Genuflection

[Denunciator]

Welcome back :D

You'll see who it is in due time.

[Denunciator]

Chapter 16

Alex stepped out of the house and breathed in deeply. How fantastic it is to be able to breathe once again... Shrugging, he tested the flexibility of a human's shoulders. "How fantastic," he whispered, holding out his hands. A black bow appeared, the limbs tapering into wings at the end. Keiichi whistled. "Dark Metus? Where the hell did you get that?" Turning, Alex opened his mouth, and paused. Would my voice knock him out? I'd better not try. Shutting his eyes, he adjusted his voice slightly before speaking. "Found it in the forest." Keiichi raised his eyebrows, but didn't reply. His thoughts, however, rang clear in Alex's mind. Suspicious. The forest doesn't even look remotely disturbed... never mind, I shall figure it out later. Turning around, the Knight strode away, drawing his sword.
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"You see, I'm not the only Griffin, but as far as I know, I'm the only one who lets a human go free. Please, tread with care. We will meet again, I'm sure." Flapping its wings, it let out a loud crow; the Assassin and Knight fainted.

---

Reika's eyelids fluttered. The early-afternoon sun burned down brightly, causing the grassland to feel like a furnace. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and looked around. "What... is this place?" All around them, there was nothing but grass, as far as they could see; the unbroken expanse let off a heavy smell of... nature. There was nothing she could use to describe it. Beside her, Claire was slumbering, her face a mask of contentment and peace. Smiling, the Assassin stood up, and walked a few steps away. "Haste." Her feet floated slightly off the ground, levitated by the mana that would give her the additional boost in speed and height of jump whenever she needed it. Jumping a little, she took off, feeling the wind against her face as the grass around her flashed by. She took particular care in her direction, making sure to travel in a circle so as not to get lost in an area that looked the same from anywhere.

All of a sudden, her path was blocked by a gigantic stone wall; gasping, she tried to slow down, but to no avail. Just before she crashed, a hole appeared and she skated neatly through, stopping after a hundred meters of friction. "What was that for?!" she shouted, staring at the Knight angrily. Perched on top of the wall, she gave a tinkling laugh. "Had to slow you down, didn't I?" The Assassin punched the earth wall angrily; it didn't even crack. Shaking her head, the Knight jumped beside the Assassin and clenched her fist. With a resounding crash, the wall fell to the ground, returning to when it came from. Patting Reika on the back, Claire smiled. "Relax, okay? I'll never hurt you intentionally." Turning, she started walking. Reluctantly, the Reika followed, asking, "Where are we going?" Claire shrugged. "I'll go wherever these feet bring me." The Assassin said nothing, just bit her lip and continued trekking through the overgrown grass.

Behind, a creature watched, craning its neck. Flapping its wings, it glanced at the ground as the grass froze over from overexposure to coldness. It stared stonily at the girl lagging behind, weapon-less.
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Alex looked around at the dreary expanse, staring at the window which showed whatever his eyes were seeing. Can't believe this... I'm trapped in my own mind, with no way out? The smell of a dead fire wafted through the atmosphere, along with the smell of slightly-scorched grass. "Unpleasant," he commented, walking around. Not far in the distance, there was an oaken door, but he didn't dare open it for fear of whatever might be lurking. "Should I... or not? Ugh, I hate making choices." Walking to the door, he gritted his teeth and slammed it. No response. Slightly relieved that the door didn't open, he sat down, saying, "Well, at least I tried." Lying down on the parched ground, he stared up into the white sky. "I wonder how I can think whilst inside my mind. Weird feeling, this." As he felt himself warming up from the heat generated by the movement of his body, he stared reflecting. Curiosity tore at him, in the form of the content behind the door. After all, this was his own mind... any mysteries about it wouldn't rest until he got his answers.

Three minutes of intense fighting later, he stood in front of the door. The single door was topped with an arch, its support pillars extending all the way to the ground. On the oak itself, thousands of symbols were scrawled. Each symbol was only the size of his thumb, but the door was taller than him by about seven times. "Wonder what this stuff means. Maybe its my life story?" This time, he pushed the door gently, and it gave way without budging. Stepping in backwards, he shut the door behind him, and turned.

All the way to the end of the hundred-meter stretch, there were bookcases filled with volumes of inconceivable sizes. "What... the hell?"

---

Alex sighed. He'd picked out five books at random and read them, but they were all about things that he'd experienced recently - the episode where he'd arrived in Kerning and escaped from the Dark Lord using... whatever skill that was... spanned three books. The other two comprised of the time shortly before he entered the Sanctuary and just after Reika morphed into the Phoenix. Reika... The thought of her drowned him in despair - he'd never felt so lonely, so in need of a person. All his life, he'd fought for survival, and he was now trapped in his own world, unable to reach or contact anyone. Beyond wondering how she was, he curled up into a fetal position and cried softly.

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Despair filled his soul. Trapped in darkness, all he could do was cry out. To scream. Even if he escaped this dungeon right now, he wouldn't be able to return to his body, but not being able to sense anything was the penultimate torture... after losing the person he loved the most. As his ravings rent the blackness, the world started warping. There was a figure standing before him... no, floating before him. Studying the twelve-year-old's scrunched up eyes and the sounds of madness that were emitted from his mouth, he winced. This wasn't something that he had factored in, since Alex was mostly calm and practical. "Out of the ordinary," he muttered, staring at the boy. Releasing a mind-pulse, he looked on in satisfaction as the screaming subsided, replaced by a mortified expression. Combined with the kneeling, the boy looked ravaged, almost... pitiful.

I have to do this, it's for his sake... the figure tried to substantiate his decision, but couldn't. "Alex... you have one more chance." The hard tone surprised even himself. "You have been given the power to do things. To create miracles. Find it." The boy kneeling before him remained silent. "Fine. Fine!" Losing his patience, he flapped his wings and left the distorted dimension.

---

Kneeling before the cross in El Nath, he bowed before the graves. "I'm sorry I have to do this, Jakito. As a fellow demon... you should understand. I never meant to harm your son... but I must make him learn. Before it is too late." Turning, he walked around and stared down at the gigantic cross in the center of the courtyard. Two bodies were buried there, two people he knew very well. One was his host, the other, his former lover. Her former lover, he corrected himself.
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The bowmen strode into the clearing, confident of their abilities. The southern forest had been ravaged by battle, and there were people lying all around, heavily injured. One of the bowmen whistled, and a gigantic silver hog appeared from the forest. "Carry the injured mages back." Grunting, he breathed in, causing some bodies to fly into its mouth. Grunting again, it turned and was gone in an instant. Drawing his Dragon Shiner, the Bowmaster said, calmly, "This is only the beginning." In silence, the archers prepared for battle.

---

Not so far in the north, Ellinia was in a subdued mood. The Elementalists hadn't arrived, leaving the Mages sitting around, depressed. Although they hadn't suffered fatalities, many were injured beyond the healers' help, mostly by the attacks from the Knights. Burns, frostbites, limb-disablings... all due to the selfishness of the Elementalists. The Archmage wished that the original system of Ice-Lightning, Fire-Poison Mages and Clerics had not been dismantled, but Grendel had insisted that each mage chose its mastery and focus on it. With good reason too; at that time, he had agreed completely, but now... Slamming his fist on the table, he spoke. "We can't go on like this anymore." Julian turned his head. "What?" Grinding his teeth, he replied, "What? Look at the Elementalists! What are they doing? While we're holding the fort, they go off to goodness knows where. We called for Elementalists, what did we get? Trista!" The girl, eavesdropping, whipped around and asked, "Is there any problem with me?" The commander narrowed his eyes. "No, which is precisely the problem. Look, you're still young, younger than all of us. There's no reason to involve you in this battle, although you're perfectly capable. It's just... I wish that the Elementalists would return here."

Julian stood up, and the table crashed, startling everyone. Facing the Archmage, he said, "You're right. I've let this go too far. I'm calling them in." Under his breath, Trista muttered, "Like the Elementalists are going to return-" Before she could finish, Grendel faced her. "I'm not calling the Elementalists. I'm calling for... divine intervention." Facing east, he pointed.

Through the gap in the trees, a floating island could be seen, the island with the most subservient security force in all of Victoria; the island with the strongest fighters, dedicated to protecting the monarchy of the world.

Ereb.
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Kon stepped out into the land of ice and snow, facing the mountains in the distance. What had been impassable had to be breached, to find the land beyond. Nobody had ever passed the mountains, and the place he was looking for was surrounded by the mountains. He had one month to find it. One month, before the World Tree unleashed its revenge.

One month. That was all.

[Denunciator]

Chapter 17

The Knight and Assassin walked into the town, examining its strangeness. It was mostly deserted, save for a couple of eggs here and there; the shells were pristine, red in color with spikes emerging at random spots. "Did you know," a voice crowed from behind, "Each egg is different depending on the power and level that the chick has?" Turning, Claire held her katana in a defensive pose. "Oh, don't bother." Seeing that she didn't move, the bird breathed. In an instant, the only thing that was left was the hilt of the sword, which Claire dropped onto the pile of melted metal in surprise. "Oh we've gotta move our nest now," the bird sighed, shaking its head. "Who are you?" the Knight asked, incredulous. "Oh, you might call me a... phoenix is, I believe, the right word." At the mention of the creature, Reika stiffened. What? "You okay there?" the phoenix asked, flapping its wings; a brilliant red feather dropped onto the ground. Picking it up using its claws, it tucked it delicately under the egg, and a nest of flames erupted beneath it. Happily, the bird said, "This egg will hatch in three hours."

Facing the Assassin and Knight, it continued, "Humans haven't treaded here for centuries. Who are you, and how did you get here?" Before Reika could open her mouth, Claire intervened. "We got knocked out, and I don't know how we got here." The bird seemed to raise an eyebrow, but she wasn't sure. After all, the entire plume of the bird was red in color - thousands of feathers making up one creature. "Follow me." The previously rich voice was laced with danger, and the party of two thought it prudent to heed the phoenix, at least for now.

The path through the jungle was perilous; the previously docile grassland had turned into a man-eating swamp, trees and plants ready to devour any passer-by who was unawares. The mood was eerie, and yet the phoenix didn't seem to have a problem with it. "Hey..." Claire asked, uncertainly, "Why don't you just burn a path through?" Without breaking pace or turning, it replied, coldly, "I have great respect for nature." Raising an eyebrow, she kept silent. He's so like Keiichi - warm at times, cold at others. Laughing internally, she continued walking along the path, making sure that she wasn't in danger every other step. Behind her, Reika was silent. She plucked at a strand of hair near her right ear nervously - after all, her hair was silvery-white, and standing in the middle of a dark swamp, it was like a homing beacon for all the unfriendly creatures out there waiting to swallow her whole. At the thought of being afternoon tea for an animal, she shuddered, and quickened her pace, trying to catch up with the bird who was swooping through the trees, always keeping in sight but never too close.

Five minutes later, they were at another clearing. Claire studied the area with interest. All around the clearing there were tall trees, and on these trees the bird made their nests - of branches that were as large as her arm. Stepping forwards, the phoenix gave a loud crow, and there were responses from around. Clusters of birds appeared, each as similar as the other. "Who are you?" The question came tentatively, in a high voice; looking for its source, Claire saw a small bird and she laughed, striding over to pat it on the head. Before her hand could land, there was a claw grabbing it; the strength surprised the Knight. "Hang on, I was just trying to... I meant no harm," she said, trying to mask her indignation with humility. The female bird didn't fall for it, but it didn't reply either... at least, not in words. Around the Knight's left hand, the claw tightened, and she heard a couple of bones cracking. Wincing, she tried to free her arm, but to no avail.

