((Glad you all liked it and thanks for the reviews. I'm interested to see what happens next too, Amanda! I know I'm the writer and all but my stories have a life all their own and they decide what happens when and stuff like that. ^_^ ))

In a room where everything was perfectly clean, where windows lined the entire wall, letting in bright shafts of light, a woman awoke with a sad feeling in her heart. The floors were gold-silver, the walls pure white. As she climbed out of bed she wanted to cry, the sadness overwhelmed her so. She wasn't sure why she was so sad, only that she wished that it would stop, that it would go away. She dressed simply, in a short skirt and light shirt, easy to move around in during the battle. She decided to leave her flame-red hair loose, Belzac liked it that way. "I am the Dragoon of Light," she told herself as she picked up her bow and quiver and laid her hand on the door handle. "I have no reason to be this sad."

In a room where the walls were nearly black, shot through with pale violet veins, where there were no windows and only one candle that burned with a dark flame, a woman awake with a fearful feeling in her heart. As she placed her lily-white feet on the dark purple floor she wanted to curl up underneath of her bed and lock the door. She had never been this afraid before in her life, never could she remember having such a paralyzing fear. She dressed in her usual armor clothing. A dark purple set of armor that consisted of a skirt, blouse, and a long legged boot with a second that barely rose to cover her ankle. Her night-black hair she kept off of her forehead with a dark purple headband shot through with gold that had two pointed ear-like objects sticking up. "I am the Dragoon of Dark," she told herself as she fell to her knees before the door, shaking with fear. "I have nothing to fear."

In a room full of toys fit for small children, a room where the air felt warm and kind, a man awoke with a feeling of anger in his soul. He had never felt anger like this; he wanted to destroy everything in his sight. He climbed out of bed, his milky-blue eyes blazing with the anger that was roaring through him. The floor he stood upon was a soft-brown color like freshly tilled earth, the walls were golden-brown covered with paintings of vines and trees. The man, who was extremely large, dressed in a plain outfit, not caring what his appearance was. There was a battle this day and his armor would be made of something stronger then anything man's hands had created. "I am the Dragoon of Earth," he said in a voice that rumbled deeply. "The anger I feel is justified!"

In a room that made anyone who entered tremble with a sense of foreboding a man awoke with a feeling of pity in his soul. Around this room, which had walls and floors of deepest blood red, candles flickered and flared. Small dolls lined shelves, none of them the sort of dolls that a young girl would want to play with. As the man swung out of bed he fell to the floor, tears leaking from his dark blue eyes. Pity overwhelmed him, pity for those he had slain mercilessly for no reason but to feel the life leave their bodies. He barely managed to make himself stand up and get dressed, in his usual maroon-colored tunic and plain, un-dyed cotton tunic. "I am the Dragoon of Thunder," he said as he fell to his knees again at the door. "I am no time to feel this pity!"

In a room where shelves full of books lined every wall and more books were piled all over the floor, where the only light was given off by brightly burning candles and no windows, a man awoke with a feeling of weakness in his soul. He moved slowly out of his bed, feet dragging along the jade- green floor. He pulled on his green cloak with hands that trembled and finished tying up his tunic with fingers that felt weak. He picked up the steel-tipped lance lying in a corner of his room and used it to help him make his way across the book-filled room to his door. At the door he stopped and leaned against the door for rest. "I am the Dragoon of Wind," he said in a tired-voice. "I have no reason to feel this weak!"

In a room where the fireplace was always roaring with a hot fire, a room where the walls were painted with flames and the floors were a swirl or flame-red, orange, and yellow, a man awoke with a feeling of pain in his heart. He screamed in pain, writhed as he fell out of his bed, reaching for his sword to fend off whatever was causing it. But after a moment the pain dulled and he realized that no enemy was doing this, it was inside of him. But nothing would keep him from battle this day, not even Soa could do that to him. So he dressed in his fire-red armor and lay near to the door, gasping with the pain that was trying to keep him from moving. His sword was clenched tightly n his hand as he bit his lip to keep from screaming again. "I am the Dragoon of Fire," he said through the blood that trickled off of his lip. "This pain will not harm me!"

