"Lucci!!" Suzume reached for his hand. A silver light pulsed between them.

The days dragged on as Suzume watched the summer roll into the hilly lands between the mountains. The sun became warmer and the sky more blue. Colors flushed the meadows in every direction. Though it was one of the most beautiful places she had ever lived, aside from the Islands, the girl could not find peace there.

It had been a long time since Suzume had received a letter from Lucci. Far longer than a forgetful week. It had passed into two. Then into three. She couldn’t help but begin to worry as no word returned to her if something had happened to him.

The girl had held close the flower that Lucci gave to her upon the beginning of the Migration. He had told her a long time ago that as long as the flower was alive, he was alive, also. But something had begun to happen to the flower. The purple petals that had taken on a soft shimmer with Lucci’s magic had now turned completely silver. And she didn’t know what that meant.

Something feels really wrong…

There had been talk of a desperate battle that was fought to hold the island of Ceiswyr. And though the word from the Dragons said that the battle was won and over, there seemed to be no call for the refugees to return to the Islands yet.

Why…? Lucci said that when the battle was won, we could come home. That I’d be able to see him again. Hasn’t it been long enough?

But something different had happened that day. When she had approached the incoming Dragon from the Island, she had not left empty handed. A much-longed for letter had been placed into her hands. Suzume had been so excited to see it that she had run halfway back to the outlook before she realized that the writing on the envelope was far to elegant to be Lucci’s.

I wonder who it’s from?

At first, there had been a pang of disappointment. But that was buffered by curiosity. In all her time in Wyndor, only Lucci had ever sent her a letter. She didn’t know who else would be writing her.

A shimmering white light fluttered, zipping down out of the sky towards the girl as she stepped out of the caverns. A welcoming warble filled her ears and mind. Zeni alighted gently on the top of her head, little round eyes curious.

~Did you receive the waited for document?~

“Sorta… but… not really?” Suzume told her as she walked to the far end to sit down in her normal spot.

~I am confused. It is a document similar to what you were looking for, is it not?~

“Yes. I was waiting for a letter,” the girl tried to explain. “But I wanted one that was written by Lucci. I don’t think this is from him.”

~Who has sent it, then?~

“I don’t know. I have to open it to find out.”

~Openitopenitopenit!~ Zeni chirped, hopping from the girl’s head to her shoulder, then down on to her forearm in excitement.

“I will! I will… hold on!” Suzume almost laughed. Sometimes the Arweinydd could be so funny – especially when she got excited about something. That was, until the girl remembered this was an Arweinydd she was thinking about.

The seal cracked easily on the outside of the envelope. Suzume’s fingers fumbled to pull the folded paper out and flatten it out. Her eyes flashed over the entire page in wonderment, rushing ahead of herself to solve the mystery. She had to force herself to go back to the top and start from the very beginning.

Dear Suzume,

I know that you were watching for a letter, though it wouldn’t be from me. Lucci mentioned over and over again that you would be waiting for him to write. He was pretty insistent on it, even though he couldn’t do it for himself. So, I asked him if he would feel better if I would write in his stead. He said it would be better than sending nothing.

As you probably know, the Islands came under attack and a battle was fought. Sadly, there were a lot of injuries and more losses than we would have liked. But we did manage to fight off the enemies and secure the Islands for a little while longer.

Zento seems to think that there will be another attack in time. I’m not really good when it comes to all this talk of battle… so I have to trust them on their tactics. Because the Islands still aren’t safe, you and the others who have Migrated haven’t been asked to come back yet.

Don’t worry. Meetings are being held right now – Zemi and the others are making plans on how they can make the Islands safe for good. When that happens, everyone can come back again. But until then, you have to hold tight for a little longer. I know it’s tough. I know that you probably miss Lucci a lot – just as much as he misses you. Which leads me to what I really mean to write.

I don’t want to send upsetting news, especially when I don’t understand all that is happening myself. But Lucci asked that I tell you as much of the truth as I knew. I promised him that I would try. So here I am.

During the battle, something happened to Lucci. I don’t think it was something like an injury – he doesn’t seem hurt. I’m not sure if he’s sick, but he’s been weak and in bed ever since the fight. No one has really explained to me what caused it or why people are watching over him so closely. But we are doing everything we can to take care of him.

He has been looking a lot better day by day. I stay with him often and make sure that he’s eating. Sometimes he even talks to me – though he is usually pretty quiet. Often times he seems to sleep more than anything else. Maybe that’s his way of healing.

It was one of the days when he spoke to me that he asked me to write you this letter. When I asked him what he wanted me to write for him, he told me to tell you: “Don’t be sad, Suzume. We will be together again really soon. Watch over my flower for me.”

Feel free to write to him if you’d like – I will read him any letters that you’d like to send. I bet that they would help him to feel a lot better, if you would!

Best wishes always,

~AsaHi

The girl let the letter drop from her fingers into her lap. She had hardly gotten halfway through with it before the tears had begun to stream down her cheeks. AsaHi’s words had tried to be kind and encouraging. But there was only one thing running through Suzume’s mind.

Lucci is sick… and I can’t be there to help him. What if he dies?

~The words written here say that Lucci is starting to get better. Should you not be happy for that?~ Zeni suggested, picking up the letter in her beak.

Suzume took in a long sniffling breath. “M-maybe. I just wish… I could see him. And talk to him. I miss him so much. And now he’s sick.”

The tiny white bird tilted her head. ~Will that help your sadness?~

The girl nodded slowly. “It would help a lot…”

~Then I shall let you see him.~

Suzume perked up, even the feathers on her wings straightening. “You will? How?”

~You must follow what I tell you. Exactly as I tell you. Will you do that?~

“Yes..?”

~This is not as easy for me as it is for my siblings.~ Zeni chirruped and hopped into the girl’s open palm. ~Now close your eyes. You must not open them no matter what. Or the magic will be broken. Do you understand?~

Quickly, the girl closed her eyes and nodded repeatedly. The tickle of new excitement rushed over her body, her hands quivering with expectation where they gently held up the Arweinydd. Suzume didn’t know what she was waiting for… but she waited. With more patience than she had possessed in the many long weeks.

A warm feeling began to tingle over her fingertips. Then over her hands, up her arms and across her body. As the tingling became more pronounced, she realized that somehow she could see a wavery purple outline where her hands would be. The outline became easier and easier to see the longer she waited… though it was hardly surprising to her. She had spent so much time seeing through the folds of the blinding cloth when she had first come there. Being able to see with eyes closed was something she knew to be very possible to do.

It felt as if she was floating. Weightless. Flying without use of her wings. She didn’t know how long she flew. Or how far. But in time, a spec light appeared from behind the shadows of her eyes. The spec began to grow as they approached it – only then did she realize how fast they were really flying.

With a disorienting jerk, Suzume suddenly found herself floating in a strange white room. It took her a moment to recognize it as Lucci’s bedroom.

I’m here!? I’m really here? How…?

She reached her hands downwards, realizing that she could see straight through them to the objects on the other side.

Well… I’m mostly here?

Then her dark eyes focused on the figure in the bed. There didn’t seem to be anyone else there at all. Just a curled up shape in the covers. And a mop of long silver hair. Suzume floated over to get a better look. Twisting herself on her side curiously, she finally could make out the face of her best friend.

Lucci looked older than she remembered — just as she knew he would. Much of the softness of boyhood had faded from his face as the stronger lines of young adulthood had begun to edge their way into his features. There was a darkness around the lower lids of his eyes that spoke of lack of sleep… even though he seemed to be sleeping now.

“Lucci…?” her voice wafted like the whisper of the winds. She didn’t know if he would be able to hear her or not. But she still called to him.

~Be careful. Do not touch him.~ came Zeni’s gentle warning in the back of her mind.

She didn’t understand why she shouldn’t touch him. But the girl didn’t argue about it either. Instead, she called again, “Lucci… are you asleep?”

Lucci’s face scrunched up, nose wrinkling. He gave a quiet sound under his breath and Suzume was surprised to hear how different his voice even sounded now.

Undaunted, she tried again. “Lucci. Wake up! I’m here to see you. Please?”

The youth’s eyes fluttered open, silver reflecting ghostly and deep. He turned his head towards the sound of her voice. It took a moment before he focused upon her… but when he did, his face registered quick recognition.

~How can it be… that he sees you? Is that possible?~ Zeni’s tone was distant and puzzled. As if Lucci wasn’t supposed to have been able to do such a thing.

“Suzume?” he opened his mouth with surprise. “Are you hurt? How…”

“I’m fine Lucci! I’m fine! But AsaHi’s letter – it came. She said you were sick and I was so worried!” a million things gushed from her heart. She didn’t know how long she’d have to speak to him. “I missed you so much, Lucci!”

~Time is short.~

“I missed you too, Suzume!” he reached a hand out towards her.

She reached for him. She could feel something around him that was wrong.

~Do not touch him..!~

“Lucci… you must get better again. You’ve got to keep fighting. I can’t come home until everything is safe. Please don’t give up…” Suzume begged. Maybe it was a childish, selfish thing to plead for, seeing that he may have been sick. But those were the words on her heart.

She didn’t want him to give up.

The youth made a choked sound, reaching his hand closer. It may have been an illusion, but it seemed that his fingertips had begun to glow. “I… I will fight this, Suzume. I’ll fight this for you.”

The girl felt a strange pulling sensation, as if being drawn towards him. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could sense Zeni’s sudden unhappiness and a desperate attempt to pull her in the other direction. Away from Lucci.

No.. I want to stay! Don’t..!

~It’s not safe! You must come back now!~

“Lucci!!” Suzume reached for his hand. A silver light pulsed between them, so bright that she was forced to turn her head.

“Suzume! I’ll find you!” his voice rang in her ears. But she could no longer see him.

The girl’s eyes flashed open as her body collapsed back against the stone of the outcropping in Wyndor. Her body felt so heavy, the exact opposite of how it felt in Lucci’s room. Something within her lamented the loss of something that had felt wonderful – even if the silver light had taken her.

Zeni was hopping from stone to shoulder to head to knee in worry, chirping her concern loudly before alighting towards the cave.

~You should not have come so close. I will bring assistance.~

The sky seemed to stretch endless in her vision. She watched the clouds as they passed overhead, no trace of the frantic worry that the Arweinydd possessed. In fact, she felt very calm. And far happier than she had in a long time.

She had gotten to see Lucci. And he would be coming to find her.

"There were things... in the Time Before... that were used to subdue the Arweinydd."

“We are losing time. Losing ground – Zemi we need to make a strike against Zeromus soon,” ZenToYa demanded, pressing his palms down hard along the dull surface of the meeting table. “The more time we give him to lick his wounds, the more time he has to redouble the effort next time.”

“I understand that, Zento,” Zemi nodded slowly, leaning back in his chair. “But there’s still a lot of information that we don’t have yet. Scouting Nefol and the groundlands is difficult, even for the Dragons. You know that.”

“Yes… I do know that. And I’m not supporting a foolish rush into the situation,” the winged man gave a long frown at the Dreigiau.

“Then what are you supporting?”

“I… don’t have all the details yet. I just know that the longer we sit here playing games of defense, the less ground we are winning against the enemy,” he spread his hands as if making the most logical statement in the world. “Even Kudako agrees with me on this. We’ve sat idle for too long.”

The golden-eyed Dragon gave a low grunt under his breath. The only indication that he admitted to having anything to do with Zento’s brash outburst.

