Evan's Escapades

[quote=Kay5101;404678]This is a book I've been working on. It needs a better name and I'd like to get feedback. Thanks!

Author's Note: If you like happy fairytales with evil step mothers, fairy godmothers, or happy endings, this is not the story for you. If you like stories where nobody dies and blood is not spilt, this is not the story for you. Because sadly, not all fairytales come true with one wish. Heros are not born, they are made. And with that note, I will begin the story.


eDiT: i posted chapters 1-40 here. the rest begin on page 44
[B][FONT=Papyrus][COLOR=#6da92d]Prologue[/COLOR][/FONT][/B]

[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]It was a cold, dark night. A figure in a starry hood and robe, with a long staff and brown beard appeared out of the mist. He held a lantern that emanated a faint mana spark. He looked sadly around at all the damage the evil forces had done. The storm school had so many holes it looked like swiss cheese. The fire school had a serious case of frost bite, while the ice school had burned to the ground. The myth school's tree had been knocked over into its school. The life school had been torn off its foundation and was now settled in the branches of the grandfather tree. But worst of all was the death school. Where it had once stood , tall and proud, there was now a gaping hole in the earth. It was not a crater. It was not a valley. It was as if a dragon had taken the earth beneath the school in its arms and carried it off into the outskirts of the spiral. A sad, lonely wizard wandered aimlessly among the ruins, taking it in, seeing if there were any clues as to who had done this and how to destroy them.[/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]" What you seek is not amongst the rubble," a voice from far above whispered, "But within your heart. You knew Malistare would do this after Sylvia died. He was too unstable, Ambrose." the wizard replied, "I know, but I thought there may be a clue to overcoming him, Bartelby." "Ambrose, my dear friend, " the ancient tree said, "it is not you destine to kill him, but another." "Did you have a vision?" Ambrose said in a small voice. "while the schools were torn away, burned, and otherwise destroyed, Malistare stole my eye of the past from me. but, he did not steal my eye of the future from me. and this is what I see.........[/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]These are dark times. But, there is a light in the darkness. This wizard will use this light, and with it, destroy the man who has caused us so much grief and pain."[/SIZE][/FONT]

[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]"But, how will I know?" Ambrose said in a small voice, for he was not headmaster yet. "This boy," Bartelby explained, "will not be like the others. He will struggle more. He sufferings will be greater. He won't make friends as easily. He will live amongst the shadows." Ambrose said, "I see Bartelby. I will be on the lookout for this strange boy. In the meantime, how do we stop this evil?" "Ambrose," the wise tree chuckled, "surely you could gather all the wizards and drive him further out into the spiral until the boy comes?" "I will do as I must, Bartelby." Ambrose declared, and with that rushed off to tell the council of wizards.[/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]When Ambrose told the council of wizards, they immediately sprang into action. Ambrose lead the wizard to watch and wait for Malistare to make his move. When Malistare was seen in Marleybone, all the wizards rushed to defeat him. Just before the final blow was dealt, he vanished into the far reaches of the Spiral, not to be seen again.[/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 1: the Past[/COLOR][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]That is the story I always hear, how some "chosen one" will come save us all from Malistare's horrible plan. Well, hi anyways. My name is Alexander O'Connor. Or, Alexander Deathwhisper, as Merle Ambrose and the rest of the spiral call me. It's my "wizard name". Well, it does represent me as a wizard. I'm a death wizard, and I'm shy and don't make a lot of friends. It's not easy for me. Well, here I am, a wizard. If you go back in time two months, and told me I'd be a wizard, I would have laughed in your face. Weird, how I got here. It was just a normal day back in a town I like to call home.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]BEEP BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP BEEP! ugh. Another Thursday. The worst day of the week. I got up, got dressed, and went downstairs to see what my mom was cooking for breakfast. The second I opened up the door, cinnamon hits my nose. "What's for breakfast?" I ask my mom as I walk downstairs. "Cinnamon rolls." she replies, "And, if you don't hurry up, you're going to miss the bus. Agian." I inhaled two before sprinting out the door to catch the bus to school.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The bus was packed as usual. But packed is not bad. Loud is. I couldn't even hear myself think. There was all this talk of who got what for who for Christmas, and where people were going for the holidays. I went and sat next to my friend Tyler. We've been friends since 3rd grade. He and I have been through it all. "Why do you look so glum?" he asks me when I sit down next to him. "Glum? Where did THAT come from?" I asked. Tyler was very well read and enjoyed using big and unusual words. Translates to: headaches for me. "Glum is when you are sad." Tyler explained, "I thought you knew that." "Yea, well, I'm not a brainiac." I said as we pulled up in front of one of the ugliest buildings in town. They call it "Barker Junior High School".[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I'm in the 8th grade. Next year I get to go to the pretty new school they just built, because the old one burnt down. I get to get away from all these kids, because they have to go to a different high school on the other side of town. When the boundary lines for the schools were made, they weren't drawn out evenly. So, I got to go to a different middle school than every other kid at my elementary school except Tyler and a few other people. That's why we became best friends. Next year I get to see all my old friends and I can't wait. But for now I am stuck with these boring kids. Or as Tyler put it so nicely one day, " Shallow, self absorbed, sorry excuses for humans that call themselves cool and popular even though no one likes them." Well, at least none of the sane people like them. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]As I walked in the doors, the sound hits me like a tsunami. It's ALWAYS loud before homeroom. But today is louder than usual because it's almost the holidays. Tyler and I split up so that it's easier to get to our lockers. There right next to each other, but two people walking down the hallway without getting crushed is impossible right now. So, we go our separate ways. When I get there, I notice that my lock is open. I try not to run over and make a scene as I rummage through to see what's gone. Wallet: check. iPod: check. Homework: check. Textbooks: check. Scroll: check. Notebooks: check. Wait, scroll? What in the world was THAT doing here? I looked a little closer at it. It had a wax seal on it with a spiral and sparks surrounding it. Weird.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Just as I was about to open it, the bell rang. I shoved it back in my locker, got my books, and started to look for Tyler. As I was looking for Tyler, I saw a bird sitting on top of the lockers. The weird thing was, it wasn't affected by the noise. It just sat there. And stared. Straight at me. It was the weirdest bird I had ever seen. It looked like a raven, but had silver, metallic looking wings. And the oddest birthmark of a star on its chest. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"What are you staring at?" a voice from behind startles me. I spun around and came face to face with a tall, blonde-brunette girl, about my age, with clearest blue eyes I've ever seen. "Uh, nothing." I managed to stutter before turning and half running half walking away to find Tyler. I don't know why, but that girl had REALLY freaked me out. I found Tyler at homeroom, talking to Heather Creel, the most popular girl in school, and the only girl Tyler had had his eyes on since 5th grade. She was one of the few people who had gone to our elementary school. I shook my head and took my seat just as the bell rang and Ms. Prim, with the most annoyingly cheery voice ever, began to take roll.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]Classes passed in a blur. One holiday party after another. We would have the parties tomorrow, but the school board decided to make it a teacher learning day, which means we don't have to go to school, only the teachers. I was one of the few people who didn't get sugar high or almost puke. I didn't think about the scroll, the bird, or the girl all day. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When school ended, I went to my locker and got my stuff. I was going to leave the scroll behind, until a faint voice from behind said, "If you don't take the scroll home and open it, you will ALWAYS wonder what it said." By the time I turned around, the voice was gone, but on the floor was a silver-blue feather. I picked up the feather and scroll and shoved it in my bag because one, the voice was right; two, this was starting to creep me out; and three, Tyler was coming down the hall and was going to ask if I didn't hide it. "Wanna walk or take the bus home?" he asked. "I wanna walk, I need the exercise after all those treats." I said. "Ok, well I need to get home fast," Tyler explained, "So I'll see you this weekend, ok?" "Ok. See yah later." I said. I would take the bus home with him normally, but I needed to think. Think about the girl, the voice, the bird, and the scroll.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The walk home was pretty long. Plenty of time to think. I turned on my iPod so no one would try to talk to me. I had walked two blocks before looking up to see who was walking ahead of me. It was a girl, my age, with long blondish-brown hair, a beat up leather messenger bag, jeans, and a green plaid jacket that looked worn. I'd never seen her before, and that was weird because I knew everyone in my grade. It started me thinking of the girl in the hall. Maybe it was her. Then I started looking around, to see if anyone else was nearby. Nope. No one else. Things were getting weirder and weirder. Suddenly I hear a sharp cry from above. I look up to see a silver, raven-like bird. Then, the girl lifted up her arm, and with that. the bird landed on her wrist. She turned around, waved and disappeared into thin air. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]By now I had stopped walking. I was staring, open-mouth, at where the girl had been. The bird was hers. That made sense. But waving at me? Why me? This had to do with the scroll. I raced home to open the scroll, and see what this mystery was about, once and for all.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When I got home my mother and father were still at work and my brothers wouldn't get out of school for two hours. Good. I had the place to myself. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I ran up to my room, flung my bag by the door, and sat down on my bed with the scroll. I carefully peeled off the wax seal, not wanting to destroy it. I unrolled it, and began to read. This is what it said:[/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 2: the Scroll[/COLOR][/FONT][/B]

[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]Alexander Deathwhisper, you are cordially invited to join the ranks of heroes and become a wizard. If you choose to accept your fate, please sign your first and last name on the bottom of this scroll.[/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]The Ravenwood schools provide a marvelous opportunity to learn magic. There is Fire, Ice, Storm, Myth, Balance, Death, and Life. The Professors are ready to help and guide you through an amazing adventure.[/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]This offer is for one [1] semester of school, from January to June. You will board here or at your Earthly home. If you pass your tests and show promise, you will be eligible to apply for year round education.[/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]Good luck to you in your adventures, and may I see you soon,[/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]Merle Ambrose[/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]Headmaster, Ravenwood School of Wizardry[/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]So that's what this was all about. The girl was a WIZARD, that's why she disappeared. Must be Balance. And the raven must be an enchanted pet. Well, this wouldn't be too bad. I could skip the rest of the year at Barker Junior, and make it back just in time for high school. I would have to tell my parents though. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Hey mom." I said when my mom walked in the door, "How was work?" "Good Alex. Did you finish your homework yet?" she said. "I don't have any homework. But I did get this weird scroll in my locker today." I said, and handed my mom the scroll. She read it with a calm expression on her face. I was not expecting that. "So, they want you to be a wizard too?" she asked. "To? TO? Who else is a wizard? WHO?" I said, dying to know who else in the family was a wizard. "Your grandfather on my side." she said, " He was a Balance and Ice wizard. He left when he was 21." "Well, can I be a wizard then?" I asked. At this point I was sure I could. "Well, we're going to have to fill out LOTS of paperwork, but if you really want to....." "THANK YOU" I shouted, and hugged her. I couldn't believe it, I was finally getting out of middle school.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]It turned out that my brothers went to their friend Jimmy's house for dinner, so I was an only child that night. Apparently, my father knew my mother's father was a wizard, and was ok with me going, provided I was going to come home every night to have dinner. All that was left to do was sign the paper. After dinner, my parents and I sat down to sign the paper. First my dad, with his big, sharp signature. Then my mom, with a smaller, loopy signature. Then me, with a tiny, square signature. After I had put the pen down, there was a knock at the door. My mom answered it, and there stood the girl. With long, blonde-brown hair, and clear blue eyes. She was in a amazing dress instead of jeans and a plaid jacket. But there was no bird this time. No, there was a dragon curled up on her shoulder. I did the only thing I could do. I fainted.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When I came to, I was in bed. My mother told me they worked out all the details with the wizard representative. On January 5th I was to report to headmaster's house. I would be given details then. My mom gave me a wizard outfit to wear. It itched like crazy. Oh well, just going to have to deal with it[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Tyler and I spent the rest of the break together. When I told him I was going to go to a private school, he was sad, but understood. He was very happy when I told him it was not a boarding school. We went to the movies to see Mummy Attack 4 and Space Quest. We played video games until 3 in the morning. We tried to be normal, or at least I did. I didn't know what being a wizard was going to do to me, and if I'm going to change, I want to be normal first. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Then January 5th came. At six o'clock my mom woke me up and told me to get dressed. I got in the uncomfortable black robe and got in the car with my mom. I then realized I had no clue how I was getting there. "Um, mom, how in the world am I getting there?" I asked."Why, the airport, how else?" she replied, as if it was nothing. "No mom, seriously." I said. "Truly," she tried to explained, "the airport."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]When we got to the airport I put on a jacket over the robe so that I didn't look too weird. When we walked in, my mom lead me towards a hallway. I was waiting for someone to stop us until I realized no one would. I sat in a chair in the hallway for forever while my mom filled out forms. Pretty soon another boy was sitting beside me while his mom filled out paperwork. "What's your name?" he asked in a nice voice. "Alex." I replied. "No, your wizard name." he asked. "Um, Alexander Deathwhisper." I said. "Oh, are you going to be a death student?" he asked. "Probably" was the only thing I could say before my mom and a guy I hadn't met yet had come through the door to get me. "Now, you be good and don't get into trouble. And be on time for dinner!" my mom said before I vanished to the other side of the door.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]"Alexander Deathwhisper," the boy said, "Once you pass through that door, you will enter the world known as the Spiral. In that world, the rules are different. The stakes are higher. This is not some video game where you can be killed there and still come home. No, you have to know your limits, and make friends and help each other out. The first world you will encounter is sort of a trial world, where the weak and fragile are weeded out. Then Krokotopia, more realistic, but still a trial world, where we can control some things. As you get farther into the outer reaches of the Spiral, we have less of a grip on you. Marleybone comes next, where you will first encounter big bosses, and need friends to help. Mooshu is a little harder than that, but not much. Then, if and only if you are strong, brave, loyal, and heroic, you will move on to study at Dragonspyre. This is where the best go to receive training. If you stick with it, I'm sure you'll make it." "I understand." I said, and with that, he opened the door, and I stepped through.[/FONT][/SIZE]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 3: the Trial[/COLOR][/FONT][/B]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]I found myself standing in a big room, with a desk and books flying everywhere. "Now, who is this?" a voice from behind the desk said. "Oh, Alexander Deathwhisper. You've decided to join us." Then, a man in a long, starry robe with a starry hat, and a long staff appeared from behind the desk. "Why, that robe does not fit you at all. For Bartelby's sake, that's a balance robe, not death! Well, you'll have to earn some money and get yourself a death robe as soon as possible. Otherwise we just might have to make you balance!" Ambrose exclaimed. "Death? I'm death?" I asked. "Well, you are Deathwhisper, aren't you?" he asked. "Well, yes. That does make sense." I said. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Good." he said, and handed me a rod of cold metal that stayed cod no matter what I did. It wasn't ice cold though. It was more like nightmare had decide to crawl out from whatever corner it had been hiding in and bottle itself up in this wand. He also gave me a thick book that could vanish in one word. "Now, this is your wand. It can help you cast spells and had a spell of its own. And this book is your handbook, I guess you could say. It show you your stats, maps, quests, spells, inventory, and friends list. Your bank is in your dorm room, which is located to your right when you go through the tunnel to Ravenwood. Your first quest is to go to Unicorn Way and help the guard, because there have been reports of undead, and they are not equipped to handle that. Go right away, and when you are done, hurry back." "Ok." I said, and ran out the door and down the street to Unicorn way. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]That room, it turned out to be, was the headmaster's office, where I could always find him. He ran the whole Spiral from there. Or, at least, what they could control. As I ran out into the Commons, I got to see what this place was really like. There were people, rather kids my age and older, all over. It was like a little park. And no matter what language they spoke where they came from, we could all understand one another. It was amazing. I walked over to the tunnel with the plaque that read "Unicorn Way" and asked the guard to go through.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]"Non shall pass without permission from the Headmaster." he stated in a gruff voice. I showed him my certification and he opened the gate for me. When I went through the gates I saw the street for the first time. It was not like the streets on Earth. It was cobblestone, and instead of cars there was hundreds of ghosts, evil fairies, and skeleton pirates circling it. None of them went on the sidewalks, so it was safe there. I went up to the guard, and he said to clear some undead out so that his men would have a chance coming home. I watched as others tried and tried again to kill them. A few succeeded. Most didn't. I then realized this was the first stage of separation. The weak ones could not hold and sustain the magic necessary to cast simple spells. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When I decided to go ahead and try, I didn't know if I would be one of the ones who would fail or kill the undead. First turn I casted a death shield, because I didn't have much health. The ghost hit me with a minor life spell, just taking a little bit of my health. Second turn I hit the ghost with a ghoul spell. It wasn't easy calling all that magic and focusing it on what I wanted it to do. But I did it. That was the only important part.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Soon I had finished that quest. I reported back to the guard, and he gave me the rest of the quests for that street. When I finished the street, the guard was impressed. "I've never seen a kid finish Unicorn Way as fast as you have." he said. "Thanks" was the only thing I could say in reply. I ran to tell Ambrose I had finished. When I told him, he was impressed. I worked all day, finishing Unicorn Way and Cyclopes Lane. Then I had to go home for dinner. My mom was happy I was at the head of my class. My dad was surprised. He didn't expect me to do this well on my first day.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The rest of Wizard City sped by in a blur. It was one battle after another. On the street I fought by myself, because then I only had to kill one monster at a time. When it came to dungeons, there was normally someone else going in, so we'd work together. When I got to Colossus Boulevard, I started to be challenged. I had to change my fighting style because I had to fight two at a time. Sometimes people would help and sometimes they wouldn't. By the time I was halfway through the first quest there I realized I was getting a bit of a reputation. People started murmuring, "The Chosen One." when they thought I couldn't here, or, "He's the one that will kill Malistare." or, "Watch out for that guy, he's powerful." If I had felt alone before, this just made it worse.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]This continued all through that street. When I was done, I went to Ambrose and he gave me the Spiral Key so that I could go to Krokotopia. There the rumors just got worse. It seemed as though everywhere I went, the worse it got. I started getting mad, and losing control of my magic. One day, when I was fighting a powerful boss, and I had just a death blow to go, a boy who had been watching me whispered to his friend, "See, he's the one from the prophecy. He's a loner and lives in the shadows. I feel sorry for Ambrose. If he doesn't control him soon, he's going to have another Malistare on his hands."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]That did it. It was the last straw. I was sick and tired of people talking about me. And not only was he talking about me, but he was saying I was going to become mad with power. I decided, that in that moment, that day, I would start a silent war. Despite all the people who were betting on my failure, I was going to prove them wrong. I was going to make no friends, I didn't need them. I was going to become powerful, and fulfill this insane prophecy. I didn't care anymore that I had no friends, because that is what made me who I am. And I was going to make sure EVERYONE knew that.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I went to speak with Ambrose the next morning. When I got there , there were two cups of tea waiting on the table. "I was expecting you, Alexander." Ambrose said, "It is about the whispers, isn't it?" "Yes, it is." I replied, not knowing what else to say, "I am getting sick and tired of people saying I'm going to spiral out of control." "Are you?" Ambrose asked. "No." I said. Ambrose looked at me strangely. When I look back on that moment I see why. I said that one syllable with so much conviction, that even the most doubtful person had to believe me. "I see." he said, "And I believe you. Even if I'm one of the few people in this world who do, I believe in you." "Few? You're the only one, Ambrose." I said. "Oh, I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't one or two more people who believed." he said with a twinkle in his eye, and a slight smile, "Your dismissed, Alex. You have a lot of training to do."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]I trained and trained and trained. I built up my spell deck with the most powerful spells I could. I got a lot of blades and feints so I could make my attacks more damaging and I got healing spells from life school so I didn't have to worry as much about dying. The only thing that would help more was a friend, but that was out of the question. I would never make a friend here. Sure, people came and stared at me during battles, but as soon as I look at someone, they pretend to be busy, or not paying attention. It bugged me, but I dealt with it. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]It was end of April when I spoke with Ambrose. Soon I realized June was approaching, and I was either going to have to apply or go back to Earth. I then realized I was trapped. I was never going back to being a normal, average teenager. I was going to apply, and continue here.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]By the time June rolled around I was finishing Krokotopia. When I came back in the fall, I would be in the real wizard world. The stakes higher, the bosses bigger, the cards even more harmful. It was going to be fun I thought as I stretched my sore muscles.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 4: Summer[/COLOR][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When summer came, Tyler and I had to make up for lost time. We went to the movies to see the movie everyone was talking about. We played video games and explored the forest with Tyler's new dog, Oscar. We think he was a lion or a tiger or a dragon in his past life, because he was not scared when he came face to face with any of the animals. Not even a rattlesnake. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]One day the new high school had an open gym day, so kids could come try it out. Tyler and I thought it would be a good idea, because I wasn't going there next year. When we got there the place was packed. There was a game of basketball and two games of knockout going, one for beginners and the other advance. Tyler joined the advance game while I watched. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I saw some of my friends from elementary school that I hadn't seen in years. "Hey Alex." They'd say as they passed. A few stayed to talk, and they were sad when I told them I wasn't going to high school with them. All of them asked how my new school was. It was hard, trying not to give away too many secrets to where I was. I just said it was an international school for very talented kids. It was true, but not completely.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Tyler came over after he had finished the game of knockout. He is an amazing basketball player, and was going to try out for the basketball team. He had been practicing forever. "I won." he said. "Nice." I said, "You know we should come practice in here sometime when it isn't so crowded." "Well, I can talk to Coach Davis, but no promises." he said, and went off to find the coach. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When Tyler got back, he told me that Coach Davis would let us practice in the gym tonight if we help out with clean up in the food room after the open gym was over. We agreed that we might as well, and went over to the food room to enjoy the food.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]By the time everyone left and the food room was clean, it was dark out. My mom had said I could stay out until eight, which was in two hours. "You guys make sure to lock up behind you." Coach said. "Ok." We replied, and practiced our free throws. Soon, we were into a full on scrimmage. Of course Tyler ended up winning. I'm not that good at basketball. "I have to go get a drink of water." he said, and went off. I sat there, in the middle of the gym for a while. Suddenly, I started to feel really strange. I looked up from where I sat. It was dark, and I couldn't see that well. "Tyler, is that you?" I asked the empty air. "UH.................Ooo................................Ahhhhh...................Oh......................................" was the only reply I heard. "Uh, h-hello?" I said, my voice becoming shaky. This could be Tyler playing a joke on me. But this had that sinister feeling, like the first time I picked up my wand, or when a death spell was cast upon me. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]All of a sudden, ghosts appeared out of the darkness. Following them came firecats, ghouls, fire elf's, vampires, helephants, and wraiths. "O dear. This cannot be good." I whispered, and prepared the first of many spells.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I dueled for what seemed forever. Helephants and wraiths just kept coming. After some time I was ready to give up. Then I remembered why I was becoming a wizard. It gave me new strength. I fought like there was no tomorrow. But still, I became weary fast. Soon, I collapsed. Lying there, not yet unconscious, I realized I was going to die, unless someone from the wizard world came to help me. This must have happened to another person, last time the gym burned down. Oh well, at least now Ambrose will be one step closer to seeing who is connected with Malistare.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 5: The Twins[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Oh no! We're too late to save him Kiley!" Jasmine screamed, and charged into the mass of monsters. "Oh brother. Rather sister. You know Jams, you really need to control yourself. One of these time you may die, and none of the powers in the spiral will be able to save you." Kiley said. "Oh, don't worry!" She yelled, while fighting helephants. "You'll save me. You have to! We're twins!" Ugh. Kiley thought to herself. She is always WAY to reckless. Isn't the older one suppose to look out for the younger one, not the other way around? Kiley ran into battle beside her sister. Soon they had cleared a path to the fallen boy. "Well, this doesn't look TOO serious." Kiley told her sister, "Only a boy that was overwhelmed. I'll have him better in no time at all." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Soon, Alex was surrounded by a bubble of protection. Kiley was working furiously with what dryads and satyrs she had to get him conscious. Jasmine, or as her sister called her, Jams, defended the two with ice spell after ice spell. As soon as the undead realized that it was hopeless, they began to crawl back through the portal they had come from. Jams went over to look at it. Just before it disappeared, she noticed a small, enchanted stone lying below it, with distinct fire and death markings. "Weird." she though, and went to see how her sister was doing.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Well, you may ask why these girls were here. Or why they were saving Alex. Or how they'd known what was happening. The truth is, this is a VERY special pair of sisters. They were abandoned at a Earthly orphanage, no mother or father. They grew up into very different people. Jams was loud, impulsive, strong, honest, and very impatient. She was the older one even though she didn't act like it. She had brown-green eyes and straight brown hair, with a silver streak that she got after the fire. Kiley was very shy. She was never as outgoing as Jams. Once you got to know her, she was very friendly and charming. Sometime she acted young, but that's because they never really got a chance to have a childhood. But, that is another story. She had long, curly blonde-brown hair and clear ice blue eyes. Kiley was a theurgist, and always tried to help people. She always wore the same light green dress with emerald green coat that they had been given as a birthday present from Ambrose. It was beautiful, and the coat was covered in a purple vine pattern. It was said to be from the lost realm of Celestia. Jams was a thaumaturge and wore a dress, also from Ambrose and rumored to be from Celestia. It was light blue, down past her knees, with gold and silver decoration that resembled ice shards. She had a necklace that was a blue-silver star. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]These girls were the ones designated by Ambrose to guard Alex, for after the last boy who may had fulfilled this prophecy died in this very gym, the chosen ones needed protectors. And who better than the ones who almost saved the chosen one last time. Jams and Kiley had been visiting a powerful sorcerer who now lived on Earth. They were taking a walk by the school, when suddenly it began to emanate magic fire. Both girls ran into the building to save whoever was in there. It was said Jams died in the fire. But in fact, it gave her the power to transform into any animal she chose. She now traveled with Kiley, and appeared as a pet raven, snake, or dragon when Kiley was in public. Even Ambrose didn't know. These two, because of their prior experience with the dark magic, were assigned to look out for Alex, and protect him.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]This brings us back to present day. Jams was walking over to her sister. "Uh, Kiley, I have bad news and more bad news." She stated, "Which do you want first?" "Well, everything seems to be bad news these days." Kiley said, "Well, go on. Tell me the news." "Well," Jams began, "It appears that we are dealing with a very powerful pyromancer and nemocratser. And, it's the same person as last time. I found another teleported stone with the same signature." "Oh my." Kiley said, "This is getting worse and worse. Well, everything except our patient. He is recovering quickly, and should be fine in a minute or two. We should go before the other boy gets back." "Fine, let's go." said Jams and they turned around.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]What is going on here? Tyler asked himself as he walked back onto the basketball court. Two girls were standing over Alex talking. Not only was the fact that they were here weird, but that they were dressed very strangely. Then he realized Alex had to be unconscious. Just then, both the girls turned in his direction. Oh no, he thought, now they're going to hurt me to! "What do you want?"he yelled at the girls. "Nothing." a quiet voice came back. "Why have you hurt my friend?" he asked. "It was not our fault. We were trying to help." the same quiet voice came back. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Now Tyler was just getting mad. His friend was unconscious, and these two were helping? He saw no first aid kit, no water, no cell phone to call 9-1-1. How in the world were these girls helping? "You better leave my friend alone." he shouted. The same, quiet voice replied, "Don't tell us what to do. You are no match for us mere mortal. Just let us do our job." Tyler snarled, "What job?" and ran at them. In one swift motion, the girls joined hands and disappeared. Then, there was a tap on his back. He turned around and saw the blonde girl. "When your friend wakes up," she said, "Tell him to get plenty of rest tonight, and to see headmaster tomorrow morning." Then, she vanished.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 6: The Meeting[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When Alex woke up [ a few minutes after Kiley and Jams left ,] he couldn't believe he was alive. Tyler was sitting there, head in his hands, trying to make sense of all this. He looked up when I began to stir. "Some girls came by. They scared me to death." he said. "What did they look like?" I asked. "Um, one was brown hair with brown eyes and a blue dress and a blue-silver star necklace. Oh, and she had a silver streak in her hair. The other one was blonde with amazing blue eyes, and a pretty green dress with purple design. They said to tell you to get plenty of rest and see headmaster tomorrow morning. Do you know what that means?" "Yes I do." I said. Have I mentioned those girls give me the creeps? Well, there was no choice now. Apparently those girls saved me, and I was going back to school tomorrow. "I'm sorry Tyler, but it looks like I'm going back to school tomorrow." "Oh, so headmaster is like a principal?" Tyler asked. "Yeah, that's exactly it!" I said, "But for now, I have to get home." "Ok, see yah around." Tyler said, and I walked out of the gym. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When I got home, I told my parents I had to return to school the following morning. They were disappointed, but understood. My mom made a big pot of pasta and we had garlic bread and meat balls to go with it. After dinner I watched a little TV, then went up to bed.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]In the morning, I got dressed in my new Marleybone robe, shoes, and hat. When I went down for breakfast, my mom looked at me, and said, "You finally look like a wizard." I ate the eggs and toast, and my mom and I got in the car, and went to the airport.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When I got to Wizard City, I went straight to Ambrose. When I got in the office, he had two cups of tea waiting. "Good morning, Ambrose." I said, "How was your summer?" "Fine." he replied, "But, I got some unsettling news this morning. It seems as though you were attacked last night. But, I had a wizard in the area, so everything was alright. What exactly happened?" "Well, I was attacked." I started, "By helephants, wraiths, fire cats, ghosts, ghouls, and all sorts of other fire and death creatures. I fought long and hard, but got weary and collapsed. When I came to, my friend told me he saw two girls, my age, one with brown hair and brown eyes, and the other blonde with blue eyes, standing over me. They must have been the ones that saved me. But they did scare my friend pretty badly." "Well, he will just have to be told that wizards exist." Ambrose said. "Wait, I can tell him wizards exist! That would have been much simpler than lying to him. " I exclaimed. "We didn't want him to find out unless it was absolutely necessary." Ambrose said, " But now, you must go tell your friend what has happened, and come back at once.