EHPC/Chapter1Novel

Chapter 1 - The Journey to El-Hazard

Nanami walked into the dark room. "Makoto-chan…" she called out. No answer came from the busy Makoto. Doesn't he realize that she was there? "Makoto-chan! It's me, Nanami" Nanami flicked the lights on. Makoto shot up his head in surprise. "Huh? Who me?" Makoto said in his shock. Makoto looked behind himself and saw Nanami staring right back at him. "How much longer will it be, Makoto-chan?" she said in a tame voice. Makoto breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, Nanami, there you are. Please turn out the lights." She turned them off, like Makoto wanted.

Nanami Jinnai is Makoto's childhood friend. When he just moved in nearby, they practically became friends on the spot. She has been with him from Elementary School all the way to High School. An exceptional cook, Nanami can sustain herself financially with her own cooking. Her boxed lunches usually sold out hours before lunch.

"Makoto, I've been looking for you all day. Spending so much time on this project…" her voice saddened, "You missed lunch today, and now I suppose you aren't going to walk me home…" Makoto had a shot of realization. "Oh, man, am I in trouble with Nanami…" he thought. Trying to stay as calm and positive as possible, he gave her his best reason he's got. "Sorry, Nanami, I guess I just forgot!" he stated as calmly as possible. "Whew, dodged a bullet there, ol' Makoto," Makoto thought to himself, "I'd better change the subject…" He said to Nanami, "Hey, Nanami, want to know what I've been working on?" She was hardly surprised he did that. "Huh? Oh, Makoto, you have a single-track mind. Never on the same subject…" She looked around the junk-strewn room with a disgusted face. "How could you spend all day here? Look at all this junk… what could be so special in here?" Makoto pointed to the center of the so-called "junk". Makoto stated, "Ah, yes, you mean this! It's my special project for the Science Festival!" with some pride. Nanami looked on and only had more questions in her head. "… So what does the thing do?" Makoto wasn't ready for that question. In fact, he wasn't quite ready to test it yet. "Hehehe, to tell you the truth, I don't know myself…" Nanami stared at Makoto and gasped a slight, but audible, "Huh?" from her breath. Makoto gave her the best answer he got. "The only way to find out for sure if it even works is to try it out." Nanami asked with concern, "…are you sure it's safe?" "Well…" Makoto took out his notebook. He takes a couple of minutes to check his notes. "Do some addition… carry the one…" he mumbled. Then, with a tinge of pride, "Well, if my calculations are correct, then yes." Nanami gave a low sigh and looked sullen. "So, basically… you have no clue either… this is just like experiment number two…" Makoto leered at her. "What's that supposed to mean? I took plenty of safety precautions this time!" He tried this experiment three times already. The first one had little, if any, reaction at all to the power in the coils. The second experiment caused an electrical fire. Luckily, the breakers in the school shut off before the fire became too out of control. "What I mean is our lives are in your hands by simple little calculations!" "It's not simple, it's trigonometry. What's the matter? Don't you believe me?" Nanami giggled. "Don't worry, Makoto, I'm sure we will be just fine." Just then, the door opened behind them. A man just in his thirties came into the room. "Hey, what are you two doing in here? Don't you know what time it is?"

Masamichi Fujisawa, or Fujisawa-sensei to his students, is a man in his early thirties. He is an avid mountain climber. He also has a severe problem with drinking. He has tried to quit several times, but his problem never seems to go away.