He’s really been upset about things lately…

AsaHi’s green eyes watched the heated discussion as it lit up the far side of the room. The room and the large table within showed for lack of use, everything dimmer and less magical than it had been before the attack on the Islands. Only minor damage had been done to this area of the Compound, but there were still a few dark cracks that spidered over the once smooth-white stone walls. Official Assemblies were not held there anymore — the Trine was no longer fully present with Zeni in Wyndor to watch over those that had Migrated. But there were still gatherings of tactical meetings and discussions of where things were going to go next.

There must be something more that he wants… than just wanting to strike in battle against Zeromus. It’s not like Zento to urge fighting when it’s not needed.

Everyone seemed to have a different idea on what the best course of action would be. Some felt that it would be a good time to try and change to an offensive stance. Some felt it was too risky and that defense was the best to fall back on. There were even some that whispered that giving up the Islands completely was the most sane course of action.

It’s true we won the last battle. But we lost a lot, too. I don’t know how many more attacks we can withstand before we will lose or have to give way.

AsaHi didn’t like the idea of giving up any more than anyone else. But there were just times when it was obvious that the battle was too big for them all. Though to think of any battle being too big for Zemi Dreigiau was enough to make her shudder.

Even if we did leave the Islands… where would we go that would be safe? Eventually, Zeromus will expand beyond this as well.

Zemi was leaning back in his large chair, one finger tapping idly at his chin. His sharp teal eyes flickered from the face of one person to another as if studying what sort of resources he had to use. When he finally spoke again, his voice was deep and resounding.

“It seems to me such a waste to keep swatting away the little annoyances that Zeromus keeps sending at us. If you know what I mean?” the Dreigiau rose from his chair and began to pace. “His troops keep wearing away at us, layer by layer. And we wear away at his troops layer by layer. But, as you’ve stated, that doesn’t gain us much ground… and he will just keep replenishing his troops from the creatures that he twists to his use.”

“We, on the other hand have limited number of troops,” Aur murmured nodding slowly. “Even though I’m sure we could find some reinforcements within the people of the Spiral, chances are, they would never make it here to the Islands without Dragon transport. The lands below have become too wild to travel safely. Marked and all sorts of Chaos creatures roam and destroy.”

“Yes, I know,” Zemi strode over to one of the large, arched windows and pushed aside the curtain. “That is why it would make most sense to strike at the heart of the disturbance.”

“Take out Zeromus himself?” Zento asked for clarification. The way he was leaning forward in his seat spoke of interest and strong desire.

“I agree. We will not make ground unless we cut things off at the source,” Kudako gave a curt nod, eyes focused sharply on the back of the Dreigiau.

AsaHi remained silent, pondering the impossibility of it all. Afterall, they were discussing killing another Arweinydd – something that none of them knew how to set about doing. Not even Zemi.

Not to mention that Zemi cannot directly attack Zeromus… or he could get caught up in the Chaos, too.

As if Zemi was following her line of thought, he spoke, “The question isn’t if it is the best thing to make a direct strike at Zeromus. The question is how do we plan and accomplish something like that? What can defeat a Chaotic Arweinydd?”

Even Zento fell still as the last echo of the words faded in the chamber. If Zemi didn’t seem to know these answers… then who would?

After a long space of silence, Aur’s unblinking eyes shifted up. He spoke slowly, as if not sure that he wanted to depart such information, “There were things… in the Time Before… that were used to subdue the Arweinydd.”

Something about the statement darkened the room for just a moment. AsaHi could almost see a shiver run over Zemi’s form. And though she couldn’t see his face, she could only imagine his expression at such a thought.

There’s so little that we know about the Arweinydd. About the Time Before. And about how all of these things fit together.

In their world, the Arweinydd had become great Patron Guides to the people. Because they were creatures distant and without true physicality, they had begun to be seen as things that time and even death could not touch.

But that doesn’t mean it’s true. That’s just the way we perceive them.

Zento peered across the table at the brown-haired Guardian with a conflicted grimace. As if part of him wanted to know exactly what force could be used against so great a power. And the other part of him wanted never to know what could be so terrible and vast to overthrow the power he felt was so great.

Aur’s eyes were fixed on Zemi — allowing him the choice of silence or enlightenment.

The Dreigiau turned slowly around, meeting the Guardian’s gaze. Despite the fact that the knowledge could be used against him, too. Despite the fact that it was obviously uncomfortable to discuss something that would be the fate of his own lost brother. Zemi slowly gave a nod.

“There were items of great power that were crafted in the Time Before that were used against the Arweinydd kind. Some of them were items to simply subdue. Some of them were created as weapons that could damage… even kill,” Aur spoke slowly, his voice low. “But these were items held great risk and could only be properly used… by the Sygni.”

AsaHi couldn’t help the little gasp that bubbled up in the back of her throat. The rest of the group were also watching Aur with rapt and troubled expressions.

Strangely enough, it was Kudako who was the first to speak, “Are you suggesting that we obtain one of these weapons, arm the boy-Sygnus, LuShi and set him against Zeromus?”

“I am not suggesting anything,” Aur replied without hesitation. “I am simply giving the information that I know.”

“Mmm…” Kudako looked down at the table top. It was apparent that the information didn’t please him too much. Nor did it seem to please anyone else.

“That’s out of the question,” Zento murmured. “LuShi’s proven to be pretty unstable. He hasn’t even been out of bed in weeks after the battle.”

“Yes, but if we were to find something that he could use against Zeromus…” Zemi murmured from behind folded hands.

“Are you NUTS Zemi? Anything he could use on Zeromus, he could use on you, too!” the winged man’s voice raised an octave.

“ZenToYa,” the Dreigiau frowned sharply. “I know you have very little trust in the boy. But I don’t believe he’d choose to fight against us. Especially since he can see better than he could before how dangerous things are.”

“But…”

“Still…” Zemi interrupted with an upraised finger. “I don’t know that I like the idea of scraping out old artifacts used by Sygni of the past to beat down Arweinydd in the Time Before, either.”

Zento huffed, puffing out his cheeks, “At least you’re talking some sense now.”

“Excuse me?” Aur peered between them with upraised eyebrows.

“At least, not before we’ve had a chance to study them,” the Arweinydd added quickly.

The Champion gave a frustrated sound. “Zemi..!”

“Excuse me…?” the Guardian attempted again.

“Do you, or do you not want to do something about Zeromus?” Zemi gave the winged man a long, piercing look.

“I…” Zento opened his mouth, just shaking his head incredulously.

“I have something to say,” Aur’s voice rumbled, louder than AsaHi had ever heard him speak before. Though it was in no way ear-shattering, it got attention.

Both Zemi and Zento paused in mid-squabble to glance over with puzzled faces.

“You are both arguing over artifacts that you may never even find,” the Guardian spoke shortly, peering at them with a frown. “Though it’s quite possible that the items were left in this world somewhere after the Mistake, no one is really aware of their actual location.”

The winged man gave a long sigh and promptly plopped his head on the table. “Why didn’t you tell us that before we starting arguing?”

“I attempted to,” Aur replied with a very Earthian-type sigh. “You did not allow me to finish. As I said… I was only offering you factual information in response to your question. I did not say that this was information that should be acted on.”

Zemi sighed, too. A long, hoarse sound of displeasure.

Kudako then went on to remark about the conversation in his own, quiet directness. But AsaHi’s attention had been drawn away. For the first time, she realized that one of the doors to the meeting room was cracked open, ever so slightly. But what really made her look was the fact that a strange, silvery mist was seeping into the room from the hallway.

What..?

No one seemed to take a lot of notice of her as she slipped down from her chair, crossing the room towards the door. They were all so caught up in their discussions that not a single eye strayed towards her. Then again, it wasn’t all so odd for them to see AsaHi get up and walk from the meeting room to get drinks or bring in small snack sandwiches and things like that.

The hall was empty as she slipped out of the room to peer around. Though there was a slight trace of lingering mist in the air, it was now so faded that it was nearly imperceptible. AsaHi swallowed and began to walk down the length of the corridor, head weaving back and forth as she looked for any signs of something odd.

I’ve seen that mist before… but…

The thought left her puzzled and somewhat uneasy. With a frown, she passed from the straight hallway into the point where it crossed another. Looking down both ways, she caught sight of a figure to the right who was approaching with quick steps.

The figure also took notice of AsaHi. For the steps increased in pace and one hand raised in greeting. It took a moment for her to recognize the face of JouKa.

“Morh-AsaHi!” the voice called to her.

AsaHi stopped, waiting for the other girl to make her way over. “Hello, Jou? Is everything okay?”

“Actually…” she didn’t try to hide her frown. She simply shook her head. “I was ‘opin’ to catch sight o’ someone. Cuz’ bustin’ in on tha meetin’ isn’t any good ta do.”

“What’s wrong?” AsaHi turned full attention to trying to translate the thick accent. She had heard that JouKa had originated in the eastern mountains. The people in that area had developed some very strange ways to say things.

“TsuYa sent me out to find someone,” JouKa explained. “You know that kid, LuShi?”

“Yes?”

“Well, he’s done up and disappeared!”

Have you ever been on a journey before?

-Stopstopstop!- the voice echoed in Lucci’s mind.

On cue, the youth jerked to a stop and pressed his back against the smooth white wall of the outer Compound. Around the corner, he felt the presence of something living passing by. One of the normal winged people, he was sure. And even though it probably wouldn’t be a huge mess if someone were to see him sneaking away — for it didn’t seem that anyone had been alerted to his departure — Lucci still didn’t want to take that chance just yet.

-That’s it. The less that see you, the less can talk about what they’ve seen,- a second voice agreed.

-Okay. They’re gone now,- spoke the first voice.

It didn’t take Lucci much time to realize that the voices without people were really good at scouting the situation out for him. Of course, it’s not like he had ever had much of a reason to need someone to scout. Nor had he really had much desire to interact with the voices.

But the Thing he was about to undertake was large. Far larger than he felt to be. So, all help that he could get, from any source, was appreciated. Even from the strange eyes that watched him in the mists.

The youth crouched low and began picking his way across the open ground, through the extending shadows. Soon, night would come. And though it would have probably made more sense to wait until he had the cover of night to make his escape, Lucci didn’t want to waste any time.

I’m not sure how I ended up here. But… I made a promise to Suzume.

It had been Suzume that had brought him back to his senses. It was because of Suzume that he had forced himself to find strength and leave his bed. He had heard that there was some sort of meeting taking place in the hall, so with new found determination, Lucci had gone there with the intention of showing everyone that he was awake and ready to do whatever needed to be done.

I have to keep trying.

As he had approached the doors to the meeting room, he had stopped to listen to the conversation already in progress. There was talk of items of power and even weapons that could be used to defeat Zeromus. Their enemy. Items that were made to be used by a Sygnus.

That’s what they say I am… but they always seem to think it’s something bad. So maybe if I can find one of the items to defeat Zeromus and bring it back to help… they’ll like me then.

They also spoke of how unstable he had become since the battle. But, Lucci didn’t remember much about what happened after Lord Zemi had rescued him from the mists. He had spent most of the time in a drowsing world, halfway between dreams and waking. Though, for him, whether he was awake or asleep, the world now looked the same.

It’s so hard. I can’t tell… what’s real anymore.

Ever since he had regained awareness, it appeared as if there was an image of a world overlapped upon the world he once knew — but this image was a far darker and more scary world than the waking one was. Everything took on a silvery glow, ghostly wavers of past and present overlaid and woven together. He often found that an object in the distance that seemed to be quite solid was merely an illusion as he made his way towards it. Or a voice of someone he thought was real was one of the disembodied watchers from the mists.