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I rushed out the door, down the tunnel to Ravenwood, into the tree we call Bartelby, through the world gate, and into Tyler's backyard. Tyler was there playing with is puppy. "What just happened?" he said, staring at me. "Tyler, I wish I could have told you this before, but the reason I go to a private school is because I'm a wizard. And those girls were wizards too. They saved me when some magical beings came and attacked me. I'm really sorry, but that's the truth." I said. Tyler just stared at me like I was insane. "Want me to prove it?" I said. I took his silence as yes. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]First, I did a simple teleport spell. That convinced him I was a wizard. I did several more spells just for fun. A thunder snake, a fire cat, a snow serpent, a troll, a ghoul, and a imp. Then, I told him I was powerful, and he wanted me to prove it. So, I decided to summon a wraith. After that, Tyler didn't question my magical abilities. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We sat and talked. About my magic, what the Spiral looked like, it's history. It was a lot of material to cover, and Tyler took it all in like a history lesson at our school. But, while this was going on where I was, Ambrose was having a very different conversation.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"How could you be seen by his friend! I told you to keep it secret so Alex felt like he could look after himself! Now I had to tell him it was a coincidence. But, if more coincidences start to happen, he's going to figure it out. Be careful." Ambrose said. That was one of the few times Ambrose had lost his temper with Kiley. "I will be careful, Ambrose." she replied softly. She didn't like being yelled at, especially not from the headmaster. "But, what most disturbs me," Ambrose began, "Is that Jams was sighted at the scene of the attack. Her body was buried with proper burial rights for a hero, so her spirit should not be up and about. Is there something you're not telling me, Kiley?" "Well," Kiley began, "Oh, I can do this alone." she said, and awoke the dragon sleeping on her shoulder, and whispered something in its ear. Now you see, Ambrose was very intrigued by this, because he didn't know the dragon was Jams. What made his curiosity grow was when the dragon jumped off her shoulder, and started flying in lazy circles around their heads. As the circles became tighter and tighter, they became faster and faster. Soon, the dragon was not there. It was just a blur. Then, the blur began to glow with magic. All of a sudden, the light became a column. This, however, only lasted for a second. When the light faded, there stood Jams, in her Celestia dress, with her star necklace, and long brown hair. You could hear a pin drop in that room, at that moment. "Oh my." Ambrose whispered., "I should have seen this coming. I was always curious as to where your pet got the ability to morph from animal to animal. But now, I have my answer. So, this fire gave you the magical ability to shape shift?" "Yes, it did." Jams said, "But not only that. It also gave me the ability to communicate with animals. And, it gave Kiley the ability to become invisible, move objects with her mind, and fly." "Why, those are a fine set of powers to add to your spell deck." Ambrose said, "Now, when Alex gets back, you must return to your duties. He is now in Marleybone, and more danger than ever before. Now, you girls deserve the time off for now. Off you go. Enjoy yourselves." And with that, the girls departed to rest, that is, until Alex got back. And when he got back, he was even more of a handful than before.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 7: Marleybone[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Finally, Alex thought, I've made it to Marleybone. I wonder what it's like? These were the thoughts racing through his mind as he made his way to Bartelby, and the world gate, with the key to Marleybone in his hand. When he reached Bartelby, he looked up at the wise old tree. "Hello Bartelby," he said, "How are you doing?" "Well young wizard , I am fine." the ancient tree replied, "You are the one they speak of, the one who will fulfill my prophecy?" "Yes," I said, "I believe so." "And that is an important thing, to believe," Bartelby explained, "For if you wizards didn't believe that there was magic, there wouldn't be. If you didn't believe that the spiral door could teleport you, it couldn't. And, if you don't believe, if you ever doubt yourself, even just for a second, that you can't make friends and fulfill the prophecy at the same time, then you will never have friends. Now go, young wizard, and fulfill the destiny that was yours from the beginning. Go now, and save the spiral." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]After talking with Bartelby, I raced into the tree, unlocked the door, and stepped into Marleybone. The first thing I saw was a magnificent church. It turned out that the world gate was in the center of the church. I walked down the great isle, and out the door. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Marleybone looked like a older version of London. It was dark there, always night. The people were dogs, that walked on two legs and spoke English, with a British accent. There were several alleyways weaving around a central square. In the square was a fountain that looked like the fountain in Place de la Concorde. Place de la Concorde is located in Paris, and is surrounded by all of the French government buildings. All of the shops were located around this square. If you made your way through the maze of alleys, you could find Barkingham Palace, where the queen lives, the Scotland Yard, or police, Digmoore Station,221 Barker Street, and Big Ben. I was instructed to take a balloon car to Hyde Park and get a quest there. Once I was in the station, I went over to Tracy Castleton to get my ticket. She gave me my ticket and pointed out the car for me. It was like a hot air balloon on top, but a boat on the bottom. It was so weird. Once I got to Hyde Park, I realized I would be fighting on rooftops. I saw Lady Desane, and went over to receive my quest.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Fighting on the roof was a lot different that fighting on streets. But, since the bad guys didn't come to us, we went to them. So, I had to fight Hooligans and O'Leary Burglars up on the roof. After a while I got the hang of it. I kept going, through Hyde Park to Chelsea Court. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Once I got to Chelsea Court, I had to start facing tough bosses. I was going up to where Shakes O'Leary normally hung out, and just before I went in, a boy nearby said, "Would you like help with that?" I turned around and came face to face with a wizard I hadn't seen before. "Sure," I said, thinking about what Bartelby had said about making friends, "you can come if you want. So, what's your name?" "I'm Noah Owlcatcher. I'm Ice and Myth. And you are?" the boy said. "I'm Alexander Deathwhisper. I'm Death." I said, just as we disappeared into the bosses lair.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We killed O'Leary with ease. After that, Noah and I started helping each other. He got use to the fact that people would avoid him when he was with me, and was really nice to me. Then again, he was nice to everybody. One day, he told me he wouldn't be coming to school for a few weeks. "I'm going to visit my relatives in Pittsburg. My mom is making me take a few weeks of school off. I hope your ok without me." "Oh, I'll be fine. I can cope on my own." I said. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]It turned out he would be gone for two weeks. I would go easy, not too fast. I did a few quests, but then ran into another boss I was suppose to kill. I waited, doing side quests, but soon I ran out. I decided to go ahead and try it. "What's the harm it could do?" I told myself, and took the teleporter stone over to the dungeon. I jumped on the launch pad, and in 10 seconds, I was in. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 8: The Mistake[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Once I got into the bosses lair, I jumped into battle. I began to set up my traps and blades for skeleton pirate. The boss just kept passing. After three turns, I attacked. I got 1,234 hit point, which wasn't bad. Now the boss was mad, and came back with a kraken. I was pretty low on health, and saving my pips for the next attack. Next round we both passed. Then, the boss did lighting bat. Now I only had 509 health left. Great, I thought, just what I need. Next turn, I killed it with a banshee. Finally, it was over. I collapsed on the floor, and passed out. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When I came to, I had regained some health, but if I was pulled into battle on the way to the commons, I would die. I started to get up, then realized there was a shadowy figure standing by the window. "Um, h-hello? C-can I h-help you?" I said, scared out of my mind. "Well, actually, you can," the shadowy figure said, "You can die, NOW!" The figure raised his staff, and brought it down with such force, I was knocked onto the floor. Then, he took off his hood, and my worst fears were confirmed. I had made a VERY bad mistake not getting out of here right away. A mistake that may cost me my life. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]For there, in front of me, stood the one man I had to destroy. A man we refer to , as MALISTARE![/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]He hit me with the most powerful death spells I had ever seen. I was expecting to see a wraith, or a scarecrow. But no. He casted a weird, fog-like mist, that started at his feet. It raced across the room, to where I had managed to stand up. It came like a blanket across the floor. When it reached me, it formed into long tentacles and began to swirl around me like a cocoon. It incased my legs, binding my hands behind my back. I was helpless. He stood in the mist, staring at me. Soon, he let out an evil chuckle. "You were NEVER a match for me, Alexander. You would have DIED just like all the others. Seriously, did you ever think you could actually BEAT me? I didn't think so." he said, as I looked at the ground, trying to see if I had actually believed I could kill someone this powerful. "Alexander." he said, "The name fits you. Too bad you will die tonight, just as all the others fell to my power. No one will EVER BE as powerful as me, Alexander, NO ONE!" He said this in rage, and then began to attack. He released the fog, and hit me with wraiths, scarecrows, and skeleton pirates. I tried to fight at first, but realized it was useless. I was going to die. I curled up on the floor, hoping that death would come fast and painless, and that no one would miss me too much.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I remained conscious for a long time. It turned out he was trying to kill me slowly, make it painful. I just laid there, hoping the end would come soon.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]It had been an hour of torture. I was still there, on the floor, waiting for death to take me. It couldn't be long now, I thought, as I slipped into dreamland. I was unconscious. Malistare had won. Whoever had been protecting me had failed. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The last thought I had before sinking into a never ending sleep, was what those girls, destine to protect me, were like. Guess I'd never get to find out. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 9: Saving Grace[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I will now tell the story from Kiley's perspective, since Alex is dead.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Great I thought to myself. He's going to try and do it by himself. Alex had just jumped on the launch pad and disappeared into the bosses lair. "Don't worry," Jams the Dragon whispered in my ear, "He use to fight all alone in Krokotopia. He'll be fine." "No," I said, "There's a really good chance he WON'T be fine. The bosses here are harder Jams. You know that." "Well, we'll just have to watch, wait, and see what happens next." Jams said, and curled up on my shoulder to take a nap. "Ok fine, I'LL watch while YOU sleep." I said to the sound of a dragon snoring.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I watched through my mind's eye as the battle took place. He was doing really well. He hit the boss with a skeleton pirate, which did pretty good damage. But it didn't kill the boss, and now the boss was angry. It hit him with a kraken, which did a lot of damage. He passed. Then the boss hit him with a lightning bat, and he had really low health. I was just about to run in when he casted a banshee and it was all over. I sighed with relief. He survived. That meant he was strong. My worries over, I woke Jams, and waited for him to come out. He never did.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When I looked back into the building, I realized he was passed out. I shook my head, and was about to go in and heal him, until Jams whacked me in the head with her tail. "Don't move." she said, "I sense and evil presence lurking. Not Marleybone. Oh no, this is much more powerful." We waited for three minutes. Then we saw a dark figure in a hooded cloak race into the building. I looked into my mind's eye and saw Alex stir. Then he realized there was someone there. Then the figure took off his hood. And my worst nightmare came true.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Jams and I raced to the door. We tried to get in through the door, but it was locked with dark magic. "Ugh, why does Malistare always lock the door!" Kiley said to Jams. They knew if they didn't get in there fast, Alex would be dead. That couldn't happen again. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Finally, after multiple centaurs, seraphs, and wraiths, they managed to open the door. They went quietly up the steps to where Malistare was slowly draining Alex's health.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]What I saw made my blood curl. in the middle of the room was Alex's lifeless body, and above him stood a wraith, slowly draining his power and giving it to Malistare. "You try to save him, I'll get Malistare." Jams whispered into my ear. I looked at the dragon and saw the terror in her eyes that must mirror my own. I nodded, and with that, ran in with Jams to save our only hope. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Kiley ran towards Alex. The wraith had disappeared, and Malistare was readying another attack. She put a quick absorb on him, just before a skeleton pirate hit him. "What are YOU doing here?" Malistare said. "I'm saving him." Kiley replied. "Why you little-" Malistare began, but before he could finish, Kiley flicked her wrist, where Jams had been concealed as a bracelet. With that flick of the wrist, Jams uncurled herself and flew at Malistare, jaws open, growing five times in size in that short flight from Kiley's wrist to Malistare's face. His face was permanently disfigured.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Malistare was no match for the dragon. And Jams was too close to use magic. So, Malistare wrestled her. They rolled on the floor for forever. Finally Jams paused, and in that moment Malistare shoved Jams away. He then stunned her, so she wouldn't interfere. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]While all this was happening, Kiley was healing Alex. She made a thick layer of absorbs around him, so it would take Malistare forever to kill him. She then used lots of dryads and regenerates to heal him. He was still unconscious when Malistare came over. He smacked her on the side of the head, and she went flying into the wall.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]"You do NOT interfere with my plans. Now release the bubble, and let me kill the boy." Malistare said. Kiley remained silent. "You release the magic, NOW!" Malistare screamed while picking her up by her collar, "Why do you not respond! Answer me NOW!" Kiley replied, in a soft, quiet voice, "Not on my life." Then, Malistare completely lost his temper. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]He threw her with tremendous force into the other wall. She crumpled on the floor, stood up, and with the last ounce of her strength, casted all the life left in her to Alex. Then, she fell on the floor, unconscious. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I woke up with a start. I was alive. What had happened. I didn't move, because I could tell Malistare was still there. I wanted to see if he'd leave. Then I realized how many absorbs were around me. There was so much protection he probably wouldn't be able to kill me. I lifted my head carefully. I saw a dragon as large as a mastiff lying on the ground, obviously stunned. I looked to my left and saw the wall. There was a small blood streak going down. Now I was worried. I turned my head the other way and saw an identical streak on that wall, and below the streak, a limp, lifeless body of a girl who had saved me countless times. A trickle of blood ran from her mouth, and skinned areas on her head which indicated she had been thrown against the wall at least twice. Malistare stood over her, laughing. "Why, she actually thought she could save him! And giving him all her life! Like THAT would have helped. She'll die soon anyway. Goodbye Kiley Lifehunter!" he said in a very sarcastic voice, and kicked her in the chest. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I was shocked. I was angry. I was horrified. I wasn't going to let my friend be treated like garbage. No. I would stand up for her, and help her. Because THAT is what friends do.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Bartleby was right. I could make friends if I tried. So I was going to make her my friend. I was going to help her. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 10: Only Time will Tell[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Malistare turned around with a smile on his face. It faded the second he saw me, standing there, ready to battle. "Great." he said, "Why won't you just die like all the others!" "Because I'm NOT the others. And they were not me." I said, "Which is why I WILL kill you, and I WILL save the Spiral. Because it's my destiny. And you can't mess with destiny." "Oh, how heroic you sound." Malistare said with a chuckle, "You think by killing me you save the Spiral. Hah! This is MUCH bigger than you EVER could have imagined, little boy. It will blow your mind." He then blasted away half of my absorbs. He was readying another attack when the most unlikely visitor dropped by. Literally.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"NOAH?!" Alex shouted, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" "Well," Noah said, "I ported to you because I thought you might need help with a boss. I don't know if I'm going to be any help here though." "Well, this is working better than I planned," Malistare said, and stunned Noah. He collapsed on the floor in a pile of limbs. "Portolis domus." Malistare said, and Noah's body vanished, along with Malistare. "NO!" I screamed. He was my first friend. He was the first person who had ever been nice to me, besides Ambrose. Now, not only had I lost him, but Kiley as well. I bent down to see if she had a pulse. I didn't feel anything.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I went over to the dragon, who was just stirring. She looked me over once, then looked over to where Kiley laid. She stood up, and leaped into the air. She flew in lazy circles, until they became tight and fast. Then, a column of light appeared, and a girl, my age, with brown straight hair that had a silver streak in it, in a beautiful blue dress, with brown-green eyes, stood there. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]She looked at me, then ran over to her sister. I was still stunned. She examined her sister with a careful eye. "She's badly hurt. But she's holding on." the girl said, " We have to get her to Moolinda. FAST." "Moolinda?" I said, "Why?" "Don't you see?" the girl said, "She's dying, just as Malistare said. If she isn't healed fast, she could die tonight." "Alright." I said, "One more thing. How do we get her there? "Oh, don't worry." the girl said, "I got that covered."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]She went over to Kiley's body. You could see her chest, rising and falling, all to faintly. Then, the girl said, "Come here." I went over, not sure what she was doing. "Now listen," she said, "You're going to hold Kiley's arm. It makes it easier for the magic to hold. One more thing: don't fight it." I didn't get what she meant by fight it. She stood up, hovering over us. "Portolis spiritus ludus." Then, I felt as if I was being dragged away in a thousand different directions. Naturally my body began to fight it. But then I remembered what she had said, and let the magic take hold of me. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The light was so bright compared to Marleybone it took me a minute to see where I was. We were standing in the middle of an aisle, with desks on either side. In front of us was a desk up on a platform . Behind us was a door with a life plaque. All around the walls were decorated with Life banners and shields. The chalkboards had half a lesson on them. Moolinda Wu stood on the platform with chalk in hand.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Then I looked away from Moolinda, to all the desks that I thought were empty. They weren't. At least 15 journeyman wizards sat, staring at us, trying to figure out what we were doing there. "Well," Moolinda said, "What do we have here?" "She's almost gone Moolinda, hurry!" the girl screamed. Moolinda came over and looked at Kiley carefully. "Why, yes she is." Moolinda said, "Class, we will resume this lesson next week. Don't worry, it won't affect you. Go practice what I have shown you. Good day." The class filled out single file. Moolinda looked at me hard. "Pick her up and bring her up here." Moolinda said to me. She cleared off her desk while I carried Kiley up, and laid her on the desk. "Now, we will do our best to heal her. If it is not enough, it is not enough. She is very close to death. Alexander, go get the book of healing from that shelf. That will help."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I got the book. When I got back, Kiley's sister had some sort of crystal in her hand. Moolinda was preparing for a major healing spell. She was in some sort of trance. I brought the book over, and looked around not knowing what to do. "When she wakes up, hold the book open to the bookmarked page. Ok?' the girl said. "Ok." I said. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When Moolinda came out of her trance, she took the crystal, and started to recite words from the book. I didn't see anything happening. I shot a warning glance at Kiley's sister. She just shook her head. Then, I started to feel itchy. I looked around and saw the room starting to glow. Then the crystal shone like no other. It started to radiate sparks of green light, that fell and hit Kiley. Soon she too began to glow. In a few minutes, the whole room was glowing with little sparks of life, that made you feel whole again. Then the spell ended. The magic faded. "Will she be ok?" I asked.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Only time will tell," Moolinda said, "Now take her to her dorm, and put her to sleep. Check on her everyday to see if she wakes." I went over and picked her up. The magic had made her light as a feather. Her sister lead the way, and I followed. When she was tucked in bed, we said good night to each other, and went to our own dorms to rest until morning came, and told all.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 11: The Rumor[/COLOR][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The next few days were very tedious. Kiley was still in critical condition, and Moolinda said there was a good chance she wouldn't make it. Moolinda came and checked on her every morning before school started and every night after dinner. Jams wouldn't leave Kiley's room because she was scared that Malistare would try to bypass the shield around Wizard City and hurt Kiley. I wasn't much use either. I attended my classes and did my homework, but other than that all I could do was run errands for Moolinda or Jams, and sit there hoping Kiley would come back soon. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]One day Jams went to go see her teacher. She had to get out of the dorm room, or she would scream. When she got back, her face told me that she was madder than a fire elf with a case of frostbite. "Why did you tell them?" She screamed, "I thought we could TRUST YOU! AH!" "What is it?" I asked, not knowing what was going on. "You started the rumor, you had to!" She screamed, "You were the only other one who knew!" "Knew what?" I asked. This was getting weirder and weirder. "JUST GET OUT!" she screamed, and with that, slammed the door in my face.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Well," I said, "She is in a tuff. I wonder if she got a fireball thrown at her." I turned around to walk away and saw a boy, about my age, standing in the doorway. "Then what they said was true," He whispered, "She is going to die." "What are you talking about?" I said. "I heard a rumor that there was a life girl that was attacked with powerful black magic in Marleybone. They said she was going to die." "So, the rumors are out there?" I asked. "Go down to one of the schools and ask around. I'm sure you'll find your answer there." he said, and vanished down the stairwell. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I took the boy's advice. I went down to the Storm school, because they had some girls that seemed to know everything about everyone. I saw the usual bunch sitting on the pier by Torrence. The girls were giggling and laughing. It was obvious that the topic of the day was the newly made master storm boys. I rolled my eyes. They were so dramatic. One of the reasons I avoided talking with them unless it was necessary. This was necessary. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Hey girls." I said, "Have you heard about that life girl-" "Oh, you mean the poor girl that's dying?" one of them said in a tone that made it sound like it was the end of the world. All the others sighed with sympathy. Rather, fake sympathy. "Uh, yeah." I said, "Do you know who told you about it?" "Well," one of the other girls began, " We were going to talk with Officer Anderson when a boy popped up out of nowhere. I mean, literally, nowhere! And he said something about getting something for a 'master', and he almost ran into us!" Then all the girls started to crack up. "But then," the one who had been telling the story said, suddenly becoming very serious, "He said 'No, must find the flower, so she'll never wake up.' We didn't think anything of it, until we hear that a dying girl had been brought into the life school. Well, from what we heard, more like dropped!" They all started to giggle and whisper to one another, and I realized I had gotten all the information I was going to get from these girls.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I turned around and looked at all the wizards hurrying from school to school, with packages, quests, and friends. How he envied them. They were so carefree, so careless. One careless move had almost cost me my life. Well, no use feeling sorry for yourself, I thought. you might as well do something. I decided to find the boy I had seen in the stairwell. He was my next best bet in finding out what was going on with Kiley. I had a feeling it was more than just being drained of health. There was something more sinister at work here. And I was going to find it.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I found the boy by the fire school, reading a book on fighting techniques written by one of the Dragonspyre teachers before they were killed by the Dragon Titan's army. He looked up as I approached. "Good book?" I asked him. "Your here about the rumor, aren't you?" he said. "Well, I'm sorry my friend is dying in a tower over there, and you seem to be the only person around here who actually knows what's going on!" I yelled, drawing unwanted attention from a few students around us. "I know how it is. To have someone dying right in front of you, and not being able to stop it." he said, with a sad, lonely expression in his eyes. "But, you have a chance to stop it," he said, stood up, and snapped his book closed, " And I'm going to help you the best I can." "Thank you." I said, "It's good to have someone else on my side. What's your name?" "Bradley Flame." he said, "And you?" [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Alexander Deathwhisper." I said with a smile. I had a good feeling about this guy. He was one of those people who always had your back. I was right there, but as I learned later, Bradley wasn't as I first saw him. There was a different, sinister side to him as well. The warrior in him. It was said in ancient history that each child was born with a different spirit. Some were naturals at making friend. Others were thinkers, always curious. Still others were writers, and musicians, and leaders. Occasionally there was a healer. And rarely, once in a blue moon, a warrior was born. These spirits tended to be outcasts. But, once they discovered their true potential, they could not be stopped from their destiny. This was how Bradley was. And I was very glad he was on my side.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 12: Seeking Truth[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"So," I said, "Who do YOU think started the rumors?" "What rumors?" Bradley said. "You know, about the dying girl." I said. "Why would I know?" Bradley said, "I just heard what you heard." "Ok..." I said. "Why are you so interested in this girl anyway?" Bradley said, "It's probably just a rumor." "Well...." I said, "It's not exactly a rumor." "WHAT?" Bradley exclaimed. "Well, I was in Marleybone when...."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I told Bradley the entire story. Beginning to end. Including the part where Jams exploded in my face. "You've had quite an adventure." was all he could say, for he was in shock. "I need your help now to convince Jams it wasn't me." I said. "I suggest we go back to the girls who saw him. Maybe they have something else they didn't tell us." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]So, with that, we went back to the girls by Torrence. They were still talking about the master storm boys, who apparently were all they could think about. "Hey girls." I said, "Remember the girl I asked you about earlier?" "Oh yes!" the over dramatic one said, "What a pity! That boy, he must be EVIL! He had that look in his eye, like Malistare!" she said. "Ok... can you tell me anything about this boy?" I asked. "Well, he was tall, a little taller than you, with a black robe on, and a black hood. He looked just right for anyone in Marleybone." "Did he happen to mention anything?" Bradley said. "Well," one of the quieter girls said, "He did say something about a flower. I think it was, 'Got to find the flower so she never wakes up.' Yeah, that was it!" "Ok, thanks!" we said, and ran to the girl's dorms.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When we got there, Kiley was still out cold. Jams wouldn't let us in. "Alex, just go away and NEVER COME BACK! EVER! You'll make our lives a lot easier!" "Jams," I said, "It's not my fault. You've got to believe me. It was those blabber mouth storm girls!" "Yeah right!" she said, "How could THEY know?" "Well," I began, "They were in Marleybone when they saw a boy who was muttering something about finding a flower so a girl would never wake up. Then, they heard about us porting into the life school, and put two and two together." Bradley and I waited, patiently, hoping she would let us in. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The door opened slowly. A girl's head popped out from behind the crack between the door and the frame. "Really?" Jams said, with honest, brown eyes. "Really." I said, trying to be as sincere as possible. The door opened to reveal the tall girl who had been protecting me. "Come in then." she said, "But wait, who's HE?" "Oh, Bradley?" I asked. "No smart one, the guy behind him!" she said in a sarcastic tone. Bradley spun in a circle. "But there's no one behind me!" he exclaimed. "This," I said, "Is Bradley Flame. He wanted to help find out who all was behind this." "Fine then, he can come in too." Jams said in a reluctant tone. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Inside it was stuffy and smelled like there had been no fresh air for a week at least. I mentally counted back the days. Wow. It had been a week since the Malistare incident. I went over to see how Kiley was doing. Still the same, lifeless, non moving body as before. Bradley came over as well. "She's knocked out cold." Bradley said, "How long has she been like this?" "A week." I said. "This IS serious." he said, and went over to look at her book collection. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"What are we going to do? Just sit here?" Jams said, "My sister is dying. DYING! And all I can do is sit here and watch her suffer! You have no idea how painful this is!" "How," I said, "Do you know she is suffering?" Jams just looked at Kiley, then back at me. "Twins," she began, " Who are wizards, sometimes are born with a rare gift of telepathy. No one knows how it occurs, and there have only been about five cases so far." "And why are you telling us this?" Bradley asked. "Because Kiley and I," Jams said in a shaky voice, "Are one of them."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]I looked over to Kiley. She looked different. At first I convinced myself it was merely a trick of light. Then, Bradley said, "Does Kiley look different?" That did it. I went over to take a closer look. Suddenly, I had the strongest case of déjà vu ever. I couldn't place it though. I was racking my brain, and then all of a sudden I had an extremely strong flashback. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][I]I was on the floor, injured, but alive. I looked to one side and saw a dragon. On one of the other walls I saw a streak of blood. [/I]Oh no, [I]I though, [/I]I'm re-living my worst nightmare.[/FONT][/SIZE]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 13: the Awakening[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Alex? Alex! ALEX!" I heard a girl's voice screaming. I snapped back from my flashback. I knew what was wrong with her. Or rather, what was right. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Alex, what is it?" Jams said, "You look like you know something. Do you?" I gave her a big grin and walked over to where Kiley lay. Sure enough, all too faintly, her chest was rising, up and down.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Get Moolinda, she's coming too!" Jams screamed. Bradley ran out the door at full speed, down the stairs, over to the life school. I was standing over Kiley, hoping against all odds she'd pull through. Then I remembered a spell I had just learned the other day. "Sacrifice." I muttered, and little gold orbs hit me, stealing some of my health. I winced, and Jams looked confused. Then, a green haze appeared over Kiley, giving her some health. Jams and I held our breath. "What happened?" she whispered. "I used a small healing spell to help her become conscious." I whispered back. We waited. Soon, her breaths became stronger. In a matter of minutes, her eyes fluttered open. "What did I miss?" Kiley said, in a weak but happy voice.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Ugh, how can you stand this?" Kiley said, "It's so stuffy in here!" Jams smiled. I could tell she was back to her old self. I went over and opened two of the big windows. At first they didn't budge, but with a little effort, they opened. I went back over to Kiley and Jams. The room already looked brighter. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We heard footsteps in the hall. Soon Moolinda appeared, along with Bradley. "Oh, Kiley, you're back!."Moolinda said. "Hi Moolinda!" Kiley said in a cheery voice. "Who's that behind you, Moolinda?" she said in a questioning voice. "Hi, I'm Bradley." he said, "I've been helping Jams and Alex." "Well," Kiley said, "I'm glad you're on our team. We're going to need all the help we can get with that nasty rumor going around." "How do you-" I began to say, when I remembered what Jams had told me about her and her sister. "Oh yeah." I said, "I forgot."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"At any rate, you have to go speak with headmaster. He's been wanting to see you. All of you." Moolinda said, "I will tell him to come visit after the afternoon classes. Until then, all of you go to your classes, except Kiley. You young lady, are on bed rest for at least a week. I will give you reading material so that you don't get behind on your studies. Now, I believe we are all done here." With that, she left.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]"I guess we just have to go to our classes." I said, "You'll be alright by yourself Kiley?" "I'll be fine. You guys go to your classes. You'll be able to find out more about the rumor." "She's got a point." Bradley said, "Besides, there's nothing we can do with her on bed rest except decipher who this mystery person is." "Which," Kiley said, "Is exactly how I plan to spend this week." [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Then, the bell rang. "Off to class we go." I said, and we all filed out the door after saying good-bye to Kiley and making sure she'd be ok for the next two hours. When we got to the base of the tower, Jams and Bradley went toward the elemental schools, Jams into the Ice school and Bradley to the Fire school. I went through the tunnel to the Commons, over Rainbow Bridge, behind the waterfall, to Nightside. That was where the Death school was. I walked in just as the lecture on controlling Wraiths began.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 14: The Headmaster, Noah, and a Headache[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When class let out for the day, I ran back to the tower. When I got there, I saw Jams, Bradley, and Ambrose already seated around Kiley's bed. She was just finishing a book Moolinda had given her.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Well, now that we're all here, let us begin." Ambrose said, "First, I want to know exactly what happened in that tower. Alexander? Care to elaborate?"