apart.  So, this is what Halley was talking about…
The monastery that researched on raising the dead.

Alice:  There was something here…  But now, this entire place is like a
graveyard.

Yuri:  …

Alice:  It’s just so sad.

Strange Voice:  Oh yeah?  You can hear the cries of the dead roaming this area?

(A strange old man hobbles up to them from the direction of the house.)

Yuri:  Who’s this?!

Strange Creature:  Heeheehee!  You see all these things?  (gestures)  Not
human.  Not ghosts!!  Happy things.  Unfortunate things.  Lucky things.  Poor
things.  Misunderstood things.  Necessary things.  Unneeded things.  All of
them have returned to the earth and the heavens.

Alice:  (S)  (turns around)  Wh-who are you?

Strange Creature:  Why turn your back on me?

Alice:  What?  Um… I don’t think I should look into your eyes.

Strange Creature:  (C)  (laughs)  Well, wasn’t that blow a stinger!  Hahah…
What’s it called?  Verbal abuse?  The one that always spars with freedom of
speech – badaboom, badabing!  You get my meaning?

Yuri:  Hey…  Now just what is it with you?

Strange Creature:  Me?  I’m…  I…

Yuri:  What are you babbling about?!

Strange Creature:  I guess it doesn’t matter.

Yuri:  What doesn’t matter?!

Alice:  Um…  Who… exactly… are you?

Strange Creature:  My name is Roger Bacon!  The eternal prodigy, lover of
science and learning!

Yuri:  Huh?!  (!)  What?  Roger Bacon?!

Roger Bacon:  Yes.  Are you here for a delivery?

Alice:  Koudelka told us to come here.

Roger:  Koudelka?  (!)  You mean… that Koudelka?

Yuri:  You even know who Koudelka is, old geezer?!

Roger:  O-of course I do!  I wouldn’t forget that strange girl…  Koudelka
Iasant, correct?  I see…  So, the time has come.  Why don’t you all come
inside?

Yuri:  It can’t be that…

Roger:  (walks off)  I’ll be waiting,.  Come see me, okay?

Yuri:  Who the heck was that?!

Alice:  Roger Bacon.  At least that’s what he said.


~~Roger Bacon’s House~~

(Roger, Yuri, Alice and Keith have returned to the strange house.)

Roger:  I see…  And that’s why you came to see me.

Alice:  Um…  Mr. Roger Bacon?

Roger:  Please call me Roger.  What is it, Alice?

Alice:  How do you know Koudelka?

Roger:  Ten years ago… those ruins were called Nemeton Monastery.  In reality,
the monastery was a jail for political prisoners with life sentences.  In time,
it’s role as a prison faded away and the building was bought by a man named
Patrick.  Then, that dreadful incident happened…

Alice:  Dreadful incident?

Roger:  Patrick moved into Nemeton with his beautiful wife Elaine and a pair of
servants.  But one day, some bandits broke into their home and took Elaine’s
life.  Patrick couldn’t accept her death, and delved into deep research of
black magic…  He finally raised her from the dead, but what returned was not
his wife – but a hideous monster!  Koudelka defeated that monster and released
Elaine’s soul.

Yuri:  Hey…  That story is the same as Jack’s from the orphanage!  Does that
Emigre something-or-other book have anything to do with it?

Roger:  You… you know of the Emigre Document?!  Patrick used it extensively in
his research.

Alice:  How did Patrick get ahold of the Emigre Document?

Roger:  I’m not sure, but I think he bought it from someone.

Alice:  A man stole that book from the Vatican.  His name is… Roger Bacon.

Roger:  Who?  Me?

Alice:  But he’s actually Cardinal Albert Simon.  Maybe he sold the document to
Patrick.

Roger:  Albert?  Albert Simon?!  (…)  I see.  He has been concerned these past
years with the study of the deepest Laws of the Universe.  I knew it.  He
hasn’t given up yet…

Keith:  We are fighting Albert.

Alice:  You know Cardinal Simon?

Roger:  Yes.  I know him well.  He was a student of mine.

Keith:  He was your student?  Really?

Roger:  It’s true. How long ago was it, now?  I’d say about 300 years before I
slept here.  It’s about the time period when he followed the crusaders and
fought against the Ottoman Empire!

(Cut scene…)

Roger:  Of all my disciples, he stood out as the finest.  In fact, he was too
good.  Having come from the lowest and poorest class of society Albert lifted
himself up and applied himself diligently to study so that he could change the
world.  I saw great promise in him, and I taught him everything I knew:  law,
philosophy, science, astronomy, alchemy.  But in time he began to question
certain contradictions he saw in the world:  The ruling classes and the
subjected masses.  He came to reject a world where a person’s place was
determined by his birth and he lost patience with me when I attempted to
moderate his views.  In the end, he brought me up on charges before the court
of the Vatican!  But, it was he who the Church condemned.  Of course!

In an age of absolutism anyone who called for the granting of rights to
individual citizens could do nothing but anger the powers that be, whether they
be church or state.  Any such person was destined to be condemned as a heretic
and locked away forever, or tortured to death.

The truth is, I knew that he was right.  But I also knew that a world in which
everyone could live as equals was nothing more than a pipe dream.  Perhaps it
could be achieved in time as knowledge spread more widely among the people.
But for that age it was an idea much too far ahead of it’s time.

(End of cut scene.)

Alice:  He plotted revenge because his ideas weren’t accepted?

Roger:  Albert changed after the trial.  His cynical smile did little to hide
the darkness behind his eyes.  Ignoring my advice, he pushed himself to the
limit, and ended up becoming trapped by the black arts.  He unsealed forbidden
magics and worked to fulfill his dreams:  the total destruction of society.

Yuri:  But…  I feel like I can understand how he felt… in a way…

Alice:  We can’t leave him be!  Albert will do something drastic… using
Koudelka’s power.  We have to stop him!

Keith:  Sure, Alice, but we don’t know where he is.

Roger:  If I am right, he is close.

Yuri:  What?!

Roger:  I’m sure Koudelka realized what Albert was about to do.  In that case,
we don’t have much time…  You’re prepared to fight him, correct?

Yuri:  Yeah.  But I don’t know how long we’ll last fighting him.  But I won’t
give up until we settle this.

Roger:  Okay, then.  I shall assist you.  I’ll take you to Albert.

Alice:  Roger!  Really?

Roger:  This teleporter isn’t completed yet, but the vending machine works
fine.  Get whatever you might need.  Wait for me at the Nemeton Monastery ruins
when you’re ready.


~~Nemeton Monastery~~

(Roger is waiting in the ruins.)

Roger:  Sorry to keep you waiting.  I’ll show you the last secret that remains
in these ruins.

(He goes over to a door in the ground.)

Yuri:  Is there really something here?

Roger:  Keep your eyes open!  (he does some gestures, the door slides open)
You’ll soon find out why I reside here.  Go ahead.

(Both go down the stairs.)


~~Sanctuary Ruins~~

(The ruins of the basement of Nemeton Monastery.  There are some pillars around
the outside of the room and an unrecognizable mass in the centre.  There is a
decorated door on one end of the room.)

Alice:  (collapses)  Wh-what is this place?  It’s full of evil spirits…

Roger:  Can you sense the atmosphere of curse and chaos that remains here?  I’m
proud of you.  Koudelka’s power sealed him, but his spirit remains…  It makes
me shiver to even think of him.

Yuri:  (kneels down beside Alice)  Are you okay?

Alice:  Yes, thank you.

(Everyone looks at the unrecognizable mess in the middle of the room.)

Roger:  The large pot over there was used to create a human who shouldn’t have
existed…  Elaine’s body without her soul turned into an inhuman entity.
Patrick didn’t intend for that…  Since ancient times, this place has been
called Neam.  It contains a mysterious power.  There are other places like this
as well.  Let’s see…  Such as Easter Island, the civilization of Atlantis and
the lost continent of Mu.  All of those places were situated upon the Earth’s
“nerve points”.

Yuri:  Earth’s nerve points?  You mean like in acupuncture?

Roger:  That’s right.  The stars have a strong influence on this location.
Unusual power builds up here.

Alice:  So, this is a special place on the planet?

Roger:  Yes.  It’s where a certain something was sealed in place.  (walks over
to the door)  Just as I thought.  Someone opened this door…  This door was made
in ancient times to seal the ruins.  You’ve seen this seal before, haven’t
you?  This is an illustration of the soul that is called the Judgement Ring.
Those three eyes drawn here describe “motive”, “action”, and “outcome”.  Motive
is the conscience of life.  Action is the possibility of life.  Outcome is the
destiny of life.  Receptacles of our souls.  This is a common principle that
all humans share.  You’re following your will to grab your future on your own.
And you’ll see the outcome of your action on the other side of the Door of
Judgement!

Alice:  (nods)  Door of Judgement.

Roger:  And at the end of this path shall you find Albert and Koudelka.  The
will be there without fail.  This is the furthest I can go.  You must decide on
your own if you want to walk through the door or not.

Yuri:  Heheh!  Kind Roger!  You really think we’d come this far just to turn
back?  We’ve determined to go to the ends of earth long ago, buddy!

Alice:  You’re right.  That’s why we’re here, after all…

Zhuzhen:  Yeah!  We’ve gotta see through everything to the end.

Roger:  Hee, hee, hee!  All right, let me open the Door of Judgement for you!
(opens it)  I’ll wait here!  I trust that you’ll be back.

Alice:  Thank you, Roger!

(After the group has made it through the maze, another Door of Judgement awaits.
Through it there is a long staircase leading up to a platform.  The stairs are
lined with rows and rows of crosses.)

Yuri:  Hmm…  Well this is quite a place.  Hard to believe the basement contains
all this.  It’s enough to make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up
straight.

Alice:  The spirits in this place are very different form any other place…
They don’t feel any happiness or pain.  They’re just… nothingness that floats
around.

Zhuzhen:  Maybe those graves aren’t for humans.

That Voice:  I have been expecting you…

Yuri:  Bacon!  Albert old buddy!  Where’re ya hidin’ these days?

Voice of Albert:  I’m right above you.  Please, come on up.

Yuri:  You just sit tight!!  We’ll be there before you know it!!

Albert Simon and Koudelka are waiting on a platform at the top of the stairs.