"Oh, Mr. Fujisawa!" Makoto said in slight surprise. Nanami bowed in respect. "How are you this evening, sensei?" Fujisawa rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, just fine Nanami, thanks." Fujisawa looked at his two students and shook his head. "Do you even know what time it is? Class has been dismissed hours ago. You should be getting home. It's getting dark, you know." Makoto gave off a little laughter. "Hehehe… I'm sorry, sensei, I just didn't keep track of time that's all." Nanami defended herself. "Well, I would have left by now, but I was waiting for him to walk me home." Nanami smelled something on his breath and shook her head. "Sensei! You have been drinking again, haven't you?" Fujisawa tried to give a good reason why. "Well… uh… it has been a few hours and what-not…" Fujisawa decided to quit on the excuse. "Don't worry about me. You kids need to get going so I can lock up the school. I don't want to leave it open all night, you know?" And with that, he left the room. Nanami tapped Makoto's shoulder. "You know, Mr. Fujisawa is right. We should get going, too. Don't take too much longer, Makoto-chan!" Nanami left the room. Makoto stretched his arms and took a deep breath. "You know, I'm so close to being finished…" He looked at the clock. It read 6:15 PM. He thinks for a second, then he said, "I might as well finish the project and test it real quickly." Makoto got to work. He placed the wires that he was so close to placing in before Nanami scared him. He fastened all the wires into place and placed a ground wire onto the ground wire placed in the school. He plenty learned from his mistake in the second experiment. "It seems everything is in place… make sure there are no loose wires…" He takes a look at the array of wires. "…I hope all the wires are in order… Well, there's only one thing to do now!" He rushes over to the power switch. He looked at his design. His third design. Now he knows everything is perfect! (Of course, he said that in his first experiment as well…) "Today is a very exciting day for me… maybe in the history of science." He gave himself a reality check. "Of course, I do wonder what will happen when I throw the switch. If I am correct, I should get a small dimensional hole… or something of the sort… that's all I could possibly hope for." He places his hand over the small power switch. "Now for the big moment!" The switch clicked into place. Nothing happened yet. He exhaled his held breath. "It's okay, Makoto, it just takes a few moments for the coils to charge…" Surely enough, the coils charged up and went into the strange obelisk he found one day after school. Instead of a small dimensional hole like he wanted, he got… "W-What's going on?" Makoto is in shock and disbelief.

"…Is that… a girl?" The girl started to speak softly. "…Please… if any of the gods can hear me…" Makoto was spell bounded. A young and beautiful girl was in front of him… "She seems to be praying…" He looks at the girl and sees that she is very upset. "She must be upset about something… Wonder what's going on with my machine…?" The girl picked up her head from the praying stance. "Huh? Do I hear an answer?" Makoto was shocked. "Wait… you could hear me talk?" Makoto closed his eyes and chanted, "This can't be happening, this can't be happening…" "May I ask who is answering my prayers?" the young girl asked out loud. "Could this actually be happening to me? Is it for real?" Makoto couldn't believe his eyes. "Please, Real, I need your help," the girl called out, thinking that Makoto is named Real. "I… guess I could, but I'm not Real." He looks at the now standing girl. "I could try to help you, but I need to know where you are." "I… guess that's fair. I'm in the royal palace in Roshtaria… you know, in Floristi-" She looked him over. "Wh-What are those strange clothes you wear?" "Huh?" He looks at his clothing. "Oh! This is just my school uniform." She looked at him puzzled. "I've never seen those kinds of clothes before…" Makoto chuckled. These clothing are common among all high school students wear. "What? Is she from another planet?" Makoto thought. "…Where in El-Hazard are you from?" "What?" Makoto thought, "No, that can't be right." He asked out loud, "El-Hazard? What are you talking about?" Taking no note on what Makoto just asked, the girl continued on. "The land of El-Hazard is in serious turmoil." She put her hands together. "I'm so glad you answered my prayers. We need a savior for our lands." Taking no note on what the girl said, Makoto continued to mumble to himself. "El-Hazard? I never heard of such a place…" The girl looked at him in a funny way. "You don't know El-Hazard? It's our world!" She smiled again. "I have prayed for you, my savior, and you've answered me!" Makoto thoughts became frantic. "Wait… what did she say? Savior?" He laughed nervously and said, "Uh… I think you have the wrong number, I'm not a savior…" She just looked at Makoto in a strange way. "Number? No, you simply MUST be El-Hazard's savior! I have prayed for a savior, you answered me. You must be the one!"

Down the hall, a couple of minutes ago… Fujisawa caught Jinnai as he was leaving from his studying. Fujisawa asked Jinnai, "Jinnai, go see if Makoto has finished up already. You know how the kid gets…" Jinnai stretched. "Don't worry, sensei. I'll check it out." He runs his comb through his hair "I will make sure he leaves before I go. Have a nice night, Fujisawa." Fujisawa patted Jinnai on the back. "Thanks, Jinnai. You've always been a big help for me!" "Its all part of the Religion Club code."

"No, it's very charming of you to think so highly of me, but… it's just…" Makoto doesn't know what to say. He doesn't want to upset her, but there is no way to tell her that he is only 17 and a high school student. Then, the door opens up from behind him. Makoto let out a loud yell and stood in front of the girl. Jinnai looked at Makoto. "Well, if it isn't Makoto." Makoto jumped into the air. "J-Jinnai? What're you doing in here?"

