Compendium of Silence
I am bored. And I want to be able to find all the chapters of Silence when I edit them. And read them smoothly to see if they make sense, because they don't really seem to be making sense lately.
*stomps on story* I HATE THIS STORY. I think, somewhere deep down, all authors despise their stories once they look back on it some years later. That is, if they're not Pulitzer Prize winners or something.
Silence
Chapter 1: Silence
Original Date Published: 4/23/03
Current Date: 2/7/05
There is a silence in every one of us. There is a darkness, a muteness waiting to swallow us up. Emotions, they are just steps to that pit beyond. It is the abyss of eternity, of -
"SILENCE!" The word burst out of the Great Healer's mouth angrily. Instantly, the people hushed up.
The Great Healer scowled and looked at the charred post, which held the burnt form of a baby. Murderously he hissed, "Who brought forth this persecution?"
All of a sudden everyone's gaze fell away from the Great Healer, and deigned to look anywhere but on that fiery face. This only served to make the Great Healer, usually calm and kind, more enraged.
"WHO WOULD THINK THEMSELVES HIGH ENOUGH TO HURT AN INNOCENT BABY!"
Still no response came from the people, thoroughly terrified now. But then, one villager's gaze became transfixed on the person standing to the right of the charred post. And then another. And yet another. Soon the whole village was staring at the person. The elderly man with trussed white hair began to sweat, knowing that it was obvious who had tried to destroy the child.
The Great Healers powerful gaze turned to him.
The man made a last-ditch effor to appeal.
"B-but, y-your honor, h-h-he c-c-could s-speak from birth! I-it was un- unnatural! He h-had to b-b-be a d-d-demon!"
"Enough." All of a sudden the Great Healer seemed weary. With, slow, plodding steps, he walked up the stairs and untied the blackened ropes, gently scooping up the baby. Silently he walked towards his house, and then paused at the entrance. "It is not my place to hurt, only to heal. The gods will condemn you as they see fit, Mayor." He disappeared into his quiet abode.
Outside, silence still reigned. Then shocked whispers began to run through the crowd.
"You mean, that wasn't a demon?"
"Would the mayor really do such a thing?"
Most of the people there had run to the spot when they had seen the bright orange fire burning at the base of Mount Aleph. The Mayor was there along with Kyle and Dora, with Kyle and Dora pleading for their child's life as the Mayor roughly lashed the baby to the post. Kyle had been ready to sock the Mayor in the face, stopped only by the fact that it was forbidden to harm another citizen of Vale.
The burning had already started by the time the villagers got there, so that when the Mayor told them he was burning a demon, they couldn't tell whether it really was a demon, or something else entirely. Such was the scene when the Great Healer came out, startled by all the people rushing past his house.
Kyle stared at the sanctuary into which his son had disappeared, then dropped to his knees to comfort the weeping Dora. Sorrowfully she whispered to him, "Our son."
He stroked her back, not caring about such a display of affection in the public, and murmured into her ear, "It'll be okay. Don't worry. Isaac's tougher than that. He's gifted. After all, the first thing he did when he was born was to say the word 'momma,' wasn't it?"
A smile lit her face at that cherished memory, until the clouds of worry darkened her face again. "But what if."
"Don't worry about what ifs," Kyle said firmly. "As long as Isaac lives, everything will be alright. And Isaac will live." Dora leaned against him, comforted for now. But inside them both, even the hope that Isaac would live had been distinguished, when they had seen the utterly burnt body that had not emitted a single sound through the entire ordeal.
As for the tiny child being talked about, currently he was wrapped in a dry towel, sleeping on the Great Healer's bed. The Great Healer had tried to heal as many of the burns as possible, but some of them were just too severe.
Sadly he looked at the softly breathing baby. "Ah, why are humans so cruel, little one? Why should they hurt what they do not understand, why should they try to destroy the gifted and beautiful? All I can ask of you is to take pity on them, for they do not understand the tranquility of peace, nor the beauty of innocence. Find some way to forgive them in your heart, and forget whatever you were thinking on this terrible day."
~*~*~
Serpents, slithering through the fire. Coming to consume him, coming to burn him. Skeletons jumping out in green flashes, a horrible orchestra of century-old rusting blades and crumbling bones. He was stuck in a deep pit of dank earth, with frosty ice spikes running along its walls. Lightning rained down from above, and the thunder boomed in terrible voices. Up above the wind howled and moaned, a horror Isaac could not escape from, with a towering circle of fire encompassing the area around him.
Rotting zombies that stank of feces stumbled along wandering paths, burning if they came into contact with the circle of fire. Harpies with sharp steel wings flapped through the air, screeching out glass-breaking cries. A three- headed Cerberus suddenly leaped out from the fire and snapped at him, grazing his soft forehead, then sprinted off again to its unknown destination.
Isaac whimpered at this sudden pain and curled up into as small of a ball as his already small form could allow. This was hell, and he was in it before he knew its meaning.
A great crashing noise that shook the ground caused Isaac to peek out from behind his minute knees. A large crevice opened up in the pit walls, and stomping through it was.
He. It was a towering monstrosity, its skin a leathery black. Sinews seemed ready to burst out of every part of its body, and pulsed disgustingly just under the skin. Spikes curved from every joint on it, with the two on its shoulder rising over its head and crossing with each other.
Its head sported large flaps of leathery skin on each side of its head, with a slit of an ear situated just under the flaps. Ruby red eyes glittered from the two sockets on its dragon-like head, reflecting the fire that surrounded this entire abyss in its crystal inhumanity. Its nostrils were also like slits, pointing at each other to form a "v" shape. The upper teeth of its mouth overlapped the lower. Each tooth was curved in the shape of a wicked saber. The upper teeth were at least five times the size of Isaac, while the lower were still at least three times the size of the baby floating in the darkness. The mouth, partly open, stank of a rotting things, and a black-red tongue poked out of its mouth occasionally. Great droplets of blood dripped from its sturdy yet yellow teeth, and decaying bits on its gums dropped off constantly.
Its body was covered with a once white vest, now stained with blood. Even the unbreakable titanium under the white cloth had become tainted with blood, a sickening mixture of black and red. A skull was placed in the socket of its chest. Oily black tendrils poked out and retreat across the skull as tiny red rubies glittered out from its eye sockets. The skull's lower jaw was set so that the skull smiled, but it was a terrible smile, one that spoke of vice, misery, and insanity.
The rest of the demon's body was covered by monstrous spikes and diamond- like scales. A gargantuan tail protruded out of its rear end, rising up above the demon's head and spikes. The tail was split into four ends. There was a glistening bone spike tearing out of each end, each spike dripping a different kind of putrid poison.
Isaac felt himself being lifted up by a dark magic, and a horrible bellowing voice rang inside his head.
WHO ARE YOU?
/I am Isaac./
ARE YOU REALLY?
Imaginary tigers roared in agony, shadow-like wolves howled in pain, all in his mind, all in his mind...
/I am... I-I-Isaa.../
A bright yellow light, emitted from the center of the tower, an embodiment of the earth's power. A fight between five, a battle for one. The power of earth roars its fury as the contestants fight.
/I am.../
A great two-headed dragon, rising up to meet him, ready to kill him. The winds howl and the stones shake, an ancient power in flux. An agonized cry, coming from someone he knows but hasn't met. A sword, whistling through the air.
/I.../
Blood, seeping through the age old cracks in the stone, milling around eddies and swirls of dust. Dead, they are, bloody carcasses ripped and mauled into obscured pieces. Red hair becomes an even fiercer red as it soaks up blood like a mop. Eyeballs roll in the sickening red as their blond-haired owner lays spread-eagled across the worn stones. Long blue hair whips around everywhere, their pure blue tendrils now drenched with blood. Her face still retains its pristine beauty, even as her open mouth spills blood everywhere. A seal is broken.
/I.../
A fight between two, a battle for one. He is the only person left standing. Black wings rip out of his back, black gauntlets infused with burning blades appear on his wrists. A brooch of cackling skulls attaches itself to him. His messy hair becomes mussed up even more as it whips around him, his eyes glowing an ice red. An aura of hell encircles him. It is a day of reckoning.
/Don't./
A great dragon falls, brought down by a hell blade. He falls to his knees, hands covered completely with the dark blood of the dragon. Misery and pain take over as he contemplates his once alive companions. Slowly, his glowing red eyes harden into completely iced blue ones. Suddenly, he gets up, cackling murderously. Insanely he stumbles away, a person who's mind has finally collapsed and given itself up to hell, a mind that has finally been torn into shreds of insanity by terrible tragedies.