In a room where the floor was circles full of clear, cool water, where a large window let the morning sun stream in, a young girl woke with a sense of despair in her soul. Her bed was a large circle with water two feet deep, the water being clean salt water that helped her to relax more then a regular bed ever could. She let herself float to the surface and lay with her head on the edge of the circle, her ruby-red eyes filled with utter despair. She somehow managed to make herself change into the outfit she had decided upon wearing, a pair of turquoise leggings that Rose had given her and a teal tunic that had shimmery dark blue sequins sewed on that Shirley had made for her. Her turquoise colored hair she pulled back into a braid; it was easier to see without hair flying into her face. She swam through each circle to her door, walking through the shallow ones. At the door she stood there, a single tear dropping from her eye as the despair threatened to overwhelm her. "I am the Dragoon of Water," she said. "This despair has no power over me!"

They all struggled that morning, none of them able to even leave their rooms because of the strong emotions that was within them. For Shirley is was grief, sadness that made her shrink away from everything; for Rose it was fear, fear that she had never before felt so strongly; for Belzac it was anger that threatened to make him forget his kind and gentle soul; for Kanzas it was pity, something that he had never before felt, pity for all those he had killed without reason; for Syuveil it was weakness, making him too weak to even think about battle; for Zieg it was pain like nothing he had ever felt, forcing him to fell helpless as it tormented his body. And for Damia it was despair, despair that nothing she did would help, despair so overwhelming that she refused to go out the door to do anything.

"Damia," a soft voice called through the water-filled room.

The turquoise-haired girl looked around, her teary ruby-red eyes searching for who had spoken. For a brief second the despair was gone, but then it was back and she did not care who had spoken. "Damia," the voice said again, echoing through the room. "Damia, Damia look for me."

The young half-mermaid looked up again. The voice seemed vaguely familiar, but she could not place it. "Who are you?" she demanded. The despair was gnawing at her, she didn't matter she shouldn't talk. They would lose the battle that day, Shirley and Rose would die painful deaths while she watched, before she herself was killed. "Leave me alone," she told the voice. "Leave me alone to my despair."

"Damia, Damia," the voice said again. "Damia is never glum, Damia never despairs. She never has and never would. The Damia I knew wouldn't. Oh Damia, Damia, what has happened to you?"

Damia stood up, her eyes free of tears as she searched the room. "Where are you/' she asked. "Come out and let me see you that I may know you. I know your voice, let me see your face!" The despair roared at her, forcing her eyes back to her own hands, her worthless hands that had never helped anyone. The hands that had helped to kill her own mother.

"In the largest pool," the voice said. "Damia, look in the largest pool. Fight it my Damia, fight it with your human heart and mermaid soul"

Damia walked toward the largest pool, the one that was over eight feet deep and full of dark blue cold water. She looked into the pool and recoiled from what she saw. After taking a breath and forcing the despair down she looked back in. In the water was a young woman who looked exactly like her. "My reflection," she said as a teardrop hit the water and disturbed the image. "My mind is playing tricks on me again." The despair jumped up in her and he stared at the image in the water as her eyes went bleak.

"No, no my Damia!" the voice cried. Damia frowned slightly, the mouth of the image had moved, only she had not spoken a word. But the voice had.. "Damia it is not your reflection, I am not you! My name is Tamia, I am your twin sister. Don't let the despair take you, my Damia wouldn't do that!"

Damia was still with shock and then the despair overwhelmed her, so strong that she nearly fell forward into the pool. Everything vanished into the darkness of the despair, her world went black. Then there was a small voice, yelling at her through the darkness, trying to make her understand. "Damia!" the voice yelled. "Damia, my Damia, come back! Fight the despair, fight it with all you are!"

"Tamia?" Damia asked as a crack of light appeared in the dark. She strained for it with all of her mind but then the crack was gone, filled with more darkness that consumed her mind and heart, but not her soul, not yet her soul. "Human heart!" the voice screamed at her. "My Damia!"

The sadness that filled Shirley grew, tears streaming from her eyes as she wept for something that she did not know. "Shirley, Dragoon of Light!" a voice broke through the tears. The void of sadness that had surrounded her was gone, shattered by that voice. "Damia needs your aid! She needs your help!"

Shirley looked up, her emerald green eyes clear. She rubbed them even though when she saw a slightly misty figure standing in front of her. It looked exactly like Damia, right down to the small blue scales surrounding the eyes. She almost asked who it was but something, a memory, flashed in her mind then. A young girl who looked exactly like Damia, playing with her on the beach. "Tamia?"