Katsuhiko Jinnai, leader of the Religion Club, is the older brother of Nanami Jinnai. Despite his past troubles, he found new light in religion. But this also made him more suspicious to others activities. "It's bad enough I'm performing the experiment, but him being here makes things worse…"

Jinnai rapped his knuckles on the wall. "So… what's going on?" Makoto stood in front of the image of Rune. "Oh, it's nothing, just go away Jinnai." "No, no. I know you Makoto… Mr. Popular… who were you talking to?" He placed his hands on Makoto's shoulders. "Seriously, old and dearest friend of mine!" Makoto grimaced. He thought, "It's bad enough he caught me, but if he knew what it was…" Makoto laughed and broke Jinnai's grip on his shoulders. "Hehehe, Jinnai, don't you have to study? I can't eat up your time, you know…" Jinnai chuckled. "Don't worry, Makoto, I'm currently on my break. I just dropped by… you know?" He let off a slight laugh. "In a room all night with a girl… this sounds like a relationship to me, Makoto. You should at least let me know how you are… Sometimes it seems that I don't even know you… ol' buddy, ol' pal." Makoto just thought, "Buddies? He just wants to know if I was doing anything with a girl… sometimes I wish he leaves all of us alone…" Jinnai stood up and gave Makoto a world of caution, "Well, if you won't tell, remember that any sinful activity doesn't go… unnoticed by me!" As if the problems couldn't get any more complicated, the girl spoke again. "Who is that, my savior?" The spontaneous chatter of the girl freaked out Makoto. He quickly hushed her. "What are you doing? Keep quiet!" The girl was perplexed. "…Don't be rude to me, savior." Makoto continued to hush her. "Shh! No, it's very important to be quiet!" Jinnai looked at awe at Makoto. Was there a sinful activity like he suspected? Jinnai made a small frown. "Just as I thought… who is that?" Makoto jumped 180 degrees. "Whoah! What do you mean? There's no one here!" The girl asked cheerfully, "Oh, is this one of your friends?" Makoto kept his mouth shut. Jinnai stared at him. "See? It's just my ventriloquism! I've been practicing it on my free time!" The girl became anxious. " …Are you ignoring me, savior?" Makoto laughed and said, "Of course not!" She became angry. "…What are you doing? Hiding me?" "No, I'm not! You're right here!" He said, pointing beside him. He turned to Jinnai. "See, Jinnai, I'm too good!" Makoto puts his hand onto his chest. "Breathtaking, isn't it? I think the voice sounds a lot like a girl." Makoto pointed at Jinnai. "Did you know it took me months to perfect that beautiful voice? I'll just pick up the junk and clean the floor and I'll see you tomorrow!" Jinnai looked at him very strangely. How did he do that? It just seemed ridiculous to him. "Woah… YOU were thanking yourself?" He gathered up his books. "I think it is late. I should get going as well." As he left, he muttered, "And I thought I had problems…"

Jinnai promptly left the room, leaving Makoto and the girl alone. "Phew, that was too close for comfort." He turned back to the girl. "Look, I'm sorry. I hope I haven't hurt your feelings…" She lashed out in anger. "I can't believe what I heard! You think this is some kind of sick game you can play?" "What do you mean? You don't understand the situation…" She turned her back on him. "I don't think you even care to understand our situation…" Makoto pleaded to her, "I was trying to protect you…" Her voice was shaky as she said, "Are you even going to bother with me? If you don't just say so!" Makoto continued to plead. "No, really! I would LOVE to help you, but…" She stayed around to shun him. "You have no excuse to be so cruel to me!"" Looks at him with a saddened face. "You must come here so you can help us! This is not just a prayer, it’s a plea for help! And you go and insult me like that?!" Makoto drew the last straw and yelled at her. "I want to help, but I don't even understand where or how to get there!" She looked at him for a minute and laughed. "I have got an idea… There is this holy prayer I know… If you say it with all your heart, it will grant you a miracle." Makoto said in a somewhat sarcastic voice, "Oh… well, that's a nice… thought… So a few words will whisk me away the land of El-Hazard, huh? There's no mathematical or scientific possibility to support such an idea." She placed her hand on her heart. "You must have faith my savior. When you say these words, you will be guided to the land of El-Hazard."