/Know.../
The great demon smiled maliciously at this answer, and hissed sadistically at Isaac.
You are mine now, little one. You do not have a name. You do not know who you are. You are-
Silence.
~*~*~
Kyle and Dora watched anxiously as the Great Healer inspected Isaac for problems. As soon as the Great Healer straightened his back, he was bombarded by the couple with questions.
"Is there something wrong with him?"
"Will he be all right?"
The Healer smiled gently and reassured them, "There's nothing wrong with him. These burns may take a while to heal, but only the one on his back will be permanent."
The two relaxed visibly.
The Great Healer then frowned. "Unfortunately, Isaac will never speak again. There was something wrong with the element in his speech. A great disturbance had taken place there, one that I cannot heal, so that Isaac will be a mute for the rest of his life."
Dora almost seemed ready to have another breakdown, but instead just murmured to Kyle, "He'll never speak again. Our darling gifted child, he'll never say another word again."
Kyle just stood there stoically, then turned his head and muttered to Dora, "Hey, it's better than we hoped for."
He was lost. He was falling. He was trapped. Suddenly, a dark force took hold of him and yanked him out of the confines of his mind, only to leave him sitting before something he feared even more than his own darkness.
The demon was back again. Lava seeped from the imprints of its feet as it stretched out a hand and started raising him up, up, and up.
Before he left the fiery pit, the demon gave him one last message.
You are going back now, Silence. You have a task to complete. But remember this. Do not speak. Do not touch. Do not feel. A great tragedy shall befall you should you disobey. Or perhaps you should. Here the demon smiled. If you do-
You will be mine once again.
---
Chapter 2: Death
Published Date: 4/27/03
Edited Date: 2/27/05
A blond boy of fourteen sleeps soundly on his bed, covered by a quilt shaped with bright cloud designs. Suddenly, a woman rushes in, roughly yanking him out of his bed. She tells him that a storm is brewing, and a giant boulder will crush him if he doesn't get to the town plaza in time. Frantically rushing about, she pauses for a moment to pat the boy on the head, saying fondly, "You're a big boy now Isaac. You can get to the plaza on your own. I have to go help Kyle and the others now." Then she speeds out the door, leaving the boy on his own.
~*~*~
Isaac really couldn't care less about the situation outside. Grimly, he thought that it would serve them right. Briefly he wondered why they couldn't stop it with their psyenergy. The problem with everyone is that they do nothing. Shaking his head, he grabbed his tunic from the drawer, pulling it over his head. He didn't want to die yet.
Pulling up his pants, he exited the door and went down the stairs, only to narrowly avoid being crushed beneath a huge boulder. Instead it drenched him completely as it passed, finally making its home at the top of the stairs. He stared at the boulder for a moment before turning around and heading for the other set of stairs. Unfortunately, just then another boulder decided to roll its way down the hill, just managing to fly over his house, and instead landing right in front of Isaac, blocking his path. He shook a fist at it in consternation. Sighing, he plodded up the stairs behind his house to take the longer way into the town plaza; he almost expected that path to be blocked too.
"Ugh! Stupid thing!"
Isaac turned his head towards the source of the noise. A spiky red-haired boy was straining to lift his bags, so that his things wouldn't be destroyed. Garet, son of the Mayor. Somewhere inside him a bubble of darkness began to nag in his ear, but he shook it off and walked over to Garet instead, pointing at the direction of the town plaza. Garet stopped to puzzle out what Isaac meant. After a few minutes Garet asked, "What about my bags?"
Isaac stomped his foot exasperatedly. Here they were, stuck in the middle of a life and death situation and Garet was worrying about his stuff?! Garet seemed to have gotten it this time, and angrily retorted, "You're saying I should just leave them here?"
Isaac nodded, and proceeded to fight a staring contest with Garet until Garet suddenly blinked, exclaiming, "Hey, you're right! After all, my things aren't as important as me!"
Sadly Isaac shook his head at Garet's thickness, then started off on the path again, Garet following obediently behind. A rumbling noise alerted them to a group of adepts circling an enormous boulder, which was steadily gaining ground.
So that's what they were doing... It's too much even for them...
One of the people taking a breath happened to look down the edge of the cliff, and upon sighting them exclaimed, "What are you kids doing down there?! Hurry and get to the town plaza."
Garet jumped at this, and poked Isaac. "C'mon, let's go."
Isaac silently took the lead, giving no indication he'd heard Garet.
~*~*~
"Quick, you two, go find someone!"
...
"It's coming!!!"
...
"FELIX!!!"
...
"They're all gone."
~*~*~
Why does psyenergy exist?
Why do we exist?
Why was my father killed?
Why couldn't his power save him?
Should I care?
I feel coldness...
I don't care...
Darkness...
~*~*~
"Allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Menardi."
"And I, Saturos."
"Prepare to die."
Isaac drew out his sword, and Garet followed suit. He remarked to Isaac, "These guys sure are awfully mean."
Isaac did not reply, instead rushing in for the first attack. Eyeing the blue haired man carefully, he lunged at a weak spot.
A hiss escaped out of Saturos's mouth as he narrowed his eyes at the little blond boy who managed to score a hit. Raising his hand for a fire spell, he met the boy's eyes. What he saw in them caused him to pause.
The boy's eyes were a crystal blue. They were as cold as ice, but imbued with a hellish furor. Saturos was almost... afraid of those eyes.
This pause gave the other boy Garet, just enough time to launch a strike as well, although his clumsiness and extremely loud war cry made it rather easy to dodge him. Menardi arched a quizzical eyebrow at the fact that he hadn't cast a spell, then shrugged and cast a fire spell of her own. The power of it was more than enough to subdue Garet, but Isaac didn't seem to be affected by it very much. Surprised at this revelation, she took a good look at Isaac.
His ice blue eyes glared back at her, making her take a step back. What in the world? There was almost a direct contradiction in his eyes, blue glowing with red. Hell's child. Before her senses could recover, Isaac launched at her, sword seeming to hiss with excitement. It was only chance that allowed her to dodge his blade. A fireball cast my Saturos just happened to knock his sword to the side.
"We would do well not to kill these two, Menardi. They probably won't trouble us in the future either." She nodded, but asked, "Why not the red-haired one though?"
Saturos replied, "Because he is the friend of the red-haired one. Surely he will seek vengeance." He then raised a hand, summoning the fire magic that had dissipated while he was distracted.
"Goodbye."
Fire spewed from the blue hand, taking the form of a dragon. Isaac was consumed by it, which was when the two made their escape. They needn't have worried about the blond-haired boy though. He was being enveloped once again in nightmares. As his glazed eyes stared blankly at nothing, as his mind backed off in horror from phantoms, a voice rumbled in his head, one he had forgotten, but still recognized.
*It has begun....*
---
Chapter 3: The Cost of a Mistake
Original Date Published: 5/6/2003
Current Date: 3/11/2005
They say, that for every choice, there is another choice, another possibility, that leads to several more choices, several more possibilities. They say, that there are different universes, different paradoxes co-existing togehter, in the same lifeline, different versions of different worlds. But then, what if? What if, no matter what choice you made, the end result would still be the same? What if, even if you did nothing, the end result would still be the same? What if it was inevitable?
Move!
The batch of straw wobbled up, some stray sticks falling off, and slowly moved to the right, eventually settling down and weaving itself into the thatched roof. The gangly boy controlling it stood on the roof, beads of sweat streaming down his face from the scorching sun.
A gesture and another mind command caused the bundle of straw resting on the ground to make its way to the other hole in the roof, patching it up. The boy repeated the movement one more time before climbing down the ladder, allowing the shade of the roof to shelter him from the sweltering sun. His ice blue eyes squinted against the light as his mother climbed up the ladder, inspecting for other holes in the roof.
A burble of angry voices made its way to his ear, causing him to turn his head towards the sound. Garet and Jenna were heading towards him, furiously arguing about who damaged who's property.
"You brute, you burned up my tree stump!"
"Couldn't be helped, I'm a Fire Adept. Besides, your flame storm destroyed all the grass inmy backyard!"
Dora turned her head at this sound as well, and smiled at the two teens.
"Well hello there! Have you two come for Isaac?"
Jenna's voice sweetened, and she gave a sugary smile to Dora, evidently trying to give her a good impression.
"Yes, Kraden wants us to go to his house for some new studies."
It worked rather well, since Dora only frowned for a brief moment before replying, "Well, once I'm done inspecting the roof, Isaac can go."