It all blends together… and They are always there, too.

They. It was the name he had given to the voices without people. He had heard Lord Zemi talking once, when everyone thought that he was asleep. He had said something about the spirit realm and about how the spirits of those who had passed were being drawn to him. He had even said something about spirit essence becoming trapped and bound within Lucci’s own essence upon death.

But the youth didn’t know what any of that meant. Other than it had to do with the silver mists that always seemed to gather around him now.  And more often than not, it made him afraid.

-It will be alright, Lucci-boy,- spoke the first voice, right next to his ear. As if it knew of the youth’s fears and troubles. As if it actually cared.

It was so hard for him to tell what They wanted from him. Some of them spoke only of their own woes and laments from their past lives. Some of them seemed angry and bitter, looking to urge Lucci to strike out at the things that hurt them in the world. Some of them seemed caring… though it was hard to know if They really cared about Lucci or if They simply wanted to seem nice to earn his trust for their own reasons.

The emotions of living people are confusing enough.

And there were so many of Them. Always talking, yearning, feeling… until his head was about ready to explode from the conflicting voices.

-You just gotta learn how to filter out the junk. It’ll come with time and practice,- the voice advised. –Right now, though, you need to concentrate on where you’re going.-

-Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!- wailed another voice. –Who’s gone and made YOU the boss of him?!-

-Don’t listen to him, kid…- a third voice chimed in from the other side. –He just wants a cut of the profits. I can tell you how to make it big. Just like I did.-

-Pudding!-

Lucci pressed his palms over his ears, hunching down in the shadows of the nearest tree. His eyes squinted shut, face contorting.

Stop… please. Just no more!

For a moment silence fell within the mists. He could hear the frantic sound of his breathing. Feel the fading light of the twilight passing over the world from behind closed eyes. It took him a moment to find calm again.

I don’t know why I should trust any of you…

-Because we know where to find the things that you seek,- purred one of Them with a tone that made the hairs on his arm stand up. –That’s what you really want isn’t it?-

-Powerful… Master…- another voice chimed in from somewhere above his head.

No, not power… I just want to make Zeromus go away. I want our home to be safe.

-But you could have so much more… why waste the opportunity that you have..?-

Lucci shook his head mutely. He didn’t like the way these voices spoke.

-Get off of it and leave him alone.- the first voice returned, sounding annoyed. –If he can’t find away off the Island to begin with, it’s not much of a chance that he’s going anywhere at all.-

Silence fell over the mists again. At least there was one voice there that seemed to be making some sense rather than just bickering without reason. Lucci was hesitant, but he directed his attention to that voice, and that voice alone.

What do I do?

-Who… me?-

Yes… Help me? What do I do? Where do I start with this?

Lucci’s silver eyes watched the trails of the mist as they reached up towards the darkening sky. Maybe asking for help wasn’t a good idea… but he didn’t really know the first thing about running away.

-Well, first… you need to make sure you got supplies.-

Supplies?

-Extra clothes. Food for the trip… you can’t expect that there’s going to be food to find once you go to the Mainland.-

The youth frowned slowly as something occurred to him.

Is the trip going to be that long?

-I’m afraid so. Which means you’re going to have to be ready for it.-

Lucci swallowed and nodded. This was going to be even harder than he had originally thought. He knew nothing about the lands below… what they looked like… what lived there. How to journey. And all of it seemed quite frightening to him.

-Don’t worry… I’ll help you. Let’s start by heading to the kitchens and filling yourself up with food for the trip. It’s probably best to do it right now before they start to realize you’re gone,- the voice told him.

The youth didn’t argue — it seemed sound enough advice to him. Instead, he began to creep through the treeline around the outside of the Compound. The kitchens were far down on the other side of the building. But luckily, there were enough shadows between here and there for him to make his way undetected.

-We also need to make sure you have clothing… and a weapon. A map would be good if you could get one, too.-

Have you ever been on a journey before?

-Sure. Lots of them. Why?-

Because you sound like you know what to do.

The voice fell silent for a while, leaving Lucci to creep his way towards the yellow glow of light that streamed through the kitchen windows. Most of them had been shattered during the last battle and were covered over with long drapes of tattered cloth. But the ones that could be repaired had been fixed.

Lucci poked his head just above the rim of one window, and seeing the room unattended, slipped in. At the voice’s instruction, he gathered up the cloth off of one of the tables to make a sack and began to shove foods into it.

Isn’t this like stealing?

-Consider it a loan in good faith.-

The youth dumped a whole bag of fruits into his sack with a puzzled look.

What do you mean?

-You’ll pay them back later, yes? Just write out an IOU.-

A what?

There was a soft feeling of a chuckle from the mists. It was the first time that Lucci had heard kindly laughter. And for some reason, it put him at ease. The voice then began to instruct him on the art of writing an IOU. After that, the voice walked him through the steps of creating the perfect Dear Zemi letter… the proper packing of extra clothing… and obtaining a weapon for the journey ahead.

Lucci began to feel a whole lot better as he crept out of the door one final time. In fact, if he ignored the wafting silver mists, the whole thing was beginning to feel a lot like a great adventure.

Just like the stories Suzume used to read to me.

-That’s the spirit, Lucci-boy! Keep your eye on the ball, now!-

What ball?

-Uh… I mean… Well, forget it. Let’s just get to the rift.-

The youth nodded, his strides becoming more sure as he made his way towards the pattern of runes on the far Island. The rift down to the Mainland. Lucci had never visited there before. And with his new found curiosity and excitement, the youth could only imagine the sorts of adventure that he would find there.

Just as he made a step towards the island, he paused. Thoughts came to him — that he would miss people and his home. Even though he had left them a letter to say that he would be okay, maybe they would be sad. He turned around, casting one quiet look at the lights of the Compound.

Lord Zemi… Morh-AsaHi.

He could see the dim lights of the kitchens in the distance, the place where he had spent so much time with  Morh-AsaHi and Aunt Sara making foods. And eating fudge.

Master SoYa. Master TsuYa. …Master ZenToYa…

There was the training grounds where Master TsuYa would teach him sword fighting. And the now darkened tree where he and Suzume used to sit and play. That time seemed so far away now.

-Don’t worry about them, kid. Remember you’re doing this for their sake, yes?-

Lucci nodded and gave a boyish wave towards the soft glow in the distance, “Good-bye…”

-Now now now…- the voice murmured quietly in his ear. –There’s no such thing as “good-bye.” There are only “see you laters.”-

A quiet smile curved Lucci’s lips at the thought. Yes. That was right. He would come back. “Well, then… see you later, Ceiswyr! I’ll be back soon!”

Then he turned and walked towards the waiting blue light that had begun to spread across the ground, activated by his presence. The Mainland… and new things… waited for him below.

“Are ya really from Nefol?”

It was not the same dream he had always had… though during his time at Sleep, he always dreamed very viciously. But this dream was more than just a dream. It was a dream-memory. Something that he thought he had forgotten in a life long ago…. but somehow had returned, time and again, after the last attack on Ceiswyr.

It always started about the same. Sometimes he was walking down a dirt path – it wasn’t even a road. Just something that showed that people had walked there enough to wear away the tall grasses. Or sometimes he was walking over the top of a flower-covered hill under clumps of heavy green trees.

The sun was always bright, shining down over his shoulder. He could remember being hungry – it had been well past lunchtime for him. So it was no surprise that the scent of meat on an open fire had seemed very alluring to him as he walked. He had told his stomach to mind its manners as he approached the small Gathering just on the other side of the rocks. But of course, it never listened.

The wagons were brightly painted, set in a protective circle. Wandering rider rhawns idled in a little blocked off field out behind the circle. He could see the women sitting in the shade as they talked and worked through the day’s catch. The men played games of sport on the far side of the fire, some of the younger men brawling about good naturedly. Children ran criss-cross back and forth across the whole scene, trailing paper streamers as the newest toy.

A wide smile crossed his face. He remembered thinking how pleasant it looked. And he had taken it upon himself to saunter down the path/flowery hill with a spring in his step.

Of course, he had been young and stupid then – so he couldn’t have known on his third Search what he was about to walk into. His face was still smooth, untouched by the woes of time and struggle. He was a good looking youth, and he knew how to use charm to his advantage… which was part of the reason he was chosen to be a Searcher. And why he had so arrogantly believed he was good at it.

“Hallo to the wagons!” he called in a loud, cheerful voice.

The women stopped their work to peer up at his advance. He should have known by the glitter in their eye that he was not welcome there. His Nefolian robes told them everything they needed to know to hate him. But he didn’t catch it. Instead he walked right into the middle of it all.

The men stopped their games. The children stopped their frolics and drew closer to the women. He stood in the middle of it with a ridiculous grin on his face, one hand raised in greeting.

Finally, one of the men spat to the side in disgust, “What does yer kind want around ‘ere, Neffie?”

He had been taken aback by that statement. Never before had he known that there was such a thing as “his kind”. Nor had he ever heard the term “Neffie” before. Undaunted by either of these things, he pressed on with a wider smile. His charm had never failed him. He had faith that it would pull him through here.

“I am a Searcher for the School in the grand City of Nefol. I was passing through your lands and saw your Gathering,” he explained warmly. “I was hoping to ask for a moment of hospitality… and in return, I could tell you all about the wonders of the new City.”

Silence fell over the group, all eyes fixed on him. Some were disgusted. Some were incredulous. Some were just plain hostile. It was at that point that he began to realize that something about this place was different from the other Gatherings he had visited. A feeling of discomfort began to creep over him.

The man strode a few steps forward, face deadly serious as he intoned, “And I’ll be tellin’ ya what ya can be doin’ with yer wonders and yer city. We don’t ‘ave any use fer all yer mind-bustin’ talk and yer ways of tha Bane here in the Ka Gathering.”

Some of the other men began to approach him. There was a dark, unshaven look to their faces. And they were a far more raggid, tough group than he could have hoped to take on by himself. Even with his magic on hand. He was, afterall, still a third year.

“Uh… excuse me? I’m afraid that there’s been a misunderstanding here,” he had begun to back away, realizing there was danger in the balled fists of the group standing before him.

“Aye, there be. And you’ll be tha one payin’ fer it.” The man, who seemed to be the leader there, gave a sharp nod.

The rest of the dukes and their curses were on him. No amount of shouting, wheeling or begging saved him from the pain of the repeated blows. And the men of the Ka Gathering certainly knew the finer points of fist fighting. He couldn’t remember how many broken bones came out of that whole thing. Certainly, he had thought he was going to die right there and then. When the world finally fell into a hazy red, then a deep black, it was a blessed moment.

He never knew what they had done with him next. Not even his dream seemed to know what to do with the passage of time in his memory. Maybe they had beat him to a bloody pulp and thrown him in the river. Or maybe face down in the ditch for the roaming animals to scavenge off of. Or they may have hung his battered body upside down from a tree branch.

They were such barbarians. He’d never have put it past them.

It didn’t so much matter what happened during the dark time in his mind as it mattered what he found when he finally woke. Of course, simply waking up was always a good thing to do, too. Regardless of good or bad, he did wake. And he had found himself lying in a sheltered area, under an outcropping of rocks near a wide open field.

He remembered the feeling of the heavy-woven blanket laying over him. And the strange rhawn scent that seem to infest the rough cloth. It was brown, well worn and the last thing he would have chosen to sleep under if he had been given the choice. But he hadn’t. So when he woke up, there it was.

