Chapter 7


	Light years away from the Prime Center, and all of the other troubles and
stresses of Neo Earth, Kate rested from her training with her friend Carmesi.
Both were flush with the stress of recent workout, but also in good spirits,
chatting and joking. "I can't wait to get back home to Shin," Kate said.
	"Yeah, it'll be real nice to get home, I hope their school is going alright."
	"Well, you know how boring things have been around for the last few years,
school is all they can do."
	"Good point," Carmesi said, "Shin is living with Vixy right?"
	"Yeah, he is."
	"I wonder how those two are getting along?"

	"SHIN! GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" Vixy screamed at a fleeing Shin. Still on the
run, Shin shouted back as he vaulted over furniture and around doors, "what?! I
said I was sorry ok!"
	"Don't give me any of that! You're gonna get it!" Vixy barked in pursuit.
Behind her, the open door to her room revealed the extent of Shin's crimes, a
few out-of-place clothes that were caused due to his search for a book. Vixy,
noticing this, quickly made her verdict, and Shinw as on the run, running out of
space. Cornered, Shin gulped as the enraged vixen closed the gap between them, a
fire in her eyes. With a screech, Vixy sent out some of her own fire powers,
inherited from her mother, at the cornered Shin. A jet of flame engulfed his
face, nothing damaging, but at the end of the assault, Shin's face was scorched
black. "Now stay OUT of my room!" she threatened, storming off and leaving Shin
sitting on the floor, fried and scorched.

	"I'm sure they're getting along just fine," said Carmesi.

	“Hi daddy!” Hope chirped, bouncing in through the door to the Ravenhurst’s
home. As soon as she found him, she leaped and hugged her father, surprised at
her visit. “Hey there Hope!” he exclaimed, squeezing and lifting her up before
setting her down, “what are you doing here?” Kayin smiled as he set her down,
walking around the house with her as she made her way to her room. “Oh, I just
need to get a few clothes, I have a performance tonight!” she said, beaming
proudly.
	“Really? Well, I will be there dearie,” Kayin replied, hugging her again,
“congratulations!” Giggling, Hope began to rummage through her closet, tossing
out the occasional dress or outfit that might please her. “There it is!” she
said with a little eep of excitement. From the back of her closet, she pulled
out a  pink and white dress, with the added feature of a set of clear plastic
fairy wings on the back. “Perfect!” she said proudly, folding it up carefully
and preparing to pack it back to the Center before it took off over the
Atlantic. “And!” she stated dramatically, “I think I can take this back to the
Center instead of fly!” Bursting into the garage, she yanked the tarp off of her
scooter device. “You sure Hope?” Kayin asked, looking at it, “I mean, will it be
safe?”
	“Oh of course!” she chirped, hopping up on it and starting the engine.
Immediately, a gout of blue flame burst from the exhaust behind it, searing and
burning a hole in the wall. Looking at the newly-added peephole to his living
room, Kayin turned back, saying, “how about you…” There was no sign of Hope or
the scooter, “…test it further?” Kayin finished with a sigh.

	Soon, the evening fell over the ocean and the moving Center looked like a
mountain moving silently across the water. Perched over the edge of a balcony,
Meyshisiam watched as several crowds passed under him, all headed towards the
large concert hall overlooking the water. Tonight was the beginning of the Ocean
Music Festival, a period of time where all musicians got to entertain the
students during the long voyage over the boring ocean. A sign near the door
proclaimed the opening night performers, usually an honor reserved for the most
talented and veteran singers and players, and for the first time in the Center’s
history, a first year student was performing, Hope Ravenhurst. Looking down into
his hand, Meyshisiam hmphed at the rock, “you know, you are too much trouble
than you’re worth, why do I keep you around anyway?”
	“Because I can help you.”
	“How? All you have done is make giant kittens and get me into trouble.”
	“I am regaining my strength, give me time.”
	“You’ve said that for months now, why should I believe you?”
	“Do you DOUBT me?”
	“Yeah!” he retorted, standing over the edge, “and now I’m gonna prove it.”
Clenching the rock in his fist, he bent his arm back. “You better not be doing
what I think you are,” the rock warned, “you will regret it. I am already
stronger than you…”
	“Goodbye crazy rock!” Meyshisiam cried, chucking the stone into the water,
“hah! Well, that was fun, now it’s time to enjoy the concert. Maybe Vixy’ll be
there!” As it sunk beneath the waves, the rock fumed, obviously angry at his
host’s dissent. Slowly, it began to extend tendrils of energy around it,
creating and growing.