Albert:  Roger Bacon was certain that the Door of Judgement would open.

Yuri:  Hah!  So this is all part of your plan, too, eh?  So you’re not planning
on running this time, then?

Albert:  This is the big finale for me, you see.  Which means you’ll finally be
able to achieve closure as well.

Alice:  Albert.  What are you planning?  Is it the same as the Demon’s Gate
Invocation?

Albert:  Alice.  I broke the seal inside the Vatican, and stole the three
secret books.  The first is the Pulse Tract.  With it one can command the earth
veins in order to wake an ancient god.  Dehuai went far with this.  He woke the
Seraphic Radiance, but somehow it remained sealed within that boy.  Next is the
Emigre Document.  It creates life from nothing and can be used to summon a god
of death.  But both Patrick and Jack failed…  They only succeeded in making a
soulless puppet… and finally, the Codex of Lurie!  It tells how to summon the
“Other God”, which I am now attempting!  An omnipotent god from the far reaches
of space shall descend upon earth to cleanse us!!

Yuri:  Hey now, you quack magician!  I can’t let you do that!  You can’t hurt
others just so you can play this game of misplaced vengeance!

Albert:  Yuri, you still haven’t figured it out?  That in order to begin anew…
we must first wipe the slate clean.

Yuri:  Shaddup!!  Who do you think you are, some god?!  Don’t flatter
yourself!!  You’re no different than me – and ordinary, pathetic human!  You’ve
got plenty of excuses, but I think you’re just after revenge for what happened
in the past!!  My father worked hard to protect this world!  I’m not letting a
deluded scheme take it all away!

Albert:  Fool!!  What value is there in a rotten world such as this?!  Do you
really believe that your power alone is enough to right all the injustices of
the world?!  I can see… not perfectly, but I can see the future in store for
this world…  A few foolish elite will soon bring about a tragedy which will
inflict great misery upon us all!!  None will escape, and earth will overflow
with the screaming of the dead who know not yet their fate.  An iron behemoth
will rise and in a flash, countless lives will be snuffed out.  A hopeless
future!!  We mustn’t bring this future upon the world!!  But this terrible
vision is drawing nearer as we speak!!  (points at Yuri)  So… before that hell
is upon us, we must begin again.  And that is precisely what I intend to do!

(He hits Yuri with a lightning bolt.  Yuri collapses and Alice and Zhuzhen run
over to him.)

Yuri:  You’re a lunatic…  (stands)

Albert:  Heehee!  The sages of every age were called that!  Let history decide
if my actions were good or bad.  For now we must simply forge ahead!  (turns)
Koudelka, Witch of the Dark Flames!  Come with me, and let us raise the throne
of the “Other Gods!”  The legacy of the ancient gods!  Neameeto!

(Koudelka is surrounded by lightning and collapses.  Yuri and the others try to
run over to her but are thrown back.  Suddenly, Koudelka starts to glow and
stands up.)

Albert:  What?!  But why?  The power flow has stopped!  The “float” cannot be
raised!!  Koudelka!  Is it you?!

Koudelka:  Stop now.  You can’t defeat me with your power.  You’re going to
disappear into the darkness with me, to a world of nothingness…

Albert:  (!)  N-no, it cannot be… are you saying that you intend to kill us
both?!

Koudelka:  You wouldn’t understand.  I’d give my life to save that child’s
future without a second thought.

Albert:  What…?!

Koudelka:  Now…  (powers up and hits Albert with a lightning bolt)

Albert:  (collapses)  N-no… you cannot!!  (powers up and Koudelka falls down)

Yuri:  Koudelka!!

Koudelka:  N-no…!  The Soul Contract…?

Albert:  (stands)  Exactly… with Amon, Master of Destruction!  I wanted to save
this power for last, but I have no choice…  YAAARRR!!  Upwards!!  Neameeto!!
(the stature sitting next to him on the platform lights up)

Yuri:  Albert!!

Albert:  Ho ho ho…  Yuri.  Come for me!!  You think you are the only one with
fusion powers!!

BATTLE     Yuri & Co. Vs. Albert/Amon

(Albert will fusion with Amon when his HP gets low)

Albert:  (kneeling)  N-no… the Soul Contract… I cannot lose…!

Yuri:  Huff, huff… it’s over…  It’s all over now…

Albert:  You are overconfident.  It is I who will end it!  Haven’t you noticed?
All of the power generated by our battle has been transferred to the “float”!!

Yuri:  What?!

Albert:  (stands)  Ha ha ha!  Soon the “float” will appear!!  You cannot stop
it now!!  I have won!!  I have won!!  (disappears)

(Cut scene.)

(Underwater, a large heart begins to beat.  The structure underneath Nemeton
Monastery rises out of the ground.  There are many tethers underneath it which
connect it to the ground.  As it rises an enormous seal appears above the
earth.)

Albert:  (appears outside Nemeton, in the rain)  Hah hah.  Watch!  My ultimate
dream!  Now I shall achieve it!  Behold!  Words convicted me in Nuremburg 400
years ago.  Behold the fruits of your folly!  This light, this storm… now is
the end of the world!  Oh, glorious throne of the lord on high, Neameeto!  This
is indeed the signpost to the new tomorrow, the medium by which god shall
bestow a new future upon the world despoiled by human corruption.  Oh god, at
last the time has come.  From the distant reaches of space and time, descend
now upon this earth!  Thousands upon thousands before me have tried , but
failed.  But I am the one who will finally achieve it!

(Yuri and the others have escaped the basement and run across the open field
towards Albert.  They stop when they see the float.)

Yuri:  Wha…  What is it?!

(The largest tether begins to pull free of the earth as the float rises,
narrowly missing the group.)

Albert:  Ahahaha!  The float has risen!  There’s nothing you can do to stop it
now!  Ahahahahah!

Yuri:  Son of a…

Albert:  Seven days from now, god shall descend to Earth.  You can wave your
fists all you want, it will change absolutely nothing!

(The main tether breaks and falls into the ocean.)

Albert:  The blackness of the abyss awaits.  The pulse of the stars…  The life
force of all living things will be stopped.  Soon, death will rain down upon
the earth like manna!  Ahahahahaha!

(End of cut scene.)


~~Roger Bacon’s House~~

(Yuri, Alice and Zhuzhen arrive at Roger’s house.)

Roger:  That was quick.  How is she doing?

Yuri:  She’s resting at the London Rats hideout.  She’s in better shape than I
thought.

Roger:  I’m glad to hear that, but…  Well…  Our trouble is just starting, I’m
afraid.

Yuri:  Hey Rog!  What is that big, castle-lookin’ thing anyway?

Roger:  It’s one of the legacies left behind by beings who visited this planet
long ago.  It’s Neam.

Zhuzhen:  When you say “one of the legacies”, do you mean there’s still more
out there?

Roger:  Oh, definitely.  About a hundred of them, I’d guess.

Alice:  That many?!

Roger:  All that remains is ruins, but there was a person in the past who tried
to revive them several times.  It’s just like the renowned Tower of Babel.
It’s not something that can be easily controlled by humans.

Yuri:  That Albert guy, he said the gods would fly from the depths of the sky,
but what is that Neam machine?

Roger:  It was he who said that Neam means “float” in the ancient tongue of
Ebi.  Do you know what a float is?  It’s the thing that bobs when a fish bites
while you are fishing.  Once the float goes up, God will home in on it from the
M72 nebula, some 4,800,000 light-years away.

Yuri:  You mean God lives that far away?  That doesn’t sound right somehow.

Roger:  Calling it God is something humans dreamed up themselves.  More
precisely, it’s an “alien organism”.

Yuri:  So God is an alien, eh.  I always thought he sits on this leaf, with his
hands like this…

Roger:  That’s Buddha!  Listen… if you saw a human with the eyes of an ant,
they would seem overwhelmingly huge, right?  You wouldn’t want to fight them,
would you?  Ants may not understand it, but humans could almost be their god
figure for them.

Alice:  So are you saying that to this organism form space, we’re the same…
just like ants?

Roger:  That’s correct.

Yuri:  So I’m an ant, huh…

Zhuzhen:  Now I’m all depressed.  Hey!

Roger:  Something too overwhelmingly powerful for humans to deal with is coming
to this planet.  I suppose if that happens, Earth, and everything on it, will
be wiped out.

Yuri:  (…)

Alice:  What’s wrong?

Yuri:  Well, that’s what we gotta fight, right?

Roger:  What?!  You actually intend to fight!!

Alice:  Isn’t there any way to stop it?!  Is Albert really going to bring about
the destruction of the world?!

Roger:  There is a way!  We’ve got to destroy the float inside Neam before the
god homes in on it!

Yuri:  Can it really be done?!  But it’s floating in space!!

Roger:  Hee hee hee!  And that’s where the Instantaneous Matter Transporter
will come into play!  (walks up onto the central platform of the room)  Go and
start that generator for me!

Yuri:  Huh?  This is a generator?  How do I start it?

Roger:  Get on top of it and run!  (Yuri starts to walk on the treadmill)  Run,
I said.  Run!  I’m not getting enough power.

Yuri:  (runs)  Huff huff… why do I… huff… have to do this…  Whooaa!!

Roger:  Good!  Now we’re moving!  All right!  Here we go!  (disappears in a
ball of light)

Yuri:  Huh, he’s gone…?!

(Fade out…  There is the sound of something hitting the ground and a door
opening.  Fade in.)

(A steaming Roger has entered through the front door.)

Roger:  I’m back!  Did you see that?  You saw what my teleporter is capable of,
right?  You can go anywhere using my teleporter.

Yuri:  Yeah, it’s pretty amazin’, but didn’t you almost get killed there?

Roger:  What’s wrong with you?!  You’re imagining things.  It may still need a
slight adjustment, but…  Pretty great, huh?  If you set the target to Neam’s
specific coordinates, it flies right it!

Alice:  There must be another way.

Roger:  There is none!!

Alice:  Well, okay then.

Zhuzhen:  Ha ha ha!  What’s the difference anyway?  Either we get killed by
this machine or we get killed by this god thing!  So isn’t it worth taking a
chance?!

Roger:  You really don’t trust me, huh?  I can’t believe it!  You speak that
way about my greatest invention…

Alice:  No, I didn’t mean anything!