The world was darker from where he could see it between the cracks of stones. Night was coming. And his stomach was still empty and complaining for food. Strangely enough, that was the moment that he had realized that an empty stomach was the worst feeling he was suffering from. Even after being beaten over the head with someone’s wooden shoe.

“Try not ta move too much,” a quiet voice told him.

He was surprised to learn that he was not alone. Of course, he probably should have suspected it upon seeing the blanket. And the fact he was now in shelter under an overhang of rocks. But at the moment, his head hadn’t been all there. So one really couldn’t blame him for the lack of common sense.

His head had turned with a good bit of effort. It took his eyes a moment to make out the small shape there within the deeper shadows of the stone. A girl was sitting there, her hands cupped around a tiny cooking fire. There had been some sort of meal being prepared at the moment, much to the approval of his empty midsection.

And the only thing that he, with all of his youthly charms, could think to say was, “Who are you?”

She didn’t answer right off the bat. Of course she wouldn’t have. The faded colors of her dress and the way that she wore her long white hair singled her out as someone who lived in the Ka Gathering. But he didn’t tell her that. He might have gotten a fist in the face.

“Are ya really from Nefol?” she had said instead.

“Yes… I am. I’m a Searcher from Nefol,” he answered, wondering if he should have owned up to it. But figuring she probably already knew.

“A Searcher? That’s one o’ those folks that go ‘round and kidnap other folks to take back ta tha school there?” The earnestness in her face had been simply chilling to him. How anyone could have believed such a thing about Nefol, his home town, had completely stunned him in those days.

“No… no. Of course not! Nefol doesn’t kidnap people!” he argued quickly. Then with a low groan, he had pushed himself up. “Searchers go out looking for people who have magical ability and the desire to train it in the School. But we don’t take people away from their home against their will.”

“That’s not what Pa always told us.”

“Is that so?”

The girl nodded, folding back a few leaves that had been wrapped around the meat to help it cook. She checked the food momentarily before seeming to decide it was good enough to eat. Then she put the food on a plate for him and passed it over the fire into his waiting hands.

He hadn’t even thought to thank her. He was just so unbelievably hungry at the moment. He hadn’t thought to think that maybe there wasn’t a lot of food there to begin with as he downed the meat and leaves, using his fingers to pick it all apart and shove it in his mouth.

All that time, the girl had been watching. When he looked up at her again, he realized that she wasn’t as young as he had first thought. In fact, she might even have been a little older than he was.

“What…?” He gave her a sheepish grin as a compliment for the cooking. He never could remember what it had tasted like. But he did know that it had been so good after having nothing to eat for so long.

“I was jus’ thinkin’ that men, no matter where they come from, all act tha same,” she said with finality.

That statement had been so far out of the blue that he had actually stopped eating for a moment. “Excuse me?”

“What ‘appened to the legendary manners of tha Apprentices of Nefol?” she asked with a slightly teasing voice.

“Sorry… when hunger calls. You know?” he gave her his best, winning grin.

“Mmm-hum…” When she smiled in return, he knew he had earned himself some ground.

He forced himself to finish the meal before he began further conversation. Since his lack of manners had already been noted, he licked his fingers clean with little show of shame. “So… did you help me out?”

“Aye.”

“Why?”

“Cuz,” she wasn’t giving him much to go on.

“I know I’m terribly good looking. But there has to be more than just that?” he flashed another winning smile.

“It helps?”

He laughed, deciding to take another route to information. “I was sure that I’d at least have a few fractured bones after that. What happened?”

The girl had pondered a moment. Then she began to prod at the fire in discomfort. He had some idea why. It was obvious to him, as a Searcher, that this girl was a Healer of some sort.

“You healed me… didn’t you?” he had decided to put her on the spot as hard as he could. Since she didn’t seem to want to answer any other way.

Even if she hadn’t said a word, the shocked look on her face was enough to prove his theory correct. Her green eyes looked terrified, “How did ya know?!”

“It’s my job to recognize talent. That’s why I’m a Searcher,” he told her with a wave of his hand. “What’s wrong? Why are you so afraid? Being a Healer isn’t a ba–?”

“SHHH!” she cut him off with a sharp hiss, looking in every direction at once. “Don’t say that aloud! Don’t say that again… EVER… or I’ll cut yer tongue out!”

He had remembered thinking at that moment that the girl had inherited some of the finer points of her Gathering. Instead of arguing the matter, he had just nodded. Even though he was puzzled. “I’m… sorry. Forgive me. I don’t understand why…”

“Of course not. Yer a Neffie,” she snapped back as if that said it all.

Things began to get jumbled up in his dream about that point. As if fast forwarding through things that held little importance. How the girl explained to him about the Bane. And how her people believe that Nefol was spreading it through their unnatural practices of magic. How he was lucky to be alive, coming straight into their Gathering bearing the robes of the Bane-spreaders. Things that he would come to know very well later in time… but that were completely unknown to him up until that moment.

But then, there was also the fact that she, herself was a magic user. A Healer. One who had the taint of the Bane running through her… but could, confusingly enough, use it to heal the wounds of others.

He had remembered thinking she was certainly a conflicted, though attractive girl. That a day in the city would have done her some good.

Then the dream leveled out again, stopping on the high point of the whole conversation. They had talked about things for a while before he finally came back to his original question. And he asked her name one more time.

This time she answered with a direct look into his face, “JouKa.”

The name echoed forward through time, off the hazy edges of his dreams. A name nearly forgotten, but found by chance again. Just as Lord Zeromus had told him, not long ago, that JouKa, the very same from his memories, was in fact still alive.

This time, there was no mistaking it. He wanted her.

This was the part of the dream that went off in crazy directions. Sometimes they just sat and talked away the night. Sometimes they flew into a passionate bout of kissing and mangling on the far side of the campfire. Sometimes they made their plans to run away from it all together – both Nefol and the Gathering.

Of course, it probably didn’t happen like that – he couldn’t quite remember what really had happened. But that was the lovely thing about dreams. They were what you hoped them to be.

The images began to fade from behind his eyes as awareness seeped into his mind. He didn’t need to see to know that the Sleep was over. He was being Called once more. Dreams and memories would have to wait until the next time.

His body was stiff as he stepped from the chamber into the sifting shadows that waited. His dark eyes lifted a moment before he gave a low bow. “Lord Zeromus… I am at your command.”

“Very good, KoGuRai,” the distant voice sounded from the pulse of darkness above. “It would seem that LuShi has left Ceiswyr. He travels alone. This would be an optimal time for us to make our move. I will trust his capture to you.”

“It would be my pleasure,” a sickly smile slid over KoGuRai’s face as he straightened. The boy Sygnus had made a mockery of him and dealt him quite a blow during their last meeting. Time for talking was now over. This time, he would deliver LuShi to his Master and earn his ultimate, promised reward from Lord Zeromus for the service.

JouKa…

JouKa paused, her back pressed against the dark side of the tree.

There isna much time…

JouKa strapped her well-worn kukri along her hip, making sure that the buckle was fastened tight. Before the last battle on the Islands, few seemed to have any faith in the strangely shaped weapon, laughing at it if it had been nothing more than a big knife. But she had showed them.

In fact, she had fought so well that she had gained recognition by the troop leaders. Despite the fact that she was seen as nothing more than a renegade civilian at first, her skills in both fighting and healing had earned her a permanent place in the fighting forces of Ceiswyr.

No one laughed at her kukri anymore.

Though TsuYa doesn’t pay any more attention to them than ‘e ever did. But what more do ya want from ‘im I spose.

She threw her pack over one side of her shoulder, working to balance it around her delicate axillaries. Wings made it so much harder to carry things. And they didn’t help much for flying when you were weighted down with a pack, either. So, overall, she rated having wings a 5 out of 10. About half the time they were far more of a pain than they were worth.

JouKa crept out of her room with a shifty look around. The hallway outside was an absolute mess with people rushing up and down the place in a frantic air. Everyone was so busy in their search for the Sygnus boy that no one noticed the one small winged figure creeping her way out the door.

Which is just as well. I don’t wanna be tryin’ to explain this to no one.

Afterall… how could she? And even if she tried, would there be anyone who could fully understand? She could hardly explain it to herself. She just knew that sitting there on the Islands was not giving her any answers or moving her any closer to resolving the weight that dragged at her heart. There were just so many reasons that were driving her on towards the Ground Portal of Ceiswyr.

Not that she was one-hundred percent certain about taking on the Mainland by herself. She had purposely shoved that thought out of her head. Which was the reason why she needed to act now and act fast.

Hitchin’ a ride with TsuYa on ‘is mission is the only chance I’ll get…

She couldn’t help but think it was strange that everyone was had been instructed to search for the boy Sygnus there on the Island. It was probably a good idea to double check, of course. But it seemed from what TsuYa had said that they were all pretty sure that LuShi had taken the rift down to the Mainland.

I wonder what Zemi is doin’… making all tha troops look around up ‘ere like this. If I didn’t know better, it almost feels like a diversion of some sort.

JouKa passed through the last arching doorways of the Compound out into the night air. Here and there she could see the shapes of Dragons swooping over the Island, also searching.

But why would ‘e be doin’ something that would ‘elp the Sygnus boy escape? Especially after Zemi sent a real search party out to find ‘im?

Not long after they had discovered that LuShi was missing, Zemi had put together a small search party to scout out the Mainland — the place that they were all pretty sure the boy had gone. KaiShi was to do what she could from the skies. Which was normal enough. But the duo that was chosen to scout the ground paths was a little more surprising.

TsuYa had insisted on making it his personal business to find the boy Sygnus. Even though it about gave ZenToYa a heart attack to see his son go down to the Mainland for such a task, the warrior would not be swayed. JouKa didn’t know if TsuYa simply felt responsible for the boy’s disappearance because it happened on his watch. Or if he felt responsible because he had spent a lot of time and effort in teaching the boy over the past weeks.

Probably jus wants ta prove something to someone. Nothing ever changes.

It made some sense for a few reasons. TsuYa did know the Mainland quite well from all the time he spent growing up in Nefol, and more recently, working on leading refugees to the Island. He was also rumored to be the best when it came to slaying the Marked. Word in the Compound said that during the last attack, he had held off three of the creatures at once while completely unarmed. JouKa didn’t know how true the rumor was… and TsuYa wouldn’t answer for it when she asked. But there was little doubt his fighting abilities were starting to be compared to his father’s… with favorable outcomes.

The second member of the search party was none other than Zemi’s own sister, the She Wolf Zazo. While JouKa could only muse why an Arweinydd would dirty her fur doing such a mundane job, it was thought that Zazo would very likely be able to sense and track down the boy Sygnus, no matter where he attempted to hide.

But that makes me wonder, too. ‘Ow ‘ard do they really think it’s gonna be to find ‘im and bring ‘im back ‘ere?

She could only shake her head. Things just weren’t meshing together. And most of them pointed at reasonings that only the Dreigiau could come up with.

Not like my own reasons make much more sense…

No doubt, if she did manage to catch up to TsuYa, he was going to throw a major fit all over her for butting in where she didn’t belong. But something in her saw this as the only chance she was going to get to go to the Mainland between battles.

Not to mention, it might be my only chance to see ‘im, too…

KoGuRai.

