"How much farther is this secret airship, sir?"

Yang made his way closer to the dwarf. Cecil stood on tiptoe to get a view of the dwarf, and he pulled the door softly shut behind him.

"Hmmm?"

The disgruntled dwarf growled quickly, reaching for the other door in the narrow antechamber.

"Keep your loincloth on, man," he stated with some distraction. "It’s not far…" His stubby hand closed around the doorknob. "It’s not far at all…"

Suddenly the sound of soft, hoarse laughter filled the chamber.

"What in the…?"

The dwarf’s hand dropped away from the golden doorknob. He frowned and stared around the narrow chamber. Cecil and Porom immediately glanced at Palom. He stared back at them, wide-eyed and utterly dumfounded.

"What?!"

He spread his arms wide.

"What’re you looking at me for?! I’m not the one---"

"From where did you receive the strength to defeat me?!"

The rasping voice drifted through the antechamber again, and Palom glared at Cecil and Porom with a look that clearly said ‘I told you so!’

"Whose voice is speaking…?" Yang demanded in an authoritive tone, but Cecil could detect a slight quiver in the warrior’s voice.

"Yet, I cannot know death.."

Cid raised a clenched fist high above his head.

"Come out and you’ll know death soon enough!"

The hissing laughter grew louder. The old sage’s wispy white hair seemed to stand on end as a sudden rumbling grating sound echoed through the chamber.

"Begin a new journey with me, travelers…"

The coldness of the disembodied voice made Cecil shiver.

"Come with me…"

Porom shrieked as the deafening grating sound was repeated.

"…to the Dark World!"

Evil chuckling poured into the antechamber and Cecil felt his blood run icy cold at the sound of the next voice…the voice that belonged to the sage.

"Oh my!"

Cecil wished that he wouldn’t continue with whatever he had to reveal…his wish was not granted…

"The walls!"

Cecil whirled around and realized that the sharp grating sound was the stone walls on both sides of them…the gray stone walls were shifting inward…and if they didn’t leave the antechamber…

"Cid!"

Cecil screamed over the deafening roar.

"The door!"

Everyone leaped toward the dwarf, who seemed to be frozen…his eyes were transfixed on the gray stone walls. It took only half a second for him to wheel around with a muttered oath and wrap both pudgy hands around the doorknob. A violent thundering almost sent Cecil sprawling to the floor, and he glanced to his side.

The space between him and stones of the wall was much less than it had been only minutes earlier.

"Cid!" Cecil shouted again. "Open the---"

"I’m trying!"

Cecil could hear the unmistakable sound of the frantic jiggling of the doorknob. It was nearly drowned out by the grinding sound of the walls.

"It’s stuck!"

Cecil didn’t spare a minute to demand another opinion. He whirled around toward the other door but Yang already had a grip on the knob.

"It…will not open…either!" The dark warrior gasped between ferocious tugs on the knob.

"Come with me!"

The voice continued to command them triumphantly. Yang drew a deep breath and lowered his shoulder toward the door.

"Into the Dark World!"

He lunged at the wooden door and struck it with such force that Cecil thought it would shatter instantly…

…Nothing happened…

"It’s no…use!"

The warrior staggered back as the stone walls shifted again; a fine dust drifted in the air, and suddenly Cecil felt as if he were suffocating.

(…this isn’t happening…)

Laughter exploded all around him.

(This can’t be true…it can’t be real…)

"You are a coward, Golbez!"

Cecil barely heard the hoarse cry of the old man beside him.

(We’ve done too much…for it to end like this…)

"Into the Dark World!"

The inhuman voice cried gleefully and Cecil felt his legs almost give beneath him as the entire floor seemed to lurch…the walls were less than an arm’s length apart…

"Open the door!"

The dwarf was nearly hysterical as he pounded on the door feverishly.

"Open the door for God’s sake!"

Palom and Porom both seemed to be paralyzed with fear. Cecil stumbled past them and grabbed the dwarf’s thick arm.

"There’s no one out there!"

The red-haired dwarf’s eyes were frightfully bright as Cecil stared intently into them.

"No one is there, man!"

Cid glared back at Cecil, not believing his words.

"What the..?"

The stone walls shuddered again and this time they pressed so close that they were almost touching the dwarf’s broad shoulders. The laughter became louder and Cid gave Cecil a frightened look before continuing:

"What…are we gonna…do?!"