All of a sudden, the grip freed and the bird crowed in shock. A larger phoenix was perched behind her, by far the most gigantic in the area. Its feathers shone amongst the dull forest, the ruby luster making the other phoenixes look dreary. "Why aren't you welcoming the new visitors? Follow me, please," it said pleasantly, waving a wing towards the far end of the clearing. They walked into the sole hut, made from feathers, and settled down on the ground. "Apparently, you're the elder of the clan," Claire said, breaking the awkward silence; the phoenix nodded, and replied in a musical voice, "Yes, your guess was right. You know, a human hasn't been here for thousands of years. The last human who went through this area was... Rene, I think." Reika asked, uncertainly, "Rene? I've never heard of her..." The phoenix nodded. "Few in the present know of her, because ever since the large fire, the masters had become recluses... it's sad how many people died. It was said that nobody survived, but... I really doubt it. Honestly." Claire sensed that the bird seemed to be staring right at her. Can she tell? Before the phoenix could probe further, Reika made a sound of discomfort. "Yes, young one?" Clearing her throat twice, she started, "I... phoenix... host..." Stopping, she shut her eyes tightly, before trying again. "I am the host... of a phoenix." That didn't come out quite right. The chief nodded, smiling. "I doubt it. Many people have said that they host phoenixes, and even summon them, but... they are merely replicas, flames formed in the shape of a bird. We phoenixes have more power than that - healing-" Reika interrupted, "Virtual invulnerability, the ability to form flames into shields and sharpen them to a lance, the potency of a single drop of phoenix blood... their powers are endless."

A stunned silence. "How... did you know about the phoenix blood?" the chief breathed. Reika replied, opening her eyes, "Because I host one." The charcoal eyes narrowed. Sighing, Reika stood up and unbuttoned her armor. "What are you doing?!" Claire asked, shocked. Ignoring her, she unhooked her left arm from the armor. The chief gasped.

On her right arm, there was a tattoo of a bird, red in color and clearly made of feathers on fire.
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Alex forced his eyes open. He was lying in the room with the books, except this time, he was wearing... he had no name for it - it was made of cloth, malleable... and yet it was so tough that it felt like elastic after he stretched it to a certain degree. Standing, he strode to the doors and pushed them - as he expected, they didn't budge. Sighing, he stared at the floor. It reflected his face and clothes clearly, his black hair blending with the night-darkness of his suit. Shutting his eyes, he thought.

Why is the figure imprisoning me? He was sure it had something to do with the battle, since directly after that there had not been any major happenings, all the way up till him falling asleep in the hut. He remembered seeing the bird staring at him, remembered when they raced down the passage... up till the time he had touched the cross. Something essential had happened then, but his mind was a blank. The details seconds previously were brilliant: he could see every single crack, smell stale blood, feel the breeze blowing through the crack at the top. Then the moment he touched the crucifix... nothing. Blankness, all the way until when he awoke in Sleepywood.

Why? Had the person intentionally wiped his memory to obfuscate his identity? His aim was clear - to find someone to talk to. Nobody except Kei was near his body now, and the person, whoever he was, would never let him.

"Why!" he shouted, into the emptiness. Despair creeped up in him again, and he choked on his tears. Thinking about Reika, he reached out his hands, brushing empty air. He waved them wildly, trying to grasp at his past...

And he unexpectedly found it. One of the books had appeared in his palm, open at a page. Staring at the first word, he felt a shock slam into him.

---

Tears flowed freely, pooling on the ground. Reading the book to the end had been hard, but he went through with it. He half-regretted it, but now, there were memories to hold on to - the realization that he still stood a chance, that he still existed, that he wasn't the figment of someone else's imagination. He inhaled, and for the first time, tasted the musty air. Heard the slight scraping of his armor against the ground. Saw the warm colors of the room.

Facing the oak doors, he held out his left fist, and bowlimbs appeared in it. The lime green throbbed with each heartbeat, will emanating from it in waves. Nodding grimly, he stood up. Turning the bow, he held it vertically and pulled the bowstring. A loud sucking sound filled the room as the air formed an oblong projectile. "Air Blast." The projectile widened as more air filled it. Alex felt his hands shaking, but he persevered. When he could not hold it any longer, he let it go and immediately pulled and released the string. Before the door could absorb the impact of the blast, an arrow flew into the exact same spot; with a loud crumbling sound, the door exploded. Turning, he saw the books behind him turning blue. Before his very eyes, they dissolved, forming strings of particles floating, all heading up.

"Aren't those... my memories?"
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Kei stepped out onto the beach, confused. Not long ago, he'd stepped into the forest, Alex following behind. Ignoring the fact that Alex's puppeteer didn't make a single sound even stepping on leaves, he ventured deeper, heading what the Basilisk felt was north. Turning, he studied the area beyond the forest from which he emerged. "El Nath?" Raising an eyebrow, he tapped his feet thoughtfully. They were on the far north side of the Ossyrian continent, the nothernmost point, in fact. "So now, we have to get past the mountain ranges? Idiotic." Staring up into the sky, he whistled, praying it would work. It didn't. "What are you trying to do?" Alex asked, politely. Kei narrowed his eyes. You know full well. Number one, I know you're reading my mind. Number two, I know you're not the real Alex. Grim satisfaction lined Kei's face as he watched the startled reaction from the person. "I'm not a Knight for no reason, you know?" Alex face smiled. "Very well then." Raising the Metus, he drew the bowstring...

And Kei let instinct take over. Bringing the Crossheider to his front, he raised the sword. The moment the arrow made contact with the shield he vanished, appearing behind the Bowman. The sword was met with the Dark Metus' limbs, but he could see that it was costing the person energy to control an unfamiliar entity. Hopes rising, he whispered, "Ice Charge." To his immense surprise, the opponent's bow erupted in fire, resulting in him jumping backwards, relieving the pressure off the archer. "If you wish to play elemental," the voice spoke, pleasantly, "then we shall. Inferno." Kei watched, shock, as the area around him exploded in flames, driving inwards. "Charge Blow!" The ice erupted from his sword and formed a ring, expanding; the fire and ice met in a shower of sparks, and both sides were annihilated in a burst of energy. At least we're evenly matched... for now. I doubt his powers are fully released... better keep him busy. Jumping forwards, he slashed through the smoke and heard a rustle behind him; spinning around, he slashed at the figure; his sword drew blood. Alex- The blood coated the blade, flowing down. As the area cleared, he saw Alex, grabbing his left arm in pain. "Kei, lend me..." Before he could finish, his eyes darkened once again, the life in his pupils fading away.

"Lend you?" There was only one thing that Kei could lend him right now, and that was... Hoping against hope, he walked forwards. "Power Guard," he said calmly, stepping forwards even more. The Metus let off a spray of arrows, but it couldn't hit him at all. "This armor is capable of taking up to four thousand of your shots. Give it up." Just a bit more... As he took his next step, he was met with an astounding force. Concentrating all his power, he pushed... and the force seemed to waver, to budge half a step. The road forwards was arduous, but he was finally within reach of the bowman. The moment he touched Alex's shoulder, there was a blinding flash of light.
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Jul alighted at the town of Ereb and felt the difference immediately - the area here was light, created as a result of the congregation of flying creatures long ago. Glancing left, he saw the spires of towers, the golden gates and walls... a sight that he hadn't seen in his life. Standing outside the ticketing booth, he admired the castle and its design. "Astounding, isn't it," a voice crooned from behind him. Turning, he saw a girl, about as young as Trista, walking towards him. The way she carried herself and her looks reminded him of his sister, dead from the war with Ragnarok. Taking solace in the fact that she was considered dangerous enough for the beast to kill her personally, he nodded. "Yes, majestic. May I have the honor of knowing your name?" The girl smiled. "Ivy. I'm a Windreaver." Julian raised an eyebrow. "Windreaver?" She gaped. "You don't know what that is?" Julian shook his head slowly. "Never mind," she said, her smile reappearing, "I'll bring you to someone better placed to answer your question." Walking past him, she hopped her way to the gates and waved her hand. They opened soundlessly, and she beckoned for him to hurry.

Barely making it through before the doors shut tightly, he looked back through the bars. In the distance, he could see a tall building... Probably a training facility. The island seemed to be ringed with tall mountains with rivers lacing through them, and once again, he froze in his steps, examining every one of them in detail. "Hello, mister?" Turning, he saw her at the doors to the castle. Smiling awkwardly, he teleported forwards, appearing beside her. "Wow, that was..." Julian shook his head. "Just open the door." Nodding, she pushed it, and revealed the most sacred chamber in the whole world.

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He didn't see how his path had led him to being here, but he was standing inside a hall, amongst people as talented as he was. Flame Wizards, every single one of them holding staffs, were performing skills that none of the Elementalists could possibly think of: converting Explosion to a horizontal instead of vertical attack, scorching the floor in a wide radius, then bringing the flames up to form an inferno. They made use of their ability to withstand flames to stand on fire and push themselves upwards, creating the advantage of higher ground. At the center of them all was a lady in a red cloak, fending the entire army of Wizards off. "That," Ivy said, pointing at her, "is Oz, master of the Flame Wizards. She's is a really amazing woman, although where she hails from, I have no idea. Nobody knows where the five masters came from, actually, although there have been rumors. Anyway, the person coming down the corridor now is Irina, my master." Turning, Julian watched as the figure strode down the corridor. So that's why Ivy got her poise from, huh. Bowing, he smiled, and the figure smiled back.

Jul gave her a once-over. Her waist-length hair was a light shade of emerald, topped with a circlet with a green gem in front; her face was accentuated by her mouth and her golden eyes. Those eyes... Breaking away from his stare, he examined her armor - it was thin and light, green in color as well; her skirt was short, leaving quite a bit of space between its hem and the caps that protected her knees. Her cape made a swishing sound against the floor, distracting him. Finally, he looked back up. "Is there any reason behind your color choice? Your hair, circlet, armor and cape are all green... as is your bow," he asked, gesturing at the weapon in her quiver. Shrugging, she remained silent, and the mage looked at Ivy. "Oh, she's a bit reclusive around guys," the princess answered, cheekily. "Shut up, Ivy, or I'll make you shoot one of my dummies down." Ivy was apparently shocked, and backed off, running down the corridor. Before she rounded the corner, she made a face; it was unmissed by Irina, and she shot an arrow that clanged off the gold. Jul heard her laugh echoing down the corridor.

Facing him, the Windreaver apologized. "Although she's already sixteen, she still acts like a child. I've been trying to change her, but... Anyway, I've heard that you want some of the Knights of Cygnus to go back to Victoria with you?" Jul nodded. "The problem is getting a bit out of hand - they've joined hands with some rouge Warriors, and if we don't get them back soon, we'll have a crisis. Add that on to the World Tree..." he waved at the invisible plant. "What are you guys doing about the Tree?" Jul bit his lip and replied, awkwardly, "Some of our people have gone to get help, but we haven't heard from them, so..." Irina stared. "You mean... you're not devoting anyone?" Jul nodded, tersely. "No choice, we have to curb the impending war first, before finding them." Irina rolled her eyes. "Look, you can't go on like this. The World Tree dies, we all die. You know that. We only have one more month before it dies, then poof - we go out in a puff of bright light."