It had hardly been kept a secret that KoGuRai had been in the last battle against the Islands and was now the Champion of Zerom. She had not personally seen him, but TsuYa’s accounts of the fight were blunt enough. Something inside of her reeled at the thought… that in the time she had been missing KoGuRai could have changed so much.

But maybe if I see ‘im again, I can put things right. I know he’s not always been the way that people are describing!

JouKa paused, her back pressed against the dark side of the tree. Peeking around the wide trunk, she could make out figures standing around the rift to the Mainland. It looked to be guarded. Pulling back to the safe shadows of the tree she hissed a curse under her breath.

Great. What do I do now?

The way she saw it, she had three options. Talk. Rush them. Talk first and if that didn’t work, then rush them. None of them gave her much in the way of hope to succeed.

I can’t be stopped ‘ere.

Pursing her lips sharply, JouKa decided to see what she could do with talking. Not that she was really any good at it. And her thick accent seemed to make her stand out or be considered somehow inferior to those who weren’t familiar with it.

With her head lifted, wings tilted back, hands firm at her sides, she walked out towards the rift. There were three other Cyngan leaning against the tall stone pillars that served as a sort of doorway to the area with the rift. They gave her curious glances as she walked up to them.

“Excuse me. You can’t go in there,” one said with a firm look.

“And why not?” JouKa asked, lifting her chin belligerently.

“We’ve got a runaway. We’re under Lord Zemi’s orders.”

“Under Lord Zemi’s orders to do what?” she gave them a sharp look.

“Watch the rift,” came the frowned reply.

“So Lord Zemi ordered you specifically to stop people from usin’ this rift? Do I look like a run-away boy Sygnus to you?” she put one hand on her hip.

One of the other Cyngan caught sight of her pack and gave her a suspicious look. “Where are you planning on going? The Mainland is too dangerous just to let people wander down there without clearance.”

JouKa grit her teeth, fist tightening on the strap of her pack. It looked like she was going to have to fall back on the second part of her plan.

Too bad. I didna want to ‘ave to ‘urt them.

“I’m going to have to ask you to return to the Compound,” the first Cyngan frowned.

“And what if I refuse?” her eyes began to glitter with a dangerous light.

The three Cyngan stared up. Then with a startled look, they took a step back. Some took more than one step. They were all wide eyed and silent with surprise.

Boys. You put the pressure on. They crack every time.

JouKa could only give a satisfied smirk.

Until a large hand dropped on her shoulder from behind.

The girl turned with a startled sound, coming face to face with what she realized the troops were really backing away from. He was extremely tall. Strange manelike sandy-brown hair. Eyes that were so deep, yet reflected like burnished gold.

She recognized him as one of the important people that often took part in the Assemblies of the Trine. Somewhere she had heard that he was a leader or representative of the Spiral nation. But she didn’t know anything else about him. Not even his name.

His eyes were upon her, peering down without so much a ripple of emotion. There was a chilling feeling as she stood, captured within his gaze. The feeling that he could see everything about her in that one glance. That he knew every truth about her. Even the reason why she was trying to leave the Island.

“Lord Aur…?” one of the Cyngan stammered, bowing low. Obviously, they knew his name.

Great. I’m not just busted. I’m super busted. Can my night get any worse?

His hand tightened a bit on her shoulder, the golden gaze slipping past her to fall on the others. They recoiled all the more. Then a voice, deep and rich sounded in her ears, “I ask that you do not hinder our passage to the Mainland. It is by the orders of Lord Zemi that the rift must be opened.”

They just peered at him for a moment, mouths hanging slightly ajar.

JouKa tried not to look as dumbfounded as she really was.

Aur arched a slow eyebrow, watching the inactivity before him with a mute sense of amused patience. “Were my words to you unclear?”

“N-no, Lord Aur,” the second Cyngan began to scurry, motioning them both towards the rifting area. “Please. By all means”

JouKa felt a pressure on her shoulder gently prodding her forward. Her steps were stiff and somewhat shaky, thoughts racing through her mind.

Who exactly is this guy? Why is ‘e ‘elpin’ me out? And why is Zemi orderin’ someone else to go down there anyway… when ‘e’s already sent out one search party? This is making less and less sense.

She didn’t stop walking. Nor did she dare to turn around. Something about the golden eyes frightened her. She didn’t like it when it seemed as if all her deepest secrets were laid out on the table for someone to see. Especially not a stranger.

But she still didn’t stop walking, despite that. Despite the fact that she didn’t exactly know if she could trust the tall brown haired man. Despite the fact she didn’t understand the meaning behind anything that was going on.

I’m gettin’ caught up in somethin’ I shouldn’t, I figure.

JouKa closed her eyes as the light of the rift flowed up around her form. No matter how many times she used those things, she could never quite get used to the feeling of sudden displacement. Then it was over. Still, she didn’t know that she wanted to open her eyes. She had a good idea what she’d see – her homelands shattered under the darkness of Chaos.
And the stranger.

When she finally gathered up her courage to open her eyes, it came at her, exactly as she had thought it would. A wasted and sickly landscape where there had once been summer’s green mantle. A dark, unnatural storm boiling in the sky above, violet lightning cracking across the heavens sharply. A still and decayed feeling, as if anything that had once been alive on the ground had been destroyed or changed into something as dark as the land itself.

JouKa put a hand to her mouth. She had not expected it to be so difficult to bear.

The stranger was there, though she had forgotten about him. He stood near to her side, watching her reaction with a flat, grim face. It was as if nothing that he saw resulted in emotion from him. Not even sympathy for her suffering.

“We must move,” Aur told her finally. “The longer we wait, the further ahead they will get.”

JouKa turned towards him, giving him an uncertain expression. “Look… I don’t know who you are. Or why you ‘elped me. But thanks. I can be takin’ care of myself from ‘ere.”

“Ah,” he replied simply. But something in the way he said it spoke that he didn’t think so.

“What’s that ‘posed ta mean?” she craned her head up at him.

“Ah means simply ah,” he informed her. Then he began to walk towards the looming darkness. “Now… let us make haste.”

“Um, excuse me? I don’t think you ‘eard a word I said?” she stamped one foot insistently.

Aur paused and turned around. One look of his deep, hooded eyes made her shiver. “Yes. I heard what you said. But it makes no sense at all.”

“In what way?” JouKa was practically biting her tongue to hold her temper.

“TsuYa will be traveling upon the back of the Arweinydd, Zazo. Even if you flew non-stop at full speed, you would not be able to catch up with them,” he stated logically.

Something choked in the back of her throat. She found she had nothing to argue against that with. She could only stare at him with a complete and utter loss for words. Not something that happened often.

“Now. I have a travel form that may match her speed. If you desire to catch them, I suggest that we make haste,” Aur was watching her with an unreadable face.

When she realized there was nothing else left for her to do, JouKa nodded.

“Did you live... in the Time Before?”

Lucci didn’t know how many days had passed on their journey. It was impossible to measure time in day and night on the Mainland. Everything was dark and there was always a storm raging over their heads.

Where are we now?

The youth leaned over the map and scratched his head in curiosity. When he looked at the little marker that the First Voice made on the map, it seemed that they were covering ground a lot faster than steady walking could account for. The map spoke of the landmark called Hawk’s Perch. Looking up at the tall rock formation just a short distance away and noting the very winglike shape in the stone, there was no doubt that had to be one and the same.

Just how fast are we moving…?

-Fast enough,- the First Voice echoed in his mind.

Lucci turned his head in the direction of the Voice. A hazy, swirly form stood there, as if the mist was attempting to become a real person. Though no features could be seen within the shape, it was easy to tell from the outline that it was a man. A tall man – maybe even as tall as Zemi and Aur. Sometimes when it spoke to him, he could see the mists part and move where a mouth should have been – which fascinated Lucci enough to watch for hours. It was a good thing that the First Voice had lots to say.

“How?” Lucci asked, folding away the map neatly.

- It’s nothing for you to be concerned about.-

It had only been two sleeps ago – since it was hard to measure time without the passing of the sun, Lucci measured it in sleeps – when the First Voice had appeared to take a form. The youth remembered being afraid at first, and rightfully so. None of the other Voices had ever come to him in a form. They were nothing more than the feeling of eyes in the Mist.

Maybe it was because Lucci had spent far more time with the First Voice than any other that such a thing could result. That’s what he tried to tell himself. But the truth was, he also knew that the First Voice seemed to be a creature of great strength… possibly great power… even beyond death. To take on a form from the Mists of its own free will was no small thing. And as time passed, the First Voice seemed to be growing more stable and shaped.

“Is it safe to make a fire here?” Lucci asked.

There was a momentary pause. Then a mental nod. -Yes, a small one. I don’t sense anything dangerous within this area.-

Though he was afraid of the First Voice’s unexpected development, Lucci also found himself relying upon him more and more. A journey was not at all as easy as he had imagined it would be. There were so many complex things that he did not know how to do — like reading the map and plotting a course… finding a good place to make a camp for sleep… making meals for himself… and especially avoiding potential dangers.

I’m glad I’m not alone. First Voice knows a lot about all these difficult things. If he wasn’t here, I’m sure I would have gone the wrong way!

Then there was also the fact that it seemed like the First Voice also knew where to find the items that Lucci was looking for. Though the youth questioned time and time again exactly where their ultimate destination was, he never got an answer. When he asked why he was never answered, the First Voice patiently told him that he would understand these things in time and to wait.

So Lucci waited. And he held on to what little trust he could find – even if it was in one of Them.

The youth prodded the little fire into a crackling warmth and held his hands out over it. It was far colder down on the Mainland than it had been on the Island at this time of year. Sometimes a dismal grey rain would fall over the land, leaving the hunched over scenery slimy with a sickly dark film. Lucci was glad that he had brought along one of Zemi’s cloaks, at the First Voice’s suggestion. It was big enough to cover him fully and kept the rains away.

But there was no rain now. So there was a fire to sit next to. Lucci didn’t realize how nice fires were until now, with both hands cupped over it to find warmth.

The image of the First Voice sat not far away. It never came too close to the fire. Lucci didn’t know if it was because, being made of mist, if the Voice would put out the fire. Or if the fire would melt the mist away instead.

Taking out a roll from his pack, the youth began to eat. Though he wasn’t ravenous hungry at the moment, he knew that he had to eat consistently. Traveling took a lot of energy.

For a while there was no other sound than the occasional crackle of the flame. It was strange that They were so quiet now. Even the First Voice seemed to have nothing to say. Lucci could only wonder why… even though the silence was a rare and kind thing when he got it.

Maybe They’re all asleep?

A warm chuckle came from First Voice. -They don’t ever sleep, Lucci-boy.-

“Then… what do They do?” the silver eyes peered over the waver of flame at the mist form.

-They wait. And make plans. They are the restless ones that never found peace in the Mist.-

“Is… the Mist the place that everyone goes to when they… die?” Lucci frowned suddenly.

-I don’t know,- came the honest answer.

Lucci couldn’t help but find it strange that a creature that had passed through life and death didn’t know such a thing. His curiosity must have been apparent, because the First Voice spoke again.

-It may be different for those who were born after the Time Before.-

The youth’s head jerked up in surprise, “Did you live… in the Time Before?”

-Yes.-

Lucci wasn’t sure if he was more surprised at the answer. Or the fact that he actually got an answer. His breath came in an astonished gasp and he didn’t know exactly what to say. It had never occurred to him that creatures that existed in the Time Before might be in the Mists as well.

Maybe that’s how he knows where to find the items that were used by the Sygni in the Time Before?