Dora clambered up the ladder and scurried about, stooping and scrutinizing each patch closely. After a few moments she rose up with a bright smile and said, "Well, everything is just fine. Your psyenergy has gotten so much better, Isaac! You're growing up to be just like your dad-"
A choked look slithered over her face, but she quickly shook it off and said cheerfully, (maybe too cheerfully) "Run along now, Isaac. You don't want Kraden to wait. I'll just..."
Walking towards the ladder, she stepped on one of the patches, which promptly collapsed. Yanking her foot out of the hole, Dora grinned, embarassed.
"What a stupid mistake." She took a step back, and Garet called out in a panicked voice, "Not there, Mrs. Sol!"
Dora jumped back, but it was already too late to keep the straw from falling. Unfortunately, the spot she landed on was yet another weak part of the roof. With a creaking sound it crashed onto the floor, spreading pieces of yellow straw everywhere. Isaac grimaced at the spectacle. He'd spent three hours working on the roof, and in five minutes, it was all destroyed.
Dora sighed and told them, "Don't worry. I'll work on it by myself. Run along now, you three."
Hesitantly they left the site. When there was no crash from the house behind them, they became reassured, and lazily walked towards their next destination.
~*~*~
Kraden smiled at the giggling kids. Ah, to be young again...
Smirking at himself, he shook his head. Jenna was currently trying to beat Garet up, for some snide remark Garet had made. Isaac though... Isaac was silently walking on the path, ahead of everyone. Sometimes, I swear that boy is even older than me.
Suddenly Isaac stopped. Garet crashed into him, which caused Jenna to crash into Garet. The two would've started fighting again if they hadn't seen a disciple of the Great Healer. Clad in pristine white robes, he was walking around the entrance of Mt. Aleph, so that no one would be able to enter. That included the one old man and three Adepts crouching behind the bushes.
Jenna eyed the disciple's movements carefully, and when the guy's back was turned, she whispered, "Now!"
All of them rushed into the entrance of Mt. Aleph and Sol Sanctum.
Upon entering, the first words out of Garet's mouth were, "It's huge..."
The sanctum was carved out of marble, reflecting the rays of the sun filtering in through the slits in the roof. Chalky white dust sparkled in the air, giving a mysterious beauty to the room. Great statues stood regally on the other half of the chamber, a reminder of the age and the power of the Sanctum.
Kraden smiled, and looked joyfully around.
"Yes, it's magnificent, isn't it?" Then his smile turned to a frown. "I've never been able to find anything else here besides this one room though."
Garet strode up to the statue in the middle and punched it with all his power. The statue showed no sign of breaking though, instead leaving Garet with a bloody fist.
"Oww..."
Jenna sneered at Garet. "Punching stone statues is not the smartest thing to do."
Garet glared at Jenna. "Well, do you have something better in mind?"
The biting remarks soon evolved into one of their heated arguments again. While Garet and Jenna yelled at each other, (Kraden was trying to be a peacemaker, worried their sounds would carry outside) Isaac walked up to the statue and raised his arms, his face contorting to the intense expression of someone using psyenergy. After several rings of magic floated from his body, a giant hand formed and pushed the statue to the left, revealing a passageway behind.
The fighting trailed off as they stared at the dark hall that lay in front of Isaac. Grinning, Kraden bustled over and congratulated the boy. "Very good work, Isaac! Now let's go see what's in the rest of this place."
~*~*~
Kraden frantically yelled something at Isaac. Ignoring the panicked pleas, Isaac pushed the statue into place. The sanctum began to rumble. Stones fell and statues crumbled. Uttering an earsplitting shriek, Kraden leapt out of a gargantuan stone's path and yelped, "I told you to stop! You were supposed to debug the trap first! Now our village will be slaughtered in an avalanche again!"
Isaac stood there, horror drawn on his face. Garet grabbed his shirt and dragged him along, yelling, "It doesn't matter who set it off! We all worked on this together, and if we don't get out, we're gonna be crushed!"
All four started bolting for the stairs. Entering the next room, they barely noticed that the Sol sign in the room had changed to Luna, instead rushing headlong for the doorway. Suddenly, a giant stone dropped from the ceiling, casting a dark shadow over Jenna. She stared terrified at the stone, then crumpled, flying, as Garet barreled into her from behind. A sickening crunch was heard, and Isaac stared blankly at the purple-tinted fluid streaming from the cracked skull of the spiky red- haired boy. Soon a pool of red had gathered around Garet. Stones continued rolling into it and soon were coated with the substance, splashing red onto everyone. It was as if they were there to guard the mass of splintered bones, a small grave for the brave soul.
Sharp fingernails dug into Isaac's hand. He turned his head to see Jenna, pulling him along out of the room, even as tears streaked down her face. Kraden was already disappearing down the next passageway.
Another great slab of stone descended from the ceiling, and Isaac slammed Jenna through the room as the stone dropped. Jenna screamed as the stone crashed onto the ground, but there was no sound of snapping bones. Startled, she looked around the room, but there was no blue-eyed blond to be found anywhere in the room, not even under the stone. She prayed quickly for the teen, then bolted out the doorway, droplets of water marking the path she took.
With a horrific boom, Sol Sanctum collapsed unto itself, setting off its final method of trapping the intruders who had dared to steal its treasure within. No one was going to get out alive. Only two had escaped ever, and it wanted it to stay that way.
Unfortunately for the Sanctum, it, like everything else, rarely got what it wanted.
Isaac propelled himself backwards as the stone crashed down. His neck hit a tiny hole in the wall of the room, and as the debris and dust swirled all around, he was sucked into a blue portal, and disappeared.
Emerging from the portal in a bright flash of light, he blinked. A quick sweep around the room told him all he needed to know. These were the four Elemental Stars, the legends that Kraden had raved about forever when they had had lessons. The stars were supposedly guarded inside the Sol Sanctum, and they were the essence of Alchemy.
The legend went that should these Stars be taken out of the world and put into their rightful resting place, the four lighthouses that marked the ends of the world, true Alchemy would be released, and the world would be destroyed by a hailstorm of terrible monsters. No one knew if this was true or not, but if the legend of Sol Sanctum was, this was probably quite true as well. Isaac was slightly hesitant about gathering the four stars, but decided that he owed it to Kraden to get them; besides, he wasn't about to go around and light up the lighthouses.
Isaac hopped from one stone to the next. Finally, with all four stars clutched in his hands, he rushed out of the portal, just in time to be buried under a statue. His left hand, gripping three of the four stars, slowly relaxed, and the shimmering mythril bags rolled out of his hand.
~*~*~
A shadow flitted by. Stooping, he gathered up the bags, then frowned at the boy. There should be another one, the Mars Star... Musing that it was probably lost somewhere else inside the ruins, Saturos retreated, content with just three for now. He would come back another day, when it was safer and there was less debris. A small thought kept on nagging at his mind. He'd seen that boy before somewhere, at some point... Shrugging the thought off, he hurried to the red-eyed blond standing at the top of the hill.
"Did you check to see if he was dead?"
Saturos groaned. He'd completely forgotten about it. "I forgot about it, Menardi. Anyway, he can't be alive, buried under all that rubble. Even if he was, if he stays out there for a day, he'll definitely die. The Mars Star will be ours."
They set out across the hills, waiting for another day.
~*~*~
"Over here! I found another one!"
The motley search crew rushed over to the figure, and set out to excavate the rocks atop of the person. Kay squinted at the blond-haired boy and started.
"That's Isaac!"
One man stopped, mopping the sweat off his brow with a grimy cloth. Sadly he said, "This one's gonna be hard for Dora. She lost her husband three years ago, and now she's lost Isaac too. All her relatives are dead as well."
Another man scowled at the speaker and said, "Don't say that! We don't know if Isaac's dead, if this is indeed Isaac!"
The other man shrugged, putting the cloth back into his pocket. Making no other reply, he started channeling energy to lift a rock. It wasn't likely that Isaac, or whoever this person was, was going to be alive. None of the other people they'd found had been, and it'd been two days since the Sanctum had collapsed. It was surprising that there were even people at the Sanctum, as it was off limits to everyone. Kraden could've answered for that, as he was notorious for sneaking into restricted and usually dangerous areas just to observe what was inside them. No one could've asked for a better Alchemy professor though. It was too bad he was dead now, his body found near the entrance. Kraden's face had borne the eternally thankful expression of someone who had finally gotten freedom. It was rather ironic that he'd gotten killed right at that point.