A rustling sound. Grendel whirled around to see Oz, her brow beaded with sweat. "Feels like a sauna down there," she breathed, pulling back her hood. She looked almost the same as Irina, except for her darker complexion, and lime green eyes. "Anyway, I'm hearing stuff about the World Tree. What is it?" Before they could reply, there was an explosion outside. Looking out the window, the three of them gaped.

All the way from the halls of Ereb, a fire could be seen in the jungle of Ellinia, a bright spot of light in a rapidly arriving dusk.
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Kon leapt from peak to peak, flying along the ridges. Far in the distance, he saw a break in the mountains, forming a jungle path all the way up to the northern shore of El Nath, the only bit in the entire area that wasn't covered in ice. "Well, the Omega Sector stormtroopers sure failed to notice this," he chuckled, pushing himself to the limit.

[Denunciator]

Chapter 18

Standing at the cave entrance, Reika looked up. "This is a journey that you must complete by yourself. Go well." The village chief turned and faced Claire. "As for you, I'll send you back to Orbis." Lowering itself, it braced its wings as Claire boarded. Reika watched, dully, as they took off. I'm by myself now. Stepping forwards, she entered the dark cave, and inched forwards bit by bit.

---

How long have I been going through? The walls were smooth, but she couldn't see anything; her attempts to call on the phoenix had failed. "Where am I?" she murmured, as she looked around. Unarmed, she felt useless, open. "Darkness sure weakens one, doesn't it," a voice chuckled.
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Kei blinked, unsure if his eyes were lying. "Long time no see," the Dark Dragon breathed, his face filled with malice. "What..." he stared at Alex, his mind whirring. The time when he had touched Ares, when he had lain him on the altar, when he had left the chamber to fight the beasts-

"Alex, after I left, did you touch the Altar of Paladin?" The Bowman paused for a moment, before nodding. "Oh shit." Raising his sword, he got ready for the immense battle that he was sure would consume every bit of his energy. Alex followed in fashion, fingering the sturdy bowstring. "Thanks for the Metus," he began. "Oh, you're welcome. You won't be around much longer to enjoy using it, anyway." Pulling the bowstring, the bowman laughed. "Not bad, it's quite flexible, this bowstring." Before he could say anything else, Kei had jumped forwards, his sword cracking loudly. The Dark Dragon blocked it effortlessly, and threw him; the Knight landed on his hands, pushing himself off the ground. Again and again, the process was repeated, Kei repeatedly muttering, "Nothing is impossible, nothing is impossible..." Alex fired just as the Dragon threw the Knight; the lance punched into the dragon, knocking him backwards slightly. Angered, it opened its mouth, and a black ball of energy appeared; by breathing, it threw the attack towards him. Teleporting, Kei stood in front of the attack, the Crossheider taking the brunt of the power...

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"Hey, Kei?" He turned, and looked at the speaker. "What?" She smiled, and replied, "Nothing much, just wanted to ask you to train me. You mind?" Kei raised his eyebrow. "Train you? For what?" She rolled her eyes. "For the battle with the stupid Ragnarok, maybe?" Kei grinned, and stood up. "Fine, fine. What do you want to learn?" Glancing around, she said, "If it's safe enough to train in a room, then elemental charges." Kei was stunned. "You don't know how to elementally charge your weapon?" She rolled her eyes again. "Stop rolling your eyes, it might drop out."

Stepping back, he drew his sword and held it out; the girl followed in fashion. "Well first, you gotta be able to control whatever element you want to charge. Ice is quite simple, I think: it's just manipulating the water particles and removing the energy from them so that they... uh... clot." Raising an eyebrow, she tried to follow; the first few attempts caused the water to drip onto the floor. Striding over, Kei got behind her and maneuvered her hands. "You have to concentrate on your sword. Don't be worried about the vapor, there's plenty. Just look at your sword," he slowed down, "And drag the particles. It's easier than drawing on mana from the air, since you don't have to filter it." At first, it seemed as if there was going to be no reaction; all of a sudden, though, the sword froze over. For a moment, the ice glittered brightly in the sunlight streaming through the windows; a second later, it shattered, leaving bits of water on the ground. "Well, at least you got the charging process right. Holding it is another thing, though: you gotta concentrate on keeping the particles stuck to your sword. Also, you must form it in the shape of a blade, so that it doesn't blunt your attacks.

Going back to his original position, he held out his sword. "Ready?" Jumping forwards, he slashed downwards; immediately, she moved to block, but her sword merely bent under the force. Letting go, he said, "You have to CHARGE your weapon, lady!" Slightly pissed, she retorted, "Fine! Ice Charge!" The sword glowed, and ice formed over it, but before Kei could even move, the ice shattered yet again. From his end of the room, he heard her muttering under her breath. "What are you saying?" he asked, curiously; she raised her head and smiled. "Let's try again, Kei. Ice Charge." The ice formed quickly, turning the straight blade into a corrugated one, increasing its lethality. Weird, it seems as if she's more powerful now. Hmm... This time, the female Knight moved first; Kei stared in surprise as the sword clanged on his. Barely moving the blade away before it was frozen, he rolled aside and sliced upwards. Dodging, she brought her blade across just as the male jumped up, and he was forced to block the attack, causing his sword to freeze over. "Not bad at all," he smiled and walked over to give her a congratulatory hug...

---

He woke up to find the house more quiet than usual. Wouldn't Artemis normally be up at this time? Stepping out of the house, Kei looked around. There was an ebbing mana presence in the area in front of the house, but he couldn't figure out what. Musing over the anomaly, he stepped back in, staring at the empty weapon rack, and fear hit him like a punch in the gut. "Roy? Roy?! ROY!" The Hermit stumbled out of his bedroom, barely making it out of his room without breaking his neck. Roy mumbled, "Kei, could you please be considerate and not shout so loudly in the morn-" The Knight interrupted, "THEY ARE GONE!" The rambling stopped, replaced by stunned silence. "Repeat that." Kei spoke, in a cool and calm tone, "They went off by themselves." The Red Viper was gone, along with Alexis' Kotetsu. "Oh... my..." Roy dashed past the Knight and out the door.

It took Kei exactly twelve seconds to shake himself out of his shock and another three to get out the door. In that fifteen seconds, Roy had disappeared.
__________

The ship docked at the Ellinia station, keeping as far away as it could; Grendel jumped off it first, followed closely by some Flame Wizards. Entering the city, he stared - there were bodies lying everywhere, felled by a single blaze. Much of the forest had been burned down, leaving only the trees which had stored the town's water. "What... power can create destruction like this?" one of the Wizards asked, amazed. Anxious, Grendel glanced around, and saw Trista lying on a pile of dead leaves, protected by a bunch of fallen trees. "Count your lucky stars," he muttered, jumping down. The Flame Wizards followed suit, staring around. Silently, he pulled the tree up by manual force, and some Wizards hurried to help him. "Here's someone alive!" One of the Wizards rushed up, pulling her body out; others went in search of water for her. Jul watched thankfully as they carried out revival procedures; gradually, he felt her presence increase.

In silence, he studied his former home. There was nothing left - absolutely nothing. Everyone was dead - even the bowmen that Athena had sent.

Why?
__________

Claire stepped off the Phoenix, thanking it silently. Standing at the gates of Orbis, she watched as it headed off to an island in the middle of Ludus Lake. No wonder we weren't able to figure out where it was... Turning, she walked into the town; it was deserted. The potion store, the weapon store, the armor store... all of the faeries were gone. "What in the world?" It was as if she had been transported onto another planet with all the similar features, but with no inhabitants. Almost in answer, a congregation of faeries appeared from the station entrance, their proud bodies hung limply. "What's wrong?" Ignoring her, they flew slowly towards their hometown. Confused, she ran towards the telescopes lining the sides of Orbis, and panned slowly to spot whatever might be wrong. She spotted it almost immediately - the forest of Ellinia had been sheared down, leaving a few sparse trees. Shocked, she could only stand there and try to absorb the full impact of it.

The ancient forest was gone. A forest that had survived the poison of the Black Magician... Of the Victorian plague caused by King Sharen. How... and why?

Turning east, she spotted something and received a second blow. Even from this distance, it was clear - a black object attacking two small dots. She was sure she could guess who the two dots were - Kei and Alex.
_________

"Alex..." Reika moaned, collapsing against the wall; her arms had been lacerated by the beast, and half her armor had been ripped off. She felt it again: the vertigo, the giddiness. As she passed out, she reckoned she saw light shine from the beast's eyes.

---

Reika awoke in a warm bedroom. The wallpapers were red, the bedposts red, the sheets red. Feeling at home, she stretched, ruffling the pillow that supported her head. It took her ten more minutes, but she finally got out of bed. Reaching for the bedside table, she found a claw there; examining it, she smiled. The claw was made of a form-fitting soft material she couldn't name, interrupted by only three steel tips that sheathed neatly into the space between her fingers. Also, it was... red. From the color and design, she had an idea where this was, but just to make sure, she opened the bedroom door-

And was hit by a surge of bright light. "Oh, I drew the curtains," a voice rang, through her haziness, "So you'll have to take quite a while to get accustomed to the light. It'll probably hurt at first, but probably not as much as your body." As the light slowly dimmed, she could make out the shape of a majestic bird, much more so than any others she had seen so far. The feathers not only gave out a luster, it also seemed to rustle continually, giving off the vision of a body beating along with a heart. The charcoal-black eyes were not just on the surface - it seemed to go on for eternity, each step acknowledging increased knowledge and power. There was no other word for it: majestic. "So, Reika," the Phoenix said, conversationally, "You know why you are here?" The Assassin shook her head slowly. "Every person that is granted with a beast has to battle it. Whoever wins takes over both. In essence, I'm supposed to fight you like every creature is supposed to fight their masters - to prevent freeloading and all that. Cliched, but true." A sigh escaped the bird's beaks.

"Well, I don't think you will." Reika said, confidently.
"Will what?"
"Attack me, of course. You never attacked anyone."

The Phoenix sighed. "It's true I never attacked anyone... or anything. Any living creature, good or evil. And because of this... I have placed a great burden upon you." Reika raised her eyebrows. "What?" It shook its head. "Nothing. It's time for you to return. Use the Scarab well, I'm counting on you."

---

The cavern was filled with a bright light, and within, she saw a gigantic scorpion, beyond any creature she had ever seen before. Its tail lashed about in the air, and it made hissing sounds that strained every tendril in her heart. "So you were the one injuring me, huh?" Angrily, she fished about in her pocket and found a large cartridge of stars; slotting it into the Scarab, she locked the first two stars in place and threw them towards the creature's head; to her surprise, it shattered the scales in an instant. "I was expecting more defense," she laughed, and immediately launched herself into the air, unleashing a large barrage of stars; half a minute later, the scorpion was flopping on the ground, in the throes of death.

Too consumed with her success, she failed to miss the red slash marks on the creature's body, as if claws of flame had dug into it. Jumping right over the black scorpion, she studied the far wall. It was in an alphabet that she didn't understand, but she felt it was important; fishing about in her suit, she retrieved a crumpled piece of paper and copied the letters down. She would decrypt it later. Looking down at her claw, she recoiled; the red had turned black, a shade of darkness that looked as if she were looking down into a never-ending well. Before she could fully think about the problem, she saw the door opening, sunshine beyond it; gratefully, she walked out and looked up.

She was on a forested path. Trees ten times taller than her towered over the mossy ground, and cascades of leaves fell ever so often. From her back, there was a smell of melting snow, coupled with the familiar smell of moist soil. A breeze flapped her hair, and when she looked up, she saw the azure sky, clouds drifting lazily. "Wow." Smiling, she looked up the path. It seemed to lead to somewhere bright... following it, she gasped at the sudden attack of light.