She recited these words…

"When two hearts are joined together,

The Holy Contract shall be sealed,

Thus the Stairway to the Sky will be opened."

She continued, "If you recite these works with all your heart, the miracle shall happen." Makoto had one thought, "What in the world is she smoking?" Makoto said to her solomly, "I… don't think my machine is strong enough for words to cause the effect." Makoto sat down for a second. "I did all of my mathematical equations correctly… a small hole should have appeared. Where did THIS come from?" She looked at him again and asked in a distressed voice, "Are you going to recite what I said?" Makoto stood up and thought. "Well, I guess I have to prove to her that this will not work." He turned to Rune and said, "Well, all right, I will say these words just to show you…"

He takes a deep breath and starts reciting the words (he said them wrong though)…

When our two hearts are jointed together,

The Holy Contact shall be revealed,

Thus the Stairway to the Sky will be opened.

Before anything else could be said, there was a loud implosion and the once visible girl became something else pure light. "What bright light!" He squinted at the light. "What in God's name happened?" The door opened and Jinnai looked at Makoto. "I heard God's name! Can I hear that ventriloquism once more-!" His face fell form giddiness to pure terror. "What in all that is holy and good is THAT?" Makoto turned around and saw Jinnai right behind him. "Jinnai, what are you doing here? How long have you been standing there?" Jinnai pointed at Makoto accusingly. "You! You are a priest for the Dark Lord! Chanting demonic words. You are casting eternal Damnation on us all! There WAS a girl in here, sacrificed by you, no less!" Makoto gave him a strange look. "Wow… what an imagination." Jinnai continued to yell, "I won't let you bring your accursed practice into this school!" Makoto spread his arms out. "Jinnai, would you cut this out?" Jinnai looked behind Makoto and saw the shadow of the girl. "I knew it! A dark and powerful evil spirit possessed you! I won't let this… thing take you over!" He grabbed Makoto's arms. Makoto struggled from his grip. "What the hell are you doing?" Jinnai laughed out loud. "You must be exorcised, Makoto! No evil, no matter how powerful, can defy my holy strength!" Makoto continued to try to push Jinnai away. "I haven't been possessed! Let me GO!" Jinnai thrusts Makoto to the floor. "I won't let them take you over! Hear my wrath, spirit! HAHAHAHAHA!" He punches Makoto at his chest. While Jinnai laughed, Makoto punched him straight at his face. He fell straight to the floor. Makoto was panting. "Jinnai, what got-?" Makoto looked at his machine. Something was wrong… very wrong… "Something's wrong with my experiment…!" The machine let out a blast of energy. "Oh, no! It's overloaded!" Jinnai laughed. "Serves you right! Feel your own destruction, you accursed demon!" Makoto lets out a scream and Jinnai continued laughing as the light engulfed them.

Across the hall, Nanami decided that she was just going to leave, figuring Makoto just continued the experiment like usual. When she heard Makoto scream and Jinnai laugh, she stopped. "Huh? What's going on? Is Makoto's experiment…?" She saw the light approach her. Before she could say anything, it engulfed her.

Fujisawa, now drunk on the floor, is having dreams of his past field trips to the mountains.

"Zzzzz… as you can see, this slope is steep. Take precaution… zzzzz…."

The light engulfed him as well.

After hearing a loud explosion, Makoto felt… nothing… it was like being in a dream or weightless. After what felt like hours, he fell to the ground. The ground felt good, especially since floating in mid-air felt kind of weird to him. After seeing if his feet and hands were still attached, Makoto tried to call out for Jinnai. "Ugh… Jinnai… what happened? Where are you?" Making his best attempt, he opened his eyes.

He saw the sun. It was morning. Did he just fall asleep in the laboratory? Then, he got up. This certainly wasn't the science lab… or even the school's yard. He tried to think rationally about what just happened. Unfortunately, he couldn't find the answer. "Where… am I?" He looked around. "This doesn't look like any place I have ever been to…" He paced around in circles. "I have never seen this kind of flora before…" He stopped for a moment. "Wait… could this be… El-Hazard?" He looked through his notes. "What happened last night? That couldn't have possibly have… overloaded my machine, right?" He put the notebook away. "I mean, a few words could not have that much power over my machine… but what other explanation IS there?" He looked around again. "I hope I'm not alone…" He calls out to open, "Hello? Anyone out here? Anybody? Anything?" He cupped his hands and yelled, "Hey! If you are anywhere near me, come out!" He heard rustling in the bushes nearby. He flipped around to the bushes. "Who's there?" He then heard an all-too-familiar voice. "Christ! Where the hell am I? That's it with the cheap sake! I'm swearing off!" He stood up from the bushes, holding a scowl from his rude awakening.