-Ahhh… now you’re catching on, boy.-

The silver eyes flicked upwards and he gave an open mouthed nod. “So… these items are really here? On this world somewhere?”

-If my memory serves me correctly.-

“Why this world in particular?” Lucci didn’t know how he knew. But he felt, deep down, that there were other worlds out there. Alive. Somewhere.

-This world has always been a Living World, home to many types of people, ever since I’ve known. I don’t know that there is a reason why. Just that it was,- First Voice answered. Then his voice shifted, sounding somewhat sad and longing. -It was also the homeworld of the Dragonkin. Back in the Time Before… they were very powerful. In fact, they were so powerful that even the Mistake did not completely kill them.-

“Really?” the youth blinked. He hadn’t known that anything actually had lived through the Mistake. “Where are they now? Are they Zemi’s Dragons?”

-No. The Dragonkin grew weak after the Mistake and eventually died away. Zemi… imitates the Dragonkin through his creations for reasons I don’t think he completely understands himself. But that’s a whole nother story.-

As usual, First Voice had decided to stop right as the story was getting interesting. Hints and pieces of riddles. Fascinations that tugged at the back of Lucci’s mind. It was all so hard to be given these little mysteries without a means to answer them.

The youth broke a deep sigh and leaned back. “So if you come from the Time Before… that means you know about the items that were used by Sygni. You know about the Sygni that lived then. They were supposed to have been evil?”

-There’s a difference between that which is evil and that which is not understood.-

“Then… you don’t think that Sygni are all evil?”

-I think it’s hard to make a judgment call on something that is so unknown.-

“Is that why you’re helping me?” Lucci asked, looking puzzled.

-It is a part of the reason,- First Voice replied. -I saw the events that lead up to the Mistake. I don’t wish to see something like that play out again.-

“Do you think something like that is going to happen?” the youth blinked, shifting his weight where he sat.

-I hope it won’t. And I believe that you may have a part to play in keeping it from happening.-

“Me?” Lucci’s head jerked up. “But I’m the one that’s supposed to be the Bane? How am I supposed to be able to save people?”

-You’re trying to save people by what you’re doing right now, yes?-

“Yes.”

-Then keep right on doing it, kid. Keep following what you know is right. What we choose plays a big part in what we become.-

“Lord Zemi tells me that, too,” the youth gave a slight smile. Something about the fact that the First Voice would echo the words of Lord Zemi made him feel better somehow.

-He does? Now… that is interesting.-

Lucci didn’t understand what that meant. But he didn’t want to pry. Instead, he drank a mouthful of water – careful to conserve just like the First Voice taught him. As he wiped his mouth on the back of his sleeve, a passing thought tickled the back of his mind. Something that he should have thought to ask long ago. But didn’t until now.

“What’s your name?” the youth asked, tilting his head back at the strange misty form.

-My name?-

“Yes. You do have a name, right?” he asked. Then it occurred to him, “Or do people in the mist not?”

-Oh. Yes. I had a name once. Of course.-

“Will you tell me?”

-I don’t know. You might laugh. It was just a pet name, really. I didn’t ever have another.-

“Nooo. I won’t laugh. I promise!” Lucci held up a hand to show him that he was telling the truth. He didn’t know why people did that to show they meant what they said. But he did it, anyhow.

-Well…. okay. I was once called Kaz.-

Lucci smiled, “Kaz?”

-See? You’re laughing aren’t you?-

“No! I’m not laughing!” the youth grinned wider. “I think it’s a good name?”

-Uh-huh. I can see it. You’re laughing.-

This time, Lucci did laugh. It was the first time in a long time… maybe since Suzume left… that he had really laughed. Like a funny sort of laugh. And it felt good.

The feeling that Kaz gave was one of pleasure. As if despite what he had said, he really was glad to see the boy cheered. -See what you can do to get some sleep now, Lucci-boy. We’ve got a long road tomorrow.-

The youth nodded, pulling the cloak around him tightly before laying his head back to try and get some rest.

It didn’t take anything more to persuade him to grab a fistful of her white fur and throw himself up on her back.

TsuYa was getting better at wolf back riding. Not like he had any choice in the matter. Either he learned how or he was dumped by the side of the road. Zazo certainly had no intention of stopping for anyone slower than herself.

Even as smooth at the She Wolf’s stride was, riding for hours in a day was something his body was aching to get used to. And he’d been doing it for what seemed days, non stop. Zazo never seemed to tire. She didn’t need to eat nor sleep… and she lacked sympathy and understanding for those creatures that did.

TsuYa just happened to be one that did.

“Zazo…” he moaned. “I need a rest break.”

-We just stopped for one!-

“That was two and a half hours ago!” he informed her, pulling back on her fur. “Come on! I really gotta go!”

-If you would just stop injecting things into your mouth, then maybe you wouldn’t have to stop.-

“No. I wouldn’t have to stop. Because I’d be dead.”

-Well, then. Problem solved?-

TsuYa grumbled as the wolf finally bounded to a stop under a drape of dark trees. He slipped down off of her back and strode bow-legged towards the most overgrown area of the brush to do his business. The way that the She Wolf pranced and wagged her tail made him think that she almost understood enough to know that what he was doing was something worth making fun of. Almost.

Finally, after relieving himself, he trudged back over her, stretching his hands over his head.

-Are you finished now?- she panted with an insistent forward tilt of her ears.

“Yeah. But I need a break. My legs are killing me.”

Zazo rolled her eyes. In fact, her whole head rolled. She loped around making sounds of impatience.

TsuYa just chose to ignore her. His thoughts were on the road ahead. And behind.

So far, the path had been pretty clear. There hadn’t been any signs of Marked or Esgyll on the Mainland. Following the boy Sygnus had been pretty cut and dry – Zazo seemed to have a good sense of how to find him, even if he seemed to leave no trail. Still, they had traveled for many days and he found it was hard to believe that they had not caught up with him yet. Afterall… it was one boy traveling on foot with a few hours’ head start verses one giant Arweinydd She-wolf who could travel day and night without stop.

“Are you sure we don’t need to back track, Zazo?” TsuYa found himself asking for the tenth time that day.

-I told you no. The boy Sygnus is still ahead of us.-

“By how far?”

-It is undeterminable,- she replied, pointing her nose at the ground.

“I just don’t get it,” TsuYa shook his head, pacing back and forth to work the kinks out of his sore muscles.

-That means that which cannot be defined,- Zazo shook out her head with a huff at ignorance.

“I knoooow what the word means,” the warrior grumbled. “I meant, I don’t get how he can still be so far ahead of us.”

-Simple.-

“Hrm?”

-He is traveling fast.-

TsuYa groaned and made a face palm, “Hooooow? How is he traveling faster than we are?”

-That, too, is undeterminable.-

“Why can’t you just admit that you don’t know the answer? You don’t have to go and dress it up in a fancy word,” he waved his hand in a circle, blowing a stray strand of hair out of his eyes.

TsuYa had noticed for the first time that morning that his hair had really started to grow out a good bit. It was even long enough to pull into a short tail in the back again. He knew it would take a long time before it was anywhere near as long as it once was… but he looked forward to being able to imitate Father’s warrior’s knot once it did.

-Are you calling me ignorant?-

“Did I say that?”

The giant white wolf padded up to him, shoving her nose straight into his face. Instinct caused him to stumble back as her lips pulled back from gleaming fangs. -There is a difference between not knowing something and something being undeterminable, little Earthian.-

“Hey… who are you calling little!” his brows lowered in a put-out expression.

-There is only one little Earthian here. That I DO know,- Zazo’s eyes slitted. -One that needs to learn to have more respect when addressing a member of the Trine.-

TsuYa swallowed the retort that wanted to bubble its way into his throat. A throat that might find itself torn out very easily by the huge fangs of the huge wolf. Despite the number of times that Zazo had saved his skin from this, that or the other, he never really knew the reason why. Or if she might turn on him on a whim. There was nothing certain or consistent in the way that the Arweinydd acted.

But then, again, that could be said of just about all those of the female persuasion.

When the She Wolf saw that he would remain silent, she turned her head and retracted her fangs. With a flip of her tail she paced to the other side of the glade, nose in the air as if searching for something. Or out of arrogance. He didn’t know which.

If I had known I was going to get stuck with her… I wouldn’t have been so quick to volunteer for this.

It seemed to come and go in spurts. Sometimes they would get along for a while – even agree and see eye to eye on things. Sometimes they would butt heads about something… which almost always ended with a show of fangs that forced him to back down. Time and again, his pride was wounded… but he would rather have wounded pride than a few wolf-sized pieces missing from his body.

Not that I have a choice now. I don’t even know where we are at this point. I’ve had to trust her to following LuShi this whole time… never had a chance to set down a route or figure out our location.

So what had started as his brilliant idea to prove his worth to his Father and the others on the Island had quickly turned into forced reliance upon the erratic Arweinydd. Not that it surprised him… everything tended to end up that way with him.

This is so frustrating…

Zazo flicked an ear back at him but did not turn around, -Do you think that I consider this to be having the time of my life?-

“I wouldn’t know,” he grumbled.

Nose pointed towards the ground she began to round on him, seeming to have a retort to that. Except then, her eyes focused past him, into the darkness of the forest. Before he could utter a sound, Zazo made a great leap, straight over his head, clearing him with ease. She landed in a stiff legged growl, head low, focused on something he couldn’t see.

What is she doing?

That’s when he heard it. The sound of something very large coming towards them, very fast.

-TsuYa!- her voice echoed in his mind sharply.

It didn’t take anything more to persuade him to grab a fistful of her white fur and throw himself up on her back. One hand reached behind him, unfastening the black bladed scythe and pulling it ready.

Are we gonna take it? Or are we gonna run?

He had no idea what was in the She Wolf’s mind to do. Again, TsuYa was left clinging to her back, gritting his teeth and waiting for the Arweinydd’s choice of action.

A flash of golden brown appeared through the woven dark brush only a second before the huge shape burst from the trees. It was a feline-type creature – the only way TsuYa knew how to describe it was to liken it to some sort of huge, golden lion. Its body was far more sleek and gracefully built than a normal cat of that size. The fur of the mane extended long over its head and shoulders, down its back and covering its chest. The maw was open wide with the breath of a long run, though its stride did not break even as it landed in the clearing next to them.

Hedd-ynad! I didn’t know creatures like that lived in the Inner Realms!

The clearing became a furious circling as huge feline and canine stalked around and around, eyeing each other with sounds of confusion and disgruntlement. As TsuYa clung tightly to Zazo’s fur, he noticed for the first time the strange appendage on the lion’s back. Though it was dark and hard to see, he realized with a start…

It’s a person!? Someone’s riding that monster!

As they swept around the clearing one more time, TsuYa raised his voice, “Hey you! Call your creature off of us, right now!”

Over the sound of Zazo’s growl, he could make out a voice shouting in return, “By tha Light… TsuYa? Is that you?”

He would recognize that accent anywhere.

“JouKa!?” his mouth fell open. Then he yanked back hard on Zazo’s scruff. “Stop! It’s JouKa! Stop attacking!”

The She Wolf’s growl turned into a snarl as she obviously did not like being ordered around by a little Earthian. Though she kept her head low to the ground, she fell still, no longer rounding on the huge cat.

“Thank you. I thought for certain she was going to tear off my tail,” a deep rumbling voice carried across the clearing. When TsuYa realized it was coming from the lion, he nearly fell off of Zazo’s back.