Suddenly shouts arose from the people in the area. They'd turned the boy over and detected a heartbeat.
"It's Isaac! And he's alive!"
Everyone bolted, carrying the body down the hill, weaving through the ruins. Depositing the boy at the healer's, they went back to the rubble searching with renewed effort, spirits raised dramatically.
~*~*~
"Your son has several broken ribs, and only his left arm was not broken. He is suffering from dehydration and lack of a good supply of oxygen. Despite that, he has no internal bleeding. It's a miracle. He's going to live."
~*~*~
"We mourn the deaths of 19 people. Aaron, Garet, Jenna..."
---
Chapter 4: Interlude: Wings of Fire
Unedited...
The world is not a fair place. It doesn't give second chances, doesn't allow it. And thus, it depends on the people to adapt, to try to make the world as fair as possible. It depends on the people to create morals to live by, to make a second chance. It depends on the person, to get what he wants the most...
~*~*~
Why is it so dark here?
Indeed, his surroundings were a pitch black, so that he couldn't see his hands right in front of him. The only feeling he had was a light breeze blowing against his face. Otherwise there was nothing. Not even the ground he was standing on really seemed there.
Oh right, I'm dead.
But even death should not be like this, a yawning emptiness of boredom. Boredom was even worse than pain, to him. Then again, obviously, he couldn't know what death was like.
Suddenly, a stream of fire arose, enveloping him. He could see! Although there was nothing much to see, the darkness still smothering most of the area. But at least - looking down, he saw that he really wasn't standing on anything - he was floating. He tried taking a step foward. The column of fire moved along with him, but all was the same as before; The darkness had no end.
He yelled. The sound started out loud and clear, but as soon as it hit the darkness it dissipated. Apparently, even having this column of fire was not going to help anything. He started walking.
It was funny how, when in total boredom he could not think of anything except how bored he was, yet when Kraden had been droning on about some subject or another he was always daydreaming. Which reminded him, where was Kraden? That old bastard, running off and leaving them three teenagers to fend for themselves. If he didn't die this time, he'd get caught one day or another taking another risky venture- and it'd serve him right. But he shouldn't fume over Kraden right now, it'd have no use, and besides, he had plenty of time in the future to do it.
A pain suddenly shot up at him through his ankle. Somehow, he'd twisted it when walking... And that twisted ankle was pulled by a vacuum, sucking him under from the hole that surfaced in a sheet of nothing.
He was reminded of the initial pain he'd felt from the stone falling on him, the injuries reappeared on his body, the person, Jenna...
~*~*~
When he came to, he was not in some sort of limbo anymore. Well, perhaps he still was, but it was not limbo in the sense that he imagined, in the sense like the previous... plane, he decided to call it.
There were things now. A wall of granite stretched before him, and a ring of fire surrounded him. His own column of fire had dissipated, though that was but a small matter. But... nothing else.
Yet he couldn't shake off the feeling, that this place was... evil. Haunted, some would say. As if waiting to eat him alive. And then he saw it.
The firelight reflected faintly of the parts of its bones not caked with mud. The figure was disformed - the skull was cracked, and its left arm was twisted impossibly. The leg, as well, was bent inwards. It was walking though, walking towards him.
A low rumbling sound filled the place, as he saw the bones, skeletons, marching along; the moving piles of sludge, rotting feces trudging; a high howl, and then triple-tailed brown wolves leaped towards him, red eyes glowing with delight.
He screamed, and retreated unto himself, curling up into a ball.
He musn't die, he couldn't die, he didn't deserve this...
Yes, he was dead. But a second, a third death were no less horrifying than the first...
The wolf got there first, and leaped. He cringed, and a flash of red covered his eyes.
This... was hell...
~*~*~
The beast rose in front of him. Fangs dripping with saliva, horns protruding out, eyes glowing, black armor shining, even in the darkness.
Instinctively he knew that this was it. This was the monster that controlled everything, from this dark pit to the ghastly hands that stole from the living world. The odor it exuded, the attitude it presented... No one else was ever like this.
Except... it was a bit similar... No. That would never be possible.
*But yes.*
The silence filled the void, and he struggled to remember the name of that... that person...
*He has been forgotten.*
It was just a simple statement, a fact. But to him it was as if something had *died*, right then and there. To be forgotten... Is worse than death...
*She has been forgotten.*
And this was not possible. He could not forget *her*, she was too important. But he had. He thought about her face and found he couldn't recall it. Her personality and found he couldn't remember. Her warmth, he couldn't feel it...
All that was left to him was a name.
Jenna.
*She has been forgotten.*
The sentence was repeated again, as if to throw another heavy blanket over his mind, covering it forever. There was nothing strange about the sentence itself, only the malice that pressed behind it. It couldn't pierce the tiny cocoon that he had created for himself though. He wouldn't forget.
*She has been-
NO!
Fire. Dancing. The blinding rays of light struck him, and the demon silently retreated. He would not forget. He did not know her, did not know her face, did not know her person. But he knew her name, and so he would find her.
Jenna! I'm coming for you!
---
Chapter 5: Ridding the World of Hope
"Oh! A traveling warrior! And I see you're an Adept too! You are just the kind of fighter that I've been looking for! Won't you please take me along with you?"
There was no reply from the golden haired boy standing across from him. The Djinn became more dismayed with each passing second as they faced off. Finally it sighed and shifted behind Isaac.
"Well, it will be ok if I follow you, right?"
A barely perceptable nod of the head.
The duo started walking along the road.
"I am a Venus Djinn. My name is Flint."
No reply.
"Hey, are you deaf or something?"
Isaac just continued walking obstinately on. The Djinn puffed up angrily, and dangled itself in front of Isaac's face. Almost immediately it fell off.
Isaac trodded down the path.
"How can eyes be so empty..." Flint whispered to itself, before recovering its jolly spirit. Shaking its head, it proudly announced, "I'm going to help him, whether he likes it or not!" With that, it bounded after the fading figure of Isaac.
~*~*~
It was the day before that Isaac decided to die. He hadn't really declared it to himself; the feeling just came.
The village had decided to turn him out. He was bad luck, they said. He should've died with the rest of them, they whispered. It's only right for him to go out to recover the stones - after all, he was there. Good riddance that he leave, even better if he died; mutterings could be heard all over the village, silenced only when he came near. When he did come near, a deathly silence descended on the area. It made him want to scream.
Whatever their reasoning, they had pushed him out of the village, equipping him with only a small iron sword. They had disguised it as a procession for a future hero, leaving to reclaim the stones. Only the Healer treated him as such. The villagers had started jeering at him as soon as he'd stepped out of the gates. Dora had treated him as someone who would be dead very shortly. After all, wasn't that what he was? Dead? Or else an outcast, destined to die alone.
Perhaps if they'd bothered to look at him when he was leaving, instead of his back and what he represented, they'd have begun to feel terribly guilty. If they'd seen the flat blue eyes, that were so dark they almost seemed black. If they'd looked at the dejected face instead of the towering shadow. If they'd thought about the smile that hadn't existed for weeks, instead of the burdens that were all placed on his shoulders.
Isaac was already condemned to the role of a hero - untouchable, he carried the world's troubles, sacrificed himself for the sins of others.
An outcast.
~*~*~
Search for the rod.
As fond as I am of Ivan, it was his fault that my rod was stolen... And his strange powers will aid him in search of the rod.
Ivan has strange powers?
Pacing in the village of Vale was the child, Ivan. Small and thin, with wispy blond hair, but wholly unremarkable - except for his eyes. The child had sparkling purple eyes that captivated and unsettled people; it made them feel as if their secrets were being let loose on the world. When angered, the remarkable eyes crackled with lightning. Ivan was angry with himself right now.
How could I be so stupid? Losing Lord Hammet's Rod! He had already gone through the plethora of people in Vale. The possibility that the thieves had gone elsewhere occured to him, but the fear that overlooking someone would cause him to lose the rod forever kept him rooted in the village.
The flapping of a dark blue cloak caught his eye. It belonged to a taller boy with a chicken's nest of blond hair. Someone he hadn't seen before. Ivan strode over to introduce himself.
"Hi, I'm Ivan! I see you're new around here..."
The other boy didn't turn around, didn't even look up, although he did slow down.
Ivan was thoroughly dismayed. Most people, even the really grumpy ones - Those people in the prison were really stingy! - at least looked at him, even if only to fix him with a dark glare.
Ivan ran around to the front - mind-reading didn't quite work on the back of someone's head - and focused his energy, casting Mind Read into the boy's - Oh god, his *eyes* - dark, flat eyes.