"Mr. Fujisawa? You're here?" Makoto was amazed to find his teacher, of all things. "Oh…" Fujisawa placed his hand on his head. "Hello, Makoto… what are you doing here?" Makoto was almost ready to hug him. "Thank God you're okay!" Fujisawa held out his hand. "Wow, that's some strong sake! I don't even remember getting here last night. I tell ya, that stuff cleared up my head. Whew." Makoto gave him a stern look. "Mr. Fujisawa… This may sound crazy, but I think we may be in a place called El-Hazard." Fujisawa got out of the bushes and rubbed his head. "What did you say? El… Hazard?" Makoto responded, "Yes. Sensei, about last night, my experiment must have overloaded and… it may have created a hole big enough to take us in. I know it sounds crazy, but it's my theory." Fujisawa asks an innocent but serious question. "Are you feeling okay, Makoto? Did you bump your head or something?" Makoto put his hand on his chest. "Besides a hit in the chest, I'm fine. But, this area doesn't look familiar to us, does it?" Fujisawa put his hand on Makoto's shoulder. "Oh… listen, Makoto, we can play games later. I still have to lock up the school!" Makoto pointed behind him. "If you know where to go, lead the way." Fujisawa headed in one direction. "Absolutely, I'll be glad to. Honestly, did you actually think we were lost?" Makoto kept trying to tell him. "Sensei, I don't this is Japan, or even Earth at all!" Makoto asked, "Have you ever seen this place in your mountain-climbing hobby?" Fujisawa gave Makoto a concerned face and said, "I think you need more fresh air, Makoto. Being in the science room day in and day out is not good for someone's health." They heard rustling nearby. Makoto froze in his tracks. "Did you hear that? Someone is coming!" Fujisawa's face drew up with a smirk. "Oh, good! We can ask them for directions!" They heard rustling. It was closer and Makoto heard some strange noises. "Sensei… I thought you knew the way…" Fujisawa blushed. "I know… I guess we are sort of lost…" There was more rustling. The noises were now distinctly not human. Makoto started to get worried. "Sensei… I don't think that's human…" Fujisawa laughed quietly. "Yeah, I'm sure they are…" He yelled out, "Hey! You there! We need to ask you a few questions!" The creatures approached them. "Oh… there you are!" Makoto, though, started to get real worried. "What the hell…? Sensei! I really have a bad feeling about these things!" Fujisawa, though remained positive. "Don't be rude to these people. They're just costumes. This must be some sort of set we woke up on."