Cecil could only stare back at him, a blank look on his face, his mind racing…

(what can I say…?)

The old man said something but Cecil couldn’t hear it for the voices in his own head.

(What can I say when there’s nothing we can do but I can’t say that because they already know it and they don’t want to hear it from me oh God let me wake up from this dream…)

Porom started toward Cecil but Palom grabbed her arm quickly.

"Porom…"

She spun around…his voice seemed very urgent…

"It fells…like…like…"

Palom was stuttering as if he were thinking hard.

"I think…"

He shook his head as though to correct himself.

"No! I know…there’s something we can do!"

She bowed her head, and Palom immediately knew that she understood.

"But…" she stated in a quivering voice, finally looking up at her brother. "…but then…we can’t…it means…"

"I know, I know…" Palom interrupted in an insistent voice, his eyes shining brightly. "But..I…I…wanna do it…"

Porom bowed her head again and didn’t speak for several moments. It seemed as though all of the voices, the laughter, the noise, everything around them…it seemed to have disappeared…

At last she looked again, tears streaming down her cheeks. To Palom’s surprise, she smiled briefly.

"Grandpa…sent us to find…our place in the world…"

She made a sound that was half-laugh, half-sob.

Palom laughed and looked down.

"Is…is…that…how he put it..?"

She nodded slowly.

"Maybe…I guess…this must be our place…"

Palom couldn’t answer for a moment…a strange lump had formed in his throat and he found it difficult to speak.

"It…it…is…"

He stared down at the small pendant he wore around his neck…the ruby cross seemed to glimmer with its own inner light…

"You know…Grandpa would be proud of you…"

Palom hadn’t noticed that Porom was gazing at him, a sad smile on her face. He gave a strange high-pitched laugh.

"Anything to make the…old man..happy…"

Porom was about to laugh in spite of herself but another violent rumbling of the walls around them reminded both of them of the urgency of the situation. She turned to Palom decisively.

"I guess…this…is it…"

He nodded solemnly.

"We don’t have much longer…"

Porom turned and started toward Cecil and the others. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Palom’s voice rang out form behind her.

"Wait!’

He dashed toward her as she turned around. He was tugging at something that seemed to be tangled in his disheveled hair.

"Here…"

He extended his hand and shoved something into the palm of her hand.

"Take this…"

She gave him a puzzled look and glanced down into her hand. It was his ruby cross pendant.

"Palom!" She gasped, wide-eyed. "I can’t! You—"

"Just wear it…" he shook his head, brushing her comment aside.

"Here…"

Porom hurriedly pulled her own pendant from her neck.

"I want you to wear mine then…" she stated, thrusting the pendant toward her brother’s out-stretched hand. He looked at the emerald cross lying in his palm…the green jewel shimmered as he closed his fingers around it.

"Aw…isn’t that sweet..?" Palom intoned, cocking his head to the side exaggerated affection. Porom smiled.

"We’ll trade again…someday…" Her voice trembled as she pulled the pendant down over her head.

Palom nodded in agreement…that lump was in his throat again and he couldn’t speak…he also pulled her pendant over his head…They started toward Cecil and the others.

"Thanks…"

Palom finally regained his voice.

"…sis…"

The stone walls quivered and rumbled once more when the twins stopped at Cecil’s side. The wooden door was bulging and seemed about to shatter at any moment…one more moment, however, would be too late…

"Cecil…"

Cecil whirled around frantically. He had nearly forgotten the twins as he struggled to calm the dwarf and think of what could be done. He stared at the boy as if he were a stranger, but the boy extended his hand genially.

"Well…it’s been pretty cool…" He shook Cecil’s hand vigorously. "You know…traveling with a real knight…"

"What do you mean..?!" Cecil asked in bewilderment. "We’re not—"

"Sorry I never trusted you…" Palom ignored Cecil’s statement and continued in an urgent voice. "But I guess people can change…"

Suddenly there was an ear-splitting snap as one of the wooden doors shattered. Shards of wood struck the stone walls and ricocheted in every direction. Cecil ducked and glance around, and even Palom flinched; he continued to speak, but now much faster.

"Now you’ve gotta show everyone else, dude…"

"What are you talking about?!" Cecil grabbed the boy’s shoulders impatiently. "We’re going to get out of here!"