Almost immediately he collapsed.
*stomps on story* I HATE THIS STORY. I think, somewhere deep down, all authors despise their stories once they look back on it some years later. That is, if they're not Pulitzer Prize winners or something.
Silence
Chapter 1: Silence
Original Date Published: 4/23/03
Current Date: 2/7/05
There is a silence in every one of us. There is a darkness, a muteness waiting to swallow us up. Emotions, they are just steps to that pit beyond. It is the abyss of eternity, of -
"SILENCE!" The word burst out of the Great Healer's mouth angrily. Instantly, the people hushed up.
The Great Healer scowled and looked at the charred post, which held the burnt form of a baby. Murderously he hissed, "Who brought forth this persecution?"
All of a sudden everyone's gaze fell away from the Great Healer, and deigned to look anywhere but on that fiery face. This only served to make the Great Healer, usually calm and kind, more enraged.
"WHO WOULD THINK THEMSELVES HIGH ENOUGH TO HURT AN INNOCENT BABY!"
Still no response came from the people, thoroughly terrified now. But then, one villager's gaze became transfixed on the person standing to the right of the charred post. And then another. And yet another. Soon the whole village was staring at the person. The elderly man with trussed white hair began to sweat, knowing that it was obvious who had tried to destroy the child.
The Great Healers powerful gaze turned to him.
The man made a last-ditch effor to appeal.
"B-but, y-your honor, h-h-he c-c-could s-speak from birth! I-it was un- unnatural! He h-had to b-b-be a d-d-demon!"
"Enough." All of a sudden the Great Healer seemed weary. With, slow, plodding steps, he walked up the stairs and untied the blackened ropes, gently scooping up the baby. Silently he walked towards his house, and then paused at the entrance. "It is not my place to hurt, only to heal. The gods will condemn you as they see fit, Mayor." He disappeared into his quiet abode.
Outside, silence still reigned. Then shocked whispers began to run through the crowd.
"You mean, that wasn't a demon?"
"Would the mayor really do such a thing?"
Most of the people there had run to the spot when they had seen the bright orange fire burning at the base of Mount Aleph. The Mayor was there along with Kyle and Dora, with Kyle and Dora pleading for their child's life as the Mayor roughly lashed the baby to the post. Kyle had been ready to sock the Mayor in the face, stopped only by the fact that it was forbidden to harm another citizen of Vale.
The burning had already started by the time the villagers got there, so that when the Mayor told them he was burning a demon, they couldn't tell whether it really was a demon, or something else entirely. Such was the scene when the Great Healer came out, startled by all the people rushing past his house.
Kyle stared at the sanctuary into which his son had disappeared, then dropped to his knees to comfort the weeping Dora. Sorrowfully she whispered to him, "Our son."
He stroked her back, not caring about such a display of affection in the public, and murmured into her ear, "It'll be okay. Don't worry. Isaac's tougher than that. He's gifted. After all, the first thing he did when he was born was to say the word 'momma,' wasn't it?"
A smile lit her face at that cherished memory, until the clouds of worry darkened her face again. "But what if."
"Don't worry about what ifs," Kyle said firmly. "As long as Isaac lives, everything will be alright. And Isaac will live." Dora leaned against him, comforted for now. But inside them both, even the hope that Isaac would live had been distinguished, when they had seen the utterly burnt body that had not emitted a single sound through the entire ordeal.
As for the tiny child being talked about, currently he was wrapped in a dry towel, sleeping on the Great Healer's bed. The Great Healer had tried to heal as many of the burns as possible, but some of them were just too severe.
Sadly he looked at the softly breathing baby. "Ah, why are humans so cruel, little one? Why should they hurt what they do not understand, why should they try to destroy the gifted and beautiful? All I can ask of you is to take pity on them, for they do not understand the tranquility of peace, nor the beauty of innocence. Find some way to forgive them in your heart, and forget whatever you were thinking on this terrible day."
~*~*~
Serpents, slithering through the fire. Coming to consume him, coming to burn him. Skeletons jumping out in green flashes, a horrible orchestra of century-old rusting blades and crumbling bones. He was stuck in a deep pit of dank earth, with frosty ice spikes running along its walls. Lightning rained down from above, and the thunder boomed in terrible voices. Up above the wind howled and moaned, a horror Isaac could not escape from, with a towering circle of fire encompassing the area around him.
Rotting zombies that stank of feces stumbled along wandering paths, burning if they came into contact with the circle of fire. Harpies with sharp steel wings flapped through the air, screeching out glass-breaking cries. A three- headed Cerberus suddenly leaped out from the fire and snapped at him, grazing his soft forehead, then sprinted off again to its unknown destination.
Isaac whimpered at this sudden pain and curled up into as small of a ball as his already small form could allow. This was hell, and he was in it before he knew its meaning.
A great crashing noise that shook the ground caused Isaac to peek out from behind his minute knees. A large crevice opened up in the pit walls, and stomping through it was.
He. It was a towering monstrosity, its skin a leathery black. Sinews seemed ready to burst out of every part of its body, and pulsed disgustingly just under the skin. Spikes curved from every joint on it, with the two on its shoulder rising over its head and crossing with each other.
Its head sported large flaps of leathery skin on each side of its head, with a slit of an ear situated just under the flaps. Ruby red eyes glittered from the two sockets on its dragon-like head, reflecting the fire that surrounded this entire abyss in its crystal inhumanity. Its nostrils were also like slits, pointing at each other to form a "v" shape. The upper teeth of its mouth overlapped the lower. Each tooth was curved in the shape of a wicked saber. The upper teeth were at least five times the size of Isaac, while the lower were still at least three times the size of the baby floating in the darkness. The mouth, partly open, stank of a rotting things, and a black-red tongue poked out of its mouth occasionally. Great droplets of blood dripped from its sturdy yet yellow teeth, and decaying bits on its gums dropped off constantly.
Its body was covered with a once white vest, now stained with blood. Even the unbreakable titanium under the white cloth had become tainted with blood, a sickening mixture of black and red. A skull was placed in the socket of its chest. Oily black tendrils poked out and retreat across the skull as tiny red rubies glittered out from its eye sockets. The skull's lower jaw was set so that the skull smiled, but it was a terrible smile, one that spoke of vice, misery, and insanity.
The rest of the demon's body was covered by monstrous spikes and diamond- like scales. A gargantuan tail protruded out of its rear end, rising up above the demon's head and spikes. The tail was split into four ends. There was a glistening bone spike tearing out of each end, each spike dripping a different kind of putrid poison.
Isaac felt himself being lifted up by a dark magic, and a horrible bellowing voice rang inside his head.
WHO ARE YOU?
/I am Isaac./
ARE YOU REALLY?
Imaginary tigers roared in agony, shadow-like wolves howled in pain, all in his mind, all in his mind...
/I am... I-I-Isaa.../
A bright yellow light, emitted from the center of the tower, an embodiment of the earth's power. A fight between five, a battle for one. The power of earth roars its fury as the contestants fight.
/I am.../
A great two-headed dragon, rising up to meet him, ready to kill him. The winds howl and the stones shake, an ancient power in flux. An agonized cry, coming from someone he knows but hasn't met. A sword, whistling through the air.
/I.../
Blood, seeping through the age old cracks in the stone, milling around eddies and swirls of dust. Dead, they are, bloody carcasses ripped and mauled into obscured pieces. Red hair becomes an even fiercer red as it soaks up blood like a mop. Eyeballs roll in the sickening red as their blond-haired owner lays spread-eagled across the worn stones. Long blue hair whips around everywhere, their pure blue tendrils now drenched with blood. Her face still retains its pristine beauty, even as her open mouth spills blood everywhere. A seal is broken.
/I.../
A fight between two, a battle for one. He is the only person left standing. Black wings rip out of his back, black gauntlets infused with burning blades appear on his wrists. A brooch of cackling skulls attaches itself to him. His messy hair becomes mussed up even more as it whips around him, his eyes glowing an ice red. An aura of hell encircles him. It is a day of reckoning.
/Don't./
A great dragon falls, brought down by a hell blade. He falls to his knees, hands covered completely with the dark blood of the dragon. Misery and pain take over as he contemplates his once alive companions. Slowly, his glowing red eyes harden into completely iced blue ones. Suddenly, he gets up, cackling murderously. Insanely he stumbles away, a person who's mind has finally collapsed and given itself up to hell, a mind that has finally been torn into shreds of insanity by terrible tragedies.