	Butterflies flickered in Hope’s stomach as time passed, watching the other
older students perform before her. Even before the concert, she was quite
popular, especially with the music students, who kept calming and comforting her
before her act. Meanwhile, out in the audience, Kayin watched, waiting proudly
for his little girl to come and sing her heart out. However, deep beneath him in
the sea, other plans were being made.

	“So Grace,” her friend Ambar asked as she looked out over the Drakonian
horizon, “how do you think Kayin and Hope are getting along?”

	To a grand applause, Hope strolled onto the stage, a hint of a blush on her
cheeks. From the distance, Kayin beamed proudly at her as she began to sing, the
first notes of her perky, upbeat melody filling the hall and whipping the crowd
to excitement.

	“Well,” Grace said, smiling, “I think they are getting along okay. Though I
think they will like my return, Kayin was never a good cook,” she added with a
giggle.
	“Yeah, I bet Kayin would try his best though to make Hope and you happy,” Ambar
said, grinning.

	As he song went on, the crowd was on its feet, practially dancing to her song.
Subtle powers of the Love Crest flowed from Hope’s lips bringing out the nicest
aspects of people. Even the brooding Vixy, upset at Hope’s popularity, felt
herself soften to the hybrid coyote/antelope. At the climax of her song, the
mood suddenly changed as the entire Prime Center began to shake and bump, as if
hit by large waves. A few members of the audience fell and looked out of the
large windows to see the source of the disturbance. Outside in the water, a
giant squid-like creature was flailing at the Center with its tentacles.
However, instead of a normal head, the creature had a open, monstrous mouth full
of snapping teeth. Screams and chaos filled the Center as people tried to flee
or figure out what the thing was. With jaw dropped, Kayin watched the beast for
a minute before calmly leaving the hall, floating off of the side of the
platform and settling right in the monster’s gaze. “Well! Well!” it gurgled,
“what have we here? It must be some puny weakling trying to be a hero?”

	“Mmmhmm,” Grace said, “Kayin would do anything for Hope. And I’ve seen him when
something happens to her, wow, he can really fly off the handle.”

	“Die!” it growled, swinging its massive, thick tendril at Kayin, who in
response casually blocked it with one arm. “Huh? How did you block that?” it
asked, as a soft green light emanated from Kayin and a thin sheet of it covered
his body. “Look, I don’t know what you are, or what you think you’re doing,” he
growled, sounding more irritated than angry, “but you interrupted my daughter’s
song.” The green sheet tightened and thickened over him, beginning to take the
shape of armor. “And NOBODY interrupts my kid!” he howled, charging forward. At
his motion, the light broke away, revealing a transformed Kayin. Now clad in
glittering green and violet armor, Kayin charged, two metallic wings extending
behind him. “Uh oh…” the creature mused, it’s thoughts then changing to the
sting of pain on it as Kayin’s punch connected, throwing its entire bulk
backwards almost 100 meters. Soaring backwards, Kayin unleashed wave after wave
of destructive energy at the creature, blowing off parts of its head and
tentacles. Meanwhile, at the Center, things were beginning to calm and Hope was
leaning against a rail watching the scene with Shin. “So that’s your dad?” he
asked.
	“Yep.”
	“He looks mad.”
	“Oh he is.” Grinning fiercely, Kayin charged a final, massive attack, “now it’s
time to say goodnight,” he whispered, leveling his arms at the monster, “you
picked the wrong concert to crash.” With a yell, the beam flew into the
creature, reducing it to ash almost instantly.

	“Yikes, what a night, what WAS that thing?” he thought to himself as he climbed
the stairs to his room.
	“Hello,”
	“You?! H-how did you get up here? I threw you in the…oh, it was you wasn’t it?”
	“Yes Meyshisissa. It was me.”
	“That’s Meyshisiam,” he muttered.
	“Now do you understand me?” the rock roared in his mind, snapping him to
attention, “you will NOT defy me again. That coyote was a rouge factor, I will
figure a way to defeat him, and grow stronger.”