Even through that, she heard, against the loud sound of waves roaring against the shore, a dragon howling, and the sounds of a bowstring being drawn.
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[Denunciator]

Chapter 19

Jul knelt before the cross in the Cursed Sanctuary, remembering the time he'd taken a pilgrimage here to master the power of dark magic, to combine it with the power of Holy magic to create stronger spells. He'd meant to defend the people he loved, but his sister died to the Ragnarok, killed by one energy beam. He'd never gotten over the fact that he was unable to defend her, that so many beasts were unable to conquer the beast. From the recesses of the cave, the Jr. Balrog came out; Jul leapt backwards, preparing to cast a spell. The winged creature merely flapped its wings, and spoke. "Grendel, I feel your pain. I may not know much about the conditions above me, but I know this very well: the World Tree is dying, and we need to find its guardian back. Only the Guardian knows best what to do to help the Tree. Please. For our sakes." Julian looked up, his face a ravaged mask. "Who? How?" The Balrog shook its head. "I do not know. I only know that the Tree had always gone through this cycle, of a Guardian defeated and another born from it. I don't know who it is, and I don't know how. Nobody does... except for the one creature - the Guardian itself. Please." Turning, it vanished back into the cave. Trista stepped out from behind a rock.

"Jul. Get a hold of yourself. I'll be going soon."

The Archmage raised his head and nodded. Once Trista left, there would be nothing to hold on to anymore. Would there?
__________

Claire watched as yet another ship arrived. This one was weird; it was small, and yet could contain so many people; its method of movement was feathered wings, almost as if it were a bird. Besides the wings, there were no visible appendages; she wondered how it flew. From the ship, strangely dressed people alighted; their armor was unique, even those of the Warriors - like her Battlesuit. The first out were dressed in white, weaved with intricate gold patterns; except their helmets, which looked more like stand-alone visors - the only part it protected was their foreheads. Between the end of their kneeplates and their grieves, she saw black cloth - probably the same armor as hers. Following close behind was a troop with completely black armor, hidden behind a full length cloak; its top was fastened with a purple button, the cloak extending behind to form a cape. She guessed that these were rogues, who prided themselves on movement. Before she had time to consider this oddity, the next group came out; they wore green armor that revealed their shoulders, their skirts leaving plenty of skin before the kneecaps. These girls... Behind them, the last troop emerged; they were undoubtedly practitioners of magic, for their armor comprised of a simple robe and cape-cum-cloak, their hoods pulled back. It was then that she saw the gender segregation - the Warriors and Thieves were all males, and the Bowmen and Mages were all females.

She was about to walk up to them when one of the Mages broke rank, heading towards her. She was the tallest amongst them, her staff the most special - it was ornate, topped with a jewel supported by two small limbs. "Pleased to meet you," she said pleasantly, her olive-green eyes studying her armor. "I'm Oz, leader of the Flame Wizards." Momentarily stunned by her aura of confidence and power, Claire could only stare. Oz smiled and waved her hands, and the Knight snapped out of it. "Oh, sorry, I'm uh... Claire. I'm a Knight," she said, barely getting out the words; the Warriors were staring at her, and their presence alone was enough to tongue-tie any girl. Turning her head, Oz followed Claire's line of sight, fixating it on one of the Warriors. "Mike, come over here," she said, barely preventing herself from rolling her eyes. When the Warrior left the group, the others wolf-whistled. "This guy here," Oz explained, "Is Michael, leader of the Soul Masters. Pretty much like your Knights over here, except their specialize in Holy magic from early on, skipping the process of elemental attacks. Makes them pretty strong and appealing to people though," she said, pointing at Claire.

Blushing, Claire was about to make an introduction of herself when he motioned for her to stop, smiling. "I heard it." Turning to the Flame Wizard, he continued, "Oz, we should make a move, we're gonna be late." She rolled her eyes. "You guys can go on first, my Teleport is probably second only to Icarut over there," she pointed at an empty space. Everyone seemed to see him, but Claire couldn't, no matter how hard she stared. "Stop pretending you guys know where I am," the voice said lazily, from above them; turning, Claire saw him perched precariously on a lamppost. Jumping down, he landed lightly, removing his mask. To her surprise, he was absolutely unremarkable. His eyes were black in color, his thin eyebrows tightly set, which gave him a tense and easy-going expression at the same time. His voice was also high for a male, and some Bowmen stared dreamily as he said, "Don't sully my Flash Jump by calling it a teleport. At any rate, Mikey is right, we're gonna be late." Turning, he jumped and flew forwards with blinding speed, landing at the empty spot. Oz nodded to Claire, and was about to return to her group when the Knight asked, "How old are you guys?" The three masters stared at one another before saying, "All fifteen." Claire stood, shocked, watching them leave.

Fifteen? Leading platoons? Who the hell are they?

As if in response, Icarut tilted his head towards her, breaking his steps. "We're the knights of Cygnus."
__________

Alex and Kei both staggered backwards; the dragon had released yet another limiter, making his overall power 30%, and yet an energy ball had already taken off the top of Kei's Battle Road. The Dark Dragon seemed to be taunting him. "Go on, release!" Alex stared from dragon to Knight, confused. Release what? When it noticed that Kei wasn't replying, it raised its claws, about to slash. Halfway through, it froze, a smile appearing. "What, not going to kill me yet?" Kei asked, angered. "Not that. Bind." It pointed one finger at Alex, and he felt his arms go slack, his bow dropping into the sand with a soft thud. His body wouldn't budge. In horror, he knew what the dragon was going to do next - dish an ultimatum to Kei. As he expected, the Dragon faced Alex, charging an energy ball slowly.

---

Shit, shit, shit! Raising his Crossheider, he prepared to block, but he knew it would be futile - it would pierce anything it touched. "Fine!" he shouted, holding his sword horizontally. Basilisk, lend me your power. Anything, so long as Alex is uninjured. A loud screeching sound filled the air as Kei stared into the sand, tears dripping onto the ground. He knew that Alex would have to be the one dealing the fatal blow - he'd gone through the same thing with the Basilisk, but he didn't expect that this time, it would be so tough. "Master of dragons," the voice hissed, "We meet again!" All of a sudden, there was a female voice.

"Again? What again?" She stared at the dragon, unable to comprehend. The moment the dragon stared at her, something seemed to click. She felt breathless. Is this a side effect of his power? She sensed that it was something deeper, but she couldn't place it, no matter how hard she tried. Shaking her head, she ignored her heart and spoke. "Alex, you're gonna have to defeat it. Alone. We can subdue it, but-" The dragon interrupted her. "Your girlfriend is right, the title of 'Dragon Master' must be won. But of course, you'll never be able to. Not with your abilities. I still remember Ivan. I doubt any of you know him though. Except for maybe the Knight-" The speech was cut by a sudden increase in air pressure; Alex's bonds broke and he collapsed to the ground, on fours. Kei raised his head, and to Reika's shock, the Knight's gentle eyes had been replaced by an ominous force, a power that was beyond her understanding. Then again, I don't understand much...

"This battle is between you and I. You will NOT attack the Assassin." The Dark Dragon nodded in agreement. "I'll finish you off first." The Knight leveled his sword; it glittered in the late afternoon sun. "Poison Blade." The two words cut the silence - the trees had stopped rustling, the water still. Jumping forwards with astounding speed and force, he momentarily disappeared, before his blade sliced neatly through the scales on the Dragon's shoulder; black blood dripped onto the ground, spattering the beach. Drawing his sword, Kei vanished yet again, appearing behind; two quick slashes, and one of the dragon's wings had torn through, like ravaged sails. "Flash-" The Knight teleported rapidly, placing various slashes that could only be seen as sparks. Landing neatly near the dragon's feet, he completed, "Steps. Yes. Wind Blade," he muttered, and the sword split, shortening into two combat knives, the blade only a little longer than the handle. "Aero Slash." Holding the blades out, he charged mana into it; Reika knelt to the ground, breathless. Releasing all of the energy, the Basilisk hissed in satisfaction as the wind wrapped around the dragon like steel cables, driving into its flesh; there was a loud whistling sound, followed by snapping sounds as the tendons of its limbs snapped.

Leaping behind Alex, Kei held his weapons ready. "Alex, fire a shot at its head." The Bowman shook his head. "Go! Quickly, before it moves!" Alex stood still, the Ryden in the ground. The Dark Dragon chuckled. "Alex is too soft to do it." Kei narrowed his eyes. "If you wish." Teleporting behind Reika, he dropped his weapons, holding her face with his hands. A wind ball appeared in it, barely a centimeter from her head. Alex picked up the bow, turning it on the Knight. He scoffed. "You think you'll be able to hit me with that? If you kill me, you think the Dragon wouldn't do the same? I'm giving you a chance. Defeat the dragon, or I kill her." The Bowman cried softly, "You wouldn't! You wouldn't..." Kei grit his teeth. "Don't try me." A bit louder this time. "You wouldn't!" The Knight grabbed his Wind Blade and pressed it to her throat. A drop of blood rolled down. Reika, afraid to open her mouth, merely looked at Alex, then the Dragon. "Why... must you force me to make this choice!"

"Because you must." A blinding flash of light, and a white figure appeared, floating behind the Dragon. "Alex, we've placed our trust in you. You have to finish the Dragon and move on. Victoria... the world... is counting on you. All you have to do is fire that shot."

Uncertainly, Alex pulled the bowstring. The figure had convinced him - although he'd never seen it before, he trusted it explicitly. "Arrow Blow." The blue projectile crashed into the left eye of the Dark Dragon. A pain seared through Alex's left shoulder; he shut his eyes, relieving torture over and over again... then nothing.
__________

Trista stepped into the town confidently, looking around the clearing. Mu Lung... the best place to hide and take a rest. One of the houses had the largest mana concentration, and she walked up, pushing the door. To her shock, it wasn't the person she was looking for. All the same though, she was stunned. He was wearing white chainmail bottom, his upper torso bared. He was less muscular than the rest of the Warrior she used to know, but it somehow accentuated his long-ish face. His denim-blue eyes bore into hers, as if searching for a soul. "Hey there," he said, cheerfully, slotting his blade in a gold colored sheath attached to his waist. "You're dressed like a Wizard, so I guess you're looking for Oz? She's the one beside mine," he said, pointing to his left. Looking at her stunned face, he laughed. "A moment, I'll go and put on something more decent, then I'll escort you." Shutting the door, he changed; in a minute, he came out wearing a white full-length suit and coat. "Basically the same as my armor, but doesn't announce to the whole world where I am," he explained. She gave an uneasy laugh as they stopped outside the door. "Oz? You have a visitor!" There was a muffled clanging sound. "Oz? I'm coming in?"

A terrified squeak, muffled by the door opening; Oz was halfway through dressing. The Knight winced and turned away; both girls blushed. Quickly donning her robe, she walked over and gave the boy a push; he fell over, but pushed himself off the ground with a hand, landing neatly on both feet. "You didn't respond, it's not my fault!" Ignoring him, the girl made introductions. "I'm Oz. The pervert over there is Michael. I'm, as you can see, a Flame Wizard, and he's-" Trista nodded. "A Soul Warrior?" Oz smiled. "They prefer calling themselves Soul Masters. Personally I like Soul Warriors better, thanks for mentioning it." Michael groaned. "Anyway, I hear you're looking for me?" Trista nodded again. Oz raised an eyebrow. "A promotion test. You're gonna have to take it."