As the creatures got closer, Makoto looked at one. "I don't see a zipper anywhere…" Fujisawa cleared his throat. "Excuse my student. We need to ask you a question. Do you happen to know the way back to Shinonome High?" The creatures surrounded the duo. "Wow, there is a lot of them… maybe they can't hear what I am saying?" He whispers to Makoto, "Do they seem to be behaving oddly to you?" Makoto screamed to Fujisawa. "Sensei! Understand this - they look like giant bugs!" Fuijsawa acknowledged this. "I know! Those are excellent costumes!" He examines one of them. "Unbelievable craftsmanship… very close to perfection… a professional's work…" He stated to them, "I hate to break it up, kids, but we should head back to class." The "students" look at him. "What? I said 'we have to head back to class'. Are you having a hard time hearing me?" They continue staring. "Listen, I think they are not students in costumes…" Fujisawa laughed nervously. "Er… well… What do you want me to do? Wrestle them?" They broke into uproarious chatter. They immediately go after the sensei. Makoto yelled out, "Sensei! Look out!" Fujisawa became worried. "What are you students doing?! Stop! I demand it!" They started to lunge at Makoto. He demanded, "Stay away from my student!" With a loud yell, Fujisawa comes in with a karate chop. The bug's head gets dented from the impact. Makoto, who was covering himself, looked at the now unconscious bug. "Wow, sensei! How did you do that?" Fujisawa looked at Makoto and stated, "See, Makoto, they are just costumes. He stepped out of line, that's all." Makoto yelled again, "Sensei! They are not students!" Fujisawa looked at them and frowned. "They are so! Lousy brats… juvenile delinquents, that's all!" They jumped him again. He attacks them, fending them off left and right. He takes them head on with punches and kicks. Then he sides kick one, sending it flying. Unfortunately, they were not scared off. Makoto feared for Fujisawa and Makoto's lives. "Sensei! They keep coming!" Fujisawa breathes heavily as he tries to catch his breath. "Makoto…I'm… too tired…" Makoto tried to encourage him. "Sensei! Keep going! You can beat them!" Fujisawa collapsed to the ground. "I… can't… keep going… I'm… sorry…" Makoto shook his shoulder. "Don't give up now!" The creatures charge at them again. Now, they are completely defenseless. Fujisawa stated tiredly. "This looks like the end!" Makoto screamed and curled up into a ball "Ah! Mommy!" Just then, something, much like a missile, crashed into the ground and created a bright flash. This disoriented the creatures. Fujisawa looked up at the flash. "Whoa, what was that?" Makoto asked very softly, "Are we dead?" They heard a voice call out to them. "Run for it! The effects won't last long!" Fujisawa and Makoto did what the voice wanted them to do. They took off, running as parallel as they could because they couldn't see each other. Finally, the voice called out again. "Don't worry. They can't find you here." Makoto looked for Fujisawa. He found him. "Sensei! Come over here." Fujisawa looked for Makoto's voice and found him. "Oh, Makoto! There you are!" He runs over to Makoto. Makoto hugged him and said, "I thought we were goners out there!" Makoto was in tears. "Thank god we are okay, sensei!" They looked around and saw an area that looked similar to where they started. They watched as the creatures, confused about what happened to themselves, walked off in the opposite direction. A woman came up from behind. "You might want to thank me, instead, kid."