Yuri:  Yeah, that’s right, Rog!  We love your machine, so take us to the
stars!!  NEAM!!  Here we come!!

Roger:  Trust me!  I’ll make sure to get you there safely!  I promise, promise,
PROMISE!  Since we’ve made our decision, I’ll get ready.  Please get ready for
departure too, everyone!

(Fade out…)

Yuri:  Should we go back to the hideout, too?


~~London Rats Hideout~~

(Halley and Koudelka are in the top room.)

Koudelka:  Halley, thou hast not won even once.

Halley:  (!)  Mom, are you okay?  You shouldn’t get up just yet.

Koudelka:  I know, but I’m okay.  After three years, we’re finally together.

Halley:  I’m so sorry, Mom.  I wanted to go see you sooner.

Koudelka:  It’s okay, Halley.  It must have been very difficult for you.
You’ve done a great thing here.

Halley:  Heh heh…  It’s all thanks to the little ones.  I’ve gotta protect
them!

Koudelka:  …  …  How you’ve grown, Halley…

Halley:  Mom…

Koudelka:  What is it?

Halley:  I’m going to fight until the end with Yuri.  Will you be okay with
that?

Koudelka:  As long as you promise to come back to me.  Like your father did…
You’re beginning to look a lot like him.

Halley:  Dad?

Koudelka:  Yes.  Your father always kept his promises.  Thanks to your father,
I’m here with you now.

Halley:  I promise, I’ll be back!  Let’s go to America together!  We’ll take a
boat with Chris, Sharon and Joshua and meet Dad!

Koudelka:  Halley…

Halley:  That’s what we’ll do.  Right, Mom?

Koudelka:  Ok.  All right.  I promise.

(Yuri and Alice come upstairs.)

Halley:  Yuri!  Alice!

Yuri:  Sorry about that.  Is it a bad time?

Koudelka:  No, it’s okay.  You’re leaving now?  Yuri, I don’t know how to thank
you.  Thank you so much for coming to see me.

Yuri:  (laughs)  C-c’mon.  Yer embarrassin’ me.  As for me, I can’t belive that
damn voice, er, I mean that “mysterious voice” was a actually a beauty like
you.  Also, I wanna thank you for savin’ Alice at Kuihai Tower.  But how come
it was only me who’s head hurt when they heard your voice?  Was I being
punished?

Koudelka:  That’s because all the monsters fused inside you became terrified.
Like bats fear the sunlight…

Yuri:  I see…

Koudelka:  There’s nothing to worry about.  You’re protected by a greater
spirit.  A spirit so strong that even Albert fears…  Look deep inside yourself.
You’ll know who that soul belongs to.

Yuri:  I know, Koudelka.

Koudelka:  Alice…  You’ve grown strong.  You’ve carried your father’s spirit
and travelled a difficult road bravely.

Alice:  No… it’s just because of all the help I got from everyone.

Koudelka:  I can see the burden you carry for the sake of your loved one.
You’re scared, right?  Just don’t ever give up hope.  You have Yuri now.  The
curse may be strong, but he will protect you.  All right?

Alice:  Yes, that’s right.

Koudelka:  I can’t do anything anymore, but I’ll wait here for your safe
return.  Roger will help you with the rest.  Now, go…

---=========---
The Good Ending
---=========---


~~Roger’s House~~

Roger:  Oh, you came back!  I’m still working on adjusting the Teleporter now…
Please have some rest.  Everything is going to be done before you all get up.


~~Graveyard~~

(Alice awakes to find herself in the gate of the graveyard.)

Alice:  (stands up)  …  Where are we?!  It’s that graveyard again…  I’m sick of
this same dream…  It’s almost as if this entire world was waiting for me…
(walks forward a bit and collapses)  …Ugh.  The air is so heavy.  It feels like
it’s crushing my heart.

(Alice can investigate the tombstones.)

[The Seal of Earth is carved here.  The consciousness within the seal flows
into your mind.  Fine, I will!  I’ll get on that train!  And which woman do you
want me to protect, huh?]

[The Seal of Water is carved here.  The consciousness within the seal flows
into your mind.  How dare this nasty girl!  After I saved her!  Still, she’s
kind of cute…]

[The Seal of Fire is carved here.  The consciousness within the seal flows into
your mind.  Huh?  How can she worry about that mutt at a time like this?!  I’ll
never understand women…]

[The Seal of Wind is carved here.  The consciousness within the seal flows into
your mind.  I get it, she lost her dad, too…  She’s really keeping it together.
Me, I cried like a baby…]

[The Seal of Light is carved here.  The consciousness within the seal flows
into your mind.  You came all the way out here to save me?!  You idiot.]

[The Seal of Darkness is carved here.  The consciousness within the seal flows
into your mind.  She’s smiling, eh?  I’ll do my best if there is something that
I can help her…]

[Rest in peace, Alice Elliot…  That’s exactly what’s carved on the tiny
tombstone.]

Alice:  My own grave…

(She walks over to where the masks are floating.)

Sword Mask:  Tsk.. tsk.. tsk!  At long last we meet again.  I was growing tired
of waiting, little girl!

Staff Mask:  Ho.. ho.. ho..!  It seems our spell has finally taken you!

Alice:  …

Gold Mask:  Bwa.. ha.. ha..!  What’s wrong little girl?  You struggle, but your
soul’s fate lies here.

Grail Mask:  Yeh.. heh.. heh..!  If you could, you would die for your love,
hmmm?

Alice:  (!)  …

Sword Mask:  Tsk.. tsk.. tsk..!  Go now to the depths of the evil dimension.

(The doors behind the masks slowly open.)

Sword Mask:  As per the contract of your divine soul, you offered your life to
us in return for your request!

Alice:  (…)

(Alice walks through the doors into a dark misty area.  No walls or anything
else can be seen except for a Judgment Ring on the floor.)

Voice of Executioner:  I give welcome to the girl who will offer her soul…

Alice:  (!)

Voice of Executioner:  Hmph…  Do you fear me?

Alice:  Oh, you?!  (Atman appears)  (!)  (jumps back)

Atman:  I am Atman, the executioner of spirit sacrifice.  I bring death to your
soul.  (Alice looks around)  Looking for someone to come and save you?
Unfortunately, you’re all alone here.  No one is coming to your rescue, you’re
quite alone.  Do you have any regrets about dying for that man?

Alice:  No, I have no regrets.

Atman:  Such a courageous girl.  How delicious your pure, unsullied soul must
be…  Come.  The final wedge has been driven into the Judgment Ring.  You’ll
become one with my darkness…

Alice:  ?!

(There is the sound of a door slamming.)

Yuri:  (off-screen)  Hold on!

Alice:  (!)  (Yuri walks between her and Atman)  Yuri…

Yuri:  (to Alice)  Sorry I’m late.  Those masks outside slowed me down a bit.

Atman:  Impossible!  You forced the door to the Dark Side open and entered the
Curse of Death yourself?!

Yuri:  She’s my woman.  You’re not takin’ her.  Never!

Atman:  You plan to break a contract for a soul?  To disrupt an ancient and
holy ceremony?!  Don’t make me laugh.  Have you lost you mind?  You’re throwing
you own precious life away!

Yuri:  Maybe I am, so ya better watch it!  Dumb-ass!

Atman:  (…)  Very well.  If you think you can break my contract for this soul,
give it you best shot!

BATTLE     Yuri and Alice Vs. Atman

Atman:  I can’t believe…?!  The contract… for the soul…?!  (disappears)

Alice:  Why…

Yuri:  No!  Don’t say anything.  (walks off a bit, then turns to Alice)  I
promised, didn’t I?  That I’d protect ya.

Alice:  …

Yuri:  C’mon, let’s go.  I wanna say goodbye to this nasty place!


~~Roger’s House~~

(Alice is sleeping, Yuri is standing nearby.)

Yuri:  What happened?  (Alice stands up)  I heard a loud moan.  Are you okay?

Alice:  I’m okay.  It was just a scary dream.  I’m fine now!  You were here by
my side the entire time?

Yuri:  Huh?!  Umm…  I guess so.

Alice:  Thank you, Yuri.

(Cut scene…)

Alice:  I’m not sure when it was that I started to feel the way I do about you.
You can be so short-tempered and foul-mouthed sometimes… and yet, so graceful,
and strong, and pure.  Would you be surprised if I told you that I sometimes
wish our travels together would never end?  I don’t know where that journey
will end, but I’m frightened when I feel it coming.

You’ve survived so many hardships since you were a child, overcome such pain.
I’m certain it’s because your mother and father gave you so much love when you
were small.  And that’s why, even if you don’t put it in words, you’re always
teaching me what love is.  I’m so grateful that I met you, so truly, truly
grateful.

(End of cut scene.)


~~Graveyard~~

(The next time Yuri returns to the graveyard and attempts to talk to the masks,
the following scene will occur.)

Sword Mask:  B-boy!!  You’re back again?  You have no more business with us!

Staff Mask:  Yes!  Yes!  Don’t come back again!  You defeated Atman, our
protector?!  You cheat!!

Yuri:  He he!  You guys really got wiped out in there.  Feelin’ a little sorry
now?  Oh look, they’re all scared and lookin’ away.  Hey you!

Gold Mask:  I have nothing to gain with speaking with the likes of you!  Leave
at once!

Grail Mask:  That’s right!  Please don’t come back again!

Yuri:  It’s your own fault!  Puttin’ a curse on my woman like that!!  Ya get it
now?!  If so, I wanna hear an apology!!

Sword Mask:  Tskk… skk…  Curse you!!

Yuri:  Huh?  What was that you just said?

Sword Mask:  Tskkkk… kkkk…

Yuri:  I didn’t hear you say ‘sorry’, did I?

All of the masks glow brighter.  Yuri cracks his knuckles.

Masks:  (S)

Sword Mask:  …Sorry.

Yuri:  Good!

[You’ve received Seven-Eyed Masks from the Four Masks.]

Yuri:  See ya!  (leaves)


~~Roger Bacon’s House~~

Roger:  I’ve finished adjusting the teleporter!  We’re almost ready.  Are you
ready to go?