Silently, the younger girl pointed at the tree closest to her; water leaked from it, and the bark shriveled. Without warning, the entire tree shattered, the remnants consumed by a small blaze. Putting it out with a wave of the hand, Oz frowned. "Elementalist? Either way, come in." Michael moved to follow them, but she slashed one finger at his leg; he was bound to the ground in an instant. "Don't even try, Mikey. You may be strong, but never more so than magic." Whistling, she shut the door and sat down. "So. Flame Wizards specialize, as you can tell, in fire magic. My concern is that your other magic will fall out of balance." The Elementalist nodded and replied, "I know, but... somehow... I just feel like I need to train. You're the only person I can turn to, and I'm sure I'll be able to use what I learn here to improve my magic." Oz stared at the girl curiously. "I'm the only person? What about Grendel?" Trista shook her head sadly. "I heard you saw the fire. It... killed almost all the Mages there. The Elementalists, for some reason, had disappeared. Grendel... he... he..." Breaking down, she covered her face and sobbed. Patting the girl on her back, Oz said, comforting her, "Well, if it'll make you feel better, you're quite accomplished at magic. Train hard, and you'll be able to exact your revenge, won't you?" Staring up, the Elementalist nodded. "Wipe away your tears, and come have dinner."

---

Dinner with the Knights was an interesting affair; although the masters were three years older, they didn't act so much; sadness was forgotten in the face of Michael's constant jokes. "You know," he admitted, "Dinner has never been so much fun. Partially because of the conditions of life as someone important, you know, but also because... well I have no idea." Icarut yawned. "Well for one, you could admit that you like her?" Everyone stared at Michael, and he blushed. "What? Anything wrong?" Trista opened her eyes, wide. "You mean...?" Oz laughed loudly, cutting into the awkward silence. "Mikey, curse the fact that Icarut's a mind-reader. And don't look at me with that expression." The Soul Warrior winced as he felt a flaming stick jab into his right arm. Oz was staring at him innocently. "Damn your aura, silly Flame Wizard," he muttered, staring at the grass. "Dude, you're fifteen, there's really nothing wrong with that," a voice rang, from above. "Hi Irina," Icarut greeted cheerfully. Taking the chance, Michael retorted, "You're not so immune to emotions, are ya, Icarut?" The Nightwalker's expression remained neutral. "We all know what an unreliable source of information you are. I guard my thoughts well, don't bother trying to pry."

"Well at any rate," Oz said, "Gotta send Trista to bed. She'll have to wake up early tomorrow morning, ya know?" Facing Trista, she continued, "Tomorrow will be the start of your career as a Flame Wizard. Sweet dreams!"
__________

[Denunciator]

Before I begin this chapter, something to note: I WILL NOT BE INCLUDING MAJOR UPDATES.

For now, this means that no Magatia, no Masteria, no Time Temple.

AND NO PIRATES. D: That's cos I've already drafted the story out, and Pirates will just figure oddly into the equation - I can't just add them because they're new. Next time, maybe. If I do continue after this. Oh, and do read Ivan's original two fictions, and keep your eyes WIDE OPEN for clues.

A hint: What element does the Dark Dragon say has what effect on magic? :P

Spoiler!

For those that are dull, refer to A Hunter's Story, page 46. Chapter 75.

Chapter 20

The air was filled with a scorching smell. Alex moaned; fearing the worst, Kei stepped over to the Bowman and practically ripped off his armor. Tattooed on his back, right in the center, was a symbol he knew very well: a black dragon that was capable of burning through any solvent. "Wow..." Reika exclaimed, finger moving towards the tattoo. "Don't touch that!" The shout caught her by surprise, and she stared at the Knight. Picking up a piece of the battlesuit, he brought it to the tattoo and pressed down; Alex screamed. At the same time, the cloth was completely scorched through, leaving a hole in the cloth that was supposed to spread magic evenly so that it would last under barrage. Speechless, the Assassin could only stare as Kei held out his hand; it glowed a light blue, almost as it were made of water. "Heal," he commanded, and Reika watched with astonishment - Alex's body was glowing a bright blue. "Aqua heal manipulates the body's water such that the body directs all its attention to the injured area. Quite an effective skill to learn if you practice magic." Kei motioned to the Bowman's healing injuries. "As it were." Reika nodded, and looked down silently. There was no time for reflection, for resting, and yet a human had to rest. The limitations of humankind bothered her... the Phoenix's thoughts at work again.

"At any rate," the Knight stood up, cheerfully, "Alex has his lil' dragon now, so we can proceed on our journey. Strange, though, how the dragon waited so long to make its move." The Assassin assented, echoing, "Strange." For a while, the both of them stood in silence, watching the sky turn a deep shade of crimson, the light of day fading slowly, replaced by night. Frigid wind began blowing from the south, the iciness heading down the mountains to the three travelers. At the same time, a whistling noise began echoing through the trees, strong wind trying to escape through an outlet but finding none big enough. Uneasily, Kei murmured, "I think we'd better go back." Assenting silently, Reika moved towards the passage. Grunting, the Knight hoisted Alex and slung him over his shoulder, prompting a low moan. Ignoring it, he strode towards the forest.

The going was tough, the wind buffeting them in every direction. Ten minutes later, Reika couldn't take it any longer, and collapsed on the ground, next to a cave entrance. "Get in," Kei whispered, clambering down the entrance. Before she knew what they were doing, they had ended up in the cavern she had escaped not so long ago - this time, though, it was filled by a bright light emitted from the Knight's weapon. "Warm," he sighed, and set Alex's body on the floor, choosing to lean against the wall instead. His eyes shut, and for a while, it seemed as if he had dozed away. Warmed by the brief respite, Reika lay down on the ground, and felt her consciousness ebbing.

How great it is to rest after such a long day...

---

Alex awoke the next morning, confused. He felt warm breathing on his neck, but his eyes were too laden to open, and he couldn't be bothered. His right arm was slightly numb from an indiscernible weight, his left arm wrapped around a relatively soft object. A human?! Forcing them open a crack, he stared into whiteness, and for a moment, he couldn't get what was happening. Slowly, his sight cleared, and he realized that it was hair - white hair. In his arms, something fidgeted, about to awake; Alex looked down. Reika's hands were clasped, held against her chest; her body was clamped lightly to the boy's by his arms. Feeling her head against his heart, he couldn't bear to move away for fear of awakening her, and he just lay there, eyes closed, hand stroking the back of her head. A familiar smell wafted through an opening to wherever he was, a smell that he had always been greeted by in Henesys - dew, forming on the grass. Breathing in deeply, he felt the figure move again, this time harder. Within two minutes, she had awoken. Softly, the Bowman apologized, but she merely sniffled. "Comfy." Alex tried his best not to laugh.

A noise. Alex was about to move when a familiar voice spoke. "It's me. No don't move, idiot," he said, striding into the archer's line of sight. "Well well, look what we have here!" Reika looked up, her cheeks slightly pink; Alex raised an eyebrow. "Stop looking at her like that, 'Lexy," he smirked, "Your face is just about the same color." Instinctively, the Bowman's left arm shot up, dislodging Reika; she jumped up. "Ow!" Kei rolled his eyes. "Kids." Looking up, Alex studied Kei's face; his eyes were slightly ringed, barely noticeable in the increasing light. "Kei, how long haven't you slept?" The Knight shrugged. "One, two days? Doesn't matter for me, I'll sleep when I want to. I'm not as weak as you are," he said, joking tone betraying his scorn. "If you're feeling all better, we'll move on, else I'll let you rest for another couple hours or so. Two hours is the max though, I don't wanna go through the silly mountains at noon-time. I'll boil." At the mention of mountains, Reika froze over. "Oh gosh, damn your silly phobia. You're a Phoenix, deal with it."

Alex grinned, and patted her on the back. "Don't worry, Kei doesn't mean that." She sighed. "I know, but... it feels kinda weird around him, you never know what he's thinking - he's so guarded and all." Alex nodded. "I understand what you mean. Anyway, time to get up!" Standing, he walked over to the cave exit... and noticed the symbols. Behind him, Reika froze. "Those symbols... look familiar," Alex muttered. "Kei? Kei!" The Knight backstepped, and tilted his head. "What?" Alex beckoned, and the Knight walked slowly over, muttering on the inefficiency of children. Noticing them staring, he turned his head. "This is the same inscription on the Altar, isn't it?" Alex said. Kei shook his head. "Same language... different words." Pointing his finger on the wall, he started reading.

Ten seconds later, he muttered, "There's one big chunk of text that I don't understand. It just starts 'Here, you will confront your inner nature.' Everything below is just... a whole different language."

"Is it, now?" A sardonic voice spoke, from behind.
__________

Trista woke up in a spartan room; it took her body five seconds to acclimatize to the light. Beside her, a figure was slumped; he smelled vaguely of grass, not unfriendly. Walking around him, Trista studied his face; Michael. Ignoring him for the moment, she stepped outside and breathed in the fresh morning air. A new beginning... A voice spoke from atop a tree. Before he even spoke, she already knew it was Icarut. "Wow, for a twelve-year-old you're pretty immune to spending the night with a guy in your room!" She shrugged at the invisible voice. "Well for a fifteen-year-old you sure love trees." Icarut laughed. "I just like the feeling of being high up. Anywhere high is fine." Sardonically, she retorted, "Try the mountains of El Nath if you like being high." Another tinkling laugh. "Nah, I'd rather be on top of the Dragon Mountains." Trista raised an eyebrow. A rustling noise as the Nightwalker jumped down. "You'll understand when you grow up. Hopefully." Turning, he was about to walk away when she bound his legs with earth. He turned. "Yes?"

For a moment, she was tongue-tied; recovering her senses, she asked, "You know about the-" He finished, "Feud in Victoria? Can't be bothered." To her surprise, he easily broke away from the binding, jumping into the distance. What was that about? The brief exchange had left her disconcerted, almost as if the words were inadequate. "Having Icarus give his full attention to you is pretty imbalancing. He has this ability to unsettle his adversaries. Talking to friends, he never means it, of course, but his ability is so high... it's hard to control." Irina strode out from behind the tree. How could I not have noticed her?! "You are wondering why you couldn't see me? It's written all over your face." The Windreaver laughed. "We are called the Windreavers for a reason: we reave the wind. To reave, as you would know, is to plunder; similarly, we rob the wind to give us added powers that normal Bowmen don't have. These would include things like increased speed, power, as well as a transformation that few get to survive through." One of the doors creaked open, and a tired-looking Oz walked slowly towards them. "Looks as if your training is about to start. I wouldn't do good to spy." Turning, she strode rapidly away.

"Had a good sleep?" Oz asked, yawning. Trista nodded tersely. These Knights can be really scary sometimes. Keeping her expression smooth, she queried, "So uh... what are we gonna begin with?" Oz looked at her as if she were crazy.

"Breakfast?"