Fujisawa turned to thank her. "Oh, excuse, thank… you… miss…" Makoto looked at the woman. "Who are you… oh, sorry..." He bowed in respect to the woman. "Oh, thank you for your help. Wow, you're beautiful." Fujisawa mumbled quietly, "Oh, you could say that again…" Makoto looked at his mesmerized sensei, "What was that, sensei?" The woman looked at him confused. "Hm? Are you okay? Your face is red." Fujisawa quickly broke from his trance and said in embarrassment, "Ah! I was just saying that you seem very nice, miss!" She laughed out loud. "I think you are funny. I don't usually find people this far out." Fujisawa kept his eyes trained on the woman in front of him. "I am sorry, where are my manners. I want to thank you… properly… for saving us." Fujisawa's teacher side kicked in. "Where are your manners, Fujisawa?" He cleared his throat quickly. "I-I'm Masamichi Fujisawa, a teacher at Shinonome High School." And Makoto interjects, "And I'm his student, Makoto Mizuhara!" She repeated the names to herself because the names were foreign to her. "You're Masamichi Fujisawa… and you're Makoto Mizuhara? Those are new names…" She stood straight up. "I am known as Ms. Ishiel Soelu, the Great Priestess of Nature." She tries to say their names again. "Makomichi Mizuawa… Masakoto Fujihara… Excuse me, what were they?" Makoto laughed nervously. "Just Makoto will do," She giggled. "Ah, all right, Makoto. Why did you and your teacher stray this far?" Makoto asked her, "Why? Is there a problem being here?" Ishiel shook her head. "Well you should know that there is plenty of Bugrom in this area…" Makoto enunciated the key word in the sentence. "So… they were BUGROM all along…" Fujisawa looked at him, embarrassed. "Makoto! Don't embarrass me in front of this… beautiful lady…" He clears his throat. "So, Ms. Ishiel, can you tell us how to get back to Shinonome High? You could come along with us if you'd like…" Ishiel looked at Fujisawa with a confused look on her face. "Shin… onome? Unfortunately, in all of El-Hazard, I've never heard of that place…" Makoto gets a shot of realization. "El-Hazard!?" He stepped towards her. "Ishiel, tell me, is this land called El-Hazard?" Ishiel looked at him strangely. "Uhh, yeah… where else would we be…?" Makoto started to do his own little happy dance. Makoto started to yell gleefully, "Sensei! It's unbelievable! I never imagined these spectacular results! I'm going to be famous!" Fujisawa had to bring Makoto back down to Earth (err, El-Hazard). "You know that you have to be able to recreate the experiment to get back to Earth first." Ishiel looked at the two. "Wait a minute… Experiment? What are you two talking about?" They both stopped. After a few minutes of explanation, they made it up to the point of where they met her. "…and then we found you." Fujisawa concluded the speech. Makoto looked at her. "Ishiel, can I ask you a few questions?" Ishiel didn't respond. She appeared to be deep in her thoughts. Makoto looked at her confused. "Ishiel? What's the matter?" She remained silent. Makoto asked her, "Ishiel, did I offend you in any way possible? If so, I'm sorry." Ishiel snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh, sorry, I guess I was fazed out…" Fuijsawa nudged Makoto. "You know, Makoto, we really shouldn't bother her…" Makoto looked at Fujisawa and said, "Well, unlike you, I want to know how to get back." Ishiel sighed and asked, "What is it you want to know?" They asked her some questions concerning the land, but none of them led them any closer to the answer. After discussing these things with her, she said, "We might want to start leaving this area. It will be night soon and the Bugrom might start their active patrol. We will travel to Floristica." "Well, it's good to have someone who knows El-Hazard," Makoto stated happily. Ishiel giggled. "It will be my pleasure. I haven't been with anyone for a while." Fujisawa thought, "Neither have I." Makoto wondered this for a second. "What exactly did she mean by that?" Makoto focused on a more pressing issue for him. "Ishiel… the girl may be the only one who knows how to get us home." Ishiel said, with optimism, "That's exactly why we need to find her." "Well, we better get going then. She's the one that got us to El-Hazard… she may be our only hope of returning to Earth." Makoto and the others started to travel. Ishiel laughed, "…right, Makoto. Well, let's go! I know a shortcut! It's the least I can do." Makoto started to say something, but Fujisawa interrupted Makoto. "Yes, Ms. Ishiel, I'm grateful you know. I do need to get back to class." Ishiel mentioned, "We should get there before sunset. When we arrive, we could stay at the local inn." Makoto acted very politely, "Ishiel, thank you very much!" Ishiel smiled. "It's no problem."