Yuri:  Let’s go!  (stands on the platform)

Roger:  (starts to run on treadmill)  Heave-ho!  Heave-ho!  C’mon, teleporter!
Work!

(Yuri disappears in a ball of light.  Fade out.)

Roger:  Come back safe, you guys!


~~Neameto~~

(Yuri and the others appear in a ball of light in the bottom of Neameto.  They
are surrounded by metal stairs and walkways as well as a large beating heart.)

Yuri:  So this is the floating shrine, eh?

Alice:  It’s like this entire temple is a living entity…

Keith:  (H)  A palace built not by human hands, but by creatures that travel
the starts.  It’s magnificent.

Margarete:  This is amazing.  It looks like a movie set, almost.

Zhuzhen:  Very funny!  Can’t you do better than that?

Margarete:  (S)

Halley:  Looks a lot bigger than from the outside.

Yuri:  Okay, let’s go!

(Eventually the group reaches a seal across the walkway which is blocking their
path.  They investigate a nearby room to try to find the key.)

Yuri:  Phew.  This room stinks.  Hey everybody, let’s split up and investigate!

(Everyone searches for awhile.)

Yuri:  Anybody find anything?  (everyone shakes their heads)  Damn.  Nothing,
eh.  (kicks the wall)  Damn it all!

(Suddenly there are several flashes of light.)

Zhuzhen:  Watch out!  Everybody stand back!

(A new seal forms trapping Yuri and another group member in the far end of the
room.)

Yuri:  What is it?  Huh, what is going one here?  (walks forward)

Zhuzhen:  Don’t touch it!  This is a type of seal…  An incredibly powerful
kind.  Touch it and you’ll be burned to a crisp in the blink of an eye!

Yuri:  (!)  Huh?  To a crisp?  That doesn’t sound too good.

Margarete:  ‘Cause this kid was kicking it!

Yuri:  (S)

Alice:  Hold on.  I’ll hurry and try to find a way to break the seal.

[I’ve never seen a seal like this.  We may not be able to break through.]

Yuri:  Come on.  Hurry up and get us outta here.

Alice:  (stamps her foot)  Hey!  It’s your own fault you’re in there!

Yuri:  (S)

(As the rest of the group tries to free Yuri, they discover the original seal
across the walkway has vanished.)

Alice:  (S)  Well, that’s some sort of progress, anyway…

(Further down the path a glowing triangle is discovered on the wall.)

Alice:  What’s this shining thing…  Perhaps this may break the seal on the
barrier…  (touches it)

(In the other room, the seal disappears.)

Yuri:  Ah.

Margarete:  It looks like they saved our hides.Zhuzhen:  I guess Alice and the
others figured out what to do.

Yuri:  Okay, let’s go!

(They meet up with the others at the triangle shortly after.)

Alice:  Yuri!  The barrier has been broken.

Yuri:  Thank God.  I thought I was stuck!

Zhuzhen:  You caused us all a lot of trouble, you know.  Be more careful next
time.

Yuri:  I know it and I feel bad, okay.

Alice:  Well at least now we can go forward.

Margarete:  You’re either very, very lucky or very, very good.

Yuri:  Ya see, you got me to thank after all.

Everyone else:  (…)

(As they climb higher the float begins to look more like a temple.  Suddenly
they are all transported from one point to another.)

Yuri:  What’s goin’ on?!  All of a sudden we’re in some weird place?

Zhuzhen:  I think there must be a space warp here…

Yuri:  What does that mean?

Zhuzhen:  Well, it means a distortion in the spatial continuum links this place
directly with somewhere else.

Alice:  Can we go back?

Zhuzhen:  I think so.  We can probably go back from the same place where we
arrived.  The tricky part is that you can’t actually see with you eyes where
the space warp is.

Yuri:  Ha!  So it’s like a maze.

(After working through the maze, Yuri and the others reach the top of Neameto.
Albert is waiting there.)

Albert:  Welcome, one and all!  To the glorious throne, Neameeto, left to us by
the ancient gods!

Yuri:  Albert, you old fart!  It’s been fun, but we’re finally gonna be able to
put an end to this!

Albert:  Hyahah…  I’m impressed.  That you of all men were the last to remain
standing in my way.  Perhaps this was our destiny, even at that moment we met
on the train.

Yuri:  Just tell me one thing.  What will you do if you win this fight?

Albert:  Couldn’t say, really.  I will create a new world, perfected to God’s
will.  A pure world, without deceit or defilement.

Yuri:  Would such a world… be any fun?

Albert:  Of course it will be fun!  It will be a wondrous place.  I really
wanted to show it to all of you.

Yuri:  …I see.  In that case, fine.  Let’s promise then.  No matter who wins,
no hard feelings, eh?

Albert:  Leave the surviving world to the mercy of fate?  Fine.  I promise you.
There need only be one fight that determines the course of the planet.

Yuri:  Heheh, now there’s my Albert!  Glad we agree an something.  Then let’s
get started!  We bet our entire future on this fight!

Albert:  That’s what I was waiting to hear!!  Let us commence the final
battle!!

BATTLE     Yuri & Co. Vs. Messiah

Albert:  Hehh…  Hyahah…  Splendid work… I must admit… you got me, this one
time…  Yuri…  You’ve… all of you have chosen your fate…  The coming wintry age
will be a harsh one.  The beginning of the hell that humans have chosen…  But,
none of this will come true… unless you defeat the god that is arriving soon…
But it should be fine.  With people as strong as you, humans may yet be able to
overcome their mistakes.  If you really think you can arise victorious, then
take my blessing, too.  May my soul assist you…

Yuri:  Albert…

Albert:  Let me take you to God’s Throne… with the last drop of my power…
(Yuri and the others disappear in a flash of light)  Farewell.  (disappears)

(Everyone appears on a floating seal outside of the Earth.  The alien appears
and flies around above for a minute.)

BATTLE     Yuri & Co. Vs Meta-God

(After the alien is defeated the float disintegrates and the seal above the
earth disappears.  There is a final cutscene where Alice describes what happens
to everybody.)

Alice:  And so, our battle came to an end.  The god awakened by human hands was
returned to sleep once again, by human hands. On the morning after, a
refreshing breeze blew across Wales, and the horrible events leading up to
yesterday seemed like nothing more than a bad dream.

Soon, it was time to say farewell to everyone.  Keith, our handsome vampire,
grew weary of the hustle and bustle of the outside world and so he returned
once again to his peaceful castle in Transylvania.  I wonder how long he’ll
sleep this time?  Goodnight, and sweet dreams, dear friend.

Master Zhuzhen, our brave Adept, has gone back to Shanghai to mend the
disruptions in the energy fields of China.  You taught us so much, Master
Zhuzhen.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and please, try not to
over-exert yourself!

Our beloved spy for hire said she planned to go home to Paris, but she joked
that her next assignment was probably already waiting for her.  So there’s no
telling where she might be right now.

Halley, that cute little street boy we met in London, set sail from
Southampton with his mother, Koudelka, to find his long-lost father in America.
Finally they’ll be able to be together as a family.  I pray you’ll all find
happiness.

As for me, I’m headed for Zurich, where my mother’s waiting.  With Yuri, of
course!

(This is the end of Alice’s voice-over.  There is then a shot of Alice and Yuri
sleeping in a train as the credits roll.  At the end, they both wake up and
smile at each other as there is one final line from Alice.)

Alice:  As the warlock said in the end, even if winter comes bringing the
harshest hardships, I intend to live on with my new family.

(The last picture is of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and there
is a few lines about the start of the first World War.)

The end.


---========---
The Sad Ending
---========---


~~The Graveyard~~

(The first difference occurs when Alice faces Atman after falling asleep at
Roger’s house.  Yuri does not appear to help her and she must face Atman
alone.)

Atman:  Such a courageous girl.  How delicious your pure, unsullied soul must
be…  Come.  The final wedge has been driven into the Judgment Ring.  You’ll
become one with my darkness…

Alice:  ?!

BATTLE     Alice Vs. Atman

(Atman’s Eradication attack deals 999 damage, so Alice cannot win this fight.
After the battle ends Alice has fallen in the middle of the Judgment Ring on
the floor, Atman is hovering over her.)

Alice:  Yuri…


~~Roger Bacon’s House~~

(Alice awakes to find Yuri standing beside her.)

Yuri:  What happened?  I heard a loud moan.  Are you okay?

Alice:  I’m okay.  I just had a bad dream, that’s all.

(There is no cut scene and if Yuri goes to the graveyard after this point the
masks will behave as usual.)


~~Neameto~~

(The trip to Neameto and the first two scenes there are the same.  However,
after every boss battle there is an extra conversation.)

(After the battle with the Soul Block…)

(Alice collapses and Yuri runs over to her and kneels down.)

Yuri:  What’s wrong, Alice!!  You okay?!

Alice:  I just feel a little faint.  That’s all…

Zhuzhen:  You look pale.  Are you sure you’re not feeling ill?

Alice:  (both stand up)  I’m okay.  Let’s keep moving.

Margarete:  …

(After the battle with Hate…)

Alice:  (collapses)  Pant, pant…

(Margarete and Yuri run to her side.  Margarete kneels down beside her.)

Margarete:  Alice!

Alice:  N-no…  Please, not yet…  The time is…

Yuri:  Time?  What about the time?

(Alice and Margarete stand up.)

Alice:  I-It’s nothing…  I think I’m just tired.  I… feel short of breath…

Margarete:  (…)  Go ahead, everyone.

Yuri:  You’re not coming?

Margarete:  I’ll take Alice and follow right behind you.  Okay?

Yuri:  Okay, I got it.  I’ll be waiting.

(Everyone leaves the room except Margarete and Alice.)

Margarete:  You’re hiding something from us, Alice!

Alice:  I’m… don’t have anything to hide…

Margarete:  Come on, spit it out.  You’re just keeping quiet because you don’t
want Yuri to worry.

Alice:  …  I don’t have much time left.  I received a curse from the Four Masks
when I rescued him from his mind’s darkness.

Margarete:  A curse from the Four Masks?!

Alice:  Yes.  I offered my life to save his.  It’s almost time to close the
deal.

Margarete:  No…!

Alice:  Please, Margarete.  Don’t say anything to him.  I don’t want him to
know.