The misty half-mermaid nodded. "Come now Shirley, come now we must help Damia. If we bring her out then the others will come out immediately."

As Shirley ran towards Damia's room she turned and asked the girl, "Tamia, what is happening?"

"Melbu Frama," Tamia replied. "Is hitting you all with a blast of emotions so that you will not leave your rooms to fight. He will win if you stay here. He hit Damia the hardest and tied everyone but you to her. He hit you the weakest, I am not sure why."

Inside Damia's room Shirley nearly began to cry again at the sight of the half-mermaid girl. She was sitting still, ruby-red eyes starring straight ahead and full of despair. Tear-tracks were down her cheeks where she had cried. Shirley ran lightly along the edge pathway and knelt in front of Damia, taking the young girl's shoulders in her hands and shaking her slightly. "Damia!" she yelled into her face. "Damia, it is me Shirley. Do not despair Damia, we can win. Fight it Damia, fight it!"

Beside her Tamia was saying, "Please my Damia, fight it for me. Fight it for mother and father and Jason! Fight it so that you can go and kill those Winglies who did this to us all. Damia, oh Damia, please come back!"

Once Damia closed her eyes and shook her head but when they opened again they were still as full of despair as ever. Shirley nearly gave into despair herself then, if they could not make this girl see light through despair then they could not get the others to either. Suddenly she heard something though that made her think of Damia, made her see the girl as she normally was, happy and dancing. She looked over and saw that Tamia was singing in a voice that sounded so much like Damia's. Shirley smiled slightly and began to sing herself, in a voice that sounded like gentle spring light.

"Heart of a human, soul of a mermaid, Daughter of a woman who loved you. Home in the ocean, free in the high skies Friend to all who see you."

Then Shirley heard another voice join in and she didn't even have to open her eyes to know who it was. The voice was like a star-filled night, gentle and soothing."

"Little dancer, little singer Always happy to see you Half human, half mermaid All kindness."

Damia began to shake underneath of Shirley's hand and she whimpered slightly. They were helping her to fight it, she was fighting the despair that had encased her and as she did the others fought as well, and they won. Four more voices joined them then. One was as hot as a fire, the second deep as the earth, the third was like a light wind, and the fourth was as loud and brash as thunder.

"You're not the biggest of us all dear Damia, You're not the strongest of us all dear Damia, But when it comes to your heart, You'll always have us beat We all love you, dear Damia."

"Dance and sing your way back to the light Come back soon, we need your help to fight Without you we are lost among the darkness With you we can see our way is clearly lit. Come back to us, dear Damia."

The six Dragoons sang alone then: "Heart of a human, we see it every day Laugh like a child, we hear it in all ways Eyes that see and don't judge Face that always grins. Please don't leave us now, dear Damia."

Then Tamia sang: "Soul of a mermaid, I know it is in there Strength of the ocean, I've seen it in your eyes Love that fills your being, more kind then any other It's not your time to meet me, you still have much to do Stay with them now, my dear Damia."

When they opened their eyes they saw the half-mermaid girl, her eyes still as bleak as ever, her body perfectly still. "You must go now," Tamia told them. "It has taken her fully. You have a chance without her, you cannot linger here."

The six Dragoons nodded, they knew it was true. And no matter how much they loved this small child they all knew that saving Endiness was more important. They walked to the door after biding her good-bye, eyes downcast as they went.

"Heart of a human, thrives in me each day Soul of a mermaid drives me forth always Eyes like a child, that care for you all Strength of the ocean, will help me through it all. I'll not leave you, my dear friends. I'm not coming yet, my dear Tamia."

They all turned as one to see Damia standing up and facing them, her large hammer held in one hand as she grinned at them. "I'll not forsake you yet my friends," she said. It had been her voice singing, almost exactly like Tamia's but slightly lighter and clearer. "We still have work to do. Thank you for guiding me back, I saw you all in the darkness. And I saw you my sister you helped me the most. I will see you again someday, my Tamia. But now I must join my friends in the fight at Kadessa!" With that last word a frosty blue light surrounded her and when it shattered like snow crystals she was in her Dragoon armor, ready to fight.

Together the seven Dragoons flew on towards Kadessa, ready to finish the fight for Endiness by winning. Damia turned back one more time, waving at her misty sister who waved and then vanished.

((Hope you all liked that chapter! The next one will be the battle. Originally this would be but I got a little side-tracked as you can tell.))