[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]"Well," I said, "I was doing some quests in Marleybone, and my next quest was a boss. I had been doing these quests with a friend, but he was on vacation. I went in, and after killing the boss, fainted from exhaustion, because it had taken a lot out of me. Then, when I came too, Malistare was there. He sapped nearly all my power until Jams and Kiley saved me. Malistare almost killed Kiley, as you can see, and stunned Jams. When I came to, he had just finished Kiley, and was going to fight me when Noah ported to me. Then, Malistare kidnapped Noah, and I think you know the rest."[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"That is quite a tale Alexander. But, wait a second, Noah was KIDNAPPED?" Ambrose said. "Well, yes." I said. "This is much more serious than I though." Ambrose muttered, "You have heard the rumors, right?" "Yes, we have been trying to figure them out." Bradley said. "Well, I believe that is the only way to proceed. That boy they saw is most likely linked directly to Malistare. Maybe he has an apprentice?" Ambrose said, "Whatever he is, you are responsible for finding who he is, what he's after, how he got here, and where he came from. That is all." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]He got up, and began to leave, before I said, "What about Noah?" Ambrose turned around and said, "There is nothing we can do for him until we find what Malistare is after. He will use Noah as bait to lure you to his lair, and kill you. If you want Noah to live, your best bet is to steer clear of Malistare." With that, Ambrose walked out the door, and the four friends were left alone once again.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Ambrose is right." Kiley said, "The only way is to wait and lay low. Don't worry, we'll get him back. He's a strong boy." I looked up into her big, honest eyes. I wasn't sure if Malistare would keep him alive that long. "Are you sure?" I asked her. "I'm sure." she said, "But in the meantime, we have to do something, or my head will explode!" [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Alright," Bradley said, "Let's start by making a list of everything we know about this boy." "Well," Jams said, "We know he has some form of 'master'. Maybe Malistare?" "Alright, that's good. Anything else?" Bradley said.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]"He's looking for some sort of flower. A poisonous one, something that will 'make sure she never wakes up'." "Ok, got that." Bradley said. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"He was last sighted in Newgate Prison, in Marleybone. Is the flower there?" Kiley said. "Good, this is good." was all Bradley said while writing furiously. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"He's one." he said, "We should look into what types of plants grow in Marleybone that are poisonous. That would tell us what he was after. And I know just the person." All eyes turned to Kiley. "Why is it always me?" she said, "Fine, I'll do it. I have a book on plants found in Marleybone. That's what I'll do while you all are in school." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We threw around ideas until dinnertime. By that time, we all had reasonable headaches. Moolinda came up to fetch us, and check in on Kiley. She insisted that she go down to eat dinner in the dining room, and Moolinda had no choice but to let her. She had to use a wheelchair, but she didn't care. She was just happy to get out of her room. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When they walked into the dining room, all eyes were on them. Everyone knew who they were. Between the rumor and the prophecy, there was a good reason to stare. They sat at a table by themselves, and got to act like normal kids for once. They were happy, and all was peaceful.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]But sadly, not everything was this peaceful. In a dungeon in Dragonspyre laid there friend, Noah. He was a prisoner of Malistare. He was currently waiting for one of Malistare's apprentice's to bring him his dinner. One of the apprentices was tall, with long black hair and a ragged scar that ran from his eyebrow down his cheek. His eyes scared Noah. They were like two black holes that had been put on his face. They always looked out onto the horizon, as if trying to figure something out. He was very impulsive, and often destroyed things when he got mad. Noah didn't know his name, but he thought he heard Malistare call him Nobody one time. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The other apprentice was Dakota Stormstaff. He had an evil glimmer in his eyes. He was always joking around with the other apprentice, but whenever Malistare was nearby, he became tense and rigid. He had deep purple eyes, and lightning like hair. He was normally kind to Noah, except when Malistare was around. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The last apprentice was a girl. Her name was Lily Thundercatcher. She was tall, but not as tall as the boys. She had red hair with streaks of gold. Her eyes were storm cloud grey. She was cruel, not only to Noah but to the other apprentices as well. She was the only one who seemed to genuinely like Malistare. She never brought Noah his food though. She was Malistare's favorite, and made sure the boys knew it. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Noah heard footsteps on the stairs. "Hey Dakota." Noah said. "Hey," Dakota said, "Listen, I thought I'd tell you that Malistare's not having a good day, and the other guy got him real mad. If you see him, don't ask. Malistare would rip your head off." "Thanks." I said while Dakota slipped a loaf of bread and water through the bars in the cell, "What's that guy's name anyways?"[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Well," Dakota said with a downcast look, "We call him Nobody. He has no family, no past, and can't remember anything. I got to go, see yah later." "Ok, see yah later." Noah said, and continued to ponder how this group of kids had wound up as Malistare's apprentices.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 15: the Realization[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]After the four got back from dinner, they decided to talk some more about who this mystery boy could be. Kiley said that she had a headache, and read a book instead. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"So, what should we do tomorrow? We don't have afternoon classes, so we can work on our assignment." Jams said. "How about we go down to Newgate Prison and ask around about that boy?" Bradley suggested, "It would help us figure out where he went after those girls saw him." "Ok, when we get there, we should stick together. We'll see if Dr. Watson saw anything first, then go check in with the officers." I said. "I agree," Jams said, "We need to stick together." "So, where should we meet?" Bradley said. "How about here when class ends?" I said. Then I looked at the time. "Wow, it got late fast." I said, "Bradley, we should go before they lock up." "Ok." Bradley said, and we got up to walk towards the door. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"WAIT!" Kiley screamed, "I know what the boy was after!" We all rushed over to her. "You see this?" she said, pointing to a picture of a purple flower with five pointy petals, "That's a Harebell flower. Normally its perfectly safe to eat, but when it's grown in Marleybone environments that had iron and copper in the soil like Newgate Prison, it becomes one of the most deadly plants in the Spiral. THIS has to be what our friend was after." "Good job Kiley!" I said, "We'll see if we can find any when we go tomorrow. But for now, we all have to sleep. Good night, Kiley, good night Jams."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]The boys then left for their own rooms, where they got a good night's rest so that they were ready for tomorrow's adventure. Kiley and Jams kept talking for another half hour about what had happened and how they were going to keep Alex safe. Soon, Jams headed off to bed, leaving Kiley in her room by herself. She was pondering what had been happening. Surely Alex wasn't suppose to find out about how she and her sister had been protecting him. He was suppose to believe he could be powerful enough to kill Malistare. That was the only way to succeed. Because if he didn't believe, how could he possibly succeed? [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]She decided she needed fresh air. She went out onto the porch and looked up at the stars. "The stars are beautiful tonight, aren't they?" a low, deep, rich voice said. She looked up into the smiling face of the ancient tree. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"How have your days been treating you, Bartelby?" she said. "They have been treating me splendidly, Kiley." the wise tree said, "I have lived to see a world united, torn apart, brought back together, only to be turned against itself once again. And now, to see the one that can save it all, if he can believe." "But that is just it," she said, "If he is helped now, and believes he must rely on us, then he will not succeed, for if it comes down to him......" [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Do not worry, Kiley." he said, "While he may begin to get use to you and rely on you like a good friend, he will never lose his ability to fight. It was born in him. He will always carry his warrior spirit. If he has to, he will. You know that." "I do, it's just that....... I was beginning to doubt myself......" "Do not doubt Kiley." Bartelby said, "You know the answer to your ponderings in your heart." "Thank you," Kiley said, "Thank you very much." She then went back inside, and laid down. In a few minutes she was fast asleep.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]But sadly, this joy was not shared everywhere. Of course Bradley and Alexander and Jasmine and Kiley and Ambrose and all the others in Wizard City were fine. But in Dragonspyre, in a small dungeon cell, life was about to get a lot worse for Noah.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Hey." Noah said as Dakota came down with his food, "Is Malistare feeling any better?" He shot me a death stare. I took that as, 'Can't talk, but yes he is.' He gave me a loaf of bread and water. Just as he was about to leave, Lily came down the stairs. "Get him out. Malistare wants him." she said, and began to climb the stairs. When she got to the top, she turned around. "Well," she said, "What are you waiting for?" "I-I don't have my key." he said in a shaky voice.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]"Why do I always have to do the work around here?" Lily said, and came down the steps. She took out her key, and unlocked the door. "Get up." she said. "Get up!" she said again, her voice starting to rise. "I TOLD YOU TO GET UP SO GET UP!" she screamed, came in, took my arm, and dragged me out. "Nicely done." Dakota said with a wicked grin. Lily just smiled. "Now take him upstairs. PRONTO." she said, and walked up the stairs. Dakota's evil grin vanished. It was just an act. I was relieved. "Come on." he said, "You know I have no choice." He marched me up the stairs. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Once we got to the top, I saw Malistare. He was in rage. Nobody already was bruised and battered. "One task! ONE TASK! And you FAILED! FAILED! AH!" Malistare was NOT in a good mood. "I've got the prisoner." Dakota said. "Finally. Bring him here." Malistare said. Noah shuffled over to where Malistare stood. [I]WHAM![/I] The first punch came fast. I didn't even bother to dodge. They came with ferocious speed. [I]Punch. Kick. Stab. Swing. [/I]Soon I crumpled to the floor. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The apprentices just had to sit there and watch. It was torture for Nobody. Dakota winced often. Lily just enjoyed it. You must be wondering who these people are. Allow me to elaborate...........[/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 16: the Apprentices[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=4][COLOR=#92d050]Part One: Dakota[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I will begin with Dakota, because he has the happiest story out of them all. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]He was born into the Stormstaff family, a pureblood storm family that was very powerful. He was the third child out of four. His oldest brother, Joshua, was a warlord in the arena. His older sister, Sadie, one of the brightest students ever. His younger brother, Timothy, was a storm wizard prodigy, summoning a kraken at the age of 7. Unfortunately, Dakota was average compared to his siblings. Sure, he was at the head of his class, but that wasn't good enough for a Stormstaff child. They had to surpass their peers and become great. Because he was not exceedingly powerful or smart, he was often overlooked. This lead him to get away with more trouble than the others. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]By the age of 10 he had pulled off more pranks, and gotten away with it, than you and I could imagine. He was a Magus then, and continued to climb ranks fast, but not fast enough. His father always pressured him to do better, his siblings always offering help. He never accepted their help. He wanted to be the best because he was, not because his siblings helped him.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Now, while this was who he was at home, it was the opposite at school. He was the most popular in his class, swaying girls with one or two words. His peers always asked him for help. When the class went to the arena, he was always king of the court, beating anyone who happened to be against him. But soon, even this power wasn't enough. He took the power, looks, and smarts for granted. He wanted to be like his brothers and sister. He wanted to be the best.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]One night, he got into a fight with his father. But this wasn't the usual do better fight. No, his father was mad. He had caught Dakota with his grandmaster wand. Dakota was going to use it to pull a prank on the Myth students then next day. When his father learned about this, he was furious, and sent Dakota to his room for the rest of the night. But Dakota never listened to his father. No, that night he decided to run away. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Why can't you just be like your brothers and sisters! Dakota's father shouted, "You were always a disappointment to this family, never applying yourself!" I just stood there. I knew it was no use getting into this fight again. It was a losing battle.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]"Answer me! Why do you not apply yourself?" my father shouted again. I tried but failed to tune him out. "Do not ignore me son! Answer your father!" Still, I did not budge. My father was furious. He went to his oldest son and said, "Make him talk!" I looked at my brother. "Do as he asks." he said. Still no reply. My father then went to my sister and said, "Make him talk!" She looked at me. "You're just making it worse by not replying." she said in a gentle voice. I stood there, wondering what would happen. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Well," my father said, "If you do not wish to reply, then you will go to your room, and come out when you have an answer."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I went to my room. I was use to this. Whenever my father was having a bad day, he took it out on me. It was always my fault when my youngest brother got hurt. It was always my fault when my sister's book went missing. Whenever there was a problem, it somehow was caused by me. By now I was use to spending long hours in my room. There was a store of food in case I got hungry, and if I had to leave the house I could always climb down the ivy. But this time was different. I was tired of being treated like a stranger in my own house. No. My father could no longer control my life. I always tried and failed to please him as a little kid. Now I've learned he will never appreciate me. So there was only one thing left to do. Run away.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I pulled my travelling bag out from under my bed. It was still in very good condition. I took all the food in my room and wrapped it in a cloth. Next, I found my favorite robes, and put those in my bag. Then a blanket roll to sleep in. Next my books on combat and spells. Then, last but most important, I put my wand and spell deck in the front pocket. I was all set to go when I heard a knock at the door. I froze in place. If it was my father I was doomed. "Hullo?" a little boy's voice said, "Daky? Are you in there?" [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I opened the door to find my little brother. He never could get my name right, so he called me Daky for short. "Whadar you doing? Isn't that only for travelling?" he said. I closed the door. "Listen Timmy," I said, "I have to leave. Dad just expects too much of me. I can't keep it up. I need to get away." "Oh," he said, "I know exactly how you feel." I looked at his sad, violet eyes. I suddenly realized how much pressure he must be under. He was only 9, yet already training with kids who were at least 13 or 14 years old. I felt guilty that I had to leave him behind. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Don't worry." he said, "I'm use to it now. I just gotta keep it up for a few more years and then I'm outta school." "Hey buddy," I said, "When I find a place to stay, and you're out of school, I'll come take you to live with me. How does that sound?" "Oh, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" he said, and wrapped his skinny arms around me. I smiled. I would really miss him.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"What should I tell dad?" he asked. "Don't tell him anything. I don't want him finding out." I said. "Ok," he whispered, "But what about Sadie and Joshua? What should I tell them?" he asked. I pondered that for a minute. I did owe them some explanation as to why I was leaving. I got a piece of parchment down from the shelf and wrote a short letter. "Here," I said, handing the scroll to my younger brother, "Give this to them after I leave and dad has found out that I'm gone. Make sure dad doesn't find it." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Timmy nodded eagerly. "Don't worry, you can count on me!" he said. "I'm sure I can." I said, and hugged him tight, "Now I have to go. Be good, and don't get into too much trouble." "Ok!" Timmy said, and slipped out the door with the ease of a cat. I was going to miss that little guy. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I climbed out the window and made my way carefully down the ivy. I had been down it enough times to know it was safe and sturdy. Once I got to the bottom, I ran and ran. I went through the woods, up a rocky hill, and down the far side until I came to Triton Avenue. I then used a teleportation spell to go to Ravenwood. You may ask why I didn't do this earlier. It is because my father could tell where I went from the magical traces left where I ported. That is why I waited.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I wandered around Ravenwood for a while. Soon, the sun began to go down. Students began to go to their dorms or leave for their homes. I was going to have to sleep under the stars. I was about to go down the Ravenwood tunnel to Bartelby, when a figure appeared in front of me.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Why aren't you in your dorm?" the tall figure said. "I-I was just going home, to Mooshu." I stammered. "No," the cloaked figure said, "You're a runaway, aren't you?" I was scared now. I didn't want to go back. "Are you going to send me home?" I asked. "Nonsense!" the figure said, "In fact, it is quite the opposite. I am looking for an apprentice. If you agree to be my apprentice, then you will study under me and do as I say, when I say. In return, I will give you food and a home. Do you agree?"[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I looked around. No one else was there. This man had presented me with a very good offer. I couldn't refuse. "Ok," I said, "I'll be your apprentice." "Very good," the figure said, "Follow me."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I followed him down the tunnel, through the world gate, down a ramp into a place I didn't recognize. "Welcome to Dragonspyre." the shadowy figure said. "This is where we will live, in that tower there." he said, pointing to a tower. "We will be great together, but for now, get some rest. We have lots of things to do."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Looking back on that day, I am glad I ran away. But, I deeply regret following that hooded stranger. For he, was MALISTARE![/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=4][COLOR=#92d050]Part Two: Lily[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Lily's story is very different from Dakota's. Dakota's heart was pure gold, only lead the wrong way. If Ambrose or Cyrus or Bartelby had found him first, this would be a much different story. But, sometimes the hero doesn't win. Sometimes, you lose. Sometimes, the dark triumphs. This was the case with an unfortunate soul named Lily Thundercatcher.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Lily Thundercatcher was an only child. She was born to Sunni and Jacob Thundercatcher. She was raised in a loving, caring home. Her life was perfect. The family was the image of the "perfect family". Everything was going perfectly until one April afternoon.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Daddy! Daddy! You're home early!" a young Lily said as she ran out the door to hug her beloved father. "Hello, dewdrop!" her father said when he saw his daughter, "I've got a surprise for you and mommy." "What is it? What is it!" she asked, "Please tell me! Please!" "Now, wouldn't that ruin all the fun?" he said, "Go get something nice on, we're going out tonight!"[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Half an hour later, Lily and her mother and father were walking down Cyclopes Lane, to where the fairgrounds were. But, they didn't see any ordinary fairgrounds. No, it had been converted into a huge fair. There were clowns, games, rides, everything a child could imagine. There was even circus performers. Lily couldn't believe her eyes. "Oh daddy, thank you!" she said, "This is the best present ever!" "I'm glad you like it." he said, "Now, let's go watch that circus act."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Her father lead the way down to the second row, where they sat. The show was just about to begin. The ringmaster came to the center of the stage. "Good evening" his voice boomed over the speakers, "Tonight, we bring you amazing performances, from all across the Spiral. Bears from Grizzleheim, Manders from Krokotopia, Cats from Marleybone, Oni from Mooshu, and, DRAGONS from Dragonspyre!" The crowd cheered wildly. It was rare to see an Oni, but a dragon! Dragons were incredibly rare. "Now," the ring master's voice boomed, "On with the show!"[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]With that, the curtains were drawn back, tons of clown bears came pouring out. Cats began to fly in the air. Manders balanced on one another, and did flying leaps into the air. It was breathtaking. Then, the clowns started to leave the stage. The cats stopped flying form high above. The manders disappeared. Soon, a lone spotlight shed light on a small figure. He was short, with broad shoulders and big, muscular arms. I his hand was a whip. He had a top hat on, and a long Marleybone coat. You could tell he was smiling. He cracked the whip into the air. Once. Twice. Three times. Then, you could hear the curtains open again. Not see, hear. Then, a monstrous roar was hear. It was the most amazing sight to behold. Because there, in front of them, was an enormous, gigantic, huge, war oni. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The crowd watched in awe as the oni came onto the stage. It swung its massive sword to and fro, but never hit the tent poles. It roared, again and again. The short man remained in control the entire time. He gave commands, the oni obeyed. He ran, jumped, roared, and swung his sword. But all too soon, that act was over. Then, the ringmaster came out, in a glittering, shinning suit that looked it be made from glass. "Now, for the final act," he said, "Behold, the eternal, amazing, powerful, immense, all-knowing, DRAGON!"[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The crowd stood up with a roar. But it was nothing compared to the roar that came from center stage. A beautiful, strong, dark blue dragon with ice blue eyes came out onto the stage. Lily's father put her on his shoulders to get a better view. The one thing she remembered about that night was how mad that dragon looked. It had an enchanted necklace so it couldn't get too far away. It was trapped, like a bird in a cage. The dragon let out a roar. The crowd applauded. The dragon struggled to get rid of her invisible chains. The crowd cheered. Then, the dragon did something totally unexpected. She lifted up her head, and let out a terrible inferno of flames. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The crowd screamed in horror as the tent burst into flames. People surged towards the exist with no prevail. They were trapped. The dragon had managed to escape, but wouldn't get far. Lily's father and mother hugged her tight. The tent quickly became filled with smoke. The last thing she remembered was her father looking her in the eyes, and saying, "I love you."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When the fire was put out, the bodies were discovered. While sorting through the wreckage, a death student found Lily, unconscious. She was the only survivor that day. This fact drove her mad. She was consumed with grief, and in this, became the Lily I speak of in this story. We do not know how she became to be Malistare's apprentice. Some say she met him at a lecture he gave, and became a devoted pupil. Others say she ran into him as Dakota did. Still others say she was kidnapped. No one knows the truth.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]That is Lily's story. It is not pretty, or sweet. But, the tale I tell next, has no comparison. It is the tale of a sorry boy, who lost everything. It is Nobody's story.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=4][COLOR=#92d050]Part Three: Nobody[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]Told from the perspective of himself[/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I woke up with a terrible headache. 'Where am I?' I thought, 'What happened?' All around me was evidence of an explosion. I carefully sat up, not wanting to injure myself. I stood up, very slowly. Still, I soon succumb to a dizzy spell. I had to reach out to stop myself from falling. My hand hit metal that was cold as ice. I jerked back immediately. 'Why is this so cold? Shouldn't it be hot?' I thought to myself, 'Got to stay focused. Move now, ask questions later.' [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I moved quickly through the wreckage. Once or twice I would get dizzy, but nothing bad. From the wreckage, it looked like a warehouse had exploded. I saw no human remains, just bricks and cement. I just kept moving. It was a nightmare, not knowing who I was, where I was, or how I got there. I just kept moving forward, hoping against all odds I would make it. I stumbled for what seemed like hours. Soon, I heard a voice from far away. It was calling for somebody. "Elizabeth? Elizabeth please tell me your alright? Elizabeth? Elizabeth?" The voice kept repeating that name. "Elizabeth." Who was she? [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I continued to wander, towards the voice. Soon, I came to a clearing. In it I saw a man. He was tall, with black shaggy hair down to his shoulders, and dark brown eyes. Worry was all over his face. He searched franticly among the rubble. Soon, he came across a frail young woman. She was half buried under the rubble, and there was blood. Lots and lots of blood. The man raced over to her side. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Aaron, Aaron where are you?" she called, "Oh, Aaron, come to me please." "I am here, darling." he said, "What is it that you wish? Should I fetch a life wizard? Surely you can hang on that long." "Oh, Aaron," she said, "I am on death's door. I am not coming back. You must go on without me, before someone sees us." I saw the man begin to cry, "No, Elizabeth don't leave me. You're my entire world. Please, don't leave me all alone." he wept into her open arms. I started to creep away slowly. Surely I wasn't meant to see this. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]I sat among the rubble. I could hear the woman dying a few yards away. The man, who I assumed was her husband, sat with her, crying. Soon, the crying stopped, the moans faded. I crept around to where I could see. The man bowed his head, and sighed. He knew her life was over. "Oh Elizabeth," he said, "How could you leave me all alone? With the girls, and our duties as wizards? Oh, I will not be able to do this. No, I need you to help." He sighed, a deep, heavy sigh. He held his hands above her, as if they floated there. He muttered, "Seolaim baile."[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]Little sparks jumped off his hands, incasing the now dead Elizabeth. Soon, she was covered in light. Then, she disappeared, in a blink of an eye. I stared, wide eyed at where she had been. I was so amazed with what I had see, I didn't notice that the man Elizabeth had called Aaron was staring at me. "Well, aren't you an interesting little boy." he said. I snapped back to reality. "I-I'm sorry, were you talking to me?" I said. "Who else is around here?" he said. "Well in that case, I'm not a boy, much less little." I said. "Well then, what is your name?" he said. "I-I don't know" I said, "I can't remember." "That's a problem." he said, "Can you remember anything?" "Not a thing." I said, and began to sob. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"There, there." Aaron said, "It's ok, You are a bright young boy with your life ahead of you." I stopped sobbing. "You-you really think so?" I said. "Yes, I do." he said, "In fact, unless my foresight is incredibly off, you are a wizard." "Me?" I said, "A-a WIZARD?" "Yes. Now, come with me, we have lots to do." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We set off, Aaron and I. For the next three years, I lived in Wizard City, near Ravenwood. I studied magic, and attended school at Ravenwood, where I became a Necromancer. But, this was all too well, and like the rest of the life I knew, good things never last. And this was no exception. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]One day as I was walking home, I began to get a shiver up my spin. I knew something was wrong. [I]"Don't come home." [/I]a voice in my head said, [I]"It is dangerous. You must turn around and never come back."[/I] It was Aaron's voice. We had figured out how to communicate with our minds. I ran faster. I had to save Aaron. He had given me a second lease on life. I owed him this at least. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When I got to the house, I felt the cold even more. I went into the house. I searched the foyer first. No sign of Aaron. Then the kitchen. Still no. Then, I went out onto the back porch. I scanned the backyard. Not a hair out of place. Then, the library. When I approached, the door was slightly ajar. I pulled out my wand. I looked inside. Aaron was on the floor, unconscious. Merle Ambrose was over him, wand out. I lost it.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I attacked first, asked questions later. Merle didn't see it coming. He wasn't prepared, so he fled. "Seolaim draiodor cathair!" he said, and vanished in a puff of purple sparks. I looked around. "He will be ok." a voice said from the corner, "Merle only knocked him unconscious." I turned around. A tall figure stood there. "Merle will be back though, he never leaves a job unfinished. Why don't you come with me. Aaron wanted me to take care of you. Yes, come with me. I am a Necromancer, I will train you. You will be powerful and great. Come with me, Nobody." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I gulped. He seemed to be telling the truth. And Merle had been standing over Aaron. Why wouldn't he be telling the truth. "All right." I said, "I'll go with you." The man smiled. He then lead me away to his house in Dragonspyre, where I live now. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]Present Day[/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Nowadays, I wonder what would have happened to me if I hadn't gone with him. He probably would have killed me. I decided that it was the right thing to do then. But, now that I am here, I wonder why I came. I don't like it here. He makes me do things I don't want to do. He does offer shelter, but I don't like it one bit. I would run if I could, but I can't. I will wait for it. I will wait for the time to come.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 17: Search for the Key[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"And that concludes our lesson on advance wraith study." Professor Dworyn said in his monotone voice, "On Monday we will work on summoning these creatures. Expect to be tired when you go home. That is all, you are dismissed." I jumped up and joined the mass of magus's trying to get out of the small death school door. There was lots of pushing and shoving, and a few toes were stepped on. "Hey, watch out!" one of the more powerful girl's said, "Or you're going to meet my wraith!"[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Eventually we all got out into Nightside. Most left through the tunnel behind the waterfall. Others went to Sunken City to look for regents and collect artifacts. Still others sat down to have their lunch. I was one of the people who went through the tunnel. I ran through the commons, trying not to crash into people. Soon, I was through the Ravenwood tunnel, past the door to the Girl's Dorm, and up three flights of stairs. "You know," I said, out of breath, "They really outta get an elevator. Those stairs make me TIRED!" Kiley laughed. Bradley smirked. Jams stared at me. "What?" I said. "Well, Kiley has a balcony. You could have rode a dragon or used a teleportation spell to get up."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Oh," I said, dumbfounded, "That's how you get up here so fast." This made Bradley begin to chuckle, and Kiley laugh harder. "Ok, ok," Jams said, "I know that was funny, but the Marleybone incident is not funny. In fact, it scares me. So can we please get a move on?" "I'm ready!" chimed Bradley. "Me too!" I said, "Can't wait to figure out who this guy is." "Me too. It's so exciting, getting to be a detective!" Kiley said. "Alright then, let's go." Jams said. I started towards the door. "Uh Alex?" Jams said, "We're taking a dragon, not the stairs." "Oh yeah," I said sheepishly, "I forgot."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When I got out on the balcony, I saw two Dragon waiting there. They was small, meant for riding just above the streets when you were doing running quests. "Wow, there beautiful." I said, "But why only two?" "I thought that we could share. They can carry two people at a time, you know." Jams said. One was a boy, with black scales that had just a hint of red on the edges. His eyes were ice blue. On his back were Jams and Bradley. The other was a girl, with deep green scales, and amber eyes. On her back was Kiley, sorting through the saddle bag to make sure everything was there. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Wait a second." I said, "Aren't you on bed rest?" Kiley's head snapped up. "I'm no use to you there, and besides, you may need me." she said in a matter of fact tone. I eyed her suspiciously. "Did Moolinda say this was ok?" I asked. "Yes, of course she did." Kiley said, "Now get on the Dragon or we're leaving without you!" I smiled, and jumped onto the Dragon. "Let's go!" I said.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]With that, the boy Dragon turned and leapt off the balcony. The girl Dragon was close behind. That first flight took my breath away. Words fail to describe how flying felt. It was like running into the wind on a stormy day. Like standing on the bow of a ship as it cuts through the water. Like jumping on a trampoline. It felt like freedom.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Soon, we landed in front of Bartelby, and rode in. Jams used her key to open the Spiral Door to Marleybone. We walked into the grand hall of the magnificent church. We could spend hours studying it, but sadly we didn't have time. We raced our dragons through the aisle and out the door. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When we got outside, the dragons took to the air. We made quick time going from the footstep of the church to the roof of Scotland Yard, where we knew Watson would be. "Good morning, Dr. Watson!" I said, jumping off my dragon, "We were wondering if you had seen any suspicious characters around here lately, particularly a wizard, a little taller than me."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Well, now that you mention it," Dr. Watson said, "There was a boy here the other day. He seemed distracted, and almost ran into me! I thought nothing of it at the time, but he didn't look like he was up to any good, if you get what I mean. He was heading into the prison. If you have any more questions, I'd ask one of the officers stationed inside." "Thanks Watson!" I said, and we took to the skies once again.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Ok, how are we going to find the flower?" I said to Kiley as we flew over the wall to Newgate Prison. "Well," she said, "From what I've read, I may be able to sense it's spores in the air. After all, I am Life." "Ok, is there a backup plan in case that doesn't work?" I asked her. She looked at me sheepishly. "No." "Alright, then were just going to have to rely on you." I said, just as we crossed the wall into Newgate Prison. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When we got over the wall, Jams flew her dragon near ours. "Kiley, start to scan for the spores. Bradley and I are going to talk to Officer Ness and Officer Anderson." "Ok!" Kiley shouted back. Then she turned to me and said, "We're going to fly over in a sweeping motion, and see if I pick up anything." "Ok," I said, "Do you want to start at the center and spiral out, or sweep over?" "Spiral." she said, and I guided the dragon and she began to search for the spores.