Margarete:  Alice…

Alice:  I don’t know how much time I have left, but I want to stay with him
until the end…

Margarete:  Okay, I’ll help you.  Hang on, Alice!  We’re going to get through
this together.

Alice:  Thank you, Margarete!

(They follow after the rest of the group.)

(After the battle with Scapegoat Alice again collapses.)

Halley:  Are you all right?

Alice:  I’m fine!  I’m okay…

(Yuri walks over and kneels down beside her.  Margarete motions to the others
and they walk away.  Yuri stands up and turns away.)

Yuri:  Are you in pain…?

Alice:  I’m fine.

Yuri:  (turns around)  It’s just a little further.  Whether we win and go home,
or lose and turn to nothing… I’ll always be with you.

Alice:  (stands up)  Yes.

(The others return.)

Yuri:  Okay!  Let’s do it…  The final battle…  We will make it back alive!

(The final two fights and the cut scene narrated by Alice is the same as the
other ending.  However, after the credits, Alice does not wake up and Yuri
begins to cry.  He says the final line instead of Alice.)

Yuri:  As the warlock said in the end, even if another age of storms buffets
the world, I intend to go on living, and fighting, for you who saved me from
the darkness, the one I love!

The end.


------==============------
Kowloon Fortress Sidequest
------==============------


~~Kowloon Fortress~~

(Yuri, Margarete, and Zhuzhen arrive at the entrance to Kowloon.  It is a dirty-
looking, dark area surrounded by a chain-link fence and electric streetlamps,
of all things.  There are several people standing around.)

Yuri:  Hey!  This is my first time to Hong Kong, but I had no idea…

Zhuzhen:  Heh heh…  This is the Kowloon Fortress, Wugui’s palace.

Margarete:  Wow… it’s incredible.  Whoever did this is… pretty strange, I’d
say.

Zhuzhen:  Who knows what might jump out at us, so watch out!  It’s probably a
den of thugs ready to strike!

(The inside of Kowloon Fortress is made up of crowded tenetments and narrow
hallways lit by more electric lights.  There is trash everywhere.  Eventually
Wugui’s room is found at the top of the buildings.)

(Inside, there is some weird fleshy mass in the corner.  There is blood oozing
out of it and running across the white tile floor.  There are a set of
shelves filled with jars containing human organs.)

Margarete:  Wh, what is this room?!

Yuri:  (looks around)  This is Wugui’s room?!  What does that guy do every day?!

Zhuzhen:  I don’t get it.  Wugui’s just a small-time gangster boss.  But this
stuff looks like he’s been working with black magic and voodoo.

Voice of Bacon:  Exactly so, Master Zhuzhen.  (he appears with a messed-looking
Wugui)

Yuri:  Bacon!!  So it was you behind all this!

Bacon:  Heh heh heh.  While I was here, I rented space in order to conduct
experiments…  But I do wonder if perhaps I overdid it a little.  I suppose
this isn’t easy work.  Yet I still must find a container to use as the vessel
of life.

Zhuzhen:  You… used Wugui as the subject for your experiments?!  What the Devil
are you scheming?

Bacon:  In any case, you couldn’t possibly comprehend it any way.  Oh, yes.
Since you have taken the trouble to come here, why don’t I treat you to a
little bit of fun…  With the new life I have created.  Step forward, Wugui.

Wugui:  (shambles forward)  G-Gag…  F-Freezing…  H-Help… me…

Yuri:  Wugui?!

Wugui:  BARF!!

BATTLE     Yuri, Margarete and Zhuzhen Vs. Cursed Puppet

Wugui:  Gwaaaaahh!  (dissolves into a cloud of green smoke)

Bacon:  Sigh…  It’s more difficult than I thought.

Yuri:  Bacon!

Bacon:  Oh!  That’ll be all for today.  Goodbye, folks.  ‘Til next time!
(disappears)


--------============--------
Shanghai Pit Fight Sidequest
--------============--------


~~Mr. Zhen’s Bar~~


(If Yuri wins ten pit fights…)

Mr. Zhen:  Wow!  What an impressive string of victories!!  It’s as if we’re
watching “you-know-who”!!

Yuri:  Who’s “you-know-who” anyway…

Mr. Zhen:  Colonel Hyuga!  He used to rough it up in pit fights, too.  That
proves blood is thicker than water!  He’s got that same quality of excellence.
Oh, I remember!  Qiuhua, bring that thing to me.

Qiuhua:  That… you mean THAT?

Mr. Zhen:  That’s right.  THAT.

Qiuhua:  Just a moment.  (leaves)

Mr. Zhen:  It was a very rare and dear item of his and he kept it well hidden.
…Well then, shall I tell you about that day?  The morning we went to Kuihai
Tower…


~~Flashback~~

(Mr. Zhen, Colonel Hyuga, Zhuzhen and a very young Qiuhua are on the street
outside of Mr. Zhen’s Club.)

Mr. Zhen:  …Well, Qiuhua, I’ll be back soon.

Qiuhua:  …  …

Mr. Zhen:  Don’t look like that, I’ll be back soon I say.

Qiuhua:  Everyone be careful, okay?  Colonel Hyuga, Master Zhuzhen, father…
please.

Zhuzhen:  Hah hah hah.  You can count on it!  Don’t worry about a thing.  And
you be a good girl, now.

Qiuhua:  Yes.

Colonel Hyuga:  (kneels down in front of Qiuhua)  Qiuhua, take this.  It’s a
charm my beloved wife gave to me.  Hold on to it until I return.

Qiuhua:  It’s a lovely cross.  I’ll take good care of it!

Colonel Hyuga:  Do so…

Mr. Zhen:  Is that all right?  To give her such a treasured item…

Colonel Hyuga:  It’s fine.  Looking at this child reminds me of my son.  (turns
away)  I never gave him anything…

Zhuzhen:  Everything’s going to be fine, Hyuga!  Let’s get this business taken
care of so you can go home.  Kill Dehuai, foil the Demon’s Gate Invocation,
and you’re there in no time at all!

Colonel Hyuga:  You’re right Zhuzhen.  All right, let’s go!

Zhuzhen:  Yeah!

Mr. Zhen, Zhuzhen and Colonel Hyuga walk away.

Qiuhua:  Farewell…  Farewell!  Colonel Hyuga!


~~Mr. Zhen’s Bar~~

(Back in the present time.  Qiuhua has returned.)

Yuri:  And then my father went into the tower…

Mr. Zhen:  Yuri.  The colonel never forgot about you for a moment.  He loved
you and his wife with all his soul.  (looks down)  Qiuhua.

Qiuhua:  (walks over to Yuri)  I took hold of this that day.  Your mother gave
it to Colonel Hyuga as a good luck charm.  Now it’s your turn to hold on to
it.  (gives it to him)

[It’s a small, beautiful silver cross.]

Yuri:  Thank you.  I never thought I would find a memento from my mother here…


-------===========-------
Air Gravestone Sidequest
-------===========-------


~~Gismot’s Bar~~

Owner Gismot:  Darcie went into the toilet a while ago and still hasn’t come
out.  I was just beginning to wonder if maybe he came up on a monster in
there again.  Could you go check?

(In the bathroom…)

Man’s Groan:  Nnng…

Yuri:  Hey!  You okay?

Guard Darcie:  (off-screen)  N…  No…

Yuri:  What is it?  What happened?

Guard Darcie:  The-the-the…

Yuri:  (!)  The monsters?!

Guard Darcie:  There isn’t any paper…

Yuri:  (C)  (opens door)  Here.

Guard Darcie:  Th-thanks…  I won’t forget what you’ve done for me.

Yuri goes back out into the bar.  Darcie follows some time later.

Guard Darcie:  Hey, thanks for before.  Maybe you’ll take this as thanks.

[You’ve received a yellow stone.]

Guard Darcie:  This stone was found on a river bank.  When you hold it, you
feel like you’re in a mountain stream.  …Even if it was in a filthy toilet, eh.

Yuri:  (…)  Did you, uh, wash your hands?

Guard Darcie:  (S)  Oh, what a relief!  (leaves)


------==============------
Water Gravestone Sidequest
------==============------


~~Rouen Inn~~

(As the door to the room where the guys stayed is approached the sound of a
couple fighting can be heard.)

Young Female Voice:  Didn’t I tell you that it wasn’t what I wanted?

Young Male Voice:  B-but this is really nice, too…

Young Female Voice:  You just don’t get it, do you?

In the room, a couple is arguing.

Upset John:  What a mess!  I wonder if I should get some advice from the
priest.

Indignant Mary:  Will you just listen to me?  We’re on our honeymoon after all.
I can’t believe this is happening.  You show me this weird blue stone and
start talking about how you’re going to carve it into a ring.  You said you
were going to give me a diamond ring!  You have no consideration for my
feelings!


~~Rouen Church~~

(If Yuri goes into the confessional, footsteps can be heard approaching.)

Upset John:  (off-screen)  Oh, Father.  I am like a lamb that has gone astray.
Show me the way.

Yuri:  (!)  V-very well.  Tell me what’s on your mind.

Upset John:  I just got married, and I promised my wife that I’d give her a
diamond ring.  When I thought about the woman I loved, I also thought of
something that would make her even happier.  I have a stone, a family
heirloom, into a ring for her.  She exploded in anger, telling me I had
broken my promise.  Now she won’t even speak to me.  Oh, man, I just don’t
know what to do.

Yuri:  Listen to me, Stray Lamb.
      1.)  Give her a diamond, as promised.  Human relationships are
essentially based on trust.  Even if you’re fond of a person…  If you can’t
build a relationship in which your partner feels loved, it’s just selfish
infatuation.  For the future as well as for your wife’s trust, you should
carry out your pledge.  Give her a diamond.
      2.)  It’s about love, not the ring.  Most likely, the problem isn’t
the ring.  It’s that you have too little consideration for others.  You don’t
have self confidence, so you always depend on someone or something other than
yourself.  When you fail, you make excuses, telling yourself and everyone else
that it isn’t your fault.  It seems to you as if people don’t notice your
weakness, but in fact, they can see right through you.  You yourself might be
in love, but can anyone or anything other than you express that love?  Don’t
be afraid of getting hurt!  Just tell her you love her in your own words.
      3.)  Maybe it’d be better to split up.  It’s always a question of
compatibility.  Whether personality, interests, or goals… there’s always
something that is yours alone, something that you can never share with other
people.  Of course, two people can learn to share some of these things.
However, the older you get, the more you lose your flexibility, and the
harder change becomes.  If you were to change your whole way of life it
would be a different story, but… for you, one of the shortcuts to happiness
might be to find a woman who’s more compatible.  Split up with your wife.