JouKa had already dismounted from the creature’s huge shoulders and landing lightly with her wings outstretched. Her face was almost cheerful and welcoming as she rushed forward, “TsuYa! We finally caught you!”

“What in the name of the Seven Universes are you DOING here?” TsuYa dropped to the ground as well and came to meet her in the middle of the clearing. He wasn’t too keen on seeing what might happen if JouKa came any closer to Zazo. There was still a lingering sound of a growl in the air behind him.

“We came to help!” she told him with a firm nod.

“We?” he furrowed his brow, glancing first at the girl, then at the lion.

“Aye. Me ‘n Aur!” JouKa motioned one hand behind her.

“A..Aur?” TsuYa choked with a startled look at the beast. For the first time he noticed that the medallion under his shirt had begun to tingle – the telltale sign of the Guardian’s presence. But because of the sudden nature of their appearance, the last thing he had been thinking about was the tingling on his skin.

“Travel form,” the rumble voice answered simply. Aur’s hooded golden eyes blinked once. It was the only motion in his form.

“I don’t understand… why are you here?” TsuYa asked, peering back and forth between them.

When Aur didn’t answer immediately, Zazo gave a snuff. -Figures. That brother of mine would send his Watcher to snoop around.-

“Watcher?”

-Nevermind.-

“Well… tell them to go away?” TsuYa suggested.

-Wouldn’t do any good. Once a Watcher is here, you’re not going to shake him.-

“TsuYA!” JouKa complained with a scowl. “I ‘eard that! And I don’t be plannin’ on goin’ nowhere! We came all this way out ‘ere and we aren’t goin’ back!”

He was surprised that she didn’t stick her tongue out and follow up with a “So nyah!”

“I told you before, JouKa, this is not a game!” he pointed a finger with a deepening frown.

“I know that,” she replied, pulling one of her blades from its sheath, just enough to let the light catch off the edge. “I’m not playin’ around. I’m fer real.”

“Why?” the word came out of his throat with a breath.

“I ‘ave my reasons. Maybe yer not the only one that ‘as somethin’ to fight for. Somethin’ to find… somethin’ to prove?” her eyes glittered as she met his gaze directly.

TsuYa hated that look. Whenever JouKa got that way, there was no turning her around. So he appealed to a higher power, “Zazo?”

The She Wolf snuffed, far more subdued than he would have expected her to be. It wasn’t as if she was actually afraid of the huge cat… that much he knew. Afterall, Aur was a servant to Zemi, not even on par with the weakest of Arweinydd. So when Zazo gave a disdainful flip of her tail, TsuYa could hardly believe it.

-If they want to come so badly, let them come.-

“You gotta be kidding me,” a low groan escaped his lips.

TsuYa could already see it – Zazo on one side and JouKa on the other. With him in the middle getting ALL the flack. Aur would probably be off to one side laughing… of course, you couldn’t tell he was laughing with that stone face of his. But he would be.

“Come on, TsuYa. We can ‘elp!” JouKa crossed her arms with a frown.

“The young lady speaks the truth, son of ZenToYa,” Aur added. Just one sentence. But that’s all it took for TsuYa to close his mouth with a click. It was hard for him to argue against anything that Aur seemed to want… considering that the Guardian was the one that practically held him back from the brink of darkness.

For now.

TsuYa gave a grudging sigh… but there seemed to be no way around it. And by the smug tilt to JouKa’s smile, she knew it.

He hoisted himself up on a few lower-jutting stones, stretching his hand up towards the smooth spot.

Lucci was breathing heavily as he scrabbled his way up the last few feet of the steep incline. Small stones and dirt rained down behind him in long, slender trails while he got the final foothold and kicked himself up over the edge of the overhang. The youth had never attempted to climb a mountain before… so in with that consideration in mind, he told himself that he was actually doing quite well.

That should lose them… shouldn’t it?

-I wouldn’t bank on it too much, Lucci-boy,- Kaz told him. -Once they figure out that we’ve gone up… they’ll be on to us faster than we’d like.-

Though he was tired, the words spurred him to find his feet and continue forward. Lucci wasn’t exactly sure where Kaz was leading him to. It was a place that the spirit called the Cynosure. It was there, he said, that the secret Pathways that led across the whole planet connected in the Time Before. Though Lucci wasn’t so sure about things with big names like Cynosure… he hoped that Kaz was right. That they would be there soon. Because he was tired and they were now being chased.

Lucci was first warned about his pursuers two sleeps ago by Them. They couldn’t seem to make out exactly who was following – if they were creatures of Zeromus or of Zemi. But either way, the youth didn’t want to be caught. Creatures of Zeromus would certainly be up to no good. And creatures of Zemi would only seek to catch him and return him to the Islands.

We’re too close now… I can’t be taken back.

Despite the fact that Lucci knew they were traveling at a supernaturally accelerated speed, those who followed them appeared to be traveling just as fast. In fact, they had done nothing but continued to gain ground over the past day, much to his dismay. He knew it was not the time to rest. Not when Kaz assured him that their goal was near.

Are you sure that these Pathways will still work, Kaz? If they’re from the Time Before, won’t they be too old?

-The Pathways were embedded into the energy flows of the planet itself. It would be quite hard to destroy such a thing… though I suppose it could be possible,- Kaz answered.

What do we do if they’re not there?

-Let’s just hope they are. It’s the risk we have to take right now.-

The youth knew that Kaz was right… as much as he didn’t like to admit it. As much as hope and good wishes had proven to fall through for him, time and again. This time, all Lucci had to go on was an ancient legend, a misty light and a desperate hope.

Where are we going from there?

-Let’s just concentrate on finding the Pathways first. See that dark area of rock up there… above your head, to the right?-

Lucci paused and peered up at the face of the mountainside. Sure enough, there was a patch of darker stone that seemed to be strangely smoothed and slightly indented. He wouldn’t have noticed it if Kaz hadn’t pointed it out to him, however, for it was posititioned right underneath the drooping branches of a sickened bush.

Yes! I see it!

-Can you reach up there and put your hand on it?-

The youth nodded slowly. He hoisted himself up on a few lower-jutting stones, stretching his hand up towards the smooth spot. It wasn’t too difficult for him to reach, the stone cool against the palm of his hand.

-Good. Now… we need to take this slowly.-

What do you need me to do?

-The Cynosure lies within the heart of this mountain. We’ve got to open the door to the chamber. However, it’s designed to respond to only certain kinds of energy signatures,- Kaz explained, a sifting silver mist already beginning to gather.

Do you think you can do it?

-I’m gong to give it my best try. So I need you to concentrate with me… help me to project my energy,- the spirit told him grimly. -Chances are, I’ll only be able to open the door, if that. So once it’s open, it’s open… and we’re going to have to move fast.-

Lucci nodded, his silver eyes focusing on the spot under his hand. The sifting of mist grew thicker. Stronger. It gathered around his body, a cool and damp sensation, streaming around his shoulders then down the length of his arm to his outstretched hand. Though something within him wanted to flinch, he forced himself to sit absolutely still.

The tickling in the back of his mind, his awareness of the presence of Kaz, began to grow. It quickly became a swelling pressure that filled his ears with a muted roar, like the sound of the winds on a troubled day. The youth sucked in his breath as sweat beaded along his face. He could feel the vast, deep power rising from beyond a distant time and connecting into his own essence.

Kaz!

He almost panicked as an abrupt rush of energy flowed through his body. For a fleeting moment, Lucci felt his knees weaken and his stance waver. His breath choked, frozen cold within his lungs. The world swam in front of his eyes, threatening to grow dim.

-Hold on now. Just a little more!-

The stone under his touch began to shake as a silver light began to expand, first in an outline around his hand, then streaming along the cracks of the stone wall. His eyes fought to make sense of the vision. Millions up on millions of tiny etched runes began to burn, like the scripture written of the finest-point pen, glowing brilliant in tall columns that slowly formed into a doorway. The stone shifted and began to recede like a dark ocean tide.

-Here it comes, boy! Watch it happen!-

When the mists drew away and Lucci’s senses came back to him, he found himself staring into a huge entrance built into the face of the mountain – large enough to even fit Zemi’s Dragons through. The doorway seemed like a simple rectangle at first. But as he moved his head to stare at it, the structure gave the feeling of shifting and changing, as a liquid would.

“Wow…” at a loss for words, it was all he could say. His voice came out in a hoarse croak and he realized that his whole body ached from channeling the amount of energy that it took to open the lock on the chamber.

-If you think that’s neat, wait until you see inside,- Kaz told him. Though there was enthusiasm in the tone, there was also the sense of weariness. As if he, too, had been taxed by taking on such a feat.

Lucci took that as a cue that it was safe to enter the chamber. Carefully, he strode forward, the only sound came from the stone under his boots. Abruptly, the sound changed from a gravelly crunch to the click of his heels on a slick, solid floor. The youth looked down just in time to see a silver glow illuminate the square tile around his feet, reacting to his touch. The light caught like wildfire, pulsing from one tile to the next until the whole floor of the chamber was humming with a cool, quiet energy.

“It’s beautiful!” the youth caught in a sudden breath.

The Cynosure rose above him, a tall structure of gentle slopes and great pillars. The walls and the floors looked to be carved out of the heart of the mountain itself, made of a serene crystalline stone. Everywhere Lucci looked, reflections upon reflections upon reflections shown, leaving a hazy and unreal feeling about the whole room.

There in the center of the Cynosure, a fantastic circular pattern was etched into the crystal. Long looping designs and exquisitely ornate script crossed from one point of the circle to another. Lucci realized after studying for a moment that it was like a giant compass – like the ones that he had seen on some of Master ZenToYa’s old maps. Except this one was far, far more complex. At certain points on the circle, patterns converged into spirals and stars – tiles that seemed set apart from the rest of the design. There looked to be some sort of logic in their placing on the floor, as if they held an important function to be discovered.

If only I could read that script on the floor. I wonder what it says?

-It is the name of the Pathways,- Kaz told him. -The writing is in the language of those who lived in the Time Before.-

Lucci bent down in curiosity, reaching his hand towards the nearest tile.

-Careful! Don’t touch that. There’s no knowing where it will lead you if it transports you!-

“Sorry!” the youth drew back with a wide eyed look.

-It’s okay. I just don’t want us getting sent off somewhere impossible to return from. There are a lot of Pathways that don’t have a connection back to the Cynosure. You can travel to them, but not back from them. That wouldn’t be good right now.-

“No… it wouldn’t. You’re right,” Lucci nodded, staring at the tiles in wonderment. “So this place.. this Cynosure… allows for travel all around the world?”

-Yes.-

“Like… to everywhere?”

-Just about. You can find your way to any place you want to go eventually from here.-

“So why did it get closed up?” the youth tilted his head, looking back at the designs that spiraled far above his head.

“Do you really have to ask that. Or are you truly that naive, Lord LuShi?” a deep, cold voice echoed across the chamber.

Lucci rounded on his heel with a look of alarm. He had been so engrossed in the energy of the Cynosure that he hadn’t felt the presence of someone else entering. And for some reason, even They had not alerted him to it. In fact, They were almost silent to the point of non-existence since he had entered the chamber.

The slick, disfigured smile and the black, glittering eyes was all that he needed to see.

KoGuRai? How did he get here?

-I don’t know. But I don’t think he was the one that we’ve been running from.-

You mean… there might be more?