---

The Elementalist stood up, stomach satiated. "So," Oz said, "Training huh. You could start by showing me what fire moves you have." Raising her staff, Trista held it like a bowlimb and pulled at an invisible string; before the projectile could form, Oz shook her head. "No projectile moves." Trista was at a loss. "Then uh... nothing much?" Oz sighed. "This is gonna take a long time. First up, you draw the mana and convert it into fire, but don't give it a form." Trista tried, but every time she attempted, the fire would sizzle out immediately. "Hmm. Interesting." Walking over, Oz pulled out a bag from her pocket. "Let's see how you react to this." Opening it, she teleported backwards; wooden creatures of all sorts jumped from it. Reacting from instinct, the Elementalist drew an arrow and fired it; the creature died, but another replaced it. Why won't these things die already! The arrows flew down like a rain of flames, but for every one that went down, another took its place. Jumping up, she drew the arrow but blunt the tip; firing at a particularly thick cluster, she watched with satisfaction that they were knocked to the ground, unable to move; slowly, the wood forming them burnt up. Rolling aside just as she landed, Trista leveled her staff. "Too slow," Oz said, "They'll be able to overrun you in seventeen seconds." Unbelieving, the Elementalists continued firing her arrows; fifteen seconds later, she sensed that Oz was right. The creatures were surrounding her, a large mass of brown, stretching for almost ten meters. I'll never be able to outrun that! The creatures raised their weapons, ready to strike...

And her body took over her mind; dropping the staff, she formed a ring of fire that acted as a barrier; the closest creatures were burnt. Far away, the ranged fighters raised their weapons, preparing to fire. Smirking, she collapsed the wall of fire, pushing the mana out as far as she could. "Beautiful," Icarut muttered, watching from a tree; from his vantage point, it looked as if a red ring were expanding from inside, forming a disc of fire. Apparently not noticing him, Oz said, "Good! Now maintain it there... maintain it... and relax." Trista breathed out. To her immense surprise, her shoulders relaxed. Didn't know I was this tense... She was about to release it when Oz teleported right beside her and whispered into her ear. The two girls grinned.

All of a sudden, the ring of fire rose into the sky, nearly scorching Icarut; manipulating the fire, Oz surrounded the tree and formed the flames into gigantic snakes. "Crap." Seconds from being roasted, the Nightwalker jumped off the tree. "Blend." In a puff of smoke, barely discernible over the burning tree, he vanished, body dispersing into mana particles. Oz exclaimed. "His mana trace... vanished?" Dispersing the fire, she looked around wildly. Trista was shell-shocked. "Is he really dead?" Right next to her ear, a soft voice spoke. "Am I really that stupid?" Dispelling his skill, he stood behind her, head above her right shoulder. "Get away from her, Icarus," Michael said, walking out of his house, velvet tone tainted with poison. "Ah, I see you're awake," the Nightwalker replied, pleasantly. The both of them stared at each other for a moment, before the Soul Warrior broke his glance, staring at Trista. "You okay?" She nodded tersely, and turned to face Icarut. "Sorry, I shouldn't have-" He cut in. "'Sokay, I was about as playful when I was your age. Maybe more. You know, I-"

Irina spoke, from a distance away. "He took a poison bomb and threw it in the royal stable." Trista stared at him. "The royal stable?!" Icarut smiled. "Yep. Stallions knocked out, but didn't die. Got hell from the King though." He shrugged. "Well most of us have to head out to El Nath. Investigative procedures and all that. Coming?" Oz nodded. "She's my new disciple now."

"Is she?"

A person cloaked in black walked out from behind one of the huts. In his left hand was a claw; in his right, a dagger.
_________

[Denunciator]

Ah, didn't cover much about Claire the previous chapter. Any readers who actually read closely will be able to see that in the massive deluge of words, there are plenty of expression problems or awkwardness. This is because I really have been forcing myself to the limit out of sheer boredom. Now, I'm not saying that I could do better if I took my time, but I definitely see things worth improving on, so please, criticism.

With that in mind...

Chapter 21

The party of three raised their weapons at the ready, aiming at the antagonist they couldn't see. Outside, smoke billowed into the clearing, smothering the travelers inside the cave. "Down," Kei commanded, lying on the floor himself. He felt the rock floor against his abdomen, but ignored it; gasping, he tried to breath in the little air below the smoke. On each side of him, two figures made similar sounds of discomfort. Alex choked a little. "Kei... how long must we stay on the ground?" The Knight shrugged as best as he could. The three remained silent for a long while, waiting for the intruder to make his move. All of a sudden, Kei felt a blade against his neck. "We meet again, Keiichi." Despite himself, the Knight gave a little smile, and turned his head. "Yeah. We meet again." The air around him warped, and flames erupted around the Thief. Rolling aside, Kei crashed into Alex; in the exact same moment, the two of them vanished, appearing near the cave entrance. Awkwardly, Reika got up, jumping backwards. The Rogue smiled. "I have no intention of attacking you." The Assassin narrowed her eyes. Kei shrugged, and said, "True. You have not come for me either." Motioning to the floor where he had been seconds ago, he continued, "Am I right?"

He smiled. "A pleasure to meet you." The Knight nodded, a tight set to his jaw. "Ditto. I'm glad you remember my name. In my impression, you never told me yours, did you?" The thief nodded. "Kon." The Knight murmured, "Ahh." Aloud, he said, "So, what is it you really want?" Kon shrugged. "Since you're so straightforward, I shall make my purpose clear: I want to know where it's kept." Kei stared.

"What?"
"I've made myself clear. Tell me where it's hidden or you will die, one by one."
"What's it?!"
Kon narrowed his eyes. "The Guardian."
"What guardian?" Frustration flooded the air.
A satisfied expression filled Kon's face. "Ahh, so you do not know. And I assumed, because you were born about the same time as me, that you would be able to learn so much more than the jobmasters taught you. So..."
Kei stayed silent, and the Thief continued. "Long ago, the World Tree was created as a guardian of the island of Victoria. It must have been a long time, but finally, humans found the island. Only populated by faeries then, it was still densely forested. The ancestors of the previous job masters arrived on this island, determined to escape from the threat roaming the Ossyrian continent.

You are familiar with this lore?"

Looking at Kei's blank stare, he smiled. "Never mind. We part here."


Before anyone could protest, he walked out and vanished.

"What was that?" Alex asked, confused. The Knight stared at the symbols on the cave wall. "Whatever it was, I have a visit to pay. To the past."
__________

The Knights of Cygnus armed themselves to the teeth, facing the intruder. Trista had been pushed against a tree, shielded by Michael. "Don't worry," he assured her, usual smile gone, "I won't let a single shred of his mana past me." The intruder's ears pricked. "Ah yes. You think?" Michael tilted his head, confident expression filling his face. "Yes, I think. Holy Shield." A white aura surrounded his shield and armor, expanding. "Ahh yes. The Knights of Cygnus. I've heard of you. Ascendancy to the highest seat of power at the young age of fifteen, impressive." He clapped mockingly, and Oz's grip on her staff tightened. "Anger is not a good thing, young one," he commented, staring at her; she nonchalantly looked back. The ground around her erupted into flames. "Deflecting my aura attack. Not-" Stepping behind Icarut, he whispered, "-bad. Savage Blow." Slashing rapidly, he carved his attacks into the Nightwalker's flesh. Fresh blood flowed onto the grass, glittering in the early morning light."

"We're called Nightwalkers for a reason, dumb." Jumping off one of the rooftop, Icarut pointed at his body. "Dispel." The mana-created body disappeared, and the intruder looked at him lethally. "Claw Booster," both said at the same time. "Star Barrage." Sparks filled the air as thousands of stars crashed into each other, filling the entire atmosphere with the smell of burning metal. "Curse," Icarut said, in his lazy tone, jumping forwards. A single star thudded into Kon's armor; before the spell could take effect, the Chief Bandit had taken it and threw it into the midst of the Knights. The Nightwalker cursed. Just before it went off, a voice sung, "Dimension Warp." The star vanished, and the Chief Bandit stared in surprise. A figure appeared beside Icarut, her bow held out. "You're going to use the piece of wood to fight me?!" He laughed. "My name's Irina." She shut her right eye, aiming for his body. "Kon." Nodding, Icarut acknowledged him. "Wind Walker." Irina vanished; in a blink, she was above him. "Magnum Shot." The arrow smashed into a wristguard, but it wasn't finished; upon contact, the projectile exploded, splitting into small stones; without warning, they burst. Thousands of arrows flew up; Kon Flash Jumped aside to avoid it, but they merely flew back down, pushing him to the ground.

Taking the chance, Icarut said, no longer laid-back, "Sudden Attack." The claw smashed into the Chief Bandit, and he was knocked out. Turning, the Nightwalker said, "That's that, then." Yawning, he walked towards Michael.

A voice spoke, just over his shoulder. "You underestimate your opponent." Shocked, he turned and dashed backwards, barely avoiding a dagger tipped with poison; he rushed past Irina, whose body lay on the ground, teeming with injuries. "Dammit! All of you clear out; Oz, go get some help!" Grabbing Trista by the wrist, the Soul Warrior executed a perfect, albeit weak, Flash Jump. Once he made sure he was a safe distance away, he waited for Oz, who grabbed Irina before teleporting away. The four of them made it out the clearing, leaving Icarut and Kon. "I've gone easy on you, Kon. Here on out, I'm giving it my all." Kon nodded. "So will I."

The clearing erupted with a roar as mana rushed in, both thieves trying to absorb as much as possible. Taking the first initiative, Kon jumped forwards, casting Dark Sight. "I see you," Icarut breathed, spinning away from the dagger that was aimed towards his shoulder. Six stars flew towards Kon, who dodged them all easily. "Air Pulse." Collecting the mana in his claw, Kon punched forwards, and the air sliced past Icarut, barely missing his face. Holding his hand up, Icarut stared into his palm. A mask began forming, white on the right, black on the left. A slash ran through the mask above and below the right eye hole, and right now, it was glowing a bright red. "Poison Claw." Icarut's voice came out raspy and hoarse. His claw was surrounded by a dark purple. "Ahh," Kon whispered, "Soul Javelin." His cartridge glowed and dissolved into mana, surrounding the claw. Blue clashed with purple in a brilliant spark, as both of them tried to use a ranged weapon for a melee attack. Kon, taking the advantage, slashed with his dagger; Icarut's right hand started bleeding badly.

"End of attack," Kon said, satisfied. "Not yet," Icarut said, smiling, "I'm ambidextrous. And this... will really prove to be your end. Devour." The blood coating his arm vanished and his wound started clotting; his body seemed to throb. Throwing ten stars towards Kon, he watched as Kon dodged them all, returning fire; ignoring the stars slicing into his armor, he merely stepped forwards and kept on firing. The spree continued until Kon was against a wall. Icarut raised an eyebrow and threw just one star; it thudded into the Chief Bandit's arm dully. "As I expected," he choked, "It was tipped with your blood?" The Nightwalker nodded. "I... haven't seen something like this in a long time." Icarut sighed. "I developed this skill myself. Poison courses in my blood." Motioning at Kon, he continued, "The same applies to you. In five minutes, you'll die." Kon gritted his teeth. "We'll meet again, I'm sure of it." Icarut nodded. "As am I." Retrieving a rock, Kon pressed his thumb to it and muttered a string of unintelligible words; in a second, he was gone.

Collapsing on the ground, the Nightwalker stared up into the sky blankly. The fight had cost him a lot... and now... to slumber.

Beside him, Kon's throwing stars glittered, their tips glowing a eerie shade of green. Beside him, his mask lay, forgotten.
__________

Claire stepped onto the floating train, unclear of her path. Her comrades had all vanished - Alex, Kei, Reika, Trista... She was now alone, preparing to leave for Ludibrium - to a land which she had never before seen in her life. Settling down, she reflected. On the time she was in Perion. How long ago was it that she had last looked at herself, examining her armor? Her battlesuit was now gone, replaced by a regular armor. The horn tooted, and the train left the station with a sudden jolt.