Upset John:  1.)  Thank you, Father.  I now see the path I have to follow.
            2.)  (mumble – mumble)  Uh, thank you, Father.  I was
wrong.  From now on (mumble mumble), I’m going to live my life responsibly
and express myself in my own words.  Thank (um, uh) you.  Um, mumble, hic!
            3.)  I see, Father.  This is going to be really hard for
me, but I have to think of her happiness, too.

(There is the sound of footsteps leaving.)

(If you chose #1, Yuri can return to the hotel room and talk to the couple.)

Compromising John:  I’ve decided to keep my original promise and give her a
diamond ring.  She somehow seems to be in a better mood, too, but there’s still
a bit of a problem.  Namely, how will I ever find the money for a diamond
ring?  I think I’ll have to sell this one…  How about it?  For 3,000?
Thank you.  Now I can buy a ring.

Compromising Mary:  Actually, I wasn’t all that eager to have a diamond ring.
I mean, I did want one…  Well, it’s great, no matter how you look at it.  I
wonder if this is what marriage is all about.

(If you chose #2, Yuri can return to the hotel room and talk to the couple.)

New-man John:  Hey, I know that voice.  The priest that time?  That was you!
You didn’t look quite like a priest…

Yuri:  (S)

Darling, or John:  Never mind about that.  I appreciate what you did for me
then.  Thanks to you, my wife, I mean, Honey… has been in a much better mood.
I’m embarrassed to say this, but it feels like true love has blossomed.
But this is the way we were meant to be.  Oh, this and that… this is my
family heirloom, the stone that embodies the power of water.  But from now on,
it will just be the two of us, with no waters dividing us.

Honey, or Mary:  Oh, darling, that bit with the priest was just a gag.  But I
do love you!

Darling, or John:  And I love you, Sweetheart, Baby…

Yuri:  (C)

Darling, or John:  This is just a little something to show you how I feel.
(gives stone)  I hope you can make good use of it, because we’ve found
something even better.

Honey, or Mary:  My guy is just too cute for words.  Well actually, he didn’t
look so cute crying, but still.  I love him, I love him, I love him.  And
yet, he somehow doesn’t really need me.  Oh, well, whatever.  After all,
love is what life is all about, right?


------==============------
Earth Gravestone Sidequest
------==============------


~~Terry’s Store~~

(There is a plant growing outside of the store.)

Nina:  You know those wheat seeds in that bag?  There were some other
weird-looking seeds mixed in with them.  Thinking they were Seeds of Happiness,
I sowed them.  And these cute little buds popped up.

(Later, Nina is standing where the plant once was.)(

Nina:  The sprouts grew really big, but then they suddenly withered.  I
thought that was strange since they were doing so well.  So I dug them up. When
I got to the roots, they were wrapped around some strange stone, like they were
protecting it.  It was a green stone, and somehow it looked like you.  So here,
you can have it.  Take good care of it!

[You’ve received Earth Gravestone!]


------===============------
Seraphic Radiance Sidequest
------===============------


~~Nemeton Monastery~~

(Yuri, Alice and Zhuzhen approach the ruins.  Zhuzhen suddenly runs off in the
direction of O’Flaherty’s grave.)

Alice:  What’s up Master?

Zhuzhen:  I’m just checking this grave out.  It’s been bothering me since
before.  Don’t worry.  I’m not up to any tricks.  You guys just go kill some
time somewhere.

Yuri:  As usual, you curiousity is way out of control, pops.  Well, anyway…
c’mon, let’s go over there.

(Yuri and Alice walk deeper into the ruins.)

Yuri:  …Even so it’s unreal.  To have your destiny turn out like this…

Alice:  We’ve come a long way, huh…  Yuri… do you regret it?  I mean, coming
this far.

Yuri:  (?)  Regret?  Haha!  What’re you talking about!  No way!  You know,
until I met you, I was living the life of a loser.  I’m confident about what
I’m doing now.  I know that I’m needed.  My power of fusion, which I thought
was so terrible… is what allows me to protect you.  Sometimes, I even think
such stupid things like, boy, is this happiness?  Ha ha ha!  I sound stupid!

Alice:  Yuri…

Yuri:  I don’t know how this battle is going to turn out, but…  The day you
die, I’ll die too.

Alice:  What… are you saying?

Yuri:  The night of the storm…  I was just a kid, and I couldn’t protect my
mother from the monsters.  But somehow I survived, thanks to my power.  Ever
since then, I cursed my own existence constantly.  I asked myself… why do I
have to be all alone?  What could I have done differently that night…?  Why
didn’t I die…

Alice:  (?)  That time?

Yuri:  Yeah.  That night was the beginning of everything…


~~Flashback~~

(Young Yuri and Anne are in their house while a storm rages outside.)

Young Yuri:  What a storm…

Anne:  I’ll say.  Unusual for this time of year.

Young Yuri:  Spring’ll come soon, then once it warms up dad will come back!!

Anne:  Yes.  Then all three of us can be together again.

Young Yuri:  It’s not too long now, mom.  Even if you miss him you gotta be
strong!

Anne:  (laughs)  Well!

Young Yuri:  Oh yeah!  Know what?  There’s something I wanna have!!  It’s… a
little brother or sister!!

Anne:  My!  Right away?!

Young Yuri:  Lihua told me!  When mommy and daddy are together, they can make
babies!  They have seven brothers and sisters over there!  That’s what I want!!

Anne:  (S)  Well… I’ll talk with dad about it.  (sees something out the window)
 (!)  Wh-who’re they?!

(There is a knock at the door.)

Yuri:  I got it!  (runs over to the door)

Anne Yuri!!  Don’t open it!!

Yuri:  (?)  Huh?

(The door opens and several men shamble in.)

Yuri:  Aggh!!  It’s Lihua’s dad… and Maki’s uncle!!  What’s going on?!  You
all look so weird?!

Anne: You’re not human are you?!

Maki’s Uncle:  Hehehe.  Here’s some fine food.

Lihua’s Dad:  Gah hah hah hah heh heh…  The Earth Sage us here to eat the two
of you!

Anne:  (grabs Yuri)  No!  Not him!

Yuri:  M-mom!  I’m scared!  What happened to them?!

Maki’s Uncle:  Hehhee!  This is so fun!  But no matter how much I eat, I
never get full.

Yuri:  S-stay baaaack!  (runs at one man, gets struck down)

Anne:  NO!  (!)  (hit by another man)  AAAHHHH!!

Yuri:  (stands)  Mom!!  (powers up)  AAAAAAHHHHHH!!

(Cut scene…)

Yuri:  My mother gave her life protecting me from the monsters.  But when I
looked into her eyes a moment before she died, it ignited in me the blood of
my father that had been laying dormant.  A fire ignited in me, and my emotions
exploded like a hurricane.

I don’t really remember anything after that.  The next thing I knew, the room
was littered with the torn-up body parts of the monsters that had killed my
mother.  I was the only one left alive in the house and covered with blood.
I clung to my mother’s cold corpse all night, weeping, and begging her to
forgive me for breaking my promise to my father, for failing to protect her.

I could never stand to feel that way again.  So the day that I fail to protect
you… is the day that I too will die!

(End cut scene.  Back to the present time.)


~~Nemeton Monastery~~

Alice:  …

Yuri:  Hehe, stop looking at me that way!  It’s nothin’!  I just kinda, like
you, that’s all.

Alice:  Yuri…  I, I lov…

Yuri starts to walk towards her but Zhuzhen suddenly runs up.

Zhuzhen:  Hey, look at this!  Look what I’ve found!  (turns to see Alice)  !?
 (S)  Uh… urr… am I interrupting something here…?

Alice:  No, not at all!  Right!

Yuri:  Huh?  What?!!  So… what is it?  What d’you find?

Zhuzhen:  Oh, right.  It’s this!  Look!  (gives to Yuri)

Yuri:  What is it?

Zhuzhen:  An ancient book called “Book of Rituals”.  I found it in a hidden
compartment on that grave.  It’s got all kinds of interesting stuff in it
about old traditions!  According to what it says here…

Yuri:  Not again!  We’ll take care of that later!  Stupid!  We were having a
special moment!  I’m about to…

Zhuzhen:  What did I do?  Are you mad at me?

Yuri:  What makes you think I’m mad!  (runs off)

Alice:  Oh, it’s Yuri!  Master, I’m going after him!  (follows)

Zhuzhen:  Sheesh!  Just when I was going to tell them about this amazing
secret…

[You’ve received Book of Rituals.]


~~Orphanage~~

(The orphanage is actually an orphanage now.  There are children playing in
the foyer.)

Insolent Jean:  Hey mister, wanna play with us?

Yuri:  Alright, we’ll play.

Insolent Jean:  You have 1 minute to find my hidden friends and return.  There
are 4 of them.  Okay, BEGIN!

(If you find all the kids…)

Insolent Jean:  Hey you’re really good for a grownup.  All right then.  I’ll
let you through, mister.  (moves out of the way of the cauldron)

Pot-lover Macken:  (off-screen)  Hohoho.  You fared well coming here.

Yuri:  (?)  (Macken sticks his head out of the pot)  (C)  …Are you mad?

Pot-lover Macken:  You’re mad calling me mad.

Yuri:  (clenches fists)  Little brat…

Pot-lover Macken:  Now, now.  Don’t get so exasperated over a mere child.
Here, you can have this.

[You’ve received Émigré Manuscript.]

Pot-lover Macken:  I found it in this lab.  It’s gross, so you can have it.


~~Roger Bacon’s House~~

Roger:  (!)  What’s this?!

Yuri:  Huh?  What’s this?  Yeah… nice, huh?

Roger:  How wonderful!  This must be the mysterious treasure storehouse I’ve
been searching for!  Exchange this with that?  What do you think?