-I don’t know that either. But my advice to you – watch the one that’s here and worry about the others later!-

Just as Lucci was about to take that advice to heart, a large fist shot out from the folds of KoGuRai’s cloak, grabbing him by the shirt front. The smile had twisted into a vicious snarl as the putrid breath seeped out from between the blackened teeth. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting with you again, Lord LuShi. This time it’s going to be just you… and me.”

A hungry dangerous shadow filled the void of his eyes as he threw up his weapon, point-down, aimed to spear the warrior from above.

-Aur is sure not much of a mountain lion, is he?- Zazo scoffed as she sprung spryly from stone to stone up the face of the mountain.

TsuYa didn’t say a word. It was all he could to just to hang on to the Arweinydd’s back as they made their way further and further from the safety of the ground. If it wasn’t for the mere seconds that her feet touched the rock before the next launch, he would have considered it flying.

I’ll leave the flying to the Awakened, thank you…

Somewhere below them, he could hear the sounds of Aur as he made his best attempt to follow in Zazo’s impossible paw prints. Of course, the She Wolf was having the time of her life during this whole scenario, not a once stopping to remember exactly what they were really climbing the mountain for.

Not like I really know what we’ll find when we get there. I don’t know why LuShi would have come all this way just to get himself cornered in the mountains. There’s gotta be something here he’s after…

A particularly rough jolt sent him sprawling closer down against Zazo’s back. TsuYa gritted his teeth, pinning her sides more tightly between his knees. “Will you watch it!”

-You think too loud, Earthian. Keep quiet. You’re breaking my concentration.-

“I thought mighty Arweinydd didn’t need concentration,” he snuffed.

-Would you like to experience the sensation of free fall?- Zazo growled.

He wound his fingers tighter into her fur, “Don’t you dare!”

-Then you’d be smart not to…-

From somewhere above their heads, a bright pulse of silver light flashed brilliant into the storm-darkened sky. The mountain began to shake under Zazo’s steady strides, though the wolf continued upward, unhindered.

Aur and JouKa were not so lucky. TsuYa could hear the girl’s shout coming from below. Though he couldn’t make out her words, he could tell that the tremors were making their climb far more difficult.

“Zazo! We can’t leave them back there!” TsuYa protested.

-They will be fine. We can’t afford to lose the time,- she replied sharply.

“But…”

-We weren’t the only one that saw that light.-

Before TsuYa had a chance to ask the Arweinydd to clarify her words, a twisted shriek shattered the air over the mountainside. He reeled his head back just in time to catch the blurred dark-winged creature swoop down and vanish into the rocky cliffs above them. There was little doubt that where the monster was flying was exactly where LuShi would be.

“Crap! Esgyll!” he spat from between clenched teeth.

Zazo didn’t need anymore encouragement. She was already making her way towards the cliffs, wide open mouth showing gleaming fangs. All that TsuYa could do was lay as flat as possible to give her speed… and hang on in hopes that a mis-step didn’t send him tumbling off to the depths below.

Finally, one last great bound sent them surging over the edge of the ledge like the breaking of a huge white wave. For a moment, TsuYa felt himself lifted through the air, hovering inches above the She Wolf’s back. The next thing he knew, they were face to face with the looming dark form of the Esgyll.

“Zazo!” TsuYa’s shout was hoarse in his ears. One hand was already pulling his scythe from over his shoulder, dark eyes focused with deadly intensity on the monster before him.

Fearless, the Arweinydd shot forward, carrying him on a streak of white towards the massive shadow. His hand tightened on the haft of his weapon as it burst into a defiant deep blue flame.

With a rush of wicked exhilaration, TsuYa felt his blade carry forward and up. His strike was focused and lethal, slicing into the under-jaw of the creature as it brought its head down. Zazo’s fangs ripped into the throat, the momentum of her leap tearing a huge gash through the decayed flesh.

The Esgyll shrieked a gurgling cry as it thrashed back from their attack. The motion caught on the hook of TsuYa’s scythe, shredding the lower half of it’s maw as the warrior fought to pull it away. For a moment, TsuYa felt himself knocked from his mount. But one deft turn of the She Wolf in mid air caught him before he could fall.

As if the huge winged monster meant nothing to her at all, Zazo leapt past the writhing form, towards what looked to be two huge doors in the side of the mountain. All sorts of runes and writings were lit up along the pillars that made up the threshold. But they were moving so fast that TsuYa didn’t get a chance to see anything else before the shadows of the chamber beyond filled his vision.

Where are we going? That thing’s not dead yet!

-Then we’ll give Aur a little present once he gets up here. There are more dangerous things to deal with.-

The intensity of the She Wolf’s tone told him to sit down, hold on and shut up. So he did. It didn’t take long before TsuYa understood exactly what she was talking about. A deep, choking darkness rose up before them in the heart of the mountain, spreading with dark wings that blocked out the silver glow of the chamber ahead. Wings that were familiar… and slightly transparent.

“KoGuRai!” TsuYa hissed between bared teeth.

Though his voice was low, the Champion still seemed to hear. KoGuRai’s head turned, misshapen face appearing to TsuYa’s vision. The darkness behind his eyes had grown more intense, more unstable… almost neurotic in nature. An animalistic snarl broke over his lips as his focus fell completely upon the young warrior.

A soft cry echoed through the chamber, drawing TsuYa’s attention away from his rival. For the first time, he noticed that LuShi was there, struggling against the powerful grip of the winged creature. Though the boy Sygnus was tall, KoGuRai seemed to possess far more strength. LuShi had nearly been pulled off of his feet in the confrontation, but so far, he seemed unharmed.

We got here in time.

-Naturally.-

Hands tightened around the grip of his scythe, TsuYa sprang at full speed from the back of the She Wolf. For once, he could feel Zazo’s astonishment instead of it being the other way around.

-What are you doing!-

This one is mine… stay out of it, Zazo!

-You are insane, Earthian! He is the Champion of Zeromus… you cannot beat him by yourself!- Zazo wheeled about, snapping at him with her teeth as if to catch him and pull him back.

We’ll just see about that.

Dark eyes glittering as he met KoGuRai’s equally dark gaze, a slow smirk broke over TsuYa’s face. For years, the Apprentice had to sit by and bite back the frustration and disgust he felt at KoGuRai’s near-treasonous tendencies in Nefol. So many times had there been something shady or something a little off… usually aimed at taking out the well being of SoYa. Usually aimed at redistributing the power from those who should rightfully rule the School.  And now, TsuYa was finally getting the opportunity to repay all the treachery.

I’m going to enjoy every second of this.

The Champion threw LuShi roughly against the nearby pillar and drew his weapon with a low growl. His dark wings stretched wide over his head as he stalked towards his rival, blade held low and ready to strike.

“You honestly think you have any chance against me, TsuYa?” KoGuRai snarled, a twisted glower covering his face. “You don’t even have your Daddy’s wings yet, little boy.”

“I don’t need wings to rip yours to shreds,” TsuYa sneered in return, crouching low and watching the motion of his opponent’s blade carefully.

“My… are we arrogant,” the Champion’s voice was smooth and taunting. “Just because you’re growing into your Marked powers… doesn’t mean you can take me on.”

TsuYa choked.

Growing into my what…?!

“Why, TsuYa… didn’t you know?” there was a gleam of victory in KoGuRai’s dark, soulless eyes. “You don’t believe that Master Zeromus’ power will be turned forever by a worthless little enchanted trinket.”

“Shutup! Like I’d believe anything that you’d say!” TsuYa spat, making the first strike.

His scythe whistled through the air far faster than he even believed possible, a burning blue flame trailing behind. As the naginata rose up to catch the blow, sparks of blue and sickly red-black exploded between the two weapons.

“You’d only be fooling yourself,” the Champion intoned in an offhand way. He was far stronger than the warrior could have imagined. “Especially since now, Master Zeromus’ power is growing. How long do you think you have before you will bow to him… and to me…”

“FORGET IT!” a cry of fury broke from TsuYa’s throat as he began to swing, blow after blazing blow. A heated anger rushed through his limbs, carrying his blade forward with a blinding speed. Suddenly, he found himself matching the Champion’s strength, strike for strike, even knocking the startled-faced KoGuRai back with a few of the more focused blows.

KoGuRai didn’t respond in words, though the sounds that issued from between his black teeth were ones of wonder and frustration. No more banter came from his side of the battle as he found all his concentration bent to hold his ground against the wrath of the relentless scythe.

-Well… well… you’ve got more to you than I thought, Earthian.-

The runes that spread over the floor began to flash and respond as TsuYa pressed the winged creature back into the center of the chamber. They dimmed the moment that KoGuRai stepped near them only to be relit with a brilliant blue, angry light as TsuYa claimed the ground. Sparks rained across the room as time and again their weapons clashed. Energy crackled around their two forms, exchanging blows that went unseen by the normal eye.

A powerful sweep of the scythe sent a stream of blue flame straight over KoGuRai’s shoulder, through one wing. Where TsuYa expected to be met with the resistance of feathers and bone, he found nothing but a ripple of darkness that parted… then drew back together again. The warrior’s dark eyes narrowed as he drew in a sharp breath of realization.

“Your wings…” TsuYa hissed. A twisted smile broke over his face, accenting the Mark on his cheek with the glow of blue from below. “They’re not really real.”

“Don’t be foolish!” KoGuRai snapped, reeling back from the words. That’s all that was needed to gage the truth. “My wings were a gift from Master Zeromus himself!”

“Just an illusion,” the warrior snorted. “Boy does he have you strung along with his pretty offers…”

“They’re REAL!” the Champion’s voice rose up in furious intensity. He was nearly frothing at the mouth, flecks of dark spittle dotting his lips as he hissed.

Man… he’s touchy about this. He should have never let me know.

“What a poser,” TsuYa taunted with an off-handed flip of one wrist. “You and all your talk of controlling this or that. I bet you’re not even a real Champion.”

KoGuRai gave a wild shriek, wings spreading vast over TsuYa’s head. A hungry dangerous shadow filled the void of his eyes as he threw up his weapon, point-down, aimed to spear the warrior from above. The motion was so unexpected that TsuYa found himself twisting in a desperate attempt to throw up a defense against the blow. Something told him that it wasn’t going to be fast enough.

“KoGuRai!!!” a high, frightened voice screamed out the Champion’s name.

And just like that, it all ground to a complete stop.

Bathed in the soft light of the pillar runes, JouKa stood in the doorway. Her own wings were spread, a hint of terror in her face as her green eyes drank in the scene within the chamber. One hand grasped at the stone of the pillar as if her legs were threatening to give way on her from the shock of it all. There seemed to be tears in her eyes… something TsuYa had rarely, if ever, seen since he had met her.

“Jou…Ka..?” KoGuRai stammered with a strangled sound. His face was turned towards her, an expression of distress and dismay. The weapon still remained upraised in his hand, but all thoughts to strike had completely flown from his head.

“RRRRRAHHH!!” TsuYa’s battle shout broke the stillness of the room.

It didn’t matter how they knew each other. It didn’t matter what was going on between them. All that mattered was that KoGuRai, his enemy, was standing prone in front of him. And he wasn’t going to pass up this chance to make his strike.

JouKa gave a sharp cry as she saw the flash of the dark scythe slash upwards.

The Champion reeled back with a choking gasp as a spray of black burst from his midsection. He stumbled, slipping on the slick floor, straight back onto one of the pulsing tiles. Unlike the other tiles, this one didn’t go dim upon his touch. Instead, it lit up with a brilliant flash… and when the light faded, KoGuRai was gone.