Ignoring the sole other person on board, she looked up into the sky. Wind roared around her hair, causing it to flap in her face; the waist-length silver looked as if it were a stream of precious metals, flowing never-endingly. Breathing in deeply, she savored the taste of the early morning air, blowing down from the mountains to her right. Looking at the peaks, one rising after the other, she caught the sun, about to rise over the sharp, ice-coated tips that resembled icicles tipped with blood. Settling comfortably into her seat, she thought about her past. About El Nath. Sooner or later she would confront it, but for now, she thought about Kei. His resuscitation... she blushed uneasily.

---

Behind Claire, the other passenger turned. Watching the silver hair flow, she felt a sudden spike of envy. Not many had hair as smooth and well-kept as hers. Even less had silver. Brushing back her black hair, she felt a tangle coming loose. Ignoring her hair, she looked over the railing with exhilaration. The mountain wind had caused the skies to be cloudless, and she could see the sea below, glittering from the pre-dawn light. The twin towers of Ludibrium rose far ahead, piercing the clear air. This was the first time she had been out of Ereb, and the first that she was taking civilian transport, rid of all the trappings of royal life. Looking at her fellow passenger, she guessed that it was a Warrior - clanking armor, slow movements... it didn't suit her at all. Perhaps she would recommend the Battlesuit. For now... she gave a loud whoop, and the Warrior turned in surprise, long katana held out. "Sorry," she said, embarrassed. The Warrior tilted an eyebrow. "Who are you?" Smiling, she held out her bow. "Ivy, I'm a Windreaver." The Warrior stared. "Wind what?!"

Ivy gaped in shock. "You don't know what a Windreaver is?" Striding over, she settled down beside the Warrior, and began to tell her story, musical accompaniment given by the howling wind.
__________

[Denunciator]

Chapter 22

The story always goes as thus: A hero would save the world, destroying a beast in the process and saving the world, at the cost of his life. More often than not there would be love in his process, but he would burn it for the sake of the greater good.

This, is such a story.

---

The Knights of Cygnus were a proud race, and their pride extended all the way to their disciples. Whenever their masters were hurt, they would go all-out to take down their intruder. There hadn’t been a single major injury in the force since the current leaders were inducted, but now, two leaders had been injured in one shot; both injuries had been near-fatal. Whoever it was, he was a strong opponent: definitely not a channel for their anger. Throughout Ereb, the peace had been shattered – everyone was rampaging. The smell of fires burning, along with the smoke, blanketed the once beautiful sky; there were no birds now, their cheerful chirping replaced by sound of spells, the air screeching with the burn of mana. Within the palace, banners had been torn off, the people crying for the blood of royalty. There was no clear reason why – nationalism, pride in their race, was the crucial factor. Slightly beyond the city, the Black Magician watched with pleasure as the royalty headed for the safety bunker.
__________

Ivy felt a shudder go through her heart. Her story had just been completed, but the Warrior was still in silence, her hair flowing gently in the cool wind. At the thought of the Black Magician… she winced. The Knight didn’t reveal things as easily as others did: her entire body was still, her eyes set on an arbitrary point on the far wall. Below them, the train wheels jarred, trapped in air turbulence; the pressure tossed her slightly off the seat. The Knight was still zoning out, her expression serene. From this distance, Ivy could smell a hint of light perfume… Guess she still cares much for her deportment. The train shuddered and jarred as it approached the station, and the princess sighed in relief. "Welcome to Ludi," she said to herself, smiling as she jumped off. To their surprise, they were immediately surrounded by Knights of Cygnus, an angry mob with weapons pointed at Ivy. "What the hell are you doing?!" Her stature as princess and the regal, confident attitude was lost in the face of danger.

Far from detached, Claire spoke to the mob coldly. "Why are you doing this?" One of the knights, his face masked, replied, "You are an outsider. There is no need for you to know... or understand. You leave now." The Knight glanced at Ivy, and turned back. "No chance of that." The Knight glared. "Then prepare to fight."

Claire grinned and leveled her katana.
__________

Trista stepped onto the ice first, her enthusiasm dampened at the sight of the destroyed town. "What are we doing here?" Irina queried, her arm hanging limply by her side; although she wouldn't be able to fire a bow for a while, she didn't seem in the least bit bothered by it. "Like I said that time," Icarut called, dashing to her side, "Investigative procedures. I also asked whether she," he motioned to Trista, "wanted to come with us." The Windreaver rolled her eyes, annoyed. "You don't have to show off your eidetic memory, dumbtard." He grinned, before setting off at a light skip towards the town square. Taking the chance, Trista looked around; ignoring the animated chatter of Oz and Michael, she let her senses take over.

All around, there were remnants of destroyed huts, the metal structures a mere shadow of the prosperity that El Nath had seen in its prime years, no more than ten years before. The sheer destruction that had been wreaked by the invaders was clearly seen, burn marks in the cobbled ground still remaining after the numerous snowstorms that had ravaged the sole plants, leaving behind stumps and dried leaves. Bending down, she could see little blades of grass beginning to spring, plowing their way slowly but surely through the thick blanket of untouched snow that didn't seem to be affected by the late afternoon sun. Forty-five degrees above the horizon, it was slightly shrouded by clouds, high up in the city of Orbis. The scent of grass assailed her as she sat down, her cloak acting as an insulator from the cold. Down the road, Icarut was leaping from house to house, examining every single steel girder with inhuman speed, not needing to record anything down. As he progressed, his smile slowly faded, replaced with a worry that lined his young face. Not able to resist the temptation to sleep, she lay down...

---

When Trista next awoke, she was lying in the town square; the snow in the area had been cleared out, leaving behind a marble floor that occupied majority of the town square. Above her, the starry expanse was breathtaking - the sky that night was especially clear, and the stars glittered, every single one carrying a purpose and meaning. For minutes, the Elementalist lay there, unable to think of anything to do. A smell of snow and wood wafted to her, making the entire place seem like a paradise...

Except it wasn't. Soon, she began to be aware of a monolith that lay near them, right in the center of the former town; line upon line of words was carved there, a long tale that reflected the moonlight. Sitting up, she walked over; one of the Knights stirred. Unsure which side to start from, she retrieved a wand, lighting the tip. Right at the top, she could spy a few letters, but she wasn't tall enough to look. For once, she felt that her magic was useless - there were no natural elements to use to prop her up, besides the marble, whose ripping sound would probably carry far away in the silent night. Resigning herself to start midway, she read only one word, a solitary word that made no sense:

Survivors:

Right at the top, her name was carved.

She received a second shock when she looked beside it.

"Alex?!"
__________

Christine stared out at the World Tree, unseeing. Her bowmen, almost half of them, had been felled by the blaze in Ellinia, leaving her with a fresh bunch of archers. She regretted ever getting them involved in the entire thing in the first place, regretted ever having taken over the position of Athena. She wasn't clear, even now, why the Bowmaster had chosen her to take over the position of the head of Henesys, and the leader amongst the bowmen - there had been so many more qualified people, but she, out of everyone, had been picked, just fresh from her last year at the academy. Barely sixteen, she had already reached the pinnacle of power in Victoria, a position amongst the four top fighters in on the continent, and possibly the entire world.

Why?

---

"Why, you ask me?" Athena spoke, pleasantly. Christine brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes, her heavily-shadowed eyes almost delirious. The Bowmaster's voice dropped a notch, assuming an apologetic tone. "Christine, I know what you've been through, the pain of war. You cannot escape your past." The girl shook her head, her hair sleek despite the hardship she had endured these few days. "I don't see where this is going."

Athena sighed. "Christine, there's still a lot of things you don't see. Perhaps looking at your lineage, you will be able to see more. Whatever you may find, whatever conclusion you may derive, remember this: after tonight, you'll assume the leader of the bowmen. I know that you will do a fine job." Shutting her eyes, she stayed still. Understanding this as her dismissal, she turned and walked out.

Under the overcast night sky, she considered where she had come from. She didn't remember much, but she knew that her parents and their neighbors had known each other for a long time, and they had fought together in some war or another. She, her twin sister and their friends had played in the same courtyard that their parents always chatted in. In particular, she remembered that her sister was often partial to one particular neighbor, the little boy...

---

When they had lost one another in the disembarkation at Ellinia, she had thought that they would lose one another forever, even her twin sister; their bond did nothing to help them find or even communicate with each other. Then, her six-year-old mind had not been developed enough to reflect deeply on the loss. The assumption of the title of "Athena" was rewarded not long later, when the boy had decided to enter the fighters on Victoria Island as an archer; she had been about to take him under her wing when he had been kidnapped from under her nose...

Alex. Where was he now?
__________

"Bloody hell!" Kei cursed, slashing through yet another carnivorous vine. Moments ago, they had stepped through the time portal at the top of the Helios Tower in Ludibrium, and now, they were fighting for their lives in the jungle. "Where," Alex said, firing another shot, dispatching another flower intent on swallowing the Knight whole, "Are we now?" Reika shrugged, Flash Jumping backwards and throwing a volley of stars into the thick jungle; a gigantic tree lying in ambush fell over. "Watch out!" Reika whirled, to find a mushroom, mouth wide open, waiting at her landing spot; acting fast, she drew a combat dagger, but before she could throw it, Alex had jumped in, firing arrows rapidly; the black projectiles shredded the soft flesh apart with a loud ripping. Kei groaned. "You, Alex, are going to wash my armor tonight!" Turning, the couple couldn't help but laugh; his Dark Battle Road was covered with slime.

"Well it's nice and funny, but like I said, you're to clean my armor tonight." The archer immediately sobered up, but a hint of a smirk still jumped at the side of Reika's lips. Ignoring them, Kei continued plunging his way through the forest...

And abruptly, their advance stopped. "Holy..." In front of them, there was a giant tree... and it wasn't the World Tree. Which was why it was intent on swallowing them with the millions of vines that lay around them. "Oh, what I'd give for an Elementalist right now..." Alex moaned; Reika stared at the bunch of enemies, and shut her eyes. Immediately, Kei slammed into her, knocking out her channeling. "ARE YOU CRAZY?" Alex stared at him, confused. "You'll set us all on fire!" Reika looked dumbly back at the Knight, mouth open. Kei rolled his eyes. "Kids," he said, not for the first time that day. Jumping straight in, he grabbed his Crossheider; it morphed into a sabre. "Hasing Dance." Slashing, he did a turn, bringing his other sword around; in that fashion, he kept spinning, a figure surrounded by metal flashes. As the vines slowly got taken down one by one, Alex raised his bow, aiming for one of the vines. This time, though, the tree was smarter; it managed to evade almost all of the throwing stars and arrows aimed for it, frustrating the pair on the ground.

"OUCH!" Kei shouted, as he got thrown backwards; part of his armor had been ripped off, fresh blood flowing from an inch-wide wound. The vines stirred, moving for the crimson trail that flowed down his leg, staining the ground. It seemed to glitter for a moment; Kei smiled as they began slurping at the viscous liquid. "Well, good luck to you." He smiled, staring up at the tree. A moment later, green blood spurted from the monster, spraying from the wounds that he had made with his swordplay; the smile was instantly wiped off his face when some of the liquid hit the remainder of his armor.

A loud creak, and the tree was gone, lying on the floor. "I guess we could use this as timber tonight," Alex said hastily, staring at the floor to hide his grin; Kei looked up at the canopy, exasperated. "I think we should set up camp-"

"Definitely not here," a pleasant voice called; a figure strode out of the forest. He was clothed in a robe, his expression serene. "Welcome, fellow travelers... my name is Pergen." Walking forwards, he shook Kei's hand, and the Knight winced. This much magic... is he to be Grendel? Apparently, Alex had noticed, but before he could speak, the Knight took a step backwards, stepping on the Bowman's foot; the magician raised an eyebrow, but did not comment. "Perhaps... you would like to follow me back to town?"

