This ninth installment of Kyoko Hikawa's fourteen-volume From Far Away series, an epic fantasy saga involving two star-crossed lovers and their struggle to understand and possibly change their fate, by circumventing the prophecy which foretells that one of them will "awaken" a terrible demon in the other, picks up in the middle of the same fight sequence that ended the previous episode, as Izark and Keimos Lee Goda battle one another in the buried ruins to which the cunning Lord Rachef has transported them. Noriko, in the meantime, struggles against her captors, including the evil seeress Tazasheena, eventually escaping with the help of former Rachef underling, Doros. Rushing to the side of the terribly wounded Izark, Noriko spurs him on to greater efforts, and drawing on a part of himself even deeper than the sky demon, he sprouts angelic-looking wings and flies them to safety. Aided by Irktule - the spirit of the white mist tree forest, encountered in the fifth episode - Noriko, Izark and Doros make their escape from the region, eventually settling in a farming village in the nearby country of Aibisk. But although they have found temporary shelter, they know they will soon be pursued...

I enjoyed this episode of the ongoing story, which starts with a bang, and doesn't let up! The exciting early scenes, in which Izark and Noriko battle their enemies separately, before escaping together, are balanced out by the more bucolic farm-village moments toward the end, as they rest and recuperate, and provide plenty of fodder for the local gossips. I found the villagers' many guesses, as to the true identity of Izark and Noriko, immensely amusing - perhaps they fell into the swamp! perhaps they are actors fleeing from a lovelorn mayor who wants to marry Noriko! - I appreciated the reappearance or Irktule, and I came away with lots to ponder. What is this deeper level of identity that Izark discovers? What does it have to do with the wings that he briefly sprouts? New characters, in the form of Roki, and the two shop-keeping women he seems to live with, are introduced, and it is hinted that they are relations of Duke Jeida's, which suggests that the other companions might enter the main story again sometime soon.

In sum: another entertaining episode in an enjoyable serial story! I just wish that I'd been able to obtain a print copy, as I've done with most of the other episodes. ( )