He ducked again as another piece of wood hurtled across the antechamber and struck the wall next to his head.

"I know!" Palom declared over the oaths of the dwarf. "You’re gonna get out of here—" He pointed at Cecil.

"—and we’re going to help you!" Porom finished decisively.

Before Cecil could say anything, she threw her arms around the thin shoulders of the old sage.

"Master Tellah…"

The old man stared at her in bewilderment as she spoke in a hurried voice.

"Tell Grandpa..the Elder…that…" Her voice was wavering. "..that I love him very much…and…I’m going to…miss him…"

Porom stepped away from the puzzled old man with a sad, yet proud smile.

"But tell him what we did for Cecil…and for all of you…"

There was a sharp snap as another piece of the door whistled through the air, barely missing the dwarf’s head.

"Good God!" He swore softly to himself, ducking and snatching at his beard in frustration.

"Porom..?"

Palom arrived at his sister’s side.

"Are you ready..?"

she nodded as she stared at the floor. The stone walls were so close on each side that two people could barely stand side by side in the antechamber.

"What’s going on?!"

Cecil’s voice couldn’t be heard over the rumbling of the walls. Clouds of dust nearly filled the entire chamber, and his eyes began to water uncontrollably.

Palom suddenly turned and placed both hands, palms wide open, on the stone wall.

"Come on, sis…we’ve gotta concentrate…"

Tellah watched them, wide-eyed.

"Children!" He called in a high pitched, frightened voice. "What are you doing?!"

Porom quickly followed Palom’s lead and pressed her palms against the wall opposite her brother. She felt suddenly light-headed…she felt Palom’s foot brush her heel…they were almost back-to-back in the chamber…

"I do not understand..!"

The old man started toward them but fell to his knees as the chamber quivered violently.

Palom lowered his head. It was nearly resting against the wall but he forced himself to lift it…it felt as though he had a terrible headache…sweat streamed from his temples…

"We’re…doing…our part…dude…" he managed to gasp between his feverish breaths. It seemed so hot in the chamber all of a sudden. The stone wall began to tremble beneath his fingers…or maybe his fingers were trembling…

"Just…make sure…you do…your…part!"

It took an incredible amount of effort for Palom to speak…even to breathe…he heard voices behind him but a strange humming in his ears drowned everything out.

Suddenly Palom was very scared.

"Porom..?"

He felt as though the word came out in a hoarse whisper, but she obviously heard him.

"Palom!"

Her voice was strained and he imagined that he sounded the same.

"Can you feel..it..?"

"Mmm-hmmm."

He could hardly respond because his face, his cheeks, even his teeth hurt.

"Don’t give up!"

Porom’s words were half-shout, half-sob…Palom marveled at how strong and brave she was…he tried to lick his lips to speak because they were so dry…

"…Porom..?"

He spoke again, tasting the salt from the sweat on his upper lip. For a moment it felt like he could speak clearly so he continued before she said anything:

"I know we don’t always…get along…"

He paused and dug his nails deep into the crevices on the stone wall…the pain in his arms, his back, his lags…it was nearly numbing..

"And I’m sorry…but…"

He bit his lip to keep from screaming in pain…a white-hot flash of light passed in his eyes…his head was throbbing…his eyes were closed so tightly that he thought that might be the cause of the pain…but it seemed as though he couldn’t open them even if he tried…

"I still…think…you’re…cool…and…"

Palom thought he heard a noise behind him. It sounded like a gasp or a sob…

"And…well…if I could—"

Porom suddenly gasped in pain.

"Oh Palom! I don’t think I’m going to make it!"

She was sobbing in quick gasps.

"Here…" Palom said hastily. "Grab my hand!"

To Palom’s surprise, his arm fell easily to his side. He felt Porom’s fingertips brush his own, then they laced their fingers together and held tightly. Palom felt as though he were suddenly no longer breathing…but for some strange reason..it felt…all right…

"..Palom..?"

He could barley hear Porom’s voice…it sounded very far away…

"..I…love…you…"

His face felt icy cold…it was strange because only minutes earlier it was sweltering in the antechamber…but were they even in the antechamber anymore…?

"…But you know…I hate it…when…you…call me…sis…"

Porom’s words were followed without mercy by a deafening roar, blinding white light…then nothing…