Yuri:  …  Oh, quit it.  This is far more valuable.

Roger:  P-please don’t say that!  This is great, too!  I bet you’ll make use
of it!  Right?!

Yuri:  …  Well, what the hey.  I’m tired of it anyway.

[Exchanged the Erotic Book with the Pulse Tract…]

Roger:  (H)  (!)  Huh?  This page can’t be opened!

Yuri:  Wasn’t me!  It was like that when I got it!

Roger:  …

Yuri:  (S)

Roger:  Let’s keep this between the two of us.

Yuri:  …


~~Graveyard~~

(Through the Gate of Self, the sunset from Yuri’s dream has returned.)

Old Familiar Voice:  Yuri.

Yuri:  (?)  (Colonel Hyuga steps out from behind the tree)  ?!  D-Dad…?

Colonel Hyuga:  It’s been a long time.  I’ve been waiting for you.

Yuri:  D-Dad?  What are you doing here?

Colonel Hyuga:  Hee hee hee…  I’ve always been here.  I’ve always watched over
you.  You just never noticed.

Yuri:  Really…?

Colonel Hyuga:  How are you?  You’ve continued you travels and must have grown
much.  Feel like fighting me?

Yuri:  (!)  Fighting you?!

Colonel Hyuga:  Yeah.  If you win, the soul of the powerful god, the Seraphic
Radiance, will be released from my body.

Yuri:  Seraphic Radiance?!  That terrible monster… inside Dad?!  So… you sealed
that monster to protect my soul?

Colonel Hyuga:  I already told you.  I’ve been watching over you.  The ancient
god who lost once at Shanghai.  If you can’t conquer him, of course it will
mean your life.  However… if you can catch hold of this soul, you will gain
ultimate power.  Power to make gods throughout the universe tremble.

Yuri:  Me…?  Fuse with the Seraphic Radiance…?

Colonel Hyuga:  Yes.  Believe in yourself, and come at me with everything
you’ve got!  Every battle offers an opportunity of victory.  It’s up to you
to summon the courage to grasp that moment!  A fearless heart, unfaltering
confidence which grants calm.  That is the Spirit of Bronze.  That’s the only
gift I can offer you!!

Yuri:  The Spirit of Bronze…  All right, Dad.  Let’s do it!

BATTLE     Yuri Vs. Ben Hyuga

Colonel Hyuga:  Nice!!  You’ve become this strong!  Take the power of the
Seraphic Radiance in your hands!

BATTLE     Yuri Vs. Seraphic Radiance

Colonel Hyuga:  Good job, son.

Yuri:  Dad!!  I…  Did I do the right thing?

Colonel Hyuga:  Hee hee hee…

(Cut scene…)

Colonel Hyuga:  Why do I worry so?  I’m blessed with true friends, I have
enemies to battle, and my body remains strong enough to face any challenge.
Can there be any greater happiness than this?  Do not waver, forge ahead!  The
blood of the Harmonixer, the power of fusion…  You’ve come this far since
awakening, have you not?  You’re a man, aren’t you?  You must not halt your
steps.  When you choose of your own free will to stand in one place that will
signify true defeat.  Go!  Continue to put one foot in front of the other.

For every man there is a resting place.  Grit your teeth, and no matter what
setbacks you may encounter along the way, continue on to that place.  That is
victory.

Aha ha ha ha!  Don’t look at me like that.  You’ve grown, son.  That little boy
who used to hide behind his mother’s back when I came home has grown big and
strong.  Do you remember the garden you and I made for your mother in the back
yard?  I only wish I had more time…

(End of cut scene.  Yuri is now alone.)

Yuri:  …  Thank you, Dad.  I’ll go now.  Keep watching over me!


------========------
Golden Bat Sidequest
------========------


~~Terry’s Store~~

(Yuri, Keith and Margarete enter.  Nina is behind the counter.)

Nina:  Oh, it’s Keith!  (runs up to him)  Keith!  There’s something I want to
tell you!!  The other day when I was collecting nuts in the woods, a golden
light burst from the castle!  The light stayed around for a little while,
then went back to the castle.  What could it have been?

Keith:  A golden light…?  I wonder if it could be…?


~~Blue Castle~~

(In the coffin room a large golden bat is hovering over the largest coffin.)

Golden Bat:  Ahh, you have finally returned.  It’s been a long time, brother…

Keith:  So my hunch was right.  It didn’t seem possible, but that voice is
unmistakably my brother’s.

Yuri:  Hey, buddy!  Aren’t those bats?!

Golden Bat:  You bet.  I’m a bat.  Something wrong with that?!  Hunh?

Yuri:  ??  He’s a vampire, right?  That’s just a bat.  It’s even shiny.

Golden Bat:  That’s right, buddy!!  My colour’s a bright, shiny gold!!  Trying
to make something of how I look, bud?  Hunh?  Hunh?

Yuri:  (to Keith)  Is that really your brother?  He looks more like MY brother…

Golden Bat:  Shut yer trap!  It was too noisy outside to sleep, so I decided to
fly around the village.

Keith:  My brother… becoming a bat is fine, but what if you can’t get back to
your former shape?

Golden Bat:  Shut u-u-up!!  You got a problem with bright, shiny gold?!  You
make fun of bright, shiny gold and I’ll make you wish you hadn’t!  Got that?  Hunh?!

Yuri:  Um, I hate to tell you, but isn’t that shiny deal kind of out of style?

Golden Bat:  Arrrrrrrgh!! Shut up, shut up, shut u-u-up!!  Keith!!

Keith:  Yes, brother?

Golden Bat:  Don’t “Yes, brother” me!!  I was waiting here today so I could
give you a special present!  Here!  Take it!!

[A sword has appeared in Keith’s hand.  You’ve received the Demon Sword,
Tyrving.]

Keith:  It’s… it’s the legendary magic Demon Sword our family has owned through
generations!

Golden Bat:  You got it!  When our forebears sensed that the world might be
destroyed, they came to me!  Bestow this upon the one who will become our
warrior, they said!

Keith:  I don’t know what to say!  It is an unimaginable honor!  I humbly
accept…

Golden Bat:  No-o-o-t so fast!  The sword isn’t yours for the taking!  You’ve
got to earn it, by showing me you can handle it!  Your test will be a duel
with me!  If you win, you will be master of the Demon Sword.  If you lose,
you will die a true death!  En garde!

BATTLE     Keith Vs. Golden Bat

Golden Bat:  Excellent work!  The magic Demon Sword is now yours.  My
brother, Keith.  You must live to see the future!  To see the future with
your trusted friends!  (fades away)

Keith:  (powers up)  Ahh…

(Cut scene.)

Keith:  Ahh, it feels so wonderful!  I feel so truly alive at this moment!
I’ve never felt such a rapturous feeling of bliss!  To live, to peer into
tomorrow’s tomorrow, that is my deepest desire.  You, my friends, have
liberated me from the prison of endless tedium.  And no matter what may await
me in the days and months ahead, I shall never regret it!  With this sword in
my hand, I shall travel with you all to the very end, to be witness to the
tomorrow that we create with our very own hands.

(End of cut scene.)

Keith:  All right!  All preparations are complete!  Let us be going!!

Yuri:  What is it with these brothers?  This made a power up possible?  Are you
kidding?  ??  Huh… he’s all roarin’ to go.


------=======------
Dollhouse Sidequest
------=======------


~~Gismot’s Bar~~

Runaway Ewan:  Aaahhh…  Help me…  P-please forgive me, Laura…  Wha?!  You’re
an exorcist?!  If so, please help!!  Just a little ways from here, there’s a
house cursed by a terrible poltergeist!!  Can you suppress the spirit?  I’ll
do anything!  I have lots of money!


~~Dollhouse~~

(Alice and Yuri approach the front of the house.  It’s an old stone house with
a large dead tree in front of it.  There is some sort of shed off to the side.)

Alice:  (…)

Yuri:  (?)  What is it?

Alice:  It’s cold.  Be careful.  There’s an aura of bitterness all around the
house.

(The interior of the house is dark and the clock chimes as they enter.  The
furniture is nice but everything seems to be slightly askew, as if pushed
out of place.  In an upstairs room a diary is found.)

[The diary was written by a kid.  It’s difficult to read…  Ewan took a picture
of Laura and Lillith to celebrate the anniversary of their first meeting!
Lillith kindly spoke to me.  Perhaps this will ease my loneliness somewhat.
Nice meeting you, Lillith!]

(Downstairs there is a large sitting room with a fireplace, an animal head
hangs above it.)

[It’s a stuffed antelope from Eastern Europe.  It feels like it’s staring at
me…]

(Behind the sitting room there is a small courtyard with a fountain.  A key is
found in the bottom.  It unlocks the storage room beside the house.  There is
a generator inside, it is started using the crank from the clock in the house.
The storage room and the room below it are lit up.)

[The room is lined with old wines.  Perhaps some of them are still drinkable?]

(A slide plate is found in the room.  Back in the house, it is used in the
slide projector found in the room with the diary.)

[The projector is projecting an image of a girl holding a doll.  Merry
Christmas, Laura and Lillith!  December 24.]

(In the very far corner of the room under the storage room there is a heavy
door.  In order to open it the water must be drained from the room behind it
using the crank in the fireplace.  When the door is opened a child’s room is
discovered.  A doll sits on a rocking horse in the middle of the room.)

[The words “Help me!” are written all over the wall.]

[It is a luxurious bed for a child.  But the sheets are torn and the pillow has
a hole…]

[It is a child’s dresser.  I think I saw the doll looking at me in the mirror…]

[It’s a stuffed bear.  His stomach has been cut and stuffing is issuing out…]

[There is a doll on a rocking horse.  (!)  It felt like the doll turned around
and smiled!  I must be thinking too much…]

Spooky Child’s Voice:  Hey, where ya goin’?

Alice:  (!)  Wh-who’s there?!

Spooky Child’s Voice:  Ahha ha ha…  Over here.  Don’t you see me?

Alice:  A doll?!

Spooky Child’s Voice:  Heehee?  Don’t be so scared.  You’re my new friend,
right?  In place of Lillith?  C’mon.  Let’s play!

Alice:  Is Lillith the girl on the slide?  …So that means, you’re Laura.