/Know.../
The great demon smiled maliciously at this answer, and hissed sadistically at Isaac.
You are mine now, little one. You do not have a name. You do not know who you are. You are-
Silence.
~*~*~
Kyle and Dora watched anxiously as the Great Healer inspected Isaac for problems. As soon as the Great Healer straightened his back, he was bombarded by the couple with questions.
"Is there something wrong with him?"
"Will he be all right?"
The Healer smiled gently and reassured them, "There's nothing wrong with him. These burns may take a while to heal, but only the one on his back will be permanent."
The two relaxed visibly.
The Great Healer then frowned. "Unfortunately, Isaac will never speak again. There was something wrong with the element in his speech. A great disturbance had taken place there, one that I cannot heal, so that Isaac will be a mute for the rest of his life."
Dora almost seemed ready to have another breakdown, but instead just murmured to Kyle, "He'll never speak again. Our darling gifted child, he'll never say another word again."
Kyle just stood there stoically, then turned his head and muttered to Dora, "Hey, it's better than we hoped for."
He was lost. He was falling. He was trapped. Suddenly, a dark force took hold of him and yanked him out of the confines of his mind, only to leave him sitting before something he feared even more than his own darkness.
The demon was back again. Lava seeped from the imprints of its feet as it stretched out a hand and started raising him up, up, and up.
Before he left the fiery pit, the demon gave him one last message.
You are going back now, Silence. You have a task to complete. But remember this. Do not speak. Do not touch. Do not feel. A great tragedy shall befall you should you disobey. Or perhaps you should. Here the demon smiled. If you do-
You will be mine once again.
---
Chapter 2: Death
Published Date: 4/27/03
Edited Date: 2/27/05
A blond boy of fourteen sleeps soundly on his bed, covered by a quilt shaped with bright cloud designs. Suddenly, a woman rushes in, roughly yanking him out of his bed. She tells him that a storm is brewing, and a giant boulder will crush him if he doesn't get to the town plaza in time. Frantically rushing about, she pauses for a moment to pat the boy on the head, saying fondly, "You're a big boy now Isaac. You can get to the plaza on your own. I have to go help Kyle and the others now." Then she speeds out the door, leaving the boy on his own.
~*~*~
Isaac really couldn't care less about the situation outside. Grimly, he thought that it would serve them right. Briefly he wondered why they couldn't stop it with their psyenergy. The problem with everyone is that they do nothing. Shaking his head, he grabbed his tunic from the drawer, pulling it over his head. He didn't want to die yet.
Pulling up his pants, he exited the door and went down the stairs, only to narrowly avoid being crushed beneath a huge boulder. Instead it drenched him completely as it passed, finally making its home at the top of the stairs. He stared at the boulder for a moment before turning around and heading for the other set of stairs. Unfortunately, just then another boulder decided to roll its way down the hill, just managing to fly over his house, and instead landing right in front of Isaac, blocking his path. He shook a fist at it in consternation. Sighing, he plodded up the stairs behind his house to take the longer way into the town plaza; he almost expected that path to be blocked too.
"Ugh! Stupid thing!"
Isaac turned his head towards the source of the noise. A spiky red-haired boy was straining to lift his bags, so that his things wouldn't be destroyed. Garet, son of the Mayor. Somewhere inside him a bubble of darkness began to nag in his ear, but he shook it off and walked over to Garet instead, pointing at the direction of the town plaza. Garet stopped to puzzle out what Isaac meant. After a few minutes Garet asked, "What about my bags?"
Isaac stomped his foot exasperatedly. Here they were, stuck in the middle of a life and death situation and Garet was worrying about his stuff?! Garet seemed to have gotten it this time, and angrily retorted, "You're saying I should just leave them here?"
Isaac nodded, and proceeded to fight a staring contest with Garet until Garet suddenly blinked, exclaiming, "Hey, you're right! After all, my things aren't as important as me!"
Sadly Isaac shook his head at Garet's thickness, then started off on the path again, Garet following obediently behind. A rumbling noise alerted them to a group of adepts circling an enormous boulder, which was steadily gaining ground.
So that's what they were doing... It's too much even for them...
One of the people taking a breath happened to look down the edge of the cliff, and upon sighting them exclaimed, "What are you kids doing down there?! Hurry and get to the town plaza."
Garet jumped at this, and poked Isaac. "C'mon, let's go."
Isaac silently took the lead, giving no indication he'd heard Garet.
~*~*~
"Quick, you two, go find someone!"
...
"It's coming!!!"
...
"FELIX!!!"
...
"They're all gone."
~*~*~
Why does psyenergy exist?
Why do we exist?
Why was my father killed?
Why couldn't his power save him?
Should I care?
I feel coldness...
I don't care...
Darkness...
~*~*~
"Allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Menardi."
"And I, Saturos."
"Prepare to die."
Isaac drew out his sword, and Garet followed suit. He remarked to Isaac, "These guys sure are awfully mean."
Isaac did not reply, instead rushing in for the first attack. Eyeing the blue haired man carefully, he lunged at a weak spot.
A hiss escaped out of Saturos's mouth as he narrowed his eyes at the little blond boy who managed to score a hit. Raising his hand for a fire spell, he met the boy's eyes. What he saw in them caused him to pause.
The boy's eyes were a crystal blue. They were as cold as ice, but imbued with a hellish furor. Saturos was almost... afraid of those eyes.
This pause gave the other boy Garet, just enough time to launch a strike as well, although his clumsiness and extremely loud war cry made it rather easy to dodge him. Menardi arched a quizzical eyebrow at the fact that he hadn't cast a spell, then shrugged and cast a fire spell of her own. The power of it was more than enough to subdue Garet, but Isaac didn't seem to be affected by it very much. Surprised at this revelation, she took a good look at Isaac.
His ice blue eyes glared back at her, making her take a step back. What in the world? There was almost a direct contradiction in his eyes, blue glowing with red. Hell's child. Before her senses could recover, Isaac launched at her, sword seeming to hiss with excitement. It was only chance that allowed her to dodge his blade. A fireball cast my Saturos just happened to knock his sword to the side.
"We would do well not to kill these two, Menardi. They probably won't trouble us in the future either." She nodded, but asked, "Why not the red-haired one though?"
Saturos replied, "Because he is the friend of the red-haired one. Surely he will seek vengeance." He then raised a hand, summoning the fire magic that had dissipated while he was distracted.
"Goodbye."
Fire spewed from the blue hand, taking the form of a dragon. Isaac was consumed by it, which was when the two made their escape. They needn't have worried about the blond-haired boy though. He was being enveloped once again in nightmares. As his glazed eyes stared blankly at nothing, as his mind backed off in horror from phantoms, a voice rumbled in his head, one he had forgotten, but still recognized.
*It has begun....*
---
Chapter 3: The Cost of a Mistake
Original Date Published: 5/6/2003
Current Date: 3/11/2005
They say, that for every choice, there is another choice, another possibility, that leads to several more choices, several more possibilities. They say, that there are different universes, different paradoxes co-existing togehter, in the same lifeline, different versions of different worlds. But then, what if? What if, no matter what choice you made, the end result would still be the same? What if, even if you did nothing, the end result would still be the same? What if it was inevitable?
Move!
The batch of straw wobbled up, some stray sticks falling off, and slowly moved to the right, eventually settling down and weaving itself into the thatched roof. The gangly boy controlling it stood on the roof, beads of sweat streaming down his face from the scorching sun.
A gesture and another mind command caused the bundle of straw resting on the ground to make its way to the other hole in the roof, patching it up. The boy repeated the movement one more time before climbing down the ladder, allowing the shade of the roof to shelter him from the sweltering sun. His ice blue eyes squinted against the light as his mother climbed up the ladder, inspecting for other holes in the roof.
A burble of angry voices made its way to his ear, causing him to turn his head towards the sound. Garet and Jenna were heading towards him, furiously arguing about who damaged who's property.
"You brute, you burned up my tree stump!"
"Couldn't be helped, I'm a Fire Adept. Besides, your flame storm destroyed all the grass inmy backyard!"
Dora turned her head at this sound as well, and smiled at the two teens.
"Well hello there! Have you two come for Isaac?"
Jenna's voice sweetened, and she gave a sugary smile to Dora, evidently trying to give her a good impression.
"Yes, Kraden wants us to go to his house for some new studies."
It worked rather well, since Dora only frowned for a brief moment before replying, "Well, once I'm done inspecting the roof, Isaac can go."