---

Altair Camp was more organized than he could have envisaged: everywhere, there was work being done - woodcutting, weapon crafting, mining... the efforts put in by the people were endless, and yet they were careful. Every single thing they did, they watched for the environment; work would halt even for the smallest bird, and they made sure that groves of trees with any signs of life would not be touched. Every single scrap of wood was used up before they continued cutting trees, and only then, they cut just enough for their use, so that the forest would regenerate. "Ah, so this is sustainable development..." Kei mused. How the hell did the island become what it is today, then? Pergen's brow furrowed. "Sustainable if it were only us, but... there has recently been a new addition to the island. He's not really peaceful..."

"Who?"

"The Black Magician - he's trying to poison the forest, to kill... The World Tree."

[fc3srx7]

We Want More!!!

[Denunciator]

Chapter 23

Claire leapt up high, evading yet another pathetic attempt at trapping her with fireballs; already, the ranks of the Knights were beginning to wane, although none of them were incapacitated beyond recovery. "Stinger!" Jumping forwards, she stabbed quickly at a Nightwalker, who promptly vanished. Through the fall, however, she plunged her sword downwards, straight into a bunch of feet. "Ice Charge." The crackling that sounded through the air promptly stopped, replaced by a sudden cooling in the temperature; Windreavers cried out as their feet were frozen to the ground. "Get a hold of yourself!" The Knight cried out, as she slashed at a heavily armored but slow Soul Warrior. Safely seated up on a lamppost, Ivy looked as if she could fall at anytime: the last thing that Claire needed was a concussion from the princess. "Whoa!" She cried out, snapping back from her destruction, just as a Windreaver appeared beside her. "It's over, Knight. Wind Shot." Claire felt herself bound to the ground; the sky darkened. Her breathing quickened - the atmosphere was thinning rapidly. "What is..."

"Windreavers literally steal the wind as their means of attack: at their peak, they're able to draw the power of wind and create any form of projectile, speed themselves up, use them as shields... the possibilities are limitless. Further more, out of all the elements, air is the most abundant..."

The projectile charging up pulsed ominously, barely visible in the darkness. More than anything, it was a lance, almost a meter long; it was a wonder that the Windreaver was able to hold it in her bow. As she let go, everything slowed.

For an instant, time seemed to stop - and stop it did: everything froze. A Flame Wizard blinked, and cried out, "What's happening?!"

A voice, twinkling, cut the darkness.

"Turn your tears in to strength, and bisect the darkness with your luminous blades. Shooting Star."

The sky glowed, and Claire watched, shocked, as thousands of thin beams formed, veil upon veil of light. The beauty of it all was lost within unconsciousness.

---

When the Knight next awoke, she was lying on a relatively soft bed in a dark room. Rubbing her eyes, she took a moment to recover from her shock - Ivy was pacing the floor at the foot of the bed, glancing around the horribly spartan room. "Where is this?" she inquired, curious as to the coolness in the air. It was a long moment before the princess answered, one simple word. "Listen." Outside, birds were chirping lightly, their song barely heard above a gigantic thunderstorm that was shaking the very foundation of the stone hut. "It would appear that you have awoken," a familiar voice spoke, as he walked slowly into the room - slowly, but surely. Clare shot up, out of bed... and exclaimed in pain.

Propped against the door, arms folded, was Kei. "Careful," he said, smirking, "You look like you got trashed." Unable to retaliate for a moment, the female Knight could only stare back. Shaking his head, Kei walked out, laughing all the way. "He came all the way from town to see you," Ivy spoke, carefully. "Town?" The princess nodded. "In this place, above all places, you have to be very, very careful - we're currently treading in the grounds of history. I don't suppose you've heard of the Butterfly Effect?" Claire nodded, thinking back to the past, of her dreary days treading the grounds of the Ellinian forest. "Yeah, I have." The princess exhaled, a sigh of relief. "At any rate, we should be heading for the town now." Striding over to the far wall, she picked up the bow and walked to the door. "You'll be fine?" Claire nodded. "I've been through far worse." The Knight watched, silent, as the Windreaver vanished into the rain.

---

"I wish I hadn't shaken her off," Claire grumbled, as she slashed her way through the jungle; the air was already being rent with smoke as she burnt her way through the thick forestation, but no matter how much effort she put in... Something was wrong. The farther she had ventured, the more silent it had gotten; the blanket that lay over life suffocated her, and she invariably slowed her steps. Fallen leaves barely rustled in a wind that robbed her of her sight; in that split second, something appeared from the ground. At first, it was nothing but smoke, effervescence that sifted its way through the little cracks in the ground that nothing but gas could pass through; gradually, the smoke began to take form.

A human stood before her, a human that looked wise, a human that was about to use its wisdom to rob her blind. "Good afternoon, young lady. I see you're caught in this... storm?" His grin was patronizing, and she felt ticked. "It would be none of your business, would it?" He shut his eyes and nodded. "Except for the fact that the rain is, perhaps, soundless? Dispel!" His last word was a cry, a cry that shattered the very skies around her; she was in a completely dark prison. "It would appear, that you, a Knight, are not well versed in the realm of magic. Then I'm going to tell you this - there are more aspects of magic than you could possibly conjure in your feeble mind in a million years." Snapping his fingers, he called out, "Arm yourselves! We have a guest!" Lights, far above her, went on - they were in the narthex of a church, a rotunda that was, at the very least, forty meters high - the chandelier hung precariously from the apex, dangling a mere ten meters above her. All around, there were alternating pillars and bricks; behind her enemy, a flight of stairs led to an almost invisible door, far up the wall.

That very door creaked open, and four figures leapt down, landing on the floor with not much more force than a feather; their clothes rustled. "Take her down," the mage said, and vanished.

With pleasure, the figures unhooded themselves - they were skeletons.
_________

"You seem perturbed," Irina commented, walking beside Trista; the Elementalist shook her head, deep in thought. "Perhaps you would like to talk about it?" Her olive irises reflected the snowy skies in the morning wind, a shimmering vista. "It's nothing much," the younger girl said, "Just that I saw one of my friends' names on that obelisk back there." The Windreaver nodded, smiling. "It's little wonder - when the scourge happened back then, the soldiers didn't think to look for the children - as it were, you're living legacies of the powers of your parents, aren't you?" Trista stared back, ponderous. As they walked towards the forest at the edge of El Nath, the Windreaver explained, "El Nath, about a decade ago, used to be home to the highest concentration of magic. You would have heard about the story of the Ragnarok, no?" Trista nodded, uncertainly - her memory was fuzzy. Irina sighed.

"The Ragnarok was a monstrosity - it is rumored that it was the product of demon souls fused together, a coalescing of the remnants of beasts slain, but of course, it is nothing but that - rumors. Perhaps we will never understand it, but it granted immense power to its host, just like any other beast." The younger girl nodded. "When the Ragnarok was slain, it caused ripples in the magic community - after all, any beast was a commodity to the study of magic - two factions, in particular, weren't very pleased." The Elementalist said, "Ahh, Magatia." Irina nodded. "Magatia was home to the best scientists and magicians in the entire world, and still is - the reason why Orbis," the Windreaver motioned upwards, "hasn't fallen on our heads is in part due to the rocks that Magatia manufactures. Nobody really knows how it's done, and they aren't likely to give the knowledge up soon, but there is a chink in their armor, their power - the feud."

"The Zenumist academy strongly believes in the power of life - that life transcends all, that the strength of a human depends on his or her soul. That is why their creations are all biological, creatures that possess thinking minds, that are capable of metacognition. Alcadno, however, believes in the perfection of technology. They are of the opinion that, programmed properly, a robot will be immortal. The feud between them has caused a rift in the development of Magatia - now that science and magic are no longer fused together, their weakness have been exposed. You can see this in the recent attacks on Magatia by the monsters of the Nihal Desert - they are evolving to deal with each faction separately, and their attacks have been increasing in intensity."

Trista shook her head. "What's that gotta do with the past?"

Irina smiled. "The people here, the defeaters of Ragnarok, did so with the help of magic - the four keys. You probably won't know about that, but few do. At any rate... it caused a gigantic fallout in Magatia... which is why we're stepping in. I'm acting the part of a stupid bowman, but really... I know a lot more lore than any of them do."

Trista raised an eyebrow. "How come?"

The Windreaver shrugged. "In the pursuit of great power, all Windreavers have to travel, to learn the tales of the four winds... ironically." She smiled.

"Would you two please hurry up, we've found something!" Michael called out, motioning for them. Right in the center of the gigantic frosty forest, there was an ancient church; the entrance was a gigantic rotunda that towered over the conifers.
__________

"This is crazy!" Kei slammed the table. "I will not permit anyone to give up their lives for my teammates!" Pergen stared at him, amazed. "But... she has been gone for twenty four hours! Nobody knows where she is... perhaps we could just send a team-"

"To what expense?" The Knight questioned, "This world is gigantic, would it be reasonable for you to comb every single square inch of land to find her? She is perfectly capable of surviving herself!"

"But-"
"I think he's right, Pergen," a voice said, striding over; she lay a hand on his shoulder. "You should relax. Think carefully before making a single move. You know the dangers, the pitfalls. the Dark Magician is trying to-" The mage cut in, exasperated, "Helena, I know! It's just... it's hard maintaining a town and keeping the people happy, what's with having to convince them that the Magician is not going to burn the town in our sleep... Not like I believe it myself," he added, bitterly.

"Either way, we should face the imminent threat first," the archer said, unperturbed. "We're currently looking at the possibility of a siege by the monsters in the area. You know the danger - we're surrounded by layer upon layer of forest. We don't want to burn too much down, so area of effect spells are out of the question, unless you're using ice, but the monsters are practically immune to it... so... what's the plan?"

"Too late for that." Kei motioned to the town entrance, from whence he had entered so long ago. Barely visible in the thundering storm, a dark, hulking mass was moving, getting inevitably closer by the second.
__________

The hut was tiny, barely enough for two children huddled together. Wet through, Alex rubbed his hair, and felt something wet come off - a leaf. Beside him, Reika laughed, water streaming down her silvery-white hair. Silence reigned for a moment, cut only by the occasional clap of thunder; Reika huddled closer to the bowman, who reached around her instinctively. Attempting to make conversation, Alex said, "It's quite cold, isn't it?" Reika merely nodded. "Remember when we first met?" Reika felt a smile dance on her lips. "How could I forget? It was in Kerning, right?" Alex smiled, and toyed with her ponytail. "Your hair was tied exactly like this then, I still remember... then, I thought you were beautiful." Reika tilted her head, her eyes shining. "Now?" Alex smirked, and bent forwards. "Now, I think you're the most beautiful human in the entire world. To call you anything less would be to degrade you, especially because of that thing that's in you." He brushed his hand against her forehead. She smiled.

"Not to be crazy or anything, but... I kind of like you like this," Alex continued, looking down. A warm tinge spread on Reika's face, contrasting against the sleek white of her hair; Alex felt his cheeks combating the iciness. In that instant, both said, "Do you remem-" Their words cut off abruptly; Reika blushed and said, "You go first." Almost reluctantly, Alex asked, "Do you remember that time, at the hill off Kerning...?" Reika bit her lips. "I was about to ask you- What?" The bowman had moved closer; Reika could feel his breath against her cheeks, a fire against an icy night. "Alex..." she whispered, and her words were cut off.