Cursed Doll Laura:  Yes.  Lillith died.  Ewan only comes home once in awhile.
Come on, play with me!  ‘Till death!

BATTLE  Yuri & Co. Vs. Orb Chaos

Yuri:  Seems she’s returned to just a normal doll…

Alice:  This doll’s been alive all this time…  She must’ve been so lonely.  So
she used Ewan as here plaything…

Yuri:  Hey, what about yourself?  In the real world, the only people who like
toys are little kids!  A doll that wanted a toy human…

Alice:  Let’s go.  Now everyone can forget about this house… maybe.


------========------
Confession Sidequest
------========------


~~Rouen Church~~

Keith:  Whew.  People like me don’t normally go in for prayer, but perhaps I’ll
give it a try.  (turns to the altar)  (…)

Margarete:  Hey sonny boy.  Mind if we have a talk?  Over there.

Yuri:  (?)  (they enter the hallway outside of the confessionals)  What is it?

Margarete:  Go in there, like that other time.  I know all about it.  Right,
Father Yuri!

Yuri:  (?)  (goes into the confessional)

[It seems someone is in the neighboring confessional…]

Margarete:  (off-screen)  Umm…

(Cut scene…)

Margarete:  Father, would you listen to me for just a few minutes?

The world today seems to be heading toward disaster.  No, no, I’m not talking
about Albert.  The countries known as the Powers are pouring massive sums of
money into building up their militaries, like children vying for the biggest
collection of toys.  Hmph!  And you know, at first I thought I would just use
Yuri and the others.  I thought I could use their remarkable powers to benefit
our nation.  Yes, just like the Japanese army was trying to do.  But the more
I watched that reckless Yuri in action, the more ashamed I started to feel.

I mean, Yuri really isn’t thinking about anything.  He’s not thinking of the
national interest, or of politics, or of money, or of anything he stands to
gain or lose.  He just sees that girl, and he sees all the forces lined up
against her, and so he protects her, nothing more.  Just like some comic book
hero, you know?  But I’m a little jealous.  I mean, the really important
things in life aren’t about profit and gain.

I think, maybe I’ll start searching for those things too.  The truth is, I’d
really like to search for them together with him, but…  Oh, forget I said that!
Thanks for listening to all my silly talk.

(End cut scene.)

Yuri:  …It makes me so excited…

Margarete:  (off-screen)  All better now!  Here, this is for you.

[A tiny box was slid into the small window.  You’ve received Pearl Ring!]

Margarete:  (off-screen)  Bye bye now!

Yuri:  (…)

(Yuri returns to the main part of the church.)

Keith:  Oh, you’re back.  But is something the matter?  Your face is all red.

Yuri:  It’s n-nothing!

Margarete:  Ahha ha ha…

Keith:  (?)  (looks at Margarete)

Yuri:  So… that’s it?  Let’s go already!!  (leaves)

Keith:  (?)  (follows)

Margarete:  That was a bit too spicy.  Ha!  Oh well!


~~Rouen~~

(Outside in the alley by the church…)

Fake-nose Man:  Is my nose like, too big?  Or are you, like, thinking it’s
cool?  …Can I touch it?  O-of course not… like!  He… hehehehe.

(If you win the 10 gauge from his lottery…)

Fake-nose Man:  Glad to see you’re doing so well Margarete…  (walks off)

Margarete:  (!)  Aw crap.  He’s always spoiling his kid.

Yuri:  He’s… your father…?  He has a fake nose on…

Margarete:  Cute, isn’t it?  Thinks he’s in disguise when he wears that thing.

Yuri:  (C)

Margarete:  …Thanks, Dad.


------=============------
Qiuhua’s Letter Sidequest
------=============------


~~Rouen Inn~~

Wanderer Meiyuan:  Do you mind?  This is my private dressing room, and I’d
appreciate if you didn’t come barging in like that!  (turns)  (!)  Oh, it’s
Yuri!  And all the rest of you!  This is perfect.  I was just on my way to
find you.

Yuri:  (C)  You were?  What did I do to deserve that?

Meiyuan:  Relax!  I just wanted to deliver a letter I had for you.  Meanie!

Yuri:  A letter?

Meiyuan:  Here.  It’s from Qiuhua in Shanghai!

Yuri:  (!)  From Qiuhua?  Let’s see…

Letter from Qiuhua:  How are you?  A year has passed since the Shanghai
earthquake.  Things are slowly recovering.  Life is tough, but my father and I
are both doing well.  How are you doing?  Sergeant Kato visited our house
today.  He wants to know where you are.  He realized we didn’t know, so we made
small talk, and then he left.  It was a tragic story, one I didn’t want
to write.  But I feel I must let everyone know…


~~Japanese Army Headquarters, Shanghai~~

(Flashback.  Kato and Kawashima are in the upstairs room.)

Kawashima:  Kato.

Kato:  Yes?

Kawashima:  You puzzle me.  Ignoring your order to return to Tokyo, so you can
remain in this type of place…

Kato:  N, no…  I am interested in the forbidden magic that the adept, Dehuai,
freed…  I’ve been doing some research…

Kawashima:  Research?  All you do is hang around me all the time, running
errands.

Kato:  (S)  N-no, I just… uh…

Kawashima:  Hm…  You’re protecting me, right?  I appreciate it.

Kato:  (!)  Huh?!

Kawashima:  Now that Shanghai is under our control…  I’m just a loud, whimsical
hound dog to the higher-ups.  A replacement dog will be sent…

Kato:  Commander… what are you talking about!  You’re still a hero of the
Japanese people!

Kawashima:  (looks out the window)  Kato.

Kato:  Y… yes?

Kawashima:  I wonder what Yuri and the others are doing now…

Kato:  Yes.  They have been missing ever since the Shanghai Earthquake.  I
haven’t heard anything more since.

Kawashima:  I’m sure they’re traveling far, holding firmly to their
convictions.  No one to answer to…  Just following their instincts…  Somewhere
deep inside, I envy them.

Kato:  Lieutenant Colonel!

Kawashima:  Wh-why are you shouting all of a sudden, Sergeant?

Kato:  Even you could do it, Lt. Colonel!  Anyone can do it!  As long as they
truly desire it!  There are no rules in life!  Only the ones you make yourself!
I want to live a life of no regrets!  It may be difficult, but only you can
change the way you live your life!

Kawashima:  Kato…

Kato:  (salutes)  Lt. Colonel, I… I love you!  I would follow you down whatever
path you decide to take in life!  I, Masaru Kato, will not leave anything to
regret!

Kawashima:  …

Kato:  (S)  AAAAHH!!  (runs over to the wall and bangs his head on it
repeatedly)  What am I saying?!

Kawashima:  (walks over to him)  Yes…  I think you’re right.

(Two soldiers suddenly enter.)

Kato:  Wh-what?  Knock before you enter!

Private Matsuura:  Lt. Colonel Kawashima!  We’ve received an urgent wire from
Tokyo!  Please come to HQ immediately!

Kawashima:  A wire from Tokyo?  Is it from my father?  Okay.  Let’s go.

Kato:  Colonel…

Kawashima:  It’s okay.  I’ll be right back.  Then we can finish this
conversation.  (to soldiers)  Why are you shaking?  Well, let’s go.  (leaves
with soldiers)

Kato:  Sigh…  (two shots ring out followed by a thud)  (!)  (runs out of room)

(Kawashima is laying face down on the main floor.  One soldier is already dead
on the stairs while the other is standing over Kawashima.  Kato runs down from
the second floor and knocks the soldier out of the way, then kneels and rolls
Kawashima over.)

Kato:  (!)  Lieutenant Colonel!  Hang on!!  Lieutenant Colonel!

Kawashima:  Hahhh…  It appears my father has deserted me…

Kato:  We’ll get you help right away!  Hang on!

Kawashima:  I guess I… had it coming…  The last gear… fitting…

Kato:  (shakes her)  Lieutenant Colonel!  Hang in there!

Kawashima:  Kato… thanks… for… everything…  (slumps over)

Kato:  (pulls her close)  AAAAAHH!!  WHY!!


~~Rouen Inn~~

(Back to the present time.)

Letter from Qiuhua:  He was in a horrible state.  We couldn’t find any words to
console him.  Sergeant Kato will take Lt. Colonel Kawashima’s ashes back to
Japan tomorrow.  Yuri, there are many rebel factions fighting in Shanghai
against the Japanese army.  I hope nothing happens.  I also hope you’ll come
back to Shanghai soon.  From Qiuhua.  P.S.  I’ve enclosed a scarf I knitted
for you.  Please pass it along to Zhuzhen.

Yuri:  Kawashima is dead…?

Meiyuan:  Life is so ironic.  Now, don’t you guys turn out like that, you
hear!!  …’Cause that would really make me cry!


------============------
Nightbird Claw Sidequest
------============------


~~Roger Bacon’s House~~

(Yuri reappears on the teleporter.)

Roger:  Good grief…  Naturally, a machine based on the superior science of the
planet Gamilaus is impossible to adjust.  Aha!  Oh, it’s you all.  And you’re
just in time to help me with my experiment.

Yuri:  (?)  Another test?  It’s all well and good to help, but don’t you think
it will get you into trouble, just like before?

Roger:  Be quiet!  This time everything will be fine – I’ve perfected the
transfer program!

Yuri:  (gets on the treadmill)  Okay, let’s get going!

Roger:  Grrrr!  T-this is great!

Yuri:  Whoooaa!

Roger:  I’ll be back!!  (disappears)

(Fade out.)

Yuri:  So loooooong!

(There is the sound of an impact.  Fade in.)

Roger:  (walks through the front door)  I’m back!  I went there, I went there,
I WENT THERE!  To the moon!!

Yuri:  …  What are you talking about?

Roger:  Did you hear me?  I flew to the moon!  TO THE MOON!  I thought I might
die from the lack of air, but I was all right because I left so quickly!  My,
but the Earth was green!

Yuri:  …  It’s tough when you can’t die, isn’t it?

Roger:  (…)  You don’t believe me, do you?!  You think I’m lying, don’t you?!
All right, here’s the proof!  I brought back a souvenir for you!  Go on, take
it!

[A stone from the moon?!  You received a stone emitting a dim light.  You’ve
received the Nightbird Claw.]