Dora clambered up the ladder and scurried about, stooping and scrutinizing each patch closely. After a few moments she rose up with a bright smile and said, "Well, everything is just fine. Your psyenergy has gotten so much better, Isaac! You're growing up to be just like your dad-"
A choked look slithered over her face, but she quickly shook it off and said cheerfully, (maybe too cheerfully) "Run along now, Isaac. You don't want Kraden to wait. I'll just..."
Walking towards the ladder, she stepped on one of the patches, which promptly collapsed. Yanking her foot out of the hole, Dora grinned, embarassed.
"What a stupid mistake." She took a step back, and Garet called out in a panicked voice, "Not there, Mrs. Sol!"
Dora jumped back, but it was already too late to keep the straw from falling. Unfortunately, the spot she landed on was yet another weak part of the roof. With a creaking sound it crashed onto the floor, spreading pieces of yellow straw everywhere. Isaac grimaced at the spectacle. He'd spent three hours working on the roof, and in five minutes, it was all destroyed.
Dora sighed and told them, "Don't worry. I'll work on it by myself. Run along now, you three."
Hesitantly they left the site. When there was no crash from the house behind them, they became reassured, and lazily walked towards their next destination.
~*~*~
Kraden smiled at the giggling kids. Ah, to be young again...
Smirking at himself, he shook his head. Jenna was currently trying to beat Garet up, for some snide remark Garet had made. Isaac though... Isaac was silently walking on the path, ahead of everyone. Sometimes, I swear that boy is even older than me.
Suddenly Isaac stopped. Garet crashed into him, which caused Jenna to crash into Garet. The two would've started fighting again if they hadn't seen a disciple of the Great Healer. Clad in pristine white robes, he was walking around the entrance of Mt. Aleph, so that no one would be able to enter. That included the one old man and three Adepts crouching behind the bushes.
Jenna eyed the disciple's movements carefully, and when the guy's back was turned, she whispered, "Now!"
All of them rushed into the entrance of Mt. Aleph and Sol Sanctum.
Upon entering, the first words out of Garet's mouth were, "It's huge..."
The sanctum was carved out of marble, reflecting the rays of the sun filtering in through the slits in the roof. Chalky white dust sparkled in the air, giving a mysterious beauty to the room. Great statues stood regally on the other half of the chamber, a reminder of the age and the power of the Sanctum.
Kraden smiled, and looked joyfully around.
"Yes, it's magnificent, isn't it?" Then his smile turned to a frown. "I've never been able to find anything else here besides this one room though."
Garet strode up to the statue in the middle and punched it with all his power. The statue showed no sign of breaking though, instead leaving Garet with a bloody fist.
"Oww..."
Jenna sneered at Garet. "Punching stone statues is not the smartest thing to do."
Garet glared at Jenna. "Well, do you have something better in mind?"
The biting remarks soon evolved into one of their heated arguments again. While Garet and Jenna yelled at each other, (Kraden was trying to be a peacemaker, worried their sounds would carry outside) Isaac walked up to the statue and raised his arms, his face contorting to the intense expression of someone using psyenergy. After several rings of magic floated from his body, a giant hand formed and pushed the statue to the left, revealing a passageway behind.
The fighting trailed off as they stared at the dark hall that lay in front of Isaac. Grinning, Kraden bustled over and congratulated the boy. "Very good work, Isaac! Now let's go see what's in the rest of this place."
~*~*~
Kraden frantically yelled something at Isaac. Ignoring the panicked pleas, Isaac pushed the statue into place. The sanctum began to rumble. Stones fell and statues crumbled. Uttering an earsplitting shriek, Kraden leapt out of a gargantuan stone's path and yelped, "I told you to stop! You were supposed to debug the trap first! Now our village will be slaughtered in an avalanche again!"
Isaac stood there, horror drawn on his face. Garet grabbed his shirt and dragged him along, yelling, "It doesn't matter who set it off! We all worked on this together, and if we don't get out, we're gonna be crushed!"
All four started bolting for the stairs. Entering the next room, they barely noticed that the Sol sign in the room had changed to Luna, instead rushing headlong for the doorway. Suddenly, a giant stone dropped from the ceiling, casting a dark shadow over Jenna. She stared terrified at the stone, then crumpled, flying, as Garet barreled into her from behind. A sickening crunch was heard, and Isaac stared blankly at the purple-tinted fluid streaming from the cracked skull of the spiky red- haired boy. Soon a pool of red had gathered around Garet. Stones continued rolling into it and soon were coated with the substance, splashing red onto everyone. It was as if they were there to guard the mass of splintered bones, a small grave for the brave soul.
Sharp fingernails dug into Isaac's hand. He turned his head to see Jenna, pulling him along out of the room, even as tears streaked down her face. Kraden was already disappearing down the next passageway.
Another great slab of stone descended from the ceiling, and Isaac slammed Jenna through the room as the stone dropped. Jenna screamed as the stone crashed onto the ground, but there was no sound of snapping bones. Startled, she looked around the room, but there was no blue-eyed blond to be found anywhere in the room, not even under the stone. She prayed quickly for the teen, then bolted out the doorway, droplets of water marking the path she took.
With a horrific boom, Sol Sanctum collapsed unto itself, setting off its final method of trapping the intruders who had dared to steal its treasure within. No one was going to get out alive. Only two had escaped ever, and it wanted it to stay that way.
Unfortunately for the Sanctum, it, like everything else, rarely got what it wanted.
Isaac propelled himself backwards as the stone crashed down. His neck hit a tiny hole in the wall of the room, and as the debris and dust swirled all around, he was sucked into a blue portal, and disappeared.
Emerging from the portal in a bright flash of light, he blinked. A quick sweep around the room told him all he needed to know. These were the four Elemental Stars, the legends that Kraden had raved about forever when they had had lessons. The stars were supposedly guarded inside the Sol Sanctum, and they were the essence of Alchemy.
The legend went that should these Stars be taken out of the world and put into their rightful resting place, the four lighthouses that marked the ends of the world, true Alchemy would be released, and the world would be destroyed by a hailstorm of terrible monsters. No one knew if this was true or not, but if the legend of Sol Sanctum was, this was probably quite true as well. Isaac was slightly hesitant about gathering the four stars, but decided that he owed it to Kraden to get them; besides, he wasn't about to go around and light up the lighthouses.
Isaac hopped from one stone to the next. Finally, with all four stars clutched in his hands, he rushed out of the portal, just in time to be buried under a statue. His left hand, gripping three of the four stars, slowly relaxed, and the shimmering mythril bags rolled out of his hand.
~*~*~
A shadow flitted by. Stooping, he gathered up the bags, then frowned at the boy. There should be another one, the Mars Star... Musing that it was probably lost somewhere else inside the ruins, Saturos retreated, content with just three for now. He would come back another day, when it was safer and there was less debris. A small thought kept on nagging at his mind. He'd seen that boy before somewhere, at some point... Shrugging the thought off, he hurried to the red-eyed blond standing at the top of the hill.
"Did you check to see if he was dead?"
Saturos groaned. He'd completely forgotten about it. "I forgot about it, Menardi. Anyway, he can't be alive, buried under all that rubble. Even if he was, if he stays out there for a day, he'll definitely die. The Mars Star will be ours."
They set out across the hills, waiting for another day.
~*~*~
"Over here! I found another one!"
The motley search crew rushed over to the figure, and set out to excavate the rocks atop of the person. Kay squinted at the blond-haired boy and started.
"That's Isaac!"
One man stopped, mopping the sweat off his brow with a grimy cloth. Sadly he said, "This one's gonna be hard for Dora. She lost her husband three years ago, and now she's lost Isaac too. All her relatives are dead as well."
Another man scowled at the speaker and said, "Don't say that! We don't know if Isaac's dead, if this is indeed Isaac!"
The other man shrugged, putting the cloth back into his pocket. Making no other reply, he started channeling energy to lift a rock. It wasn't likely that Isaac, or whoever this person was, was going to be alive. None of the other people they'd found had been, and it'd been two days since the Sanctum had collapsed. It was surprising that there were even people at the Sanctum, as it was off limits to everyone. Kraden could've answered for that, as he was notorious for sneaking into restricted and usually dangerous areas just to observe what was inside them. No one could've asked for a better Alchemy professor though. It was too bad he was dead now, his body found near the entrance. Kraden's face had borne the eternally thankful expression of someone who had finally gotten freedom. It was rather ironic that he'd gotten killed right at that point.
Suddenly shouts arose from the people in the area. They'd turned the boy over and detected a heartbeat.