Fujisawa continued to talk to Ishiel. "Oh, yes! It's great being with such a pretty guide like you." His teacher side kicked in again. "What's with you, Fujisawa?" "Who knows, maybe we could, you know, get to know each other in a deeper way…" "Oh, REAL subtle…" Ishiel let out a quiet laugh. "Perhaps." Makoto laughed nervously. "I wonder where he got that from?"

Nanami ended up in the desert. She grips about her situation. "Water… What did I do to deserve this? I'm stuck in the middle of a vast desert with no water?! Hot, tired, no shade around… I don't deserve this! Not me! I'm worried. What if I never find my way back? What if I die out here and people take my clothing…?" She stopped. "No, if I want to survive, I must be positive! I'm tough to beat! I will survive this!" The wind continues to blow at Nanami. She continues to whine. "Where is the end to this desert?! It just keeps going and going forever! I wonder if people even know I'm missing? Makoto will be so worried… he's probably wondering where his bento is… I hope I can find my way back soon."

Waking up from his slumber, Jinnai was extremely mad. He looked around at his location. Forest. Nothing but trees as far as the eye can see. "What is this place?" He clenched a fist. "How did he do this to me?" He raised both arms and yelled at the top of his lungs, "Somebody better know how I ended up here!" His arms slacked his arms to the side. He talked softly, saying, "How could I have been so weak against Makoto… I disrespected the name of the Religious Club." He heard rustling behind him. He turned and heard some noise coming from the Bugrom. "What was that?" The Bugrom, doing their nightly patrol, found Jinnai. The purple bugrom said *Halt*. The yellow bugrom said, *No human can pass*. Jinnai muttered to himself frantically. "What are these beings…?" He pondered this. "Such clarity in speech…" He points to the red bugrom. "Excuse me, can you understand what I have to say?" The red bugrom looked at him with confusion. *Yes. That's… odd…*. Jinnai retracted his point. He never actually talked to a bug before. "Oh… that certainly would be weird… to you guys…" The yellow bugrom asked him, *How can you understand US?* Jinnai smacked himself on the head. "What am I doing? I'm such an idiot" He pointed at them. "Are you creatures created by the Dark Priest Makoto Mizuhara?" He grabbed his head. "How could I have been fooled so easily? He did this to destroy all of us! I must be his biggest obstacle to ultimate destruction!" The red bugrom begged the question, *Makoto Mizuhara? Dark Priest? What's that?* Jinnai looked back at the confused bugrom. "Oh… you are not really… bad? I see, my mistake." The yellow bugrom talked to Jinnai, saying, *This is certainly bizarre. It's the first time we ever talked to a human before.* Jinnai looked back at him. "What? This is the first time you understood a human talk to you?" He smirked. "Now I understand… you only understand the pure of heart." He stood straight up and declared, "I am a great and holy man in my world! The one known as Katsuhiko Jinnai the Righteous!" The red bugrom cheered. They yellow bugrom said, *This is a good day for us all! We need to show him to our queen!* Jinnai laughed with the now happy bugrom. "YAHAHAHAHA! This is truly a great moment for us all!" The red bugrom tugged on his sleeve. *Come! You must meet Diva!* Jinnai was surprised with the response. "Really?" He pondered about the person. "Who is this "Diva" person?" He then realized that they are moving away from him. "Hey! Where are you all going?" The yellow bugrom led the traveling. *Let's get back to the hive.* The red bugrom walked beside him. *We should get there quickly.* The yellow bugrom called out, *Let's haste!* They started to move faster and faster. Jinnai started to lose them. "Hey! Slow down! I can't move that fast!" A second red bugrom grabbed him from behind and carried him. "Whoa-oh! Don't you know hospitalty?!" He yelled at the bugrom, "That's not nice to do to people!" The bugrom quickly apologized. Jinnai gave nervous gibberish. Jinnai sighed and said, "Honestly, this is not the correct way to treat your religious advocate!"

They have carried him for many miles until they entered the hive. Jinnai didn't say very much while he was being carried for fear that they were going to drop him if he says something wrong. They brought him onto a transport. The purple bugrom asked him, *Are you okay?* Jinnai looked at him and said, *Yes, it's just… I don't know where I am.* The purple bugrom filled him in that he was over the River of God and that the Bugrom Empire is on the other side. "I see… thank you." He patted him on the head. Just beyond the fog, the Bugrom Empire came into view. Jinnai was surprised at the size of the place. Before his arrival, the bugrom told Diva, via antennae, that there was a strange man that could talk to them. Queen Diva decided to see this person in person. When Jinnai came into the throne room, she was surprised at the lacking of features normally required to speak to Bugrom. When Jinnai started to talk, though, she understood everything he said.

"So it is true that you can speak to us. How can you speak to us, human?" Diva asked of him. Jinnai hoped for a more logical reason but he figures, you can't argue with religious reasons. "Well, I think it's because I'm been blessed by the holy one." Diva was amazed at his answer. "Has the day finally arrived? Are you the messenger sent from God?" Jinnai almost laughed. "Of course I am. What do I look like to you, a demon?" Diva disregarded the sarcasm he spoke. "It must be the work of faith. Has the time come for us?" She clapped her hands together. "This is truly a day to celebrate! The messenger has come for us! You will lead us to victory in our battle against our enemies!" Jinnai, not getting the idea of her intentions, asked, "How shall I pass the good news across the land?" Diva wondered what Jinnai meant. "Aren't you ready to lead our army of troops?" Jinnai took this as an offense on his part. "Don't doubt me, the Great Katsuhiko Jinnai will lead your troops the right way!" Diva started to get excited. "We could rule the whole land!" Jinnai laughed out loud, "YAHAHAHAHA! Under my direction of holiness, yes." Diva started to get ahead of herself. "You have the whole army to crush your foes! Jinnai, with your divine strength, guide us through El-Hazard and conquer the land!" Jinnai stopped all of his talking. "Wait a minute, conquer the land? Doesn't that seem kind of wrong for a religious leader?" Jinnai started remembering about Makoto. "Oh, now I get it. You can feel the powers of the Dark Priest Makoto Mizuhara as well…" Diva looked at him, puzzled. "Makoto? Dark Priest?" Jinnai was shocked. "You can feel his presence, but not know of him?!" He spread out his hands. "His corruptive power is taking over the land as we speak!" He pounded his hand into his fist. "We must destroy him before he takes over us all!" Diva watched him get excited over this Makoto character. "Oh, he must be the most powerful foe across the river, then?" She laughed. "I'm confident that our power can destroy him." Jinnai laughed under his breath. "Makoto… Your reign of terror will be over soon…"