"It's Isaac! And he's alive!"
Everyone bolted, carrying the body down the hill, weaving through the ruins. Depositing the boy at the healer's, they went back to the rubble searching with renewed effort, spirits raised dramatically.
~*~*~
"Your son has several broken ribs, and only his left arm was not broken. He is suffering from dehydration and lack of a good supply of oxygen. Despite that, he has no internal bleeding. It's a miracle. He's going to live."
~*~*~
"We mourn the deaths of 19 people. Aaron, Garet, Jenna..."
---
Chapter 4: Interlude: Wings of Fire
Unedited...
The world is not a fair place. It doesn't give second chances, doesn't allow it. And thus, it depends on the people to adapt, to try to make the world as fair as possible. It depends on the people to create morals to live by, to make a second chance. It depends on the person, to get what he wants the most...
~*~*~
Why is it so dark here?
Indeed, his surroundings were a pitch black, so that he couldn't see his hands right in front of him. The only feeling he had was a light breeze blowing against his face. Otherwise there was nothing. Not even the ground he was standing on really seemed there.
Oh right, I'm dead.
But even death should not be like this, a yawning emptiness of boredom. Boredom was even worse than pain, to him. Then again, obviously, he couldn't know what death was like.
Suddenly, a stream of fire arose, enveloping him. He could see! Although there was nothing much to see, the darkness still smothering most of the area. But at least - looking down, he saw that he really wasn't standing on anything - he was floating. He tried taking a step foward. The column of fire moved along with him, but all was the same as before; The darkness had no end.
He yelled. The sound started out loud and clear, but as soon as it hit the darkness it dissipated. Apparently, even having this column of fire was not going to help anything. He started walking.
It was funny how, when in total boredom he could not think of anything except how bored he was, yet when Kraden had been droning on about some subject or another he was always daydreaming. Which reminded him, where was Kraden? That old bastard, running off and leaving them three teenagers to fend for themselves. If he didn't die this time, he'd get caught one day or another taking another risky venture- and it'd serve him right. But he shouldn't fume over Kraden right now, it'd have no use, and besides, he had plenty of time in the future to do it.
A pain suddenly shot up at him through his ankle. Somehow, he'd twisted it when walking... And that twisted ankle was pulled by a vacuum, sucking him under from the hole that surfaced in a sheet of nothing.
He was reminded of the initial pain he'd felt from the stone falling on him, the injuries reappeared on his body, the person, Jenna...
~*~*~
When he came to, he was not in some sort of limbo anymore. Well, perhaps he still was, but it was not limbo in the sense that he imagined, in the sense like the previous... plane, he decided to call it.
There were things now. A wall of granite stretched before him, and a ring of fire surrounded him. His own column of fire had dissipated, though that was but a small matter. But... nothing else.
Yet he couldn't shake off the feeling, that this place was... evil. Haunted, some would say. As if waiting to eat him alive. And then he saw it.
The firelight reflected faintly of the parts of its bones not caked with mud. The figure was disformed - the skull was cracked, and its left arm was twisted impossibly. The leg, as well, was bent inwards. It was walking though, walking towards him.
A low rumbling sound filled the place, as he saw the bones, skeletons, marching along; the moving piles of sludge, rotting feces trudging; a high howl, and then triple-tailed brown wolves leaped towards him, red eyes glowing with delight.
He screamed, and retreated unto himself, curling up into a ball.
He musn't die, he couldn't die, he didn't deserve this...
Yes, he was dead. But a second, a third death were no less horrifying than the first...
The wolf got there first, and leaped. He cringed, and a flash of red covered his eyes.
This... was hell...
~*~*~
The beast rose in front of him. Fangs dripping with saliva, horns protruding out, eyes glowing, black armor shining, even in the darkness.
Instinctively he knew that this was it. This was the monster that controlled everything, from this dark pit to the ghastly hands that stole from the living world. The odor it exuded, the attitude it presented... No one else was ever like this.
Except... it was a bit similar... No. That would never be possible.
*But yes.*
The silence filled the void, and he struggled to remember the name of that... that person...
*He has been forgotten.*
It was just a simple statement, a fact. But to him it was as if something had *died*, right then and there. To be forgotten... Is worse than death...
*She has been forgotten.*
And this was not possible. He could not forget *her*, she was too important. But he had. He thought about her face and found he couldn't recall it. Her personality and found he couldn't remember. Her warmth, he couldn't feel it...
All that was left to him was a name.
Jenna.
*She has been forgotten.*
The sentence was repeated again, as if to throw another heavy blanket over his mind, covering it forever. There was nothing strange about the sentence itself, only the malice that pressed behind it. It couldn't pierce the tiny cocoon that he had created for himself though. He wouldn't forget.
*She has been-
NO!
Fire. Dancing. The blinding rays of light struck him, and the demon silently retreated. He would not forget. He did not know her, did not know her face, did not know her person. But he knew her name, and so he would find her.
Jenna! I'm coming for you!
---
Chapter 5: Ridding the World of Hope
"Oh! A traveling warrior! And I see you're an Adept too! You are just the kind of fighter that I've been looking for! Won't you please take me along with you?"
There was no reply from the golden haired boy standing across from him. The Djinn became more dismayed with each passing second as they faced off. Finally it sighed and shifted behind Isaac.
"Well, it will be ok if I follow you, right?"
A barely perceptable nod of the head.
The duo started walking along the road.
"I am a Venus Djinn. My name is Flint."
No reply.
"Hey, are you deaf or something?"
Isaac just continued walking obstinately on. The Djinn puffed up angrily, and dangled itself in front of Isaac's face. Almost immediately it fell off.
Isaac trodded down the path.
"How can eyes be so empty..." Flint whispered to itself, before recovering its jolly spirit. Shaking its head, it proudly announced, "I'm going to help him, whether he likes it or not!" With that, it bounded after the fading figure of Isaac.
~*~*~
It was the day before that Isaac decided to die. He hadn't really declared it to himself; the feeling just came.
The village had decided to turn him out. He was bad luck, they said. He should've died with the rest of them, they whispered. It's only right for him to go out to recover the stones - after all, he was there. Good riddance that he leave, even better if he died; mutterings could be heard all over the village, silenced only when he came near. When he did come near, a deathly silence descended on the area. It made him want to scream.
Whatever their reasoning, they had pushed him out of the village, equipping him with only a small iron sword. They had disguised it as a procession for a future hero, leaving to reclaim the stones. Only the Healer treated him as such. The villagers had started jeering at him as soon as he'd stepped out of the gates. Dora had treated him as someone who would be dead very shortly. After all, wasn't that what he was? Dead? Or else an outcast, destined to die alone.
Perhaps if they'd bothered to look at him when he was leaving, instead of his back and what he represented, they'd have begun to feel terribly guilty. If they'd seen the flat blue eyes, that were so dark they almost seemed black. If they'd looked at the dejected face instead of the towering shadow. If they'd thought about the smile that hadn't existed for weeks, instead of the burdens that were all placed on his shoulders.
Isaac was already condemned to the role of a hero - untouchable, he carried the world's troubles, sacrificed himself for the sins of others.
An outcast.
~*~*~
Search for the rod.
As fond as I am of Ivan, it was his fault that my rod was stolen... And his strange powers will aid him in search of the rod.
Ivan has strange powers?
Pacing in the village of Vale was the child, Ivan. Small and thin, with wispy blond hair, but wholly unremarkable - except for his eyes. The child had sparkling purple eyes that captivated and unsettled people; it made them feel as if their secrets were being let loose on the world. When angered, the remarkable eyes crackled with lightning. Ivan was angry with himself right now.
How could I be so stupid? Losing Lord Hammet's Rod! He had already gone through the plethora of people in Vale. The possibility that the thieves had gone elsewhere occured to him, but the fear that overlooking someone would cause him to lose the rod forever kept him rooted in the village.
The flapping of a dark blue cloak caught his eye. It belonged to a taller boy with a chicken's nest of blond hair. Someone he hadn't seen before. Ivan strode over to introduce himself.
"Hi, I'm Ivan! I see you're new around here..."
The other boy didn't turn around, didn't even look up, although he did slow down.
Ivan was thoroughly dismayed. Most people, even the really grumpy ones - Those people in the prison were really stingy! - at least looked at him, even if only to fix him with a dark glare.
Ivan ran around to the front - mind-reading didn't quite work on the back of someone's head - and focused his energy, casting Mind Read into the boy's - Oh god, his *eyes* - dark, flat eyes.
Almost immediately he collapsed.