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Jams and Bradley reported back. No luck with Officer Ness, they were trying Officer Anderson. Kiley and I weren't having any luck either. No matter where we went, there were no spores. Finally, we had to land on a rooftop to give the dragon a rest. "Where haven't we looked?" I said, "We checked Mugsy, Lockpick O'Leary, Gibson O'Leary, and Agony Wraith. We went by Officer Ness, Pruski, Anderson. What is left?" I don't know why I bothered to ask. I already knew the answer, and it was way too dangerous to go there. Kiley was just about to answer when Jams and Bradley teleported to us in a shower of red and blue sparks. "We had no luck with any of the Officers. You?" "No luck anywhere." Kiley said, "Although, we have one more place we CAN look." "No Kiley, it's way too dangerous." Jams said. "Come on Jams!" Kiley shouted, "It's the most likely place for it to be, and it's the only place left. We have to go." "No Kiley, it's dangerous, and you're not stable enough yet!" Jams replied, in an equally loud voice. "Well too bad." Kiley said, "Because I'm going whether you like it or not." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]With that, she ran over to the green dragon, and jumped on her back. The dragon was restless to take to the sky. "Either your coming with me or staying here. Your choice guys." She said. We were all quiet. "I'm coming." Bradley said after a few minutes of deliberation, "We have a healer, and she seems pretty stable to me. Besides, we'll stay together." He jumped on the back of the black dragon. "I'll go too." I said, and sat down behind Kiley. "Well then," Jams said, "Guess I have no choice." She jumped on the back of the black dragon, and they leapt into the air, side by side.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 18: Hidden Secrets[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The dragons flew from the rooftops at full speed towards Newgate Prison. They had no plan. Just get Kiley in and see if she sensed spores. They landed on the roof, leaving the dragons for now. Bradley melted the concrete in on corner and lowered Jams down. She gave an all clear, and the three others followed down the hole, into an unknown world of villains.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Ok, stick close together. Make sure we don't get separated." Jams said. We followed her down the passage to one of the cells. It was silent. We moved on, down the ramp, through the next cell. Still, nothing. "This doesn't feel right." Bradley whispered, "Where is everybody?" "Right behind you." a dark voice said. We all spun around, to a tall, menacing figure, in a black robe with gold edge. He was taller than me, but not taller than Bradley. His hood covered his face. When he did lift his head, the shadows still disfigured his face. But what we did see, was to blood red eyes. He smiled. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he said, circling us, "A fire wizard. A death wizard. An ice wizard. Ha. Like THAT can beat me!" He turned to the prisoners behind him. "Get them." And with that, we fought for our lives.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]"Where's Kiley?" I managed to whisper into Jam's ear while the battle was going, "That wizard only named three wizards. What happened?" Jams just smiled her all-knowing smile. "You'll see." she said, and went to attack a grave digger. We fought for a long time. Grave diggers bashed their shovels against my head and arms, hoping to hit a vital organ. Lost souls summoned death creatures, from your worst nightmares. Jams and Bradley did well, able to kill quickly with a shower of meteorites, phoenix, evil snowmen, ice wyverns, and blizzards. I didn't have as much luck. I was death, and all of them were death, making them resistant to my spells. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Soon, I realized I was separated from Bradley and Jams. "Bradley, Jams where are you?" I shouted at the top of my lungs. No use. "BRADLEY! JAMS! WHERE ARE YOU!" I screamed again. All that came back was the moans and groans of undead. They just wouldn't stop. They were relentless, using whatever they had until you finally took them down. I was fighting a lost soul when I caught sight of Bradley and Jams. They were fighting, back to back. At least I didn't need to worry about them. They had things under control. On the contrary, I did not. They seemed to like me. A lot.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Soon, I was backed up against a wall. There was no escape. I had lost everyone, no clue where to find them. I was growing weary, and felt like just porting out. It was just like the fight in the gym all over again. Then, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked over to see the one person who could lift my spirits. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Didn't we say we were going to stick together?" Kiley said. "Well, you weren't there when we ran into that boy. Where were you?" I said. "I was checking something. But right now, we need to fight not talk." Kiley said, and casted a seraph. It began to slice through the undead like a knife through butter. When that one died, two more took its place. We finally had a chance. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Unfortunately, the fact that we were killing several undead made more attack us. We tried to rejoin Jams and Bradley, but they couldn't hear us. Kiley was getting frustrated. "We have to get back to them!" she said, "We got to get out of here!" Then, I heard a voice ring through my head, "Jams, where are you?" it asked. I looked at Kiley. She was staring at me. "What just happened?" I said. "We're over by the hole in the roof. Where are you?" a voice in my head said. "We're trapped. Wait on the roof for us. We're going to have to go further in before we get out." Kiley said, telepathically, "We'll see you then." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Kiley took my hand, and with her free hand, pushed a rock that opened a small door. We crawled through, shutting the door tightly behind us. That would hold off the undead. Lost souls couldn't communicate or press the button, and grave diggers weren't smart enough. We followed the passageway to another cell, where I pulled out my wand and prepared to fight through.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][I]"No"[/I] Kiley said, [I]"Watch this."[/I] She pulled out a long, moss green sword, covered with a lavender vine pattern. It didn't look like it belonged in this world. There was a magic, dark touch to it. "Solas na gealai" she whispered, and the sword began to radiate a soft, milky light, that reminded me of moonlight. When we walked towards the undead, they parted a path for us to travel through. We went to the next door, that lead to a spiral path down. We followed it, into a great cave, and who know what laid beyond.[/FONT][/SIZE]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 19: The Light of Truth[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The stairwell was musty and spooky. Kiley went first, holding her sword in front of her so we could see where we were going. I followed closely behind, staff ready. Our footsteps echoed off the rock walls. Rather, my footsteps echoed. Kiley barley made a sound. After a few minutes, Kiley froze. "What is it?" I whispered. [I]"I feel them. I feel the spores." [/I]she said with a grin. We quickened our pace. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The stairs went on forever. I almost hit my head a few times on a low hanging rock. They were jagged, as if this passage had been made in a hurry. If I had gotten a better look, I probably wouldn't have gone. Fortunately, we had the light of the sword. That strange, mysterious sword.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Soon, we began to slow. I gave Kiley a questioning look. [I]"The door is right down there. And, I don't think were alone."[/I] she said back. I stayed where I was while Kiley crept down the last few steps. I saw the light stream onto her face. I saw that look on her face. I will never forget it. I rarely see it cross her face. For it was a look of pure fear.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Kiley's Point of View:[/B] I looked up at Alex. His face showed that he knew I was terrified. I shuddered, and looked back upon the room that filled me with dread. No one was there, all though somebody had been. Or something. There were mana sparks hanging in cages around the perimeter of the room every five feet. The room had to be at least twenty feet long and thirty feet wide. There was a sidewalk around the outside that was five feet wide. Stepping stones divided the middle into four quadrants. But what scared me was not all this. It was the fact that in the middle which was open to the soil, were thousands and thousands of deadly Harebell flowers.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I took one step out onto the sidewalk. It looked safe. I beckoned Alex down. When he got to the door, he realized what had scared me. We started by walking around the perimeter, seeing if any patches were missing. We didn't find anything, so we went along the stepping stones. Still nothing. "What if he hasn't found it yet? What if we beat him to it?" Alex asked with a hopeful expression. "Oh, you didn't beat me to it. I can assure you of that." a menacing voice said, "See? I have a bunch in my hand. Enough to kill all the dogs in Marleybone." He stepped out of the second stairwell, his face still in shadows. But what I could see was his blood red eyes. Those cruel, evil eyes. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Alex's Point of View: [/B]Kiley pulled out her sword. "Get behind me." she said. I obeyed. There was nothing else for me to do. "Oh, Kiley, you're still the same. Putting your life on the line just to-" "Be quiet." she said. He shook his head, "Why Kiley? Doesn't he deserve to know-" "I SAID BE QUIET!" she shouted. "Still the same as always. Ha. I knew you'd never change." he said, and drew his sword, "Shall we?" "We shall." Kiley said. She looked at me over her shoulder. [I]"Whatever you do, don't get in the middle of this. If things go sour, run. This fight it between him and I. Not you."[/I] She then looked back at her target, and charged.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The boy saw it coming. He easily blocked it and tried to attack, but Kiley was too nimble, and dodged. He grimaced. "I was hoping you wouldn't still be this nimble, but you and I both know you're dead. It's just a repeat of two years ago." Kiley's face remained calm and concentrated, but you could tell that remark stung. They dodged and ducked and pounced and swung, hoping to land a blow. But they were both outmatched. Kiley with speed and agility. The boy with power and strength. It continued for a while. Soon, they began to lag. I thought that somehow time had slowed down, but then I realized they were exhausted. Especially Kiley. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]The boy took advantage of her weariness. He aimed a blow for her ribs, and connected. She went flying back towards me, blood pouring out of her side. She landed on the ground with a yelp. I finally got a good look at them. They had been moving so fast that I hadn't noticed that the boy's clothes were being reduced to shreds and he quit a few cuts, some rather deep. Kiley's arms had a few scraps, but she didn't have anything deep. Just a hole in her side. "You're no match for me, Lighthunter. Never have been, never will be." the boy said with a sneer. She looked up at him with a look of despise, hate, anger, and disgust. Then, she smiled. "I may not be a match for your strength, but I am far better with a sword. Look at all those wounds I managed to give you. The only wound you gave me was this," she said, lifting her hand from her side. Using her sword as a brace, she lifted herself up. I tried to help her, but she shot me a look that said, [I]Get away.[/I] She lifted her sword up. "Besides, I never got to show you my sword, and what it can do. You should really see it." She held her sword in front of her and yelled at the top of her lungs, "Solas na gealai!" [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]The boy stepped back in fear. Surely he was not expecting this. The sword began to glow again. But it was not soft moonlight. No, it was bright, radiant, milk white moon that shot from her sword. When it touched her wound, it began to shimmer, and the wound started to heal. The boy staggered back. "Not possible!" he shouted, "That sword was left in the Valley of the Realta Reim Radharic! You couldn't have it!" "How do you know it's not possible! It's completely possible!" Kiley shouted. "No, you can't be that powerful! You-you just CAN'T! You CAN'T have the Sword of Shadows!" Kiley smiled, wide, like the cheshire cat. She closed her eyes, and begun to sing, "Pairc an air reidh claiomh, IONSAIGH!" [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]The sword began to grow brighter and brighter. Faint sparks of light purple and green began to cirlce, faster and faster. I had to close my eyes to stop me from going blind. Then, the light leapt off of the sword, right at the boy. I finally got a good look at his face. He had high cheekbones and hollow cheeks. A ragged scare ran from the edge of his left eyebrow, up over his eye, to the bridge of his nose. He looked as though he's seen a ghost. The light surged, but before it could hit it's target, expoded into a thousand different pieces, and dimmed out. The sword still glowed, but faintly. The boy was backed up against the wall, breathing heavy. Kiley motioned for me to follow her up the stairs. "This isn't over, Lighthunter." the boy said when we started to climb the stairs. Kiley looked at him with a sad, lonley expression. "It will never be over." she said, and began to climb.[/FONT][/SIZE]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 20: The Blaze[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We climbed for a few minutes before Kiley stopped. "Never repeat anything you heard or saw in there to ANYONE." I looked at her curiously. She normally wasn't this secretive. "Why can't I tell-" I began. She turned around and grabbed me by the shoulders. "No. NEVER repeat what happened in there. NEVER." she said in a tone I had never heard her use. I looked at her face, and couldn't tell whether it was anger, sadness, or fear. "I won't." I said in a quiet voice. She let out a deep breath and took her hands off my shoulders. "Good" she said, and we resumed our climb. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Kiley's Point of View:[/B] Why did it have to be him? Why couldn't my past leave me alone for once? Alex was never to know my secret, or Jams secret. It was suppose to stayed buried in the past, where it belongs. Still, my past haunts me at every turn. First Alex, then the gym, then the Malistare incident, now this? How long will this go on? For once I wish I could be normal. Unfortunately, the stars decided to make me different. That boy. Why did he have to be there? Why was he there? Is he with Malistare now? It would make sense, but still...... I guess we'll just have to wait and see.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Bradley's Point of View:[/B] "Where are they!" she shouted for the hundredth time. I let out a long sigh. "She'll be here soon Jams. So will Alex. They probably found a passageway and decided to check it out before coming back up." "Yeah, I would believe that, but it's been at least two hours since we came out of there. Kiley isn't dead, I can tell. Alex, I'm not so sure about." Jams said, pacing back and forth. I laughed. "What's so funny?" Jams said. "If you keep pacing," I said with a chuckle, "You're going to wear a hole in the roof. THEN we'll have a problem on our hands." She tried to stared at me with her evil eye, but it just made me laugh harder. Soon, we were both rolling all over the Newgate Prison roof, laughing our heads off. After a few minutes we sat up and stopped laughing. "So, since I can't pace and we don't have any good books, what should we do?" Jams said. "I don't know," I said, "We could tell stories." "Ok," she said, "How about you tell me about your childhood? I don't know the first thing about you!" "Are you sure?" I asked her. "Yeah." she said, and curled up by the dragon. I then told her the story I will now tell you, about how I became a wizard, and what I left behind.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Bradley Flame is my full wizard name. My human name is Bradley Douglas O'Byrne. I was born to Genevieve and Patrick O'Byrne. I was the youngest out of three boys. My older brothers were named Cabel and Joshua. When I was little, we lived in a large cabin in the mountains in Pennsylvania. There were two border collies in the family, Riley and Tristan. We loved to take them on long walks through the woods, and play in the rivers near the cabin. When winter came, we went sledding down the big hill behind the house. My brothers and I were best friends. We did everything together, from hide and go seek to scavenger hunts. I had so many happy memories there.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]One day, when I was in the 7th grade, my father came home from work early, at around 4:00. "Guess what?" he said, "Daddy got a raise, and we're going to move to the city!" Mom cheered. Cabel hugged my mom, and Joshua jumped up and down. I just stared at them. How could they be happy? The only place I knew was this house. It was the best ever. The city was filled with cars and sidewalks and concrete. Out here, you could actually take a deep breath. There were few sidewalks, and many uncharted paths through the woods. That's what I loved about this house. It was outdoors. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When my mom saw that I wasn't happy, she came over to me. "What's wrong?" she asked. "I don't wanna move." I said, "I wanna stay here." "Oh, don't worry, you'll be fine in the city. It will be an adventure!" she said, and they all started to dance around again. I sat there, wondering if somehow this terrible dream could just go away. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The next day we began to pack. Mom and Dad had apparently been planning this for some time. They even had a house ready. Joshua and Cabel went fast, eagerly wanting to see the new house. I took my time, making sure everything was in place. It took over two hours. After I was done, it was time for dinner. I went down to see they had started without me. I took my place to the right of my mom, and served myself some mashed potatoes from the bowl. Dinner was lively, and included many stories about the city. I sulked through the entire evening, not enjoying one bit of it. When asked what was wrong, I simply said I was tired. When dinner was over, I went upstairs and got ready for bed. When my mom came in to check on me, I pretended to be asleep. I stared out my window, out onto the woods. I made a decision then. I wasn't going to the city.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I got up, and quietly got dressed in a warm flannel, wool sweater, and my outdoors jacket. I put on sweats, and jeans over them. It was going to be cold. I took my bag and put in a flashlight, blanket, and some food. I tip toed down the stairs, and opened the back door. The air hit me with force. It was freezing. I closed the door, and began to run down the edge of the slope. When I reached Riley and Tristan, they wagged their tails. I was going to forget about them and just keep going when Riley let out a whine. "Fine, you can come." I said, and put their leash on them. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We began our journey northwest, because I knew there was an old abandoned cabin up there. We hiked for five miles before we got there. My brothers and I had stocked it with wood and warm blankets when we were younger. I doubt they remembered now. I started a fire, and made a bed for the dogs. We would be fine, I told myself. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I ate beef jerky for dinner, and gave the dogs some kibble. I let them out to run around. They were happy, and so was I. We got a good night's rest, and were ready for what morning brought us. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When I woke up, the sun was just coming up. I ate a biscuit, and gave the dogs a treat. I took them out to explore. We walked for a mile west, away from home. At about 10, I heard the sirens. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]They were police sirens, coming to look for me. I began to run. I went about thirty yards before tripping over a root. I slid and fell, a long mud smear developed on my cheek. It stopped me for but a moment, and I was up and running again. Riley and Tristan followed faithfully. Soon, after fifty yards, I had to stop and rest. I hadn't been in the greatest shape, and no match for dogs and the police. I heard their voices a few yards off. I was going to run in the other direction, but I heard barks. I then realized I was trapped. I was going home. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Hold still" the police man said as he entered the clearing with a dog pulling on his chain, "We're not going to hurt you." I turned, slowly in a circle. I wondered why they don't just come and get me. Then I remembered Riley and Tristan. I looked down to see the dogs circling me protectively. "Call off the dogs, boy." another police officer said. I looked from the police officer to my dogs to their dogs. I stood my ground. "Alright, you've chosen the hard way." he said, and the officers began to move in. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Riley started first. He was barking, madly, and snarling. Then Tristan began to copy. I could tell some of the officers were scared, but they kept moving. 'What I gotta do' I said to myself, 'Is scare them. Bad.' "Arthraigh" I muttered under my breath. I still don't know why I did. But at that moment, both of the dog's ears pricked up. They let out a ferocious snarl, and stood still, eyes closed. Then, they began to morph. Riley was the most startling. His hair grew mahogany brown, and he grew a second head. His eyes began to glow like fire embers. His snarl grew even more menacing, and his stance emanated power. Tristan was not as radical. His fur grew tan brown with purple streaks, and his eyes were golden. His stance was twice it's normal size, and when he barked, it made my hair stand on end. I looked up at the police officer's faces, which were ghost white. All except the officer that lead them. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Come on." he said, 'Let's get the boy and get out of here." He then walked right by the dogs, and began to grab for my wrist. I had to do something. "Ar Thine!" I shouted, holding my arms out, palms up. With that, fire orbs grew in my hands. They spread along my body like wildfire, but they did not harm me or my clothes. The officer jumped back, as to not be burned by the flames. Now the officers were spooked. They turned and ran with their dogs, out of the woods. All of them, including their leader. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I tried to stop the blaze, but I couldn't. Sparks were jumping off my body, landing in the nearby tree grove. The whole place came ablaze. I was hopeless. The dogs weren't affected by it, so they stayed by me. After a few minutes, I saw a figure appearing through the fire. It was a woman, taller than me with orange, fiery hair, and a long red dress. She held out her hand, and I took it. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The person who rescued me was in fact the Fire teacher, Dalia Falmea. She took me to Wizard City, where I have live since. That is my story, of who I have become. But what I left behind, a grieving family, a scared town, and countless stories. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The police told everyone that I had built a campfire, and when Tristan was startled by the police, he knocked more logs into the fire. This created the great blaze that destroyed acres of forest. Some didn't believe. Some said aliens. Some said spontaneous combustion. Some said that I made fire bombs and threw them at the police. But none guessed that I was a wizard. This is why I couldn't go back. People thought I was dead. And that was ok with me. I didn't like them anyways.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 21: To the Dungeon![/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Nobody's Point of View: [/B]I continued to breath heavy. She had gotten better. I would have to train. I used my sword to prop myself up. The flowers had been sprawled across the floor. The beds were in ruin. I shook my head, and went to the last remaining patch of flowers. I drew my short sword, and cut them down to the stem. I stood up and heard the figure behind me. [/FONT][/SIZE]


[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"What do you want?" I asked. "Well, you were fighting her. I wanted to see how you'd fair." he said. "She got stronger." I said. I wasn't going to tell him about the Sword. It would complicate things too much. Besides, if I did, Malistare would send his strongest monsters after her. And I couldn't do that to her....... ah my memory fails me once again. She and I, we are connected in past and future. But how? How are we linked? [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I came back to reality when Dakota began to speak again. "I can tell she got stronger!" he said, "This place is a mess!" "Yeah. But since I'm the one who fought her, you get to clean it up." I said. "No, let's just leave it. Besides. Malistare wants us back home. Fast." "Ok." I said, and Dakota started up the steps opposite the ones Kiley took. I looked back at that stairway. 'This will never be over.' What did she mean? This girl was more of a mystery than my past. She wasn't just a girl. What was she?[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When we got to the top of the stairs Dakota frowned. "What's bugging you?" he said. "Nothing. Come on, we got to get home." I said, and disappeared into the portal. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]On the other side was the entry hall to the Drake family home. There was a family portrait on the wall of a tall, black haired man in a long black robe with a silver pattern. The woman had on a sun gold gown and purple-blue overcoat. The two sons wore identical robes, one gold and blue, the other black and white. They were all smiling. I looked up at that picture now and wondered what happened to that happy family. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Dakota charged up the steps with me right behind him. When we entered the great hall, we saw Malistare pacing. "What took you so long?" he asked as we approached. "We had a .... err...... small incident. Won't happen again." Dakota said. "It was the Twins sir. And Him." I said, keeping my eyes on the ground. "Well, what did you do about them?" Malistare asked. "I sent the Undead to kill them. Jams escaped, and Kiley and Alex ran into the flower room. I fought her, but in the process we destroyed all of the flowers-" [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"WHAT!" Malistare screamed, "Those were the last remaining batch in all of Marleybone! And you destroyed them! How dare you!" He leaned over to strike me across the face. He almost did, except that fight with the girl had made my senses sharp. I dodged at the last second, making him fall on the ground. "YOU'RE DEAD!" Malistare yelled, and then said to Dakota, "Take him down to the dungeon. No food or water for three days." I stared at him. I would object, but then he would just lengthen my punishment. Dakota came over with a sorry look on his face, and was going to lead me down the steps until I remembered. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Wait!" I shouted, "We may have destroyed all of the flowers in the fight, but before that I grabbed some, as insurance." I ran over to him and pulled out the bundle of fresh flowers. His eye went wide, and he grabbed them out of my hands. He raised them to the light so he could inspect them. "These are a very good specimen. Thank you. Now, you only have to suffer two days." He walked out of the room leaving Dakota and I speechless. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Sorry 'bout that." Dakota said when we got to the dungeon, "Noah here made him pretty mad while you were gone." I then looked into Noah's cell to see a limp figure huddled in the corner. He had bruises everywhere, and looked like he could use a healer. He looked up when he heard his name. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Hey Nobody, how yah doing?" he asked in a feeble voice. "Fine, how about you?" I asked him. It looked like he could use some company. "Good. Or at least, better than an hour ago." I looked at all the bruises and could see he had gotten the painful end of Malistare's rage. "Well, Malistare got mad at me, so now I have to spend two days in here without food or water." I said. He looked at me in surprise, and said, "I won't mind sharing. Dakota brings me a lot anyways." I looked at him then more as a friend than my master's captive. Because technically, all of us apprentices were his captives too.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We spent the next few hours talking about what life was like being wizards. Noah told me about his family, and what they were like. He had been born here in Wizard City, it turned out, and grown up a normal kid. But when he met Alex, his life changed. He wasn't normal. He said it was fun, not being normal. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We talked until dinner, which was when Dakota brought Noah his food. As he said he would, he split his loaf of bread in half, and gave half to me. I thanked him, and we began to eat. I began to wonder why he did that. I spent the rest of the night on that subject. No one had ever been that nice to me. Except Aaron. Aaron had taken me in when no one else was there for me. I owed him my life for that.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]After dinner we talked some more, but soon Noah got tired and fell asleep. I laid down and looked out the window at the full moon, and wondered if Aaron was still alive, and how he was fairing. I wondered why Noah was so kind to a stranger, a stranger who worked for the person who kept him captive. I wondered who that girl was, and why I remembered her name. Kiley Lifehunter, I think it was. I wonder what she mean, 'This will never be over.' What started? A war? A fight? A rivalry? Sadly, in order to answer this question, I needed my memories, which were lost back at that explosion. That cold, icy explosion.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 22: Into the Clouds[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Alex's Point of View:[/B] When we got back the top, the Undead had cleared out. Kiley and I were silent as we made our way to the roof. When we got there, Jams and Bradley were furious. "Where have you been?" Jams said. "We ran into..... trouble." Alex said, picking his words carefully. "What trouble?" Jams said. Before I could find an answer, Kiley jumped in to save the day.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"The boy that sent the Undead after us was down in the tunnels. We found him in a room filled with Harebell flowers. Fortunately, he hadn't picked any. We fought, and destroyed the beds of flowers in the process." Kiley said. Jams nodded. I wondered if she knew who that boy was too. It would make sense. Something about him wasn't right. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Well, we should get going. Ambrose will want to know what we found. Besides that, the Dragons are restless." Bradley said. "Alright, I guess there's nothing more for us to do her anyways." Jams said, "Come on. If we hurry, maybe Ambrose will have some lunch for us!" [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Bradley got up into the dragon's saddle and helped Jams climb up. The dragons were big, bigger than I remembered them. They wouldn't fit through the world door anymore. "Uh, Kiley? Jams? Is it just me, or did the dragons grow while we were gone?" I said. Jams was just getting into her dragon's saddle, and looked down at the ground. "That was a harder climb than before. The man who lent me them said they were half Drake, so they wouldn't be as big as the others, and we could ride them on the streets. But, they are too big right now to fit on the streets." she frowned in confusion, "Kiley, any impute?"[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Well," Kiley stated, "They are probably young. Around 9 or 10 years old in human years. They would have stopped growing for a while so the man who lent you them though they had stopped growing all together. But, they probably have started growing again. Who lent them to you anyways?" [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Prospector Zeke said I could borrow them. They needed to get out of the barn for a while. Speaking of Zeke, he didn't expect us to be this long. We should drop them off on our way to Ambrose." Jams said. "One question." I said, "How do we get back if we can't use the world gate?"[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Well," Kiley said, "Since the Spiral is all one world, it is incased in a cloud of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and other gases. This is all held together with ancient magic that Bartelby and his sister cast upon the world before it split apart. And each of the individual worlds are incased by a thin barrier that makes up the atmosphere. So, if these dragons are strong enough, they can just fly past the barrier to any world they chose." "Oh." I said, "Then I guess we should try, shouldn't we?" [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]I climbed up onto the saddle. Once my legs were strapped in [so I wouldn't fall out if we went upside-down.] I leaned over and grabbed Kiley's hand. She used the scales as stepping stones to get into the saddle. When she was settled, she said, "Ok Jams, time to see what these dragons can do!" [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The dragons took off from the roof of Newgate Prison. They circled around, slowly going up in a spiral. Soon, we could see from Scotland Yard to Mugsy. We continued to climb into the stars. "Wow." Kiley said, looking down, You could see all of Marleybone from up here. It was amazing. As we climbed higher and higher, the ground was farther and farther away. Soon, we broke the barrier between Marleybone and the rest of the Spiral. We could see all of the worlds orbiting around Wizard City. It was amazing.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I wish I could have stayed up there forever. But, I had a job to do. We flew towards Wizard City, at the heart of the Spiral. When we approached the barrier, Jams shouted, "Slan pasaite! Muid dluthchara!" A ripple went through the bubble, and it absorbed us.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 23: Dreams, Nightmares, and Reality[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Nobody's Point of View: [/B]I was having that strange dream again. There were seven men standing in a line, with the sun behind them. They were protecting something. The monsters that were attacking them were hideous. There were Dragons, Storm Lords and Frost Giants as well as Hydras and Centaurs and Scarecrows that had turned evil. They all were relentless, not giving up until you kill them, even if they only had one leg left. I was fighting too. There was a boy next to me, with brown hair and kind green eyes. On my other side was another boy, with long black hair and brown eyes. We fought together, and it was exhilarating. We took out Hydras with a Minotaur, Dragons with a Wraith, and Frost Giants with Helephants.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]But soon, a corrupted magician landed a spectral blast on me. I fell to the ground, where there was soft green grass died red with the blood from the battle. I heard the moans and cries of those like me who were dying, slowly, on this soft plane. I started to drift in and out of consciousness, wondering where my friends were.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"He's over here!" a voice in the distance said. I strained to hear more, but every time it was muffled by the sounds of battle. "......are you ok? .....! Are you ok?" a soft, high, melodic voice said. It was always the same voice, the same words. The voice, it was so pretty. It sounded like spring, with the birds singing and fairies dancing, and honeybees buzzing from one flower to the next. Then another voice came in. It wasn't as high, but it wasn't low. It sounded like hail hitting the leaves, or snow as it fell to the ground. It said, "Hurry! They're coming! If you're going to do it, do it quick!" Then the high voice again, "He's too far gone, he'll never make it! We're too late-" "Impossible!" said the other voice, "If anything you will come up with something. You know we can't lose him!" I heard someone muttering under their breath, calculating something.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The sounds of battle were all around. But still, all I could hear were those two voice. They must be angels, I though, here to take me away. Soon, the first voice came back, "There is one possibility. But you know the risk is high..............." the voices and battle begin to fade, just before I get my answers. But right before I drift away, I hear this: ".....send him to Earth." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I have been having this dream, or nightmare, for a while. Ever since that fateful day when Ambrose almost killed Aaron. I always wake up in a cold sweat, and remind myself it's just a dream, and I need to get back to sleep. I close my eyes, but all I can see is those two boys, and all I hear are those voices over and over again, calling to me, begging me to come back to them. "Why? How?" I ask them. But never have I gotten my answer. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]After a while, I drift back off into dreamland. This time, I have a different dream. A dream of childhood, and a happy one. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I was in a long hall. On either side were doors leading to children's rooms, with two beds and a chest of drawers for them to share. There were pictures and drawings covering the walls, making it feel like home. I ran down the hall to the big bay window that looked out onto the street. There were Christmas lights decorating every awning, and snow blanketed the ground. Down on the streets, people rushed from store to store, looking for toys and clothes for their friends and family. In front of the building I was in there was a snowman army, with twig arms and pine needle noses. A sign next to them read, "Little Valley Orphanage, New York." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I felt a tap on my left shoulder. When I looked, no one was there. "Gotcha!" a high sing-song voice came from my right. I spun around to see a girl, a little shorter than me, who must be at least eight years old, smiling. She had long blonde hair and lots of freckles. "Come on! You're gonna be late for the hide and seek game!" she cried, and ran down the hall. I chased after her, relieved to have a friend. She took the stairs two at a time and leaped across the sitting room to a group of kids standing in the middle of the room. The girl I had been following went and stood by another girl, eagerly wanting to begin the game. "All right." an older boy said, "We're gonna play hide and go seek. I'm it. The only rules are you can't go outside, you can't go in the garage, and you can't go in Aggies's room. Got it?" "Yes!" all the little kids chimed in. "Ok then," the older boy said, "1.........2...........3............4......." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We all ran off to find a hiding spot. I followed the girl I met earlier, and she went with another girl to a closet by the front door. We dove into it, burring ourselves deep in the back behind all the coats. Soon we heard, "Ready or not, here I come!"[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We stayed quiet. We didn't want to be found. We heard kids scream and squeal when they were found, and lots of little feet pound down the stairs. Soon, the older boy began to call names. "Ali! Blaire! Where are you? I know you're there somewhere! Come out come out wherever you are!" Then, "Lay! I know you're out there to! Where'd you go big boy?" [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We giggled. He wouldn't find us in here. The door flew open. "Ha!" the older boy said, "Oh, THERE NOT IN HERE SARA!" He moved on. We were overcome with laughter. We fell on the floor in a dog pile, rolling all over the floor. The door flew open. "I FOUND THEM SAM!" a girl, probably Sara said. "Oh there you are!" Sam said. We were pulled out of the closet into the jostle of kids we called family. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I don't know where this came from. Was my name Blaire? Ali? Lay? I don't know. All I know is that is one of the few memories I have. I guess I haven't lost my memory. Maybe it's locked away, deep inside..........now I have to wake it up.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 24: Surprise, Surprise[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Apparently when we broke the barrier that protected Wizard City, Some sort of alarm went off. Our dragons began to circle, making their way towards the commons. When we got in sight of the Commons, we saw a big crowd had assembled, along with all the masters and Ambrose. They were prepared for an invasion. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][I]Jams, we got trouble. I told you forcing open the shield wasn't a good idea.[/I] Kiley said. [I]It was our only option. Now stop complaining and put absorbs on us. Bradley and I will keep them busy, you and Alex try to stop them.[/I] Jams replied. [I]Ok.[/I] Kiley said, and began to put up lots of absorbs.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We circled out of range until the absorbs were ready. When they were, Kiley nodded at Jams, and Jams whispered something to Bradley. He began to grin mischievously. He whispered something back. Then Jams was grinning mischievously. [I]We got this covered.[/I] Jams said, and drove her dragon into a very steep dive. Kiley placed her hand on the dragon's head, and using telepathy, guided it to a safe landing near Zeke.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Jam's Point of View:[/B] "We're going to head off the attacks so that Kiley can get on the ground to talk to Ambrose. It's our only chance. I was thinking make a big display of it. You got any ideas?" I whispered to Bradley. "Well," he whispered back, "We could do a nose dive, that would scare them. I'm trusting your good at controlling dragons." I grinned, wide. "That's perfect." I said, and nodded to Kiley so she knew we had a plan. I then placed my hand on the dragon's neck, so I could communicate with it. I told him what we wanted him to do, and he agreed. "Hang on." I told Bradley, and then the dragon performed what I thought was the steepest dive ever.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When I looked down upon the wizard's faces below, I knew they were scared. That was good. They probably wouldn't attack. Boy, was I wrong. First, a master storm student summoned a triton. Two of the absorbs shattered. More followed suit, and soon we were surrounded by kraken, helephants, colossus, and triton. They clawed, scratched, and bashed the absorbs to no end. The absorbs were shattering quickly, and soon one triton broke through, zapping Bradley. He went limp in the saddle. It was no use. 'Get us to higher ground.' I told the dragon. 'As you wish, master.' it replied, and took off. Before we could reach safe altitude, a triton jumped up and priced the dragon's wing. It howled in pain, the gash bleeding with purple dragon blood. I yelled as the dragon plummeted to the ground.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Kiley's Point of View:[/B] Alex and I jumped out of the saddle and ran towards the mass of wizards. There were so many, the formed a solid wall. Alex couldn't get through, and said, "You're going to have to in without me. Let me in when you can." I nodded, and slipped into the crowd. I was skinny, easily fitting through the gaps left by people. Soon, I saw Ambrose within the mass of people. I made my way over to him. When I was halfway there, I heard a shattering noise. I looked up to see the last absorb shatter, and Bradley go limp. Jams tried to fly away, but the triton priced the dragon's wing. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"NO!" I shrieked as the dragon spiraled down. I ran through the crowd until I was by the dragon. I began to check it's vital signs. He was still alive. Then, I went over to the saddle, where Jams and Bradley were still strapped in. I felt for their pulse. Bradley had a pulse, and it was growing stronger by the minute. Unfortunately, Jams was the opposite, growing weaker and weaker. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Stand aside, young girl," a deep voice said, "We must kill the intruders before they kill us." I turned to see Blaze Silverfist. He was a Balance Master, and well respected. He was also VERY powerful. He raised his hand, preparing to summon Hydra to finish the dragon and his riders. Tears started to stream down my face. I looked around. I realized no one but me could stop him, would stop him. I stood up. "Stop." I said, breaking his concentration. "Or what?" he said, the spell beginning to take hold. "I said, STOP!" I screamed, and slapped him across the face. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Blaze's eye's snapped open. "What was that for?" he said, "I'm not doing anything wrong! I'm trying to save us all!" I stared at him. I then turned to address not only him, but the entire crowd. "You are all so BLIND! Do you see who this is? It is my twin sister, Jasmine, and her friend, Bradley. Alex and I were with them in Newgate Prison investigating the mysterious boy there. We borrowed some Drakes from Prospector Zeke so we could move faster, but they turned out to be dragons. They grew while we were there, and we couldn't fit through the World Gate. So, we went through the outside. We opened the barrier so we could land, but this is what greeted us! Not a joyous crowd eager to hear the good news, but a hostile crowd who wanted to KILL US!" I screamed, tears rolling down my cheek like a stream, "And thanks to all of you, my twin is almost DEAD!"[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I turned and ran. Through the crowd, down towards the fairgrounds. I looked back once to see everyone staring after me. The path I had made still was there. Ambrose was next to Blaze, who seemed the most shocked out of them all. Ambrose put an arm out to steady him. He had almost killed her. That boy. How despicable. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Alex's Point of View:[/B] I watched her run. She was headed for Golem's Court. I could find her later. I rushed through the crowd, to where Jams, Bradley, and the magnificent Dragon laid. I leaned over to see that Bradley would come too soon. The dragon's wing could be mended easily, with the proper magic. But Jams, she was almost gone. I stood up, and realized all eyes were on me now. I turned to Ambrose and Blaze, and with a scowl said, "Bradley will be fine. So will the dragon. As for Jams, she is almost gone. She needs to be stable. Fast." I then took off towards Kiley. I could feel every eye follow me. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Blaze's Point of View: [/B]I watched him go. I couldn't believe what he'd said. Jams? Almost dead? And it was all my fault. I had been checking the barrier and noticed the disturbance. I told Ambrose. I guess we all over reacted. "Um, Ambrose?" I said as Alex ran after Kiley, "Shouldn't we help them? If what they said is true, Jams needs help."[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Right," Ambrose said, "Johnny, Ryan, Kevin. Get those two unsaddled and into the infirmary immediately. Krista, Hayley, Hanna, wall of this area so we may care for the dragon in peace. Masters, if you aren't busy, I may have a job for you. The rest of you, go back to whatever you were doing. Good day." Then, he went into his office, and wasn't seen again.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The crowd dispersed quickly. The girls in charge of the wall were quick. One side was up in a matter of minutes. They were on the second wall when another dragon, probably the one Kiley had been riding, came into the clearing and sat next to the first dragon. She rested her muzzle on his head, careful not to disturb anyone, and went to sleep. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I went over to Johnny, Ryan, and Kevin. They had gotten Bradley out, and Kevin and Ryan were caring him on a stretcher towards the infirmary, with Moolinda close behind. Johnny was trying to get Jams out of the saddle. "Let me help." I said, and unbuckled the leg harnesses. "Thanks!" he said. We lifted her onto the stretcher, and carried her to the infirmary.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Moolinda is treating Jams right now. Bradley is strong, but still unconscious. No one has touched the dragon. Moolinda was struggling to heal Jams. "I don't know how to heal her. Her magical circuits are completely different from normal wizards. I'm powerless here." Moolinda said, and went to the door. "Wait," I said, "Aren't you going to heal her?" I asked. Moolinda looked at the floor, "I can't." she said, and left.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I sat there, on the edge of her bed, wondering how to heal her, for a long time. I had almost killed her. I was the reason she was going to die. I felt so guilty. Why? Why did I have to be wrong? There had to be something I could do. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Oh, Bartleby, Lady Nightstar, help me! I don't know what to do........ I don't want her to die because of me! Why did it have to be me that attacked![/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 25: A New Way of Making Friends [Do Not Try at Home][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Dakota's Point of View:[/B] I didn't like that we were keeping Nobody in the dungeon like this. It just wasn't right. Right now I was seated at the large dining room table with Lily across from me, Nobody's empty chair on my left, and Malistare's chair on my right. He was not here yet. He had been in his laboratory all day, experimenting on the flowers. Lily and I sat there, in silence, for what seemed like forever. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"So, how've you been?" I asked her. She just shot me her evil eye. "Aw, come on! You're still going to be mean to me? Why? We're on the same side!" I said. "I do not associate with beings under my level of intelligence." she said, and turned to face the grand window at the end of the hall. I couldn't help smiling. She thought she was so smart. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Why do you assume I do not match or exceed your aptitude? How do you know I cannot keep up with your level of comprehension? I may look like I am all brawn not brains, but really, I am both. So if you think you're smarter than me, and that allows you to boss me around, I'm sorry. You can't do that." I said. I had been wanting to say that for forever. She always seemed to try to float in the clouds above us, as if Nobody and I were no match for her. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]She turned back to the table. She was speechless. I grinned. "Now, are you going to apologize like a good little girl, or are we going to need to get a shovel to scoop you chin off the ground?" I said. Her mouth closed, her jaw hardening. "I will not stand to be insulted like that. YOU are the one who must apologize." she said, and turned away.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Lily's Point of View: [/B]No one had ever dared to speak to me like that before. This boy, he was different. I was curious as to why. I guess I'd play his game for a little while............what trouble could it get me into?[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Dakota's Point of View:[/B] I stared at her. She was demanding an apology when she had insulted ME! Now she was starting to get on my nerves. "You know," he said, "For someone who is so bright, you miss major points. YOU are the one who insulted ME. Now, if you do not apologize, I will be forced to be mad at you. And you won't like me when I'm mad." She looked at me, as if sizing me up. "Why would I be scared?" she said, and went back to staring out the window. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]That did it. She was going to be sorry she said that. I stood up, in one smooth motion, and stepped back from the table. I felt my rage mix with my magic, building and boiling and pumping and flowing. I felt it in every inch of my body. She looked over at me, clearly unaware of what I was going to do. She smirked, and went back to staring out the window. I growled, and lunged across the ornate table, with its white tablecloth and fancy china, to the chair where she sat.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]She shrieked, and leapt out of the chair. I had overshot anyways, and hit the wall with my feet, like a cat. I pounced off, ready to charge again. I looked towards the direction she had ran, towards the window behind Nobody's chair. There were huge drapes covering the walls and heavy silk curtains on the windows. She could be behind any of them. I was angry, and that fed my magic, building it.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Come out and fight like a real wizard! One who can hold her own! Because if you are too scared to fight me, then you should not have insulted me!" I yelled as I walked towards the end of the hall. The air was rigged with tension. The only sounds were of my footsteps, right, left, right, left. They stopped in the middle of the room, near the great window that looked out over Dragonspyre. You could see everything. I looked at each drape, for that tiny tell-tale bump or movement that would tell me she was there. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Soon, the anger ebbed away, the magic returning to its normal state. I couldn't stay mad like that forever. "Fine. If you will not face me like a true wizard, then there is no reason for me to fight you. For I only fight real wizards. Not shadows, not whispers. I fight face to face with my enemy, so that the winner is victorious because of skill, not stealth. You're safe for now, but I warn you. I'm watching you." I said, and went back to sit down at the table. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]After a few minutes, a head popped out from behind the drape closest to the left pane of the window. It scanned the room with cat like eyes, making sure it was safe. Then, she slipped out of her hiding place, and glided over to her spot, and sat down. We both stared at our plates, wondering when dinner would come.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]After some time, the cook, a seraph, appeared at the kitchen door. "Master will not be joining you for dinner. He told me to serve it to you before it got cold." Then, she placed two bowls of steaming hot Mooshu soup in front of us. We thanked her, and she left. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We ate in silence for some time. Soon, Lily's eyes lifted to meet mind. They had fear written all over them. "I'm sorry for being so snobby." she said. "It's ok." I said in a gruff tone, "But don't do it again." I had finished my soup, and was getting up to leave. "Don't go." she said, "If it isn't much of a bother, I'd really like to get to know you. It's rather lonely around here, and you don't seem too bad." I smiled, and sat back down. "What do you want to know?" I said with a wicked grin. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Lily's Point of View: [/B]I can't believe it. I actually wanted to be his friend. I think it may have been the way he said he only fought 'true wizards.' I had always liked people who had their own moral code that was similar to my own. And just for the record, the only reason I didn't fight was because I was running low on mana. Nothing else. Well, yes there was. I've never told anyone before, and I don't want anyone to find out really. But, nevertheless, I must tell somebody. The truth was I was absolutely terrified of him. And, I think that's why I want to be his friend.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Seeing the rage and anger in his eyes, just reminded me of that dragon, from the fire my parents were in. That dragon looked furious, and the result of her anger was the fire. Ever since then, whenever I see that rage in somebody's eyes, I run and hide. Anger only leads to destruction, unless you can control it, which is pretty much impossible. Emotions override all thoughts, all desires. Rage, loyalty, honor, and fear being the strongest. If you are inflicted by these, your judgment is impaired, and not reliable. This is why I fear it.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I was relieved to see that Dakota would stay. We talked, mostly about the present. Sometimes our childhoods came up, and we would say something. I think we both have something to hide. We finished our dinner, and went out on the balcony to practice the new spell Malistare had taught us. It was called Triton. We were having trouble with it. I was about to give up when I took my wand, and threw it on the ground.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"What was that for?" Dakota said. "I give up!" I said, and began to storm away. "Whoa, slow down!" Dakota said, sliding in front of the door, and grabbing me by the shoulders, "You're doing fine. Storm just fizzles a lot." I tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but he was too strong. "I'm just fed up with all these spells!" I said, "They always take forever for me to learn! It's not fair! You never fizzle!" "Want me to teach you a secret?" he said. "Sure." was the only reply I could give. He let go of my shoulders, and said, "Go pick up your wand." I did as I was told. "Now come here." I went over to him. I held out my wand as if to cast a spell. He turned my hand so it faced away from us, and placed his hand over my hand. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Now, push your magic into the wand. No, not all at once, but a little at a time." I pushed my magic into the wand, and drew the storm symbol. I activated it, and out popped a triton. I was so happy. "I DID IT!" I sung, and hugged Dakota. He stumbled back from the force. I believe this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 26: Ripples of Life[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Alex's Point of View:[/B] I ran towards Golem Court at full speed. We needed Kiley to help Moolinda heal Jams and Bradley, and try healing the Dragon's wing. And that wasn't like her, running off. I needed to know what was going on here. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When I got there, the place was deserted. I looked around. Where was she? She wouldn't have gone IN the tower, and there was nothing else here. I walked around and around the circle, wondering where she had run off to. I was about to go through the tower when I heard a muffled cry coming from the back left corner, near the rocky cliff. I went over, hoping to see Kiley.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I ran through the trees. No sign of her, or that she'd ever been here. I went back to the tunnel, and walked the base of the cliff. When I reached the back corner, I saw a cave. I ran ahead, thinking Kiley was probably in there. When I got to the mouth, I could feel the power radiating out of it. It poured out, and just standing there made me feel fresh and renewed. I took a hesitant step inside. Then, I took another. Then another, and another, and another. Soon, I had left the daylight behind for the darkness. The cave had a smooth, polished floor that looked to be made of obsidian. The walls were rougher, but not deadly. Stalactites hung from the ceiling and stalemates rose from the floor to meet them. The joined like dragon's teeth, forming rows and rows of spikes ready to rip your flesh from your bone.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]After a few minutes of walking, I saw a reddish-orange light at the end of the tunnel. I began to run. When I got close, I could hear somebody crying. And something running, flowing down a drop. I kept running. I slowed down when I reached the end. In front of me were two figurines, standing tall and proud, guarding the entrance. Above read a passage in a language I couldn't understand. It said: [/FONT][/SIZE]


[CENTER][I][FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]An halla dar data briongloid, duisigh, la, trathnona, talamh, farraige, speir, solas, dorcha, breitheamh, laoch, agus realta.[/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/CENTER]



[CENTER][I][FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]Amhain ion dar data intinn, ion dar data hairt, is ion dar data spiorad canna scoith.[/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/CENTER]



[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The two statues were not humans. They looked like girls, about my age, but with marvelous wings, not of a seraph, but of soft dove feather, tough as raven's feather, beautiful as bird of paradises wings. The one on the right was looking up, with her hands in front of her forming a bowl. Her hair was curly and flowed down past her shoulders. On the left was another angel, but she looked different. Her hair was straight, and her hands were grasped in a pleading gesture, as if begging somebody to do something. I tried to peer into the room, but it was around the corner, so I couldn't see. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Then, I heard the sobbing grow louder. I hid behind the angel on the left, so no one could see me from inside. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Oh, Lady Nightstar, what did I do wrong? I didn't want this to happen to Jams. It isn't fair! In all the fairytales, all the make believe stories, the good guys don't get hurt like this. They don't die. They don't turn on their friends. Why did it have to be me that saved Alex! Why did I have to be in the battle! Couldn't it have been somebody else? I wish I could be a normal girl for once! That's it! Give my job to somebody else, one of those people who always wish for something extraordinary to happen. They'll get what they're asking for!" Plunk! Something fell into water. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I felt sorry for her. I must be a big pain to look after, always getting into trouble. All she wanted was to be normal. I decided to go back and check on Jams. Kiley would come back when she was ok.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I crept out from my hiding spot, careful not to disturb her. I slid out from my hiding spot, and tipped toed down the path. Five feet from the door, I let out a sigh, and began to walk normally. [I]Thunk........pitter patter pitter patter[/I] went a stone I accidentally kicked. I froze. "Who's there?" Kiley called. "Who's there!" she said, her voice rising, "Come out from the tunnel and show yourself!"[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I let out a deep breath. I had no choice now. I turned around. [I]Thump. Thump. Thump.[/I] Went my feet on the floor. I passed the gate, and turned the corner. She was sitting at the edge of a pool, about three feet across. The room was circular, with light blue, purple, and green mana sparks lighting the walls. Runes covered them, as well as the strange language that was written on the entrance. A giant crystal was hanging above the pool in mid air. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]And in the middle of it all was Kiley. She was sitting down, looking back at the mouth of the cave. Her eyes were red from crying, and the hem of her dress was soaked with tears. Relief crossed her face when she saw who it was in the tunnel. "Oh, hi Alex." she said in a soft voice, "I wasn't expecting you to find me her."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I walked into the room, and sat down next to her. She knelt by the pool and looked into its deep, watery depths. "What are you doing down here?" I said after a few silent minutes. "This is where I come when I need to get away from it all. Not many people know about it. Just me, you, Jams, and.......some other people." she said with a look of dismay on her face. Her normally bright blue eyes were filled with sadness, and a tear rolled down her check. "Who else?" I asked. "It's ........nobody. They're not important anymore anyways. Spirits of the past, and that is where they remain." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I could see that I wasn't getting anywhere, instead I was making her cry even more. "What is this place?" I said, trying to change the subject, "The only place I've seen crystals like this is Dragonspyre." She perked up a little bit. "It was created by Lady Nightstar, you know, Bartelby's sister?" she said, "Well, she didn't want to reside in Wizard City, or any of the other worlds currently in the Spiral. So, one day she disappeared. But, before that, she left a note that lead you through a series of riddles. Only the smartest could solve it. I turned out to be pretty smart, and found this place." "Ah." I said, "But what does the archway in the tunnel say?" [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Oh, you can't read it, can you?" she said. I shook my head. "No bother, no one knows Old Tongue anymore, anyways." "What's the Old Tongue?" I said. She looked at me curiously. "You seriously don't know what the Old Tongue is?" "No........" I said. She smiled. "It was the speech first used in the Spiral, when it was whole. It helped to control your magic, and enabled you to create your own spells. It has been lost over time though. Only a few wizards still use it, and few will teach it. The reason they changed was because younger kids didn't have the patients or discipline to learn it. It took a long time, and required you to be dedicated. New Tongue is much easier to understand, and can be taught easier. The only downfall is, New Tongue isn't specific enough for you to create spells. It is not a language magic understands easily, and cannot define thought as well. Old Tongue had many more words, and magic flowed within it. It is the language of magic."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Ok," I said, "Thank you for the history lesson, but I only asked what it SAID." She began to laugh, a high, song like laugh, that just made you want to laugh. Soon we were both laughing. We tried to stop, but if you ever have tried to stop laughing after something really funny happens, you know what I mean by it is impossible. After a few minutes, we managed to regain our sanity. "The door says, "The Hall of Dreams, Wake, Day, Night, Land, Sea, Sky, Light, Darkness, Hero, Justice, and Stars. Only pure of mind, pure of heart, and pure of spirit can enter." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Why? Shouldn't it be all of the school?" I said. She laughed. "It is, silly!" she said, "Light and Day are Life, Night and Darkness are Death, Land is Fire, Sea is Strom, Sky is Ice, Hero is Myth, Justice is Balance, and Dreams, Wake, and Stars are symbols for magic in general." "Oh.....I get it!" I said. I didn't quite get the fire-ice-storm relationship, but I didn't want to bug her about it. There were more pressing matters. "Come on. Don't you think we should check on Jams, Bradley, and the Dragons?" I said, and stood up. She looked up at me with a face that said everything. She didn't want to go back, not at all.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I knelt down beside her. "You know, you're going to have to come out eventually." I said, "The sooner the better." Still no response. "Come on, you can't be ashamed for how you acted. I would have done the same for you or Jams." She just sat there, dull-eyed. I went over to the passageway, and picked up a shiny pebble. I went back to the pool of water. "You see this?" I said. She nodded. I tossed the pebble into the pool, right in the middle. The water ate the pebble, and ripples flowed away from it. "You see how that one pebble made the entire pool ripple? It's the same with actions. Everything you do, every pebble you throw in the pool, has a repercussion, or consequence, like the ripples."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]She looked at me with kind eyes. "You know, when I was growing up, that's what my Nana would always tell me. No matter what I do, I'm going to hurt somebody, so you have to be ready for the consequences of you actions." I was taken aback. "What?" she said. "I have never heard of you or Jams talk about your past." She looked down into the pool. "It's not a particularly happy past." she said with a look of regret, "But I can't change that." [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]She sighed deeply. "Ready to go?" I said. "I think so." she said. I smiled, "Better now than later." and helped her up. We walked down the passage, under the arch. Once we had cleared the arch, Kiley turned back, and whispered something under her breath. I looked at her funny, and she just shook her head. "Come on, let's go." she said, and we ran down the tunnel.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We ran down the tunnel, through Golem Court, down past the Fairgrounds, into the infirmary. We saw Blaze sitting by Jams, who was unconscious. Kiley went stiff. She didn't like him, apparently. He stood up when he saw us there. " I-she uh...." was all he could say. "Why isn't Moolinda healing her?" I asked. He stared at me. "She said she can't." We stared in shock. Kiley went white. She said in a small, feeble voice, "No, Jams, no. You can't die!" [/SIZE][/FONT]


[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 27: Rings, and their Deadly Secrets[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Nobody's Point of View: [/B]I woke to the sound of rain falling outside. I looked out of the cell into a world quenched in acid rain. No one would venture out today. I laid down on the ground and tried to go to sleep again. This was near impossible, because I was already awake. I heard a rustling behind me, and turned to see Noah waking up. He looked a little stiff, but other than that, fine. "Hey" I said, "Did you sleep well?" [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]He looked at me with sleep still in his eyes. "Yeah, I guess." he said, "How about you?" "Well, let's just say it was the best sleep I've had in a while." I said. We were silent for some time. I heard a rat running from one hiding spot to another. Then, the dungeon door banged open. "Why? I don't know why! He just said to, and we gotta follow!" Dakota shouted. Lily was behind him as they climbed down the stairs to where we were. "I'll get Nobody." Lily said while Dakota grabbed Noah. "What's going on?" I whispered to Lily. "Malistare wants Noah for something. We don't know. HE just said to come down and get you both." she whispered back. I nodded, and she lead me towards the stairs with my hands pinned behind my back. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When we got up there, we saw Malistare, holding a pot made of copper alloys. He was grinning his wicked grin. "Bring Noah here." his said. Dakota lead him to the center of the room. He forced him to his knees, and Noah just stared at the floor. He then turned and walked back to Lily and I. He looked at Lily and shook his head. She let out a gasp of air. He then looked to me and mouthed the words, "He's not going to make it." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I had no clue what they were talking about Then, Malistare turned to us. "Lately," he said, "Many Apprentices have been neglecting their duties and going against my wishes. So, to keep you in line, I am implying a new tactic." He took Noah's jaw in his hand and tilted his head up. He opened his mouth, and poured the contents down his throat. Then, he closed Noah's mouth and ticked his throat, making him swallow. We were still confused as to what exactly was happening. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Until this point Noah had been silent and non-moving. Suddenly, he began to jerk and spas out all over the floor. His arms and legs shook like there was an earthquake. His eyes began to roll back in her head. He looked at me with frightful eyes. They pleaded, "HELP ME!"[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Lily shrieked, and hid behind Dakota. He patted her head, and murmured to her, "It's ok. He needs Noah, he won't kill him." I stared in horror while the boy who had been my friend shook helplessly on the floor. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Malistare just smiled. He saw our fear, and enjoyed it. "There's only one way to help him." he said, "Oblige to my condition." "What condition?" Dakota asked. Malistare smiled once again. "You were always straight to the point." he said. "The deal is that you wear a ring, so I can keep track of you." We looked at each other. I nodded to Dakota, and Lily nodded to him as well. "Ok." Dakota said, "We'll do it."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]He walked over to us. "Hold out your hands." he said with a smile. Lily shrank back in fear, hiding behind Dakota. I recoiled as well when Malistare's eye's landed on me. But, they kept moving. "You" he said, pointing to Dakota. He held out his shaky hand, and Malistare grabbed it. He pulled out a ring, and slipped it on his left middle finger. The ring was made of gold, with a small band of purple-black color running down the middle.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]All of the sudden, the ring glowed. Dakota grimaced, and clenched his other hand in a fist. His hand shook. Then, he relaxed. The ring stopped glowing, and the ring had runes on it. Malistare then moved to Lily. "It's ok." Dakota said to her, and held her right hand. She looked to Malistare, and nodded. He took her hand, and slipped a thinner ring onto her left middle finger. She gasped, her eyes wide with fear. She looked to Dakota, and he held her hand tighter. Once again, the light faded, and runes appeared on the ring. Then, he moved to me.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]I held out my hand. Malistare took a third ring out of his pocket. This one was silver, and the purple in the middle was thinner. He slipped it onto my left middle finger. The ring began to glow, just as the others had. But with this light came an intense, white hot pain that spread from my finger, through my bone, up my arm, and spread all through my body. Then, the pain faded away, and the ring stopped glowing. When the light was gone, the runes appeared. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Now," Malistare said, "In these rings is a concentrate of Harebell flower. With one or two words it can be released into your bloodstream. Now, I will not do this if you obey my orders. It's just in case you decide to, I don't know, run away?" We all went white as a ghost. Dakota tried to pull off his ring, but couldn't. Malistare saw this, and said, "Now, here's the catch." We all listened, wondering what it could be. "The ring," he said, "Can only be removed by the person who put it on. Those runes and that pain you felt linked the ring and poison to your very soul. So don't try and funny business." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]He began to walk away. "But, what about Noah?" I asked, looking at the limp body on the floor, "Don't you need him alive?" Malistare turned, and took a crystal vial out of his pocket. "Here. This is the antidote." and tossed it. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Dakota dived, and just barely caught it before it hit the ground. He ran over, and poured three tin drops into Noah's mouth. "Will he be ok?" I asked. Dakota looked up, and nodded. "We should put him back in his cell." Lily said, "Malistare might get mad otherwise." "I'll get him." I said, and picked him up. Dakota lead the way back down to the dungeon, and we placed him in his cell. After closing the door, we just stood there, wondering what to do next. Do you guys know where we can talk without a chance of being overheard?" I asked them in the quietest whisper I could manage. But, never the less, it echoed through the dungeon. Dakota shook his head. I looked to Lily. "Follow me." she said. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]She lead us up the stairs, through the living room, down a hall towards the library. Once we were in the library, she lead us through a maze of bookshelves and desks. Soon, I wondered if we were lost. Then, we were in a little cornered off sitting room. "Here." she said, pointing to a bookshelf. "Here what?" Dakota said. Lily smiled, and went over to pick a book from the bookshelf. The title was, [I]Old Tongue, the Forgotten Language. [/I]The book slid off, revealing a lever. She pushed on the lever, and the bookshelf moved aside. We smiled. "Nice find." Dakota said, "But where does it go to?" [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"It's a series of tunnels. I don't know much because I haven't been able to explore it. But, Malistare doesn't know about it." Dakota looked at me. "Should we trust her?" I whispered. "I think we can." he said. He turned back to Lily, and said "Then by all means, ladies first."[/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 28: Encounter[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Kiley's Point of View:[/B] I ran over to Jam's side. "No Jams!" I said, "Don't die on us! We need you!" I felt like breaking down in tears. All this work, for nothing? I couldn't look after Alex by myself. Oh, what are we going to do? "Don't worry," a friendly voice said, "If I remember correctly, Jams was one fighter. You didn't want to mess with her." I turned to see Blaze, eyes glossed over, remembering good old days, when we were innocent, and fairytales were really. He had been in our grade, and we often did boss runs with him. He had been really nice, and since Jams and I hadn't been accepted here at first, he showed us the ropes. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"I'm sorry for attacking you guys. I didn't mean to, really, I didn't . I didn't realize it was you! If I had, Jams wouldn't be like this........." Blaze's voice faded away. He obviously regretted what he did. "It's ok." I said, "You made a mistake. You can't change that, and that's a fact. Some things are meant to happen. You just have to accept them." Wow. How much I sounded like Alex. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Ok, well, you two DO realize that we have a serious problem on our hands. The Spiral's best healer just said she CAN'T heal Jams. Now what?" Alex said. I looked at him, then back to Blaze, and finally to Jams. "Blaze, did Moolinda say why she couldn't heal Jams?" I said, still looking at Jams. "Well, she said that her magical circuits were completely different from other wizards." he said, "Wait, what are magical circuits?" [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Magical circuits," Kiley said, "Are the pathway your magic flows on in your body. They are laid out in a grid pattern, covering all the body. Sort of like the network your veins make, except with magic flowing, not blood. Her circuits and my circuits are different, because we do not use magic the same way normal wizards do. While most wizards use spell cards to conjure minions and control their magic for them. Jams and I use raw magic and mana to create whatever we can imagine, using the Old Tongue. Our bodies have adapted to this, and our circuits have changed. It's been a long time since Moolinda saw circuits like this." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Is there anyone who can help? There must be someone who remembers how Old Circuits work." Alex said. "Maybe Ambrose knows somebody?" Blaze said. "Good idea!" I said, "Let's go now." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We raced out of the infirmary, down past Zeke, around, through the gates to the headmaster's office. We opened the door to find a tray of amazing Krokotopia brown rice, filled with spices and vegetables, and milk. Ambrose was sitting behind his desk. "Welcome children." he said, "I was wondering when you'd get here." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We sat down across from him, and each took a bowl of rice and a glass of milk. As soon as we began to eat, we discovered we were really quite hungry. "There is no need to tell me what happened in Marleybone now. We will wait until Bradley is awake. But, what is it you seek?" Ambrose said. "We were wondering if there was a healer in the Spiral who could help us heal Jams. Her body still uses Old Circuits. Moolinda can't heal that anymore." I said. "Why, that is a problem." Ambrose said, "Have you any ideas?" [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Blaze and Alex looked at me. "Why do you look at me?" I said. "Well..." Blaze began. "You're the healer, and her twin. You seem to know everything!" Alex finished. I blushed. "I don't know everything....." I said. "I'd beg to differ." Alex said. "Well Kiley, have you any thoughts?" Ambrose said. "Well, it's a bit of a stretch, but I was thinking Oakheart could help." I said. "Ah, Oakheart." Ambrose said, "He would be happy to help, and last I heard, he was in Mooshu, near Shoushun Village. You have the Spiral Key, Kiley. Oh, and send him my regards." "Thank you, Ambrose." I said, "Come on Alex, Blaze. We have to pay a visit to somebody." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We left Ambrose for the Spiral Door. "So, we're going to go see Oakheart?" Alex said. "Yeah." I said, just as we exited the tunnel that lead from the Commons to Ravenwood. I was almost too preoccupied to notice the three people exiting the World Tree. Oh, how I didn't want to see them right now.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Nobody's Point of View:[/B] Lily lead the way down the steps of the tunnel. When we got down there, Dakota created a faint mana spark in his hand, so we could see where we were going. The walls were jagged and rough. We were so entranced by the tunnel we soon forgot about Malistare. Soon, we came to a fork in the tunnels. "Which path?" Lily said. "I don't know." Dakota said. "How about the right path?" I said. "Ok." Lily said, and we resumed walking.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]After some time, I began to feel a breeze. "Do you feel that?" I asked the others. "Yeah. There's wind." Lily said. "That's not possible down here." Dakota said, "Unless........" We all went wide eyed. We began to run down the tunnel, wanting to see what was at the end. Soon, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. It felt as though we were seeing the light after five years in darkness. As if a dark cloud had been hanging over our heads, and now it was lifted. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Dakota reached the end first. He turned around to catch Lily before she could fall off the ledge face first. I slowed down when I saw them stop, and went to see why.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When I got to the edge, it looked as though the Earth had decided to fall out from under our feet. The end of the tunnel was completely gone. It felt so amazing, standing up there. The wind blowing in your face made you feel like you were flying. We stood there for a few minutes, mesmerized.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"What's that?" Lily said. We then saw it. A path lead down the cliff to the bottom, where there was a pond filled with water, and trees around it. There was also a Spiral Door. Our own secret place. to get away. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We ran down the pathway to the pond. It teemed with life. Birds, butterflies, rabbits, and even an occasional deer or bear would wander through. The pond was filled with silver fish the size of your hand. We took off our shoes, rolled up the cuffs of our pants, and waded in. The water was cool and refreshing, but not cold. "Ah!" Lily said, "The fish are nibbling at my feet!" Dakota and I laughed. "That's only 'cause you have delicious toes!" Dakota said. Lily smiled, and splashed us with water. Dakota moved, and the water hit me. Soon, we were having a water fight. Shiny droplets flew through the air, hitting anything they could. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When we were all soaked through to our skin, we sat down on the banks to dry. Soon, a small fawn walked up to Lily. "How are you big boy?" she said with a laugh. The fawn crept closer and nudged her hand for food. Lily looked around, and saw some Alder berries. Deer love Alder berries. She picked some and gave them to the deer. He ate them, and then went back to his mother. "Aw," Lily said, "He's so cutie." "Who me?" said Dakota, trying to make her mad. "No the deer!" Lily said in an impatient tone. Dakota and I couldn't help it. We began to laugh, and roll all over the floor. "Why I outta-" Lily said, and got up. "Catch!" she said, and drew a storm symbol. A kraken popped up out of nowhere. "What is it that you wish?" he said. Lily whispered something in its ear. "As you wish." he said, and began to chase us.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We ran in circles, around the pond, for a long time. Dakota and I just ahead of the Kraken, and Lily watching from the beach where we started. When we passed her, we begged her to call the beast off, but she just stood there and laughed. It must have been a pretty funny sight, two grown wizards being chased in circles by a Kraken. Soon, we got tired, and collapsed on the beach. The Kraken stopped running. "Is that all you wish?" he asked Lily. "Yes. You may go." she said. We stared at her in disbelief. "You mean," Dakota said, still trying to catch his breath, "We, could of, stopped, running, whenever we, wanted?" That just made Lily laugh harder. We took that as a yes. "Dog pile!" Dakota shouted, and we both jumped on top of her. "Get off!" she said, "You're crushing me!"[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Not until you say sorry." I said. "Never!" she replied with a giggle. "Lily, don't make this hard." Dakota said, "We don't want to have to torture you." "No! I'm not gonna apologize!" she said, trying her best to not laugh. "Ok, fine. We just have to torture you. Nobody, summon, THE TICKLE MONSTER!" We both began to tickle her mercilessly. She laughed and laughed and laughed. Apparently, she is highly ticklish. "Stop! Stop!" she said in between laughs, gasping for air. "I'll do anything, just STOP THE TICKLE MONSTER!" [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Say please!" Dakota said, as we continued to tickle her. "Ok fine. PLEASE stop tickling me! PLEASE!" she said. Dakota and I stopped, and we let her get up. She was still a little out of breath. We had ended up under a shady Sycamore Tree, by a small stream that fed the pond. We laid there for a few minutes, not wanting to go back to the mansion, but not knowing where to go.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"So, what now?" I said after a while. "We could stay here for a while. Explore." Lily said. "Or," Dakota said with a grin, "We could go to Ravenwood!" "Ravenwood? How would we get there?" I asked, "We can't use Malistare's Spiral Door, and there are no other Spiral Doors around here." "No, follow me." Dakota said. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]He lead us away from the shade of the Sycamore Tree, to the opposite side of the pond. We entered the forest, following another small stream. Soon, we began to go uphill. It was rocky and somewhat steep, but nothing we couldn't manage. When we reached the top, the trees thinned out, and a Spiral Door appeared. "See. I told you!" Dakota said, and approached the door. "Where to?" he asked. "Wizard City." Lily and I said without hesitation. "Off we go then." Dakota said, and opened the door. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Dakota held the door open for us. I went through first, then Lily, then Dakota. Looking into the door, it was pitch black. After taking a few steps, you saw light up ahead. Then suddenly, you were in a huge tunnel, moving at the speed of light between two massive islands. First we passed Mooshu, then Marleybone, then Krokotopia, then, lastly, zoomed at full speed towards the island known as Wizard City. The path went black again. Behind us was the Star Tunnel, with it's amazing view. After a few steps, we found another door. We opened it, and appeared in the Spiral Chamber within Bartelby.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 29: Confrontation[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Nobody's Point of View:[/B] We walked down the lush, green carpet, towards a door with a circular window in it. The glass was stained yellow, and there was a spiral on it. We opened that door, and stepped out into Ravenwood. It has been such a long time since I was last here. I watched the younger wizards carelessly go from one class to the next, not knowing what danger was right in front of them. I scanned the crowd for any familiar faces, and found none. Then, I looked towards the tunnel to the Commons. I saw two figures coming through the tunnel, a boy and a girl. The girl was tall, with long curly hair and a pretty green dress. The boy was a tiny bit taller than her, with spiky black hair. He was in some sort of Marleybone robe. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When they reached the end of the tunnel, my heart stopped. No, I thought, not now. Not when I'm enjoying my freedom so much. But, she was still there. She looked up towards us. Our eyes met. Time seemed to slow down as I saw her face react to what she saw. Her jaw hardened, and her right hand rested on the hilt of her sword. We stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity. She said something to the boy behind her, who looked up to where Dakota, Lily and I stood. He then took out his wand. [I]What are you doing here?[/I] I heard her say. I couldn't find any words to say. Nothing would convince her of our innocents. She was too hard headed. I pulled out my wand. Dakota saw me, and asked why I was taking out my wand. Then, he followed my eyes to where Kiley and Alex stood. He took Lily's wrist and pulled her behind him. Then, he took out his wand as well. At that point, I knew this wouldn't end well.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Kiley's Point of View: [/B]Dakota pulled Lily behind him, to protect her. Alex had his wand out, although he was shaking like crazy. "What's wrong?" I said, without taking my eyes off the apprentices. "Nothing! Why would you ask?" Alex said in a shaky voice. "Alex, it's ok to be scared." I said as calmly as I could. "That's easy for you to say! You have all the power you could ask for! I'm just a Magus." I shook my head. "Do not fear, I'm right behind you." I said, hoping to calm him down. "But what if you don't save me?" he asked. "Alex, don't worry." I said, "Jams and I are your Guardians, we will protect you with everything we have, including our lives if it comes down to that. You have the skill to defeat them. Now, use it."[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Alex's Point of View: [/B]I was so nervous I almost dropped my wand. What Kiley said, that calmed my nerves a bit. But, this was my first duel against powerful people. I didn't know if I'd live. I knew Kiley had my back, I just didn't know if she and I could take on all three apprentices. It wasn't that I doubted my abilities. It's just that, I didn't know how strong they were.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]No one moved for the first few minutes. Nobody and Kiley still had their eyes locked, as if daring each other to make the first move. Soon, people started staring at us. They would whisper to one another, asking what we were doing. A few storm girls recognized me, and began to tell everyone who I was. Soon, a master storm boy, who thought he was all tough, came over to us. "What's this all about?" he asked, "You know that Wizard City rules state that there is no student vs student battling-" "Outside the arena." Kiley finished his sentence. "Yeah." he said, "And this doesn't look like a friendly staring competition." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Nobody smirked. "We don't exactly follow the rules, from where we come from." Dakota said, "So I suggest you get out of this while you can, storm boy." The boy who had stepped in went over to Nobody and Dakota. "Hey, I could easily beat you in a PvP, so don't go around-" "Oh, how full of yourself." Nobody said, "I can do this, I can do that! Ha. I'd be impressed if you could even begin to rival our power." The storm master drew his sword. "Oh yeah." he said, "Bring it."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"I don't think you want to do that." Kiley said, "It's not a very wise choice." "Quiet little girl, I got this. You and your boyfriend are safe now." Kiley smirked. "First of all," she said, "He's not my boyfriend. Second, you're in way over your head. Third, compared to me, you're the little one. I suggest you get out of this while you can." "Kiley, Kiley, Kiley." Nobody said, "It's his choice to fight me, not yours. So stop telling him what to do." "Yeah." the storm boy said, turning around, "Don't tell me what to-"[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]He never finished his sentence. At the exact moment he turned, a bolt hit him. It looked like a wild bolt, yet it was yellow with sparks of blue. Whatever it was, it was powerful. The boy fell to his knees. Nobody smiled. "As I said, we don't play by the rules." Then, in a second, he was up, running towards the fallen boy, ready to chop his head off. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]He was fast, but not as fast as Kiley. She had drawn her sword, and was running as well. But it didn't look like running. No, a better way to describe it was flying. Nobody didn't realize she had moved. He was still charging, ready to kill the boy. Just before he reached the boy, a mere foot from where he laid, he was stopped abruptly with a loud metallic crash. There was Kiley, with her sword. She had saved him. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Why do you always have to interfere with someone else's business!" Nobody roared, and swung his sword. Again, a loud metallic crash was heard as Kiley easily blocked it with her own sword. "Why can't you just leave people alone!" Kiley shouted back, and, using her sword, threw Nobody back. [I]Get that storm boy to safety, [/I]she told me. I looked to where Nobody laid, and then to the other apprentices. None were paying attention to me. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I ran towards the boy. He was unconscious. I used an absorb, and then picked him up, and ran blindly in the direction I thought was the Storm School. When I got onto the grass, a few storm students came over. "Will he be all right?" one of the girls asked. "I think so." I said, "But we need a Life student to heal him. Can you go get one?" "Ok." she said, and ran off. I turned my attention back to the boy. He was still out cold. I looked back to where Kiley and Nobody were still fighting. This wasn't going to end well.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Kiley's Point of View:[/B] Nobody just wouldn't give up. He went flying backwards, and landed hard on the grass. He got up, and resumed a fighting stance. He tried to shift his weight from foot to foot, to test his balance, but grimaced when he put weight on his left foot. He wasn't as strong as he seemed. I wasn't the only one who saw this. Dakota also saw, and ran over to help your friend. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Go away." Nobody said without taking his eyes off of me, "This isn't your fight." "You're hurt. Let me help you." "NO! GO AWAY!" Nobody shouted at him, "This is MY score to settle." Dakota was in shock. "What score?" he said. Nobody froze. "Do you want to tell them?" he said to me. "You really did lose your memory, didn't you?" I said. His eyes dropped, not knowing what to say. "The score," I said, not wanting Dakota's question to go unanswered, "Was set a long time ago, in a past neither of us want to remember. But, where there is a score, it must be settled." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]With that, Nobody looked up. He seemed to be thankful that I answered the question. [I]Thank you.[/I] he thought. His face was in shock. [I]You figured it out.[/I] I thought back. [I]We share something in common, we have the gift of telepathy. So does my sister. She and I share it because we are twins. If one gets it, the other one does too. You and I, they never figured out why we share it.[/I] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Nobody's point of View:[/B] What was she doing? What was I doing? One second we were fighting, the next were talking with our minds. How was I doing this? [I]No one knows why we can do this. They thought it was a sign. Someday we will find out. That, or kill each other.[/I] She thought to me. I stared at her. [I]But, for now, we must go our separate ways. Now is not the time to settle this. [/I][/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Somewhere far off in the crowd I heard somebody shouting. "Move children! Professor coming through! You really need to learn to respect your teachers." It was Cyrus. I could tell from his voice. It hadn't changed. "Well what do we have here?" he said when he reached the inside of the circle, "Isn't there a rule against this?" [I]I got this.[/I] Kiley thought. "Go away." she said to Cyrus, "This isn't your problem, and it's under control." "Not when somebody gets hurt! That poor boy got injured, and whoever did it needs to be brought in for punishment." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I turned my head to Dakota. "Get away with Lily while you can. I'll hold them off. Get out of here NOW!" I whispered to him. He nodded, and began to fade into the background, while Kiley kept Cyrus's attention. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 30: Meeting Jenna[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Dakota's Point of View:[/B] I began to move backwards, slowly, hoping no one would see me. Once I had melted into the crowd that had surrounded us, I found Lily. "We gotta go. Now." I said. "What about Nobody?" Lily asked. I grimaced. "Come on." I said, and grabbed her wrist. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We wormed our way through the crowd, the opposite direction most people were going. More people were swarming through the World Tree as they heard about the fight. Nothing like this ever happened at Ravenwood. Not since the Death School fell. The good thing was, with all the people no one noticed us. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Once we got inside the World Tree, we ran straight for the World Gate. "Where should we go?" Lily said. "Back to the Garden." I replied. "Ok, how do we get there?" she said. I hadn't thought it through as much as I should have. "I-I don't know...." I said, "And we have nowhere else that is safe." 'Oh c'mon think!' I told myself, 'How do we get back!'[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Alex's Point of View:[/B] I was so transfixed on Kiley, Cyrus, and that evil boy that I didn't see the storm girl come up to me with another kid. He was older, and was wearing a green robe that was decorated with a gold leaf pattern. "Well, it doesn't look too bad." he said to me, "I think I can help." "Please, just make him better." the young storm girl said. "If I'm going to heal him, you guys need to back up." he said. I stood up and stepped back a few feet to where the girl was. She had long brown hair down to her waist and storm gray eyes. She was tall, and wore a long purple coat from Marleybone, trimmed in silver. Her shoes were simple and silver. She had no hat.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"What are you staring at?" she asked me. "Uh, nothing." I said. I hadn't realized I was staring. "I've just never seen gray eyes like yours before." "Yeah, I get them from my mom." she said. "I'm Jenna. And you are?" "Alexander Deathwhisper. Nice to meet you." I said. Her eyes grew wide when I said my name. "You're the boy who's going to kill Malistare, aren't you?" she said. I frowned and looked at her shocked face. "Don't remind me." was all I could grumble before the life boy turned around. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"He's going to make it." he said in a matter-of-fact tone, "All he needs is some sleep. He should be better by morning." "Thank you." Jenna said, and the Life wizard joined the crowd that was watching Kiley, Cyrus and the boy. "We should get him to his room." Jenna said. "He'll get trampled when all those kids disperse." "Do you know where his dorm room is?" I asked. "Yeah, follow me." she said. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I carried the unconscious boy as she lead me though the maze of passages that we call the Boy's Dorm. We went right, then right again, then up a set of stairs to the second floor. We went straight again, then left. At the end of the hall she took out a golden key with a purple gem laid in the middle. The door opened with a creak. Inside was a large room. The walls were light gold with storm banners and plaques from all across the Spiral. There was a storm desk, basic crafting station and a nice bed with a red quilt. I set him down on the bed and Jenna made sure he was comfortable. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"So, how do you know this boy?" I asked, "You don't look alike." It was true. While she had long brown hair and gray eyes, he had vivid blue eyes and silver hair. Not gray, silver. "I know it may not look like it," she began, "But we're siblings. He's my stepbrother." "Oh." I said, not knowing how to respond. "It's ok. Dad was killed in a big war they had some time ago. He was trying to save some little kids. The kids were ok. He wasn't." Jenna said, "But, he was declared a hero of the war. Mom was really proud of him." "I'm sorry-" I began. "No, don't be," she said, "There's nothing to be sorry about."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"We should go back to the fight. That girl, she may need your help." she said and walked towards the door. I remembered the fight, and shook my head. "What is it?" she asked. "You said Kiley might need my help." I said with a grin, "That's not going to happen. It's me who needs her help. Every hero has a sidekick, yah know?" "Yeah. I get it." Jenna said as we walked back though the passageways. "Except," I said, "My sidekick is more powerful than me."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When we got back down, the crowd was gone. I looked around. The crowd, the huge crowd, had disappeared. Everyone that walked around looked like nothing had happened. Jenna and I looked at each other in confusion. "Where'd they go?" I said. "Don't ask me." Jenna said. I looked around for Kiley. She was near the World Tree with Cyrus. What had happened?[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]"I got to go. See you later." I said to Jenna, and walked towards Kiley. "...you really must try not to do that again, Kiley. We can't have that happening again." Cyrus said. He then realized I was right behind him. "Don't you have class to be in boy? I thought I sent all you away." Cyrus said with a dismayed look on his face. "That's Alexander Deathwhisper, Cyrus. He is the one who is going to fulfill Bartelby's prophecy." Kiley said with a smile. "Oh, well, sorry then. I guess you get to stay...." Cyrus said gruffly. [I]I love it when I prove him wrong. [/I]Kiley though to me. [I]It makes him mad. He can't stand it.[/I] [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][I]Um, Kiley?[/I] I thought, [I]What happened while I was gone? [/I]Kiley glared at me.[I] Later. I'll explain everything.[/I] she thought. "Cyrus, we really need to get going. We need to see Oakheart." she said. "Then be on your way. I will meet you later." he said, and walked towards the Myth school. I turned to Kiley. "Now will you tell me what happened?" I asked. She smiled. "There's no better time than the present ." she said, and began her story.[/FONT][/SIZE]

[B][COLOR=#6da92d][FONT=Papyrus]Chapter 31: Does Evil Run in the Family?[/FONT][/COLOR][/B]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Kiley's Point of View: [/B]Cyrus always had to try to keep the peace. Why couldn't he let me handle something for once? "Cyrus, go. I have everything under control so could you just leave for once!" I shouted. "Yeah Cyrus, leave her alone." Nobody replied. He may have lost his memory, but he was still full of himself. "Young man, do not disrespect your elders!" Cyrus exclaimed, surprised the boy had spoken. "You'll punish me in a an instant, but Kiley gets whatever she wants. Things haven't changed at all. " Nobody said, "But enough chit-chat. I came here to fight, not be reminded of why I left."[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]With that, he lunged for me. I sidestepped, and he went flying into the dirt. Cyrus began to step forward to apprehend him, but I blocked his path. "Let me have my fight." I said, and turned back to where Nobody had stood up. Cyrus had no choice but to join the spectators watching. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]I decided to take the offensive for once, and swung my sword, up and left, hoping to cut him badly or knock his sword out of his hand. He blocked, and delivered a backhanded swipe to my torso. It failed to connect at the last second. We continued to exchange blows, sparing with one another, never managing to place a blow. I could tell Cyrus was getting antsy. He didn't like to stand around, he wanted to get things done. He raised his hand, and a tiny blue orb appeared. At the time, I thought he was just preparing a binding spell, to immobilize Nobody. Later, I learned what it truly was.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]I would have gone over to Cyrus and stopped him if I wasn't fighting Nobody. He may not be at my skill level when it came to sword fighting, but he was a good fighter, do not get me wrong there. He was strong, and that enabled him to put more power behind his blows. He also had relatively quick reflexes. This made it even harder to land a blow. The only things on my side were agility, speed, and the fact that I had been training with a sword for longer than he. Otherwise, he could easily overpower me. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]We continued to strike and dodge each other's blows. I was getting tired of fighting, I couldn't go forever. I lost my concentration for an instant. Nobody took this to his advantage, and struck my sword arm. Hard. "Ah!" I shouted as I grabbed it. The whole crowd went stiff. "What? You're little sword isn't going to save you this time?" I looked up at his blood red eyes. "You think I'm an idiot?" I said, "Cause if you do, you are messing with the wrong girl." He chuckled. "I know you're smarter than you look wise-" [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]He never finished his sentence. A huge bolt appeared, and struck Nobody in the back. He fell to the ground. Just before he went unconscious, he said to me, [I]Make sure Lily and Dakota are....all right......[/I] With that, he slipped into dreamland. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]I looked up to see who had cast the spell. I scanned the crowd for anyone powerful enough to cast that, and then it hit me. The only one strong enough was Cyrus. When I looked at him, he was smiling. "Move along to class. The fun is over." he said, and all the kids moved quick. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]Once all of the students had dispersed, he turned his attention to Nobody and I. "What do you want?" I said. "What should have been mine thirteen years ago." he said, "We both know it is not yours. Now, hand it over." [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]I looked up into those cold eyes. "I'm sorry," I said, "I'm afraid I can't do that." [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]His face became red with anger. "Give it." he said, "Or I hurt you and your little friend." A blue orb appeared in his hand. My eyes grew wide. "You wouldn't." I said. "Oh yes, I would." Cyrus said, coming closer, "Because you see, that sword is not meant for young children. No, you are not meant for it either. Hand it over before somebody gets hurt." [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]The blue orb began to pulse with gold mana, activating the spell. "Cumhacht dar data fabula scrios eisean!" he shouted, and aimed for Nobody. I was either going to stand in horror or do something. I chose to act. "Seolaim mortalitas baile!" was all I could say before Cyrus's spell hit the pavement. "Wha-what did you do?" he said in exasperation. "Made sure he was safe. Because you're not hurting him because of me." I said. "Why you little-" [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]"Hey Kiley. Oh, hey Cyrus!" Blaze said as he walked through the tunnel. He had perfect timing. Just before Cyrus was going to kill me, I have a witness. Thank Lady Nightstar! "Hey Blaze!" I said in a cheery voice. Cyrus gave me a look that said This isn't over, and turned his attention to Blaze. "Don't you have class?" he said. "Um, no." Blaze said, "I have a mastery mission in Krokotopia. I'm hoping it will get my mind off of the dragon incident earlier." He shuddered. "What are you doing Kiley?" I looked at Cyrus. "Oh, I was just waiting for Alex to get back so we could go talk to Oakheart." I said, trying to sound innocent. "Lucky. I wish I could come." he said, "All I ever do is grade papers and go on silly, worthless quests. You're in the real magic world."[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]"If you want, you could come." I said, "We could always use another person." His face lit up. "Really?" he asked. "Really." I said. "YAY!" he shouted, jumping up and down, "How about I meet you by the Jade Palace?" "Ok. I'll be there soon." I said, and with that, he was off.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B][I]Present Time;[/I] Alex's Point of View: [/B]"And that's what happened." Kiley said, "Blaze will meet us at the Jade Palace to look for Oakheart." I thought about what she had said for a while. "Why did he want your sword?" I asked. She looked at me as if to see if I was serious. "Well, let's just say that my sword is one of seven that are EXTREMELY powerful, and with it comes a responsibility that I must fulfill. Cyrus thinks he is the one to fulfill that destiny. He is not." she said, and continued to walk down the tunnel between worlds. I looked out onto the Spiral and it's worlds, wondering what secrets laid out there. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]"I still don't get you're sword. Why is everybody scared of it? That, or trying to get it." I said. She smiled. "One day," she said, "When there is no crisis on our hands, and we have time to kill, I will tell you the story. Then you may understand." She then began to run, fast, down the tunnel. She put her arms up at her sides, and pretended to be a bird, or dragon, soaring through the clouds. I followed her. When she looked back, she let out the purest laugh I had ever heard. When I was a few feet from her, she would zip ahead, faster than I thought possible. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]When I caught up to her, I was out of breath and she was fine. "How," I said, still gasping for breath, "Can you do that without getting tired?"She smiled. "I guess you could say I have a lot of experience." she said. "Experience flying or running away from people?" I asked. She giggled, and smiled wider. "Both." she said, and opened the Spiral Door.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 32: What Happened?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Nobody's Point of View:[/B] When I woke up, I couldn't remember anything. I laid there for a few minutes, asking myself why I was here. I tried to sit up, to see where I was. As soon as I lifted my head, pain shot through my back, down my spine, to every point of my body. With the pain came the memories. Kiley and I, fighting. Cyrus breaking into the middle of the circle. Kiley and I talking, with our minds. We fought again. Then, the immobilizing pain shooting down my back, paralyzing me. That was in Ravenwood, right in front of Bartelby. Where was I now?[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I looked around, from where I was. I was lying on the cold ground. It felt like marble, or obsidian. The ceiling was domed, with a eight point star at the top. It looked like a compass. I looked to my right, and saw steps leading down to a big set of double doors. They were made of metal, with dragons decorating them. To my left was a set of stair leading up, but I could not see the top. I felt like I had seen this place before. But where? [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I tried to sit up again. I first tried to move my arms, the legs. No matter what I did, my body would not obey my brain. I tried to speak, but no voice would come. I began to panic. 'HELP!' I tried to scream, 'SOMEBODY HELP ME!' How was I going to get help like this? I laid there, thinking. Surly there was something I could do? [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]After some time, I heard a voice. It was a whisper, traveling on the breeze. "Use your brain." it said, "You have all you need." I felt like screaming. I was using my brain! How else was I thinking! What did that mean, 'Use your brain'? Then, I realized what I had been missing. My brain. What Kiley had taught me. I could use telepathy. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][I]Somebody please help.[/I] I thought, [I]I'm trapped. [/I]Nothing happened. [I]Somebody help.[/I] I thought again, hoping it would work. I waited a few minutes, but nothing happened. [I]Lady Nightstar, help me! [/I]I thought. I don't know who Lady Nightstar was. All I knew was that it was something I could try. I waited, patiently, to see if anything would happen. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]After a few minutes, I felt a light breeze pick up. It wasn't a hot, dry savannah wind, or an icy, arctic wind. It wasn't a stiff, wet breeze, like before a huge thunderstorm. It wasn't a musty, ancient wind, like when you open the door to an old monument. It wasn't a cold, sinister wind, from nightmares. It was a light, spring wind, that brought bird's songs and laughter. It came from my left, slowly at first, but stronger and stronger as time went by.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Then, I felt a presence on my left. I heard the swish of a cloak. I looked to my left, and saw a hooded figure coming towards me. The figure wore a long purple cloak, with silver writing on the hem. The hood was pulled up. I was scared. Who was that?[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][I]Do not worry,[/I] I heard [I]Lady Nightstar sent me to help you.[/I] The figure knelt down, and placed a pale hand on my forehead. "Bris a slabhbra!" it whispered. Nothing happened at first, but slowly I felt the curse lifted from me. I sat up, and looked around. I was in my master's house. I turned back to the figure. "Thank you." I said. [I]Your welcome.[/I] it thought back to me. It began to drift down the steps on my right. "Wait." I said. The figure turned. [I]What is it?[/I] it asked. "Who are you?" I asked, still not sure who this was.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][I]I am not someone you would recognize.[/I] it said, [I]I am from a place far from here. I serve under Lady Nightstar, the Great Raven. [/I]It lifted its hands from within the cloak, and removed the hood over its face. Or should I say, her face. For before me stood a girl, a little older than me, with curly brown hair and jade green eyes. She was wearing a white dress, with a blue sash that had runes like her cloak. What shocked me was the fact that she was floating five inches off the ground. Her dainty feet hung under her dress, not even touching the ground. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]I stared in shock. [I]You have never seen a Servant of Lady Nightstar before?[/I] she asked me. "Um, no." I said. [I]Not even a Guardian?[/I] she asked. "Guardian?" I asked. She frowned [I]I see you have not heard Celestin lore before. No worries. Someday you will learn. [/I][/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]She disappeared in a blink of an eye. I stood staring at the place where she had been for at least five minutes. When I looked at the clock, it said I had been there for an hour. I had to find Dakota and Lily before Malistare. Otherwise, we would be in a lot of trouble. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I found Lily and Dakota in the library, making their way back though the maze. "Oh thank Bartelby you're all right!" Lily cried, and flung her arms around me. "Glad to see you too." I said while I stood there. Dakota smiled. "Lily didn't believe me when I said you could take care of yourself." he said. "Well, now you know I can take care of myself." I told her. I looked at Dakota, and mouthed "Help!" He laughed. "Come on Lily, we don't want to squish him to death!" She let go, and we made our way back though the library. When we got to the entry hall, Malistare was standing there. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Hello, little ones." he said. We froze where we were. "Malistare." I said. "What were you doing in the library?" he asked. "I was teaching them about the battle history of Dragonspyre." Lily said. Malistare looked surprised. "I see." he said, "Very well. Before you continue, I would like you to check on our prisoner. Make sure he is being taken care of." He then walked off towards the dining hall, and his study. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"That was close." Dakota said once Malistare was out of earshot. "Tell me about it." Lily said, "Now I really DO have to teach you battle history from Dragonspyre." I laughed. "Good luck getting Dakota to sit though that!" I said. "I can sit though a lesson. Don't know about you though." he said. "Ok, ok, enough you to!" Lily said, "We gotta go check on Noah now." "Lead the way, o fearless leader!" Dakota said. We all laughed, and Lily lead the way down to the dungeon.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Noah's Point of View: [/B]I had lost count of the days I had been down here. They were beginning to blend together. The one thing I knew was Nobody, Lily, and Dakota had not been down to visit me in some time. Ever since the Harebell flowers, they had been gone. I wonder what they were doing. Did they remember me? [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I heard footsteps on the stairs. I saw Lily come down with a jug of water and a loaf of bread. Nobody and Dakota came after. Lily slid the jug and loaf between the bars, and sat down on the stairs with Nobody and Dakota. "Hey big guy." Dakota said, "How's life?" I smiled. "Not bad, considering that I'm trapped like a rat." I replied, "How 'bout you?"[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Actually, not too bad." Dakota said, "We found a secret passageway. It leads to a second World Door!" "Dakota!" Lily said, and elbowed him hard in the knee. "Ow!" he said, and rubbed his knee, "But I guess I deserved it." I laughed. "That sounds great! Why isn't it great news then?" I asked. All of their faces went from light and cheery to dark and saddening. "What is it?" I asked. "Well," Nobody said, "Malistare used the Harebell poison to form three rings. They can poison the people who wear them with one spell. We now wear them." I stared in shock. "Why don't you just take them off?" I asked. "We can't." Lily explained, "He put some curse on them so they could only be removed by him." "Show me." I said. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]What they did not know was that I had learned Old Tongue from my grandfather. This was the language used to form curses. Nobody showed me his left hand, and on his middle finger was a silver band. I waved my hand over his, and muttered the old rune showing spell. The spell began to glow in the ring, and spun around his finger. The spell lifted off the ring, so I could read it. It was a complex spell, nothing I should mess with. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"What is it?" Nobody asked. "This spell," I said, "Is much more complex than it looks. You would need a master of the Old Tongue to remove it." "And where could we find one of those?" Dakota asked. I shook my head. "Sadly, they are all dead." I said, "Unless you could find their spirits and talk to them, you wouldn't be able to remove the ring safely." They all looked at each other like their last hope had just been ripped away. Lily began to cry. "There, there." Dakota said, "We'll find a way."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"What if we could speak with a spirit." Nobody said, "Who would you suggest we try?" I thought for a minute. My grandfather had said if I ever ran into a problem like this, I should go to the Master of Runes. Ah, what was his name? "Aaron! You need to speak with Master Aaron, Keeper of Runes! He was skilled in the Old Tongue!" I shouted. "Thanks!" Nobody said, "That's a lot of help!" "Um, not to burst your bubble," said Lily, "But he's dead. The only way we're going to see him is if we run away. Then Malistare will just kill us anyways." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Dakota frowned. "Nobody," he said, "We need a plan." Lily looked up in shock. "What do you mean, need a plan? A plan for what?" she said. "You may be ok here. For all I know, you may like it. But Dakota and I are not going to stay here like sitting ducks. We're going to run away. We have to if we want to survive." Lily looked from Nobody, to Dakota, back to Nobody. "Are you sure you want to do that?" she asked them. "We're sure." Nobody said. She sighed. "Well then, I guess I will leave you to your planning." she said, and left.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 33: Where is He?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Alex's Point of View: [/B]We walked through the door into the Temple. It was beautiful. We were in the center of an indoor garden, with four waterfalls in each corner. In front of us was a path to large double doors, which I knew lead to the Commons. Sue Le was there to welcome us.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We went through the double doors and found the Commons. There were shops, monks, samurai, and a tea pagoda. Kiley and I followed the center path towards the Mooda statue, which was where we were suppose to meet Blaze. He was there, waiting. "What took you guys so long?" he asked as we ran up the steps. "Cyrus had to give me another lecture." Kiley said, "He hates it when I don't listen to him." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"I see." Blaze said. He was about to say more, but was interrupted by a loud BANG! He turned around to see a short girl, younger than us, in a black samurai dress and hood with tan trim. She had on gold slippers. "HI!" she said, "You must be Blaze's friends!" She pulled off her hood to reveal shoulder length brown hair and dark blue eyes. She looked just like Blaze. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Oh I'm sorry!" she said when we didn't reply, "My name is Nicole Silverfist. I'm Blaze's sister." "Oh." Kiley said, "Hi. I'm Blaze's friend, Kiley Lifehunter." "And I'm Alexander Deathwhisper." I said. Blaze shook his head. "Didn't mom tell you not to port to me without asking? It's very impolite, even for siblings." "Besides," I said, "Shouldn't you be in Krokotopia?" The little girl laughed. "I'm way ahead of my class. I'm in Mooshu." "Then maybe you could help us. We're looking for Oakheart. Have you seen him?" Kiley said. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Have I seen him? I just finished a quest from him!" she said, "Last I saw him, he was in the Ancient Burial Grounds." "Thanks!" I said, "That's a lot of help!" She looked at us. "Why do you need to see him?" she asked, "No one ever goes to see him without a reason." Kiley looked from Nicole to Blaze to Alex. We couldn't tell her about Jams. "You shouldn't poke your nose into other people's business." Blaze said. Rebecca frowned. "But I'm not poking my nose in other people's business. I'm poking it in my brother's business!" she said with a smile.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Blaze rolled his eyes. "Same thing." he said, "Now, don't you have a quest to do?" "So, I can't come?" she said to me. I looked at those sad, puppy dog eyes. [I]Couldn't we just bring her along this once?[/I] I thought to Kiley. She elbowed me in the side. I'm guessing the answer is no. "Sorry. Maybe next time." I said. Her puppy dog eyes tuned rock hard. "Well then, don't expect me to answer your pleas for help!" she said, and went off in a huff.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Blaze watched her go. "She can be such a drama queen." he said, then turned his attention back to us. "Come on," he said, "We got to go to the Ancient Burial Grounds." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]He lead us though Yoshito Temple, across a huge bridge to a temple floating in the middle of a lake. There were three other bridges leading away from this temple, one in each direction. We took the left bridge. After we had crossed the bridge, we followed a path up to the Ancient Burial Grounds. The Ancient Burial Grounds was a series of hills, and underneath were the chambers where the spirits are held. We made our way through a series of rooms that lead to the center chamber. It would have been easier, except there were several lost souls that would fight you if you crossed paths with them. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We dodged the spirits and Undead, making our way slowly to the center chamber, where we would find Oakheart. Once we got to the center, we were met with disappointment. Oakheart was nowhere to be seen. "Where is he?" Kiley said. "It's not like my sister to lie. He had to be here." Blaze said with a frown. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]We all looked around, hoping to find a clue to where Oakheart had gone. We found some crypt dust, a few black lotuses, some stone blocks, and three candles. Kiley sighed. "I'm going up too, to search the roads." she said. "I'll go back the way we came, see if we missed him." Blaze said, "Alex, stay here and see if you can find anything Oakheart might have left." They left without another word. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]So, here I was. Stuck, in a underground chamber, with thousands of hostile Undead and spirits outside. I decided to look around once more, see if they missed anything. I went over to one of the statues and searched around it. Then I went to the next statue, and repeated the process. Still nothing. I continued to search the remaining statues to no avail. I sat down in the corner, and waited for Kiley and Blaze to return. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I don't know when the wind started. All of a sudden, it was just there. It was a light, spring breeze, that made the dandelions dance and mocking jays sing. I closed my eyes, and leaned my head back, enjoying it. When I opened my eyes, they fell upon the statue in front of me. I was larger than the others, and was carved to look like Mooda. It was sitting, cross legged with arms and palms up, facing the sky. In its left hand was a piece of parchment. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I stood up and went over to the statue. I reached up, and took the parchment off its hand. There was writing on the page. It said:[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=French Script MT]To the wizard who may find this,[/FONT]
[FONT=French Script MT]I have gone to the Spirit World to speak with an old friend of mine. I will be gone for some time, and if you need my help or advice during this time, please come find me. I will be more than happy to speak with you.[/FONT]
[FONT=French Script MT]Best Regards, Oakheart.[/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]I stared in shock. He was in the Spirit World. That's why he was here! [I]Kiley, I found him! [/I]I said, [I]Hurry! [/I][/FONT][/SIZE]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 34: Runaway[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Lily's Point of View: [/B]I don't know what they're doing anymore. Dakota and Nobody visit Noah every day and talk with him for hours. Then, they go to their room and talk more. I haven't seen them at all really, except for battle practice. It's been a week since they said they were going to run away. What's happening? Are they really going though with this? They must be crazy! The rings Malistare gave us, they will kill us if we leave. We are bound here. You could try, but there is too much to lose. Too much at stake. They have to accept their fate, and realize they are doomed to be Malistare's apprentice. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Nobody's Point of View:[/B] After a few days, Dakota and I were ready. We had met with Noah every day, figuring out how we were going to bypass this awful curse. It turned out to be simple. All we needed was a piece of silk from Mensutikai silkworms, dipped in spring water, and painted with this weird concoction of herbs Noah told us. It would prevent the poison from entering our bloodstream as long as we slipped it between the ring and our skin. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Dakota and I were visiting Noah in his cell. It had been a week since Lily found out we were going to run away, and left us. We were visiting Noah, possible for the last time. "Hey." he said as we walked down the stone steps, "How's the plan coming?" "Good." Dakota replied, "But you shouldn't talk about it unless you're sure Malistare isn't here." Noah looked downcast. "Sorry," he said in a sheepish voice, "I'll be more careful next time."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Speaking of next time," I said, "I don't know if there will be one." Noah's eyes snapped up. "What do you mean, 'No next time?'" he said. "He means, we're going to try to run away tonight!" Dakota said with a grin. He couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice. "Yeah." I replied, "What he said." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"That's great guys!" Noah said, "But I'll miss you!" We smiled. It had been fun while it lasted, but we had to get out of here. Suddenly, we heard a BANG! upstairs. "What was that?" Noah asked. "I think Malistare's back from whatever dark place he was in." Dakota said, "Come on Nobody, we better get going." "I'll be right there." I replied. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Once Dakota had gone, I leaned over to Noah. I whispered in his ear a set of instructions, and handed him the small parcel I had made the night before. Then, I got up to leave. "Take care." Noah said as I began to climb the stairs, "And don't forget to keep the silk on no matter what!" I turned back on last time. "You know," I said with a smile, "I'm really going to miss you buddy."And with that, I climbed the remaining stairs, and left. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]After I got upstairs, I went to my room for the last preparations. It was going down. Tonight. And I couldn't wait. The bags were backed, the cloths in place, and we were ready for anything. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]At seven, we went down to supper, as usual. Through the big window at the end of that hall, we could see a violent thunderstorm was raging outside. "It is quite a storm, isn't it?" Malistare said from the head of the table. "Good evening, master." Dakota and I said at the same time. Lily was already seated at her spot, so we took our places quickly. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When the Seraph came in, she carried a tray with four white china bowls on it. She set them down, one for each, and Dakota and I ate quickly. Once we were finished, we were excused, and we made our way to our room, to study.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]As soon as we got up to the room we shared, we changed into travelling clothes. A pair of extremely warm woolen pants, a heavy long sleeved shirt, a thick jacket, and a water resistant coat. We were ready to roll. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Dakota asked me once we were ready. I thought for a moment. Did I, really? The stakes were very high, just as Lily had said. Then, I smiled, and remembered why I decided to do this. "Yes." I said to Dakota, "I'm one hundred percent sure." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]With that, we grabbed our bags, and raced down the stairs, as quietly as we could. It was very ironic, trying to be quiet and quick, but we made it down. We followed the south hallway, to the Dragon's Den.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The Dragon's Den is where we keep the dragons, like horses in a barn. It was a big courtyard, circular in shape. There was no roof, so we could take off right from there. Big metal doors guarded the path to the Den, but they opened with no complaint if you were gentle. There were two, a big dark green one with golden eyes, and a copper colored one with purple eyes. We chose the green dragon, and ran across the courtyard to it. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]As soon as we got to the dragon, I climbed up into its saddle. Dakota handed me the bags, and I tied them in place. I was about to reach down and help him up when I heard a very loud BANG! Dakota gave me a startled look, and we both stared towards the only thing that would make a sound like that.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Our gaze landed on the heavy metal doors. Except now, they were not shut. No, they were wide open, with a tall, menacing figure standing in the doorway. He began to walk towards us. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Hop on!" I said to Dakota, "He won't catch us in the air!" He continued to stare at Malistare. "No." Dakota said, "I'm gonna buy you some time." He let go of the dragon, and began to walk toward Malistare. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Dakota, NO!" I shouted over the roaring wind that had picked up. He turned back, just for a second. "Go now, Nobody. It's your only chance. You have to leave." "Not without you!" I cried in agony, "You're my best friend, I can't leave you to that monster!" Dakota smiled. "I'll always be there to help you Nobody. In your darkest times, I'll stand by you. I'll rejoice with you when you when you finish something hard. I'll fight by your side. I have the warrior's spirit, and that, I now give to you." He began to walk towards Malistare once more. "Oh, Nobody." he said, turning back once more, "I have a favor for you to do." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Anything." I said. He smiled. "Say hi to Timmy for me." And with that, he turned, and faced the greatest evil of our time.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 35: The Shadow World[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Alex's Point of View:[/B] [I]I'm on my way![/I] Kiley thought to me after I told her that I knew were Oakheart was. There was a loud BANG! and then she was standing a foot in front of me. "What did you find?" she asked. "This piece of paper. It was on that statue's hand." I said, pointing to the statue of Mooda. She took the paper, and read it carefully. "I wonder who he went to visit." she said in a quiet voice. "What was that?" I asked. "Oh nothing, just talking to myself." she replied, "I'm going to get Blaze, You go find some crypt dust, at least three. One for each person. And, we need something to light these candles."[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]"Yes ma'am!" I said, trying to sound like I was in the WCAFE [Wizard Counsel Armed Forces Elite] She laughed. "Now, hop to it solider!" she said, pretending to be a general. We laughed. "Now seriously, go get the dust! We won't get in if you don't!" Then she murmured under her breath, "Seolaim Blaze" and left in a flurry of sparks and shimmers. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I walked out of the central chamber, keeping my eyes on the ground for crypt dust. Crypt dust existed in small piles in random places along the walls of the tombs. No one knew why they were there, but every few minutes, a stream of dust would fall down from the roof, replenishing the stack. I found one of these by a tombstone in a chamber off of the central area. I scooped up the dust in my hands, and placed it in a small bag. I continued on my way, looking for the piles. I found another one a few feet away, and placed that in a separate bag. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I was just about to leave when I felt something pouring on my head. I stepped out of the waterfall of dust just before the mainstream began. I was covered in soot. "Great! Just great!" I said, trying to shake the soot off of me. After I dusted myself off, I scooped up the pile of dust and placed it in another bag. Then I made my way back to the central chamber to meet Kiley and Blaze. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]When I got to the chamber, Blaze and Kiley were ready to go. Blaze generated a small fire spark to light each of the candles, and I poured the crypt dust into a silver bowl, and gave it to Kiley. She took it, and held it in her right hand. She placed her left hand palm down, over the bowl, and began to recite the spell. "Tabhair leat amach anam dar data an thar agus lig muid taisteal in eineacht iad go bas." [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The bowl of ashes began to glow, and Kiley handed the bowl to Blaze who took them over to the three candles. They were placed in from of the Mooda statue, in a line. One was black with purple runes. The second was tan with a red, blue, and purple strips. The third was light green with a purple vine pattern. They were all lit with magic fire. Blaze looked at Kiley, who nodded, then tipped the bowl, and poured the ashes onto the candles.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I stared in wonder as the dust hit the flames, and burst into sparks. They popped and sparked, as the room filled with the most wonderful smells. There were cherry blossoms in the spring, fresh fallen snow in the mid of winter. There was the smell of fresh chocolate chip cookies, and cinnamon buns early in the morning. There was the salty sea air, and just the feeling of magic all around. I closed my eyes so I could take it all in. It was magical. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I felt something grab my right hand. My eyes opened to see Kiley. [I]You feel it to? The magic?[/I] she thought. [I]Yeah. [/I]I thought back, [I]It's really something special. [/I]Kiley smiled, and looked over to Blaze. She waved him over with her free hand, and he held her right hand. We stood there for some time. We didn't talk, we didn't move, we just stood there, taking in all the magic. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Then, the sparks that had been floating above the candle began to condense. [I]What's happening?[/I] I asked Kiley, unsure whether to be scared or excited. She looked over to me and smiled. [I]Watch and learn.[/I] she thought, and looked back to the candles. I looked back too, and saw the sparks condensing into little balls of energy, right where the flames were. Just when I thought they couldn't get any smaller, they exploded into a billion sparks of light, flying in every direction. When they hit our bodies, they stuck. They bounced off the walls to come flying back at us. Once they were stuck on you, they didn't leave. They attached, and covered us like a blanket. But the worst part was the fact that it tickled like crazy. I began to laugh as the sparks continued to engulf my body. [I]Why are you laughing?[/I] Kiley asked me. [I]It tickles![/I] I responded, and heard her begin to laugh as well.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]Once the sparks had completely covered our body, I felt as though I was being lifted up. I let myself be lifted, and then we were flying. I couldn't see where we were going, because the sparks covered my eyes. But I knew we were going up. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Soon we got to where we were going, and the sparks began to fade from our body. We were at the top of a temple, with steps leading down on all four sides. We were in the center, with four posts at each corner. They were tall, taller than me, and had runes on them. We just stood there for a few minutes, debating what to do. Blaze was the first to move. He let go of Kiley's hand, and went towards the direction we were facing. Kiley let go of my hand, and followed him. I was last to go. When I got there we were looking out over a vast valley, with spirits everywhere. I could see Oakheart at the far side of the field. I was going to call out to him, when Kiley tapped me on the shoulder. When I looked at her, she shook her head. She didn't want me to say anything.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]She looked to Blaze, who looked confused. "Stay here." she said quietly, and took a step forward, down the steps. Then, she took another. And another. With each step, more spirits looked up. By the time she was on the fifth step, all eyes were upon her. She smiled. "Greetings, deceased ones." she said in a soft voice. I thought no one would hear her, but her voice carried far, so everyone heard her. The spirits nodded, and Oakheart smiled. He began to walk towards us, making a path thought the spirits. Once they realized he was trying to get us, they made a path that he could walk down. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Once he reached the temple, he began to climb the steps. When he was eye level with Kiley, he stopped. "Greetings, young one." he said, "Why do you seek my council?" Kiley looked at the old tree with a concerned expression. "My sister, Jams, is badly injured. She would be healed by Moolinda, but she has old circuits, so her magic doesn't work. I would heal her, but I don't know anything this major yet." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"I see." he said, "What you need is this." He then handed her a shimmering rock, that in the late afternoon sun, emitted little flames of light that shot across the rock. Kiley gasped. "Thank you Oakheart, that's just what I need!" she said. I looked at her curiously. "What exactly IS that?" I asked quietly. Oakheart then looked at me. "I see he is not educated yet." he said, "You must get him educated Kiley." She blushed. "I'm trying, but he is the Chosen One." she said. He looked at me with a new interest in his eyes. "I see it now." he said, "Kiley, I believe you have what you came for. Blaze, you as well. I must talk to Alex alone, if you don't mind." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Kiley looked from me to Oakheart, then back to me. "Go on Alex, we will meet you at the top." she said. "Ok." I said, and followed Oakheart down the steps. He lead me though the spirits, towards the far end of the field. The spirits nodded and smiled as I passed, and I returned their greetings. Once we reached the far end of the field, he stopped in front of a man and woman. The man looked up at me, and smiled. "Hello, Alex. I have waited a long time for this meeting. And now, it finally comes." [/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 36: The Spirits, The Sword[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Alex's Point of View:[/B] I stared at the man, trying to figure out who he was. He was tall, with black hair that he wore long, and deep brown eyes that had small golden streaks in them. His faced was wrinkled with time, and he had broad shoulders. The girl beside him was shorter than him, but still taller than most people I know. She had long silver hair, and bright blue eyes. I felt like I should know them, but I didn't. Who are they? Where are they from?[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Alex, my dear, it is ok to be confused." said the woman. I looked into her bright blue eyes. How did she know? How did she know what I was thinking? "Honey, I don't think it's a good idea to do that. You may scare him." he said. "Do what?" I asked. The woman looked at me with a curious eye and said , "Oh nothing." I wasn't convinced. "Now, before we get lost in conversation, I believe an exchange of names is in order. You are Alexander Deathwhisper, correct?" the man said. "Yes." I replied. "Well then," he said, "I believe you deserve some answers."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]He stood then, and the woman stood as well. The lead the way while Oakheart and I followed. We made our way around the edge of the spirits, towards the other side of the temple. It was then that I noticed how they were dressed. It was like nothing I had seen before, but had some familiarity to it. The man was dressed in loose grey trousers, loose long sleeved purple tunic, and a thick black coat with silver runes. The woman wore an elegant light purple robe with a navy ribbon at the waist. The sleeves were long, falling past her hands, and the skirt swept the ground. All down the sleeves were runes. She had a circular, halo-like crown on her head, that looked to be covered in dew drops. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Soon, the crowd was no more. We were alone. I realized we were on the other side of the temple. There were woods here, spares at first, but closer together as you moved into them. We were at the edge of the forest. But the man and woman had not stopped walking. They were going into it. Oakheart stopped. "What's wrong?" I asked. "I cannot go any further." he said. Then he turned to me, and looked me straight in the eye. "Listen," he said, "I do not know what will happen. I do not know if you are the one they have been waiting for. What I do know is that you can trust them, and you must if you want to come out alive." He patted me on my back, turned around, and walked away.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I watched him walk away, back towards the temple. I wondered if I was going to see any of them again. Was I going to live? "Come with us, Alexander." said a gentle voice from behind me, "There is no need to be frightened." I turned, and saw the woman there. "My name is Elizabeth. My husband is Aaron. you must come with us now. We need to know if you are the one." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]She began to walk again, towards the man she had called Aaron. I followed, having no other option. They lead me on a path though the forest. The farther we got into the forest, the spookier it got. Soon, the slightest creak made me jump ten stories. Ahead I could see a rocky hill. There was something at the bottom, and as we drew closer, I saw it was the opening to a cave. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We went into the cave, and followed it for some time. Soon there was a light up ahead. It grew and grew, until we were standing in an archway. There was a huge room in front of us, and it was glowing bright. The walls were smooth, with several other arches leading away. Runes covered the walls. But most impressive was the giant crystal in the center. It hung in mid air, just like the one in the cave by Golem's Court. There was a pool under it as well. But, this one was different. For at the very bottom, right at the tip, there were thin strings spiraling down, spinning and twirling in the air. They joined the crystal to the pool. At first I thought they were there for decoration, but then I realized they were alive. They would grow new strands if one broke, and repair itself to maintain connection. I could have spent hours just staring at them, but there was more to the cave then that. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]There was also a little podium, in between us and the crystal. It was a piece of what looked to be crystal, with thin, string like projections running up the middle. On top was a sphere that encased the ends of the string. The string that ran thought the podium looked just like the one that hung from the crystal. I stared in awe at it all. It was too much to take in. I looked over to Elizabeth and Aaron, and they were smiling at me. "Isn't is wonderful?" she asked. I nodded, to breathless for words.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Now, enough dilly dallying." Aaron said, and walked over to the podium. He placed his hand on the sphere, and closed his eyes. I saw a light appear in the sphere, then travel down through the cord. After the light disappeared, the whole pool lit up, and a light began to travel up to the crystal. When it hit the crystal, it glowed and pulsed with life. Light began to shoot back and forth, from the crystal to the sphere then the sphere to the crystal. Then, the light stopped. "What did she say?" Elizabeth asked. "She said she could feel him. I think we've found the one." Aaron said, then turned to me. "Come here." he ordered, and I took three hesitant steps towards him. "Now, come place your hand on the sphere, like I did." he said. I crossed the remaining distance between the podium and I. I looked at Aaron, to see if I was doing the right thing. He smiled and nodded. I felt a hand on my other shoulder, and turned to see Elizabeth there to support me. "Go on." she said, "Don't keep her waiting." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I help my hands over the sphere. I hesitated, not knowing if I could trust them. Then I remembered what Oakheart had said. He said I could trust them. I then placed my hands on the sphere, and felt reality drop away as I was immersed in a sea of magic.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Welcome, young one." a voice said, "I am Mother Dream. I inhabit this crystal, and watch over the Spiral and all of the worlds near by it. The only one inhabited right now is Earth. That is where you are from, correct?" I didn't know how to respond. "Oh, pardon my terrible manners! You haven't used a crystal before, have you? Well deary, all you have to do is think clearly what you wish me to hear. Like when you talk with Kiley." she said. "Like this?" I asked. "Perfect!" she replied, "Now, are you from Earth?" "Yes I am." I said. "Well, then I think we've finally found you." she said in awe, "Allow me to speak with Aaron once more." I was disappointed. I wanted to talk using the crystal more. "Don't worry dear," she said, "I will talk more with you later. There is a crystal in Wizard City still, correct?" I the thought back to the cave that was in Golem Court. "Yes, there is!" I said. "Then we will talk more later. Now, let Aaron talk with me!"[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I then took my hands off of the sphere, and felt like I had dropped ten stories. I was back in reality for sure. "What did she say?" Elizabeth asked. "She wants to speak with Aaron." I said. They both smiled. Aaron whispered something to Elizabeth, and she nodded, and went off down the left corridor. Aaron then went and placed his hand on the sphere, and the light flashed back and forth across the cord so fast I thought that it was a race! [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When Aaron took his hand off of the sphere, Elizabeth had come back with a long object in her hands. It laid across her arms, and was covered by a thick hide. "Go ahead Alexander. This was meant for you." she said. I went over to her, and lifted up the hide. Underneath was a long, black sword, almost as long as my arm. It looked to be made of onyx, or obsidian, but on closer inspection in moonlight, it looked opaque, like a shadow. In the center of the blade was a series of runes running up the side. The hilt was silver curve, and covered my hand. "Wow." I said, picking it up. I lifted it off of the hide, and raised it into the light. The runes began to glow, and my arm began to burn. "Ah!" I said, grabbing my arm, "What happened?" [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"That sword, it has claimed you as its owner. Now, no matter what happens, it will always come to your side in battle. You can summon it as you wish." Elizabeth said. I rolled back my sleeve, and sure enough, glowing faintly were runes that spiraled around my arm. They ran from my elbow to my shoulder. "What happens when somebody sees them?" I asked. "They cannot be seen unless you are in the spirit world, moonlight, or you want them to be seen." Aaron said. "Oh, I think I get it." I said. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Speaking of other people, the rest of your party awaits. It's impolite to keep a lady waiting." Aaron said. Elizabeth laughed. "Like that ever stopped you from being late!" she said. I laughed as well. "Come on, we must be going." Aaron said, and lead the way out of the cave. I put the sword into my scabbard, and followed him. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Kiley's Point of View:[/B] I was starting to get worried. Oakheart had come back some time ago, yet Alex wasn't here yet. I was pacing, back and forth, back and forth, waiting for Alex to come out of the woods. "Do you see them?" I asked Blaze for the ten millionth time. "NO." he said. He was getting irritated as well. "Patience, young wizards. They will be here soon." Oakheart said. I stopped pacing, and looked out over the forest. My eyes stopped on a small mud path I saw a figure immerge from the woods, followed by two older people. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"THERE THEY ARE!" I shouted. They were coming out of the forest. Alex heard me shout, and he waved at us. When they got to the top, Oakheart went to talk with the two spirits that were with Alex. "Come on Alex, we gotta get back to the real world.!" Blaze said. "Oakheart, may we go?" I asked, not wanting to be rude. "Yes children, go along. You're work is done for today." he said with a smile. Blaze, Alex and I thanked Oakheart, and ran into the center of the temple. "Bandia dar data briongloid, cuir muid is." I said. I grabbed each of the boy's hands, so we wouldn't get separated. We closed our eyes, and went back to the Ancient Burial Grounds. When we got back, we cleaned up, and ported to Wizard City. Our main focus was set now: Save Jams.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 37: When Things go Bump in the Night.......[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Lily ran upstairs as soon as she heard the loud metallic crash. Only one thing could make that noise. The doors to the Dragon's Den. She took the steps two at a time, racing to the Great Hall, where she would find the staircase that lead to the roof. 'What's going on?' she kept asking. When she reached the Great Hall, she saw the Seraph at the bottom of the stairs. "What is it?" she asked. The Seraph turned around, startled. "Master, h-he went after those boys. The ones who use to train with you. They were going to run away......I-I haven't seen them since Malistare ran up the stairs after them." "Thank you." Lily said to her, and began to climb the stairs. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Nobody watched as his best friend went towards the evil figure. He remembered what he had said[I]. "Go now, Nobody. It's your only chance. You have to leave. I'll always be there to help you Nobody. Don't worry. Just go."[/I] The dragon turned his head to look at him. [I]"What do you wish me to do, Master."[/I] it asked me. Nobody looked back to my friend, who was standing all alone on the windy, wet stone of the Dragon's Den. The rain had picked up once again, and a lot of droplets were getting through the barrier. The wind threatened to blow us over the edge. Yet he stood there, against all odds, keeping Malistare away from him. He was brave. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][I]"Let's go." [/I]Nobody told the dragon,[I] "There is nothing more for us here." "Yes Master."[/I] it said. [I]"One thing first."[/I] he said before we could take off, [I]"What is your name?"[/I] The dragon smiled. [I]"Cosain." [/I]he said, [I]"Will that be all, Master?" "Yes."[/I] Nobody said. The dragon turned, and began to run down the long pier jutting out from the side of the roof. It was like a bridge, but only one side was connected. It was for launching dragons. Once Cosain was at the end, he jumped, unfurling majestic dark purple wings. His scales were a darker purple, and his eyes were a brown-gold. [I]"Are your legs strapped into the saddle?"[/I] he asked Nobody. [I]"Yes." [/I]Nobody replied. [I]"Good." [/I][I]said the dragon, and he began to dive. [/I][/FONT][/SIZE]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]Dakota continued to walk across the slick roof to his evil master. Some of the rain was leaking through, and nothing as dry anymore. The wind whipped his robe back and forth, not letting go. The cold was unbearable, piercing my skin like a thousand tiny needles. I turned once more, making sure Nobody had left. I turned just in time to see a purple dragon dive over the side of the runway. Good, he thought, they got away. He then turned to Malistare. He knew what he had to do. Either kill him, or die trying.[/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B][I]Nobody's Point of View: [/I][/B][I]The dragon pulled out of the dive after gaining speed. He then climbed, high into the clouds. When I looked back, I saw the roof with Dakota and Malistare. The light from the open doors casted a huge shadow in front of Malistare, making him appear even more evil than before. As if reading my thoughts, the dragon pulled out of the climb, and began to circle over the Dragon's Den, so we could see what would happen. [/I][/FONT][/SIZE]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]Dakota and Malistare looked like they were having a staring contest. Their eyes locked, unblinking, unmoving. Then Malistare spoke. "You know you have no chance against me boy. Why do you even try?" Dakota grimaced. He knew that his chance of getting out alive was next to nothing. "I did this," he said, "For Nobody. He was something special. That glimmer he'd get in his eye, that wicked smile that crept across his face just before he dealt the final blow. He has a power in him, Malistare. That's why destruction has followed him all these years. I looked it up, Malistare. In that old, dusty library. You knew too, didn't you?" The words rode the wind, up to where I was. I could hear them loud as day. Power? Me? He must have the wrong guy, because it's definitely not me.[/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][I]"Master, we cannot stay long. He cannot hold him of forever. You already know what will happen. We must flee. It is what he wishes us to do."[/I][I] I looked down at the dragon. He was becoming a friend of mine. I trusted him. I bowed my head, hoping that all the powers in the Spiral would help Dakota once I had gone. When I looked back up, Malistare and Dakota had begun to fight. I shook my head. [/I][I]"Come, we must fly."[/I][I] I told my dragon. [/I][I]"Yes, Master."[/I][I] he said, and began to fly into the clouds.[/I][/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B][I]Dakota's Point of View:[/I][/B][I] Malistare's face registered shock when I told him I had found out that Nobody was special. He tried not to let it show, but he wasn't very good at it. "So, you knew? That's why he was your apprentice. Just 'cause he could be the one would could beat you." I said. Malistare's face broke. "You better be quiet!" he roared, "You're not getting out of this one alive!" With a flick of his wrist, a deck appeared into his hand. I did the same, and we were pulled into a duel. [/I][/FONT][/SIZE]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]I saved my pips, and put up a shield when I got the chance. Malistare just passed with a smile. I was going summon Storm Lord when Malistare began to draw a death symbol. He began to mutter ancient words, words I didn't understand. Then he released the spell, and a dense fog began to rise from his feet. It covered the ground like a blanket, sweeping towards me with speed. It was a green-grey color, and it was cold. Not ice cold, death cold. It felt as if the Death Lord had come to take me himself. That's when I realized it. This wasn't any old fog. It was the curse.[/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][I]My eyes went wide with shock, pure fear displayed clearly on my face. Malistare laughed. "H-How could you? How could you master THIS?" I said in a shaky voice. "I'm guessing you know what this is then?" he asked with a smile. I nodded. "Come on boy," he said, "What's it called?" I looked up into those cold, dead eyes. "The Curse [/I][I]of Anbhas Tiarna[/I][I]." I said in a weak voice. The fog was at my feet now, slowly wrapping its long strands around me, ready to sap the life out of me. "Dear boy, the curse has a True Name, just like all other living things." [/I][I]Malistare Said, "[/I]Arsa cra croi dar data an anbhas tiarna." [/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The curse gained new life as It's name was spoken. It climbed my body faster, and began to drain my strength. Soon, the web of thread-like smoke incased my whole body. I was immobilize, subject to whatever torment he chose. The duel circle disappeared, and Malistare began to walk towards me. The wind had died, but the storm raged on outside of the protective bubble. The smoke began to circle around my feet, like a hurricane, with the middle being me. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I struggled to get loose, but no matter how hard I tried, I could not break death's bonds. Malistare saw my struggle. "Dakota," he said with a soft voice, as he crept closer and closer, "It is impossible to break death's bonds. Death chains the very existence of our kind to magic. Without death, there is no life, just existence. You must cherish life, and accept your death." [/SIZE][/FONT]

[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]I was running low on health. The smoke had taken my power faster than I thought it could. I felt myself slipping away, into nothingness. I fought to stay alive, but even that was too much. My breaths came shorter, and shorter, the fog restraining my chest to quick, small motions. My master watched in delight as I struggled to hang on to what I cherished most. I looked up at him, and he smiled. "What is it, boy?" he said in a soft voice. [/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]I looked up into those cold eyes, and using the last of my strength, said my final words; "Malistare, you may see this as a victory today, but in the future, you will regret it for all eternity." And with that, I closed my eyes, and let death's grip take me away.[/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B][I]Lily's Point of View: [/I][/B][I]When I saw the doors, wide open, I knew something had gone terribly wrong. I edged along the side of the staircase, creeping up the last few steps. I stopped, looked around the corner, and regretted it.[/I][/FONT][/SIZE]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]There, in the middle of the Dragon's Den, was Malistare looming over a small figure wrapped in some sort of curse. The curse was green-gray, and incased everything but his head. When I looked closer, I saw that it was Dakota, struggling to get out. By the look on his face, I could tell he was losing. His breaths came short and shallow, his whole body shaking with effort. Then, he muttered something to Malistare, and Dakota Stormstaff's spirit left this world. [/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]I stood there, in shock, for some time. Dakota had just died. My best friend was killed by my master. My master, Malistare, the one who had cared for me, killed him. Fear shook my body, and I sunk to the floor. I laid there, shaking, crying, wondering what would happen next. Would Malistare kill me too? What about Noah? Nobody? Was he alright? [/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]I didn't know what to think. The master I had respected and trusted was now my worst nightmare. I tried to get up, but my muscles would not support me. I was shaking badly by the time I had two feet under me. I turned to go back down, but I must've been too loud. [/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]"Who's there?" a sharp voice called from outside. "It's Lily." I said as I turned around, "I was just wondering what all the ruckus was about." I walked out the door, into the cold windy night. Malistare was kneeling by a figure slumped on the floor. It almost looked like he had been crying. "The poor boys," he said in a sappy voice, "The-They tried to get on a dragon and leave us. When I came out to see what was going on, Dakota attacked me. I was overwhelmed, and casted a restrain spell on him. He fought until h-he killed himself. Nobody flew off on a dragon, but the dragon wasn't harnessed properly, and he fell." [/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]He looked back to Dakota's lifeless face. I walked over to where he was. My soft steps echoed on the obsidian as Malistare cried for his not-so-beloved apprentice. I was disgusted by his acting. When I got close to him, he stopped, and stood up. "Come, Lily." he said, "The dead are no place for a girl." He then walked past me, towards the doors. [/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]I did not move. I still couldn't believe Nobody and Dakota was gone. I wanted to think that I would wake up tomorrow morning, and there would be Nobody and Dakota, bugging me about who had to do chores that week. But, that would never happen. [/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]"Are you coming?" Malistare said, interrupting my thoughts. I turned to look at the despicable man who had caused me so much grief. "I will be there momentarily. I would like to say goodbye to him." I said. Malistare stiffened, but nodded. He then turned and continued to walk towards the big brass doors. Once he got inside, he snapped his fingers, and they swung shut behind him. [/FONT][/SIZE][/I]

[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 38: An Angel, A Strange Boy, and A Journal[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Lily's Point of View:[/B] As soon as I heard the doors slam shut, I ran over to Dakota. The tears I had been holding in all this time poured out of me, as if someone had turned on the water. I knelt by my dead friend, not wanting to let go. His face was peaceful, his hair falling into cold, empty purple eyes. I brushed his hair away from his face, and closed his eyes, so he may rest in peace. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Why did you do this to me?" I asked him in a quiet whisper, "Why did you leave me?" I held his hand, somehow wishing he would answer. I looked up into the sky, where the sun was coming up on the horizon, melting the clouds away. "Dakota," I said in a shaky voice, "If you can hear me, where ever you are, please listen." The wind was soft, caring my voice high into the clouds. "Please don't leave me hopeless," I said a little louder, "Please guide me, and show me the path. I don't get why you did this, leaving me. Please, tell me why."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Tears streamed down my face as I awaited an answer. I looked around, wondering if they had left me something to explain. I began to cry harder, and buried my face in Dakota's jacket. I felt like a three year old, believing that they were going to come back from the grave. That only happened in fairytales.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I looked up onto the horizon, where a new day began. I dried my eyes, and sat by Dakota's body as the sun rose behind the purple storm clouds. Rays of light shot though the clouds, and hit Dakota's body, making it appear to glow. As the sun rose higher, the rays became stronger, and the glowing brighter. Then, the clouds broke, and the Dragon's Den was bathed in pure sunlight, something that rarely happened in Dragonspyre. Dakota's body glowed so brightly that it almost looked unnatural. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][I]"It's time for me to go." [/I]a voice whispered across the breeze, [I]"Don't worry, you'll be all right." [/I]I looked up to see the shadow of a figure looking down towards me. He was standing in front of the sun, so I couldn't see that well. When he came closer, I realized who it was.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]It was Dakota, almost the same as he had looked when he was alive, except now he had brilliant silver wings. They were huge, at least fifteen feet across on either side. I looked back to his body, and saw that it had started to crumble into the breeze. Little tiny gold flecks flew into the air, and began to swirl around the ghost Dakota.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][I]"You're going to be ok."[/I] he said to me. "No Dakota, come back." I pleaded. He walked closer, so we were only a foot apart. [I]"Lily," [/I]he said, [I]"You have to learn to let go." [/I]He then came closer, and hugged me. His giant wings wrapped around me. And then it hit me. He didn't want to let go either. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][I]"I must go," [/I]he said, and lifted his wings away, [I]"Don't worry, ok?"[/I] I began to cry again as he walked towards the rising sun. He looked back with a sad face. [I]"We'll meet again."[/I] he said. "Are you sure?" I asked. He smiled. [I]"If you continue on the road you are on, we will meet again."[/I] [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Then he turned around, and stretched his wings out. He looked off into the distance, bent his knees, and jumped. The wind caught under his wings, and he sailed off into the distance. I watched him go, into the sunset, hoping he was right about me seeing him again.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]After a few minutes of standing there in the beautiful sunlight, I decided to go back inside. I turned, and began to walk away, when my foot hit something. Whatever it was, it went skidding across the floor, and hit a post. I went over and picked it up. It was a simple gold chain, with a beautiful purple flower on it.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]When I held it to the sun, it emitted tiny shots of color every which way. I smiled. It was magnificent. I wondered where it had come from. Then, it began to grow warm in my hands. Not a burning, hot warm, but a sunny day warm, that just made you feel good all over. I held it to my chest, and I hear a voice. [I]"With Love, Dakota." [/I]It said softly. I put the chain around my neck. I would treasure it forever. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I was finally ready to go back inside. I opened the door quietly, and tip toed to my room. Once I got there, I found a piece of parchment on the door. It said:[/SIZE][/FONT]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]Dearest Lily,[/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]We will be having breakfast together today. Meet us downstairs at 7:30 sharp.[/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]Malistare[/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I looked at the time. It was 7:00 already. I went into my room, and put on a nice dress. It was from Marleybone, black with dark purple trim. I brushed out my hair, and weaved it into a long braid. I put my shoes back on, and ran down to the dining room. I grabbed the note off my door, and read it once more. "Us?" I asked out loud. The note said, 'Meet us at 7:30.' What did he mean?[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I arrived at the dining room at 7:29. Malistare was already seated at the head, and I went to my normal seat, to his left. "Good Morning, Malistare." I said after I was seated. "Good Morning, Lily." Malistare said. I looked across from where I sat. "Who else is coming?" I asked when I saw the place setting at Dakota's chair. "Ah, I see you noticed." Malistare said, "I believe we will be having a visitor."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Then, the chimes rang, signaling there was somebody at the door. I looked at Malistare, and he smiled. The Seraph appeared in the doorway. "He's here." was all she said. "Good." Malistare replied, "Bring him here. He will be having breakfast with us." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]She left, and a few minutes later, a boy walked in. He was tall, with broad shoulders, and had spiky black hair, with bright green eyes. He smiled at me. "Hello mademoiselle." he said, and sat down opposite me. "Colin here is the new apprentice. I found him wandering around, lost this morning. He will be training with you from now on. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I was in shock. Him? Training with me? This was too much. I wanted to run, get away, but I knew I had to stay for breakfast. Malistare and Colin talked, and I stayed quiet except for when Malistare asked me a question. When I was forced to talk, I gave very short answers. What I learned about this mystery boy was this: His name was Colin. He was 15. He was Death, Fire and Storm. He was a runaway. He seemed very arrogant, and very boastful. I didn't like him at all. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When the Seraph brought our food, I ate quickly. Malistare and Colin didn't notice, because they were too deep in conversation. Once I was finished, I sat for a moment, listening to what they were talking about. It was something about Merle and Cyrus, and somebody named Aaron. I didn't really want to listen. "May I please be excused?" I asked Malistare. "Go on ahead." he said, "Just be ready to train with Colin later." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]As I left, the Seraph entered to take the dishes. As I walked out, Colin's eyes followed me. I had a feeling those eyes missed nothing. I turned, and my eyes met his. The flower on my necklace began to grow warm, warning me that magic was at use. He was trying to charm me. I almost laughed. He wasn't going to get me that easily. We held each other's gaze for some time more, but I had to shake it off. I could see him smiling as I ran to the dungeon, which was where I was hoping to get some answers. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]My soft steps echoed loudly as I descended into the dungeon. I looked into the gloom to see Noah sitting there, looking up to see who it was. "Oh, hey Lily." he said when he saw it was me. "Hey." I said in a saddening tone. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Oh, no. What happened?" he asked when I got to the bottom of the stairs. "Well...." I began, sitting down. My hands automatically reached for my necklace, and I began to fiddle with it. Noah's eyes went wide. "What's that?" he asked in an apprehensive tone. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I looked up at him. "Oh this?" I said, holding up the necklace. It began to glow again, and the rays of light returned. "It's a necklace. From Dakota." Noah shook his head. "I'm sorry." he said. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"What do you mean, sorry?" I asked. Noah let out a heavy sigh. "In ancient tradition, when the Spiral was still whole, and it was called Niritia, it was a tradition to give the girl you love a pendant to remember you by when you went to fight. There were normally enchantments and charms to protect the girl from harm in case he didn't come home. Your symbol is a lily. And I must say, this is an exquisite pendant. It will protect you from poison, warn you when magic is being used, and warn you when you are in danger. You can never lose it, there is a finding charm. It must have taken a long time to make."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I dropped the necklace back around my neck. Why did Dakota give me this? How did he get it? What does it mean? Too many questions, too few answers. Besides, I was here for answers to something else. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Hey Noah, what did the boys tell you about the runaway plan?" I asked. He perked up a little bit. "We had the whole thing planned to the decimal! The only thing that went wrong, was that Dakota wasn't suppose to die. Speaking of that, did Nobody survive?" he asked. I shook my head. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"In that case, he asked me to give you this." he said, and handed me a small leather notebook. It was dark brown, and there was a intricate metal clasp holding it together. In the middle was a large dew drop gem. "How do I open it?" I asked. Noah scratched his head. "I would imagine that you would run your finger over the gem." he said. I held the book in the left hand, and ran my finger over the gem. It glowed, and the whole lock began to shine. Then, the lock sprang open. I opened the book, and began to read. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]Dearest Lily,[/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[I][SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]I know you will never forgive us for what we have done. I know you will not understand, and you will be frustrated. But please, read the following pages, and learn about what we have done. You may not understand at first, but we hope you will understand eventually. Someday, who knows, maybe you will join us as a runaway.[/FONT][/SIZE][/I]
[I][FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Lail[/SIZE][/FONT][/I]
[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 39: A New Hope[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Kiley's Point of View: [/B]When we got back to Wizard City, we each went to our dorms to clean up before going to speak to Ambrose. We weren't filthy, but being in the Ancient Burial Grounds was not the most pleasant experience in the worlds. We agreed to clean up and put on fresh robes, then meet in front of Bartelby. I went up the three flights of stairs to the top floor, and ran down the hall to my room. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Once I had brushed my hair and put on a new robe, I picked up the stone Oakheart had given me. I went to the window, and held it in the sunlight, watching little sparks dance across its surface. The sparks were all different colors, from reds and oranges to blues and purples. The colors were so magnificent, they would shame the most colorful bird of paradise. The gems in this stone, if cut apart, would be worth five barugold each. Gold is our currency here. One gold piece is equivalent to one Euro if you live on Earth. Isngold is ten euros, omnagold is one hundred, necagold is one thousand, avegold is one million, hrtagold is one billion, and barugold is whatever comes after that. This stone was precious, and it could save Jams. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I ran downstairs, out the door, and was going to bolt down the tunnel when somebody grabbed my arm. "Going somewhere?" Alex asked. "Come on slow pokes. The sooner we heal Jams the better." I said, and bolted down the tunnel. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When we walked into Ambrose's office and saw the three cups of tea immediately. He was expecting us. "Good day children." the elderly Headmaster said from behind his enormous desk, "What fine things happened on your adventure?" I smiled. It was good to be home.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Alex's Point of View: [/B]"And you're sure that's exactly what happened while you were there?" Ambrose asked Kiley after she relayed the events of our trip. "Well, Oakheart and two Spirits took Alex into the Far Woods after Oakheart gave me the stone. Where did you go anyways, Alex?" [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]All eyes were on me. I had decided not to tell Kiley about the swords because I didn't want to answer too many questions. "Um, well they took me to this old cave, and tested me to see what Spirit I hold." I lied. Kiley raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure that's what happened?" she asked. "Yes, one hundred percent." I said in reply. "Kiley, we have no choice but to trust him." Ambrose said. She turned back around, still uneasy about what the Spirits had said to me. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]After a few more minutes, Ambrose had to return to his duties, and Kiley had to go visit Jams. Blaze said he'd meet up with us later. "Just call if you need anything." he said, and left.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Kiley began to walk towards the infirmary, and I naturally followed her. I was lost in my thoughts until I ran into something. "Ah!" I said, and came back to reality. Kiley was standing there, arms crossed, looking straight at me. "What is it?" I asked her. "Why are you following me?" she asked. "Well, I was going to go with you to heal...." I began, confused. "You don't have to go everywhere with me. Don't you have something else to do?" she said, and resumed walking towards the infirmary.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I stood there for a few minutes, watching her walk away. She was really mad at me, and I didn't know why. What was annoying her so much? I wanted to go with her to visit Jams, but apparently, I wasn't welcome. I decided to go visit Bradley instead. Kiley would come to her senses soon enough.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When I walked into the infirmary, the Nurse told me that Bradley was on the top floor, room 5.3. I thanked her, and went over to the elevator. The elevator was one of the few inventions allowed in from Marleybone. The only reason was that otherwise, it would be near impossible for patients to get to higher floors. When I got to the top floor, floor 5, I got out and walked down the hall. I found room 3 on my left. I went in, and found Bradley looking out the window, over the Commons. He looked healthier than when I last saw him, which was really good.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Hey Bradley." I said, "What happened while I was gone?" He looked up and smiled. "Hey Alex. Haven't seen you in a while. Where've yah been?" he said. "Well, Kiley and I went to the Spirit World to talk to Oakheart to heal Jams. Now we're back, and as we speak, Kiley is healing Jams." "I see." he said, "Well, why aren't you with Kiley?" I looked down at the white, clean tile. "She must be pretty mad at you." Bradley said sympathetically, "But don't worry, she won't stay mad for long. I mean, she has to protect you, right? It's her job." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I looked back up at him. "You really think so?" I asked. "Yeah, I do." he replied. "Now, what happened in the Spirit World?" I went and sat next to him on the bed, and began to tell him about what the Spirit World looked like, who was there, and what had happened. But, for the sake of time, I will omit the revision from my writing, because it is too long. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Once I had finished, Bradley sat there, aw-struck. "Not fair!" he shouted, "I want to go next time!" I laughed. "Well, you're definitely coming with." Just then, the door opened, revealing the tall blonde girl that stood there. "Hey Bradley." Kiley said nonchalantly, "How are you feeling?" [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Good." he said, "What's wrong with you and Alex?" I almost jumped out of my skin. Why did he have to say that? I looked over at Kiley. Her face was calm, not giving anything away. "Why would you say that?" she asked. Bradley looked from her, to me, then back at her. "Because Alex wasn't with you." She let out a sigh. "I just wanted to visit Jams by myself. Is that too hard to understand?" I looked back at Bradley. He was looking back at me. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Well, that's not a problem." Bradley said, choosing his words carefully, "But I saw you run off in the Commons. Something is ticking you off. What is it?" Kiley walked over to the bed where Bradley and I sat. She let out a long sigh. "It's just that," she said, "When we were in Ambrose's office, Alex said nothing had happened when the Spirits took him off by himself. And I know he is lying."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Not this again. I can't see how it's all that big of a deal. They just gave me a sword! They were nice to me, and she has to know! "I already told you, they did nothing!" I said impatiently. Bradley shook his head just as Ambrose had done. "He won't tell unless he wants to." he said, "You 're just going to have to trust him." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"And that's the problem." Kiley said, "Not that I don't trust you, it's that you really don't know the dangers out there. You were never schooled in history, so you don't know what these Spirits have done in the past. We don't want them do hurt you, because you're the Chosen One. And, we don't want you getting into anything that's way over your head, like-" [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Shh!" Bradley said, "Ambrose said not to talk about it." I was confused. What were they talking about? "Wait, what?" I asked, "What are you guys not telling me?" Kiley looked at me, them Bradley, "We can't tell you." she said flatly. "Why not?" I said, more confused. "Because Ambrose doesn't want you to know." Bradley replied. "You know, if I know, then I will know when I'm in trouble." I said, hoping that it sounded convincing. "He does have a point." Kiley said, turning to Bradley. "Fine, tell him." he said, "But I was never a part of this!" [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Kiley smiled, and took out her sword. "You see this?" she asked. I nodded. "It is one in a set of seven. Each sword comes from one form of magic. When each sword is brought into battle and used together, it is the ultimate superpower. But, the downfall is that each sword marks their owner." She muttered something, and the sword glowed softly. She held the sword in her left hand, and used her right hand to roll up her sleeve. Underneath the silk fabric, on her skin, was the same vine pattern as on her sword. "See?" she said, "The sword branded me as its owner for life. Until I die, I am the only one who can wield it effectively. It also means that I have become one of seven Guardians. They guard the Spiral from evil, and make sure it's secrets are safe."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]My head began to spin. "Why are you telling me this?" I asked. "Because, the swords are hidden all over the Spiral, and one is most likely in the Spirit World. Probably the Sword of Light. We don't want you becoming an owner, that's why I was nervous." she said. "Oh, enough jibber jabber!" Bradley said, "Shouldn't we visit Jams?" [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We all decided it was indeed time to visit Jams. Bradley got in a wheel chair, and I pushed him down the hall after Kiley. She stopped at room 5.10, the last room on that floor. She motioned for us to be quiet, and opened the door. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]the rock was set upon the table next to where Jams was. It emitted faint flames and sparks, that jumped off the rock and into the air, landing on her. She looked better than before, and I think the rock was working. "We should go sit by her. She may wake up soon."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We all went in and sat around her bed. Kiley checked the rock and Jams constantly, wanting her to come back. After a few minutes, we heard a knock on the door. "Come in." Kiley said, and there stood one person we didn't think we would see for some time. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Papyrus][SIZE=5][COLOR=#6da92d]Chapter 40: Harsh Reality[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][B]Alex's Point of View: [/B]Kiley, Bradley and I stared in awe as Oakheart stepped into the room. "H-Hello Oakheart." Bradley said. "Good day children." he replied, and turned his attention to Jams. "Ah, yes. Her injuries are severe." He walked over to her, and put one twig finger on her forehead. He closed his eyes, and sighed. We stared at him, wondering what exactly he was doing.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]His eyes opened, startling all of us. He removed his finger from where it rested on Jam's forehead, and patted her cheek. " Time to wake up, Jams." he said in a soft voice. Her eyes fluttered open, and she raised a hand instinctively to shield her eyes from the bright sunlight. "What happened?" she asked, looking around the room. She gasped when she saw Oakheart. "Oakheart? Why in the worlds would YOU of all people be in Wizard City?" "Jams, don't be rude! He just healed you!" Kiley said. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Oakheart laughed. "It is ok little one." he said to Kiley, "I'm sure you wish to know too." Kiley nodded, and Oakheart laughed again. "You have not changed at all since you were a young wizard, Kiley." Oakheart said, "But enough with the past. Dangerous things lie waiting in the future, especially if Alexander does not act quickly."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]The color drained from my face. "What do you mean, if I don't act quickly?" I said quietly. The room was silent besides from our breathing and an occasional electronic beep from one of the machines beside the hospital bed. "What I mean," Oakheart said, "Is that in three evenings, on the night of the new moon, Malistare will be summoning the Dragon Titan." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I felt dizzy. Malistare? Summoning the Fire Lord? It was too much. "Really?" Kiley's voice asked far away. "Yes. You must prepare him for what lays ahead." Oakheart replied. "Uh, guys, Alex doesn't look too good........" I felt a hand grab me before I fell into the dark void that was waiting for me.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]When I came too, I was laying on the hospital bed where Jams had been. Jams was now at the foot of the bed, sitting up. Bradley, Kiley, and Oakheart sat around the bed talking about Malistare's plan. "How do you know this is true?" Kiley asked. "Well," Oakheart said, "The spirits felt an evil rising in the Spirit World. Aaron and Elizabeth especially. They said it was an upsetting evil that would wreck chaos and fear in the wizard world, and since Earth is linked to the Spiral, Earth would feel the effects as well. That would not be good."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]I thought about it for a moment. What would Earth feel? "Uh, what would Earth feel?" I asked, not sure about anything. "Well," Oakheart said, "The Titians have been awakened three times before. The first time, when Earth was young and the land was one big mass, the land was split into five distinct pieces that you see today. the second time the dinosaurs went extinct, and the third time Atlantis sunk." "Wait a second," I said, "Atlantis was REAL?" [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Oakheart stared at me like I was crazy. "Yes it was. And now it is at the bottom of the ocean until somebody discovers it." "Ok, we get why it would be bad." Jams said, "But what can we do to stop it?" [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Oakheart looked serious once again. "Well, there are two options." We all looked at him impatiently, waiting for him to explain. "The first option," he said, "Is to send Alex to deal with Malistare." "But I can't do-" I began, before being interrupted by Kiley. "That is not an option." she said in a tone that made me know she meant it. "Well then, you must chose the second and final option." Oakheart said, "You three will go with Alex to Malistare's lair and kill him together. I know this is not what the Prophecy said, but you must understand, that in the end, the Prophecy will come true. That is why this is the more dangerous option." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"There must be another way." Jams said quietly. She looked at Kiley, and Kiley shook her head. "This is what we were raised for Jams. Defeating the ultimate evil. And if we don't make it, so be it." Kiley said to her sister. "What do you mean, don't make it?" I said. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Kiley sighed heavily. "The Prophecy is, [I]'These are dark times. But, there is a light in the darkness. This wizard will use this light, and with it, destroy the man who has caused us so much grief and pain.' [/I]There is only one wizard mentioned. That means only one wizard is destine to beat Malistare. If there are four of us, only one will make it to the end." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"What do you mean, only one of us?" I asked, hoping that the answer I knew was right would not be. It couldn't. I looked to the faces of my friends and saw the truth plainly written in their eyes. If they came too, then they would not come back. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Kiley's eyes looked up to meet mine. "That's the harsh reality of it, Alex." she said quietly, "If we go, it's a death sentence." Her voice cracked when she said 'death sentence.' She was scared. "Why would you go with me if it meant not coming home?" I asked her. She smiled a sad smile. "Because it's my destiny to fall in battle. Always has been, always will be. I can't live forever, Alex. Death has to come eventually. It always does. That is why we cherish life. If we did not die, then there would be no reason to live." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I looked to Jams. "She's right. Our destinies were linked from the beginning. There is no way to escape now." I looked to Bradley. His face was grim, and he was definitely not pleased with how things were panning out. He looked at me, and nodded. "My fate is not mine to decide. It was a while back, but that time has passed. Now we must continue on this road." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I looked up to Oakheart. "You mean I'm the only one who's going to make it?" I asked him. I felt like a two year old, just realizing mom and dad won't be there for forever. "Yes, you will be." he said in a grim tone, "If you can find a way to defeat him."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]I felt like melting down right there. I had to go fight Malistare with my friends, but they weren't going to make it out alive in the end. Not only that, but I had to figure out how. I just sat there in shock, wondering how I was going to do this. There was so much to do, so much training I needed, so much to figure out. It was a lot for one person to do.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]As if she was reading my thoughts, Kiley spoke exactly what I was thinking. "I know you don't have enough training, and I feel I have failed you because of that." she said, "But that is an unfortunate mistake that we will have to live with. Right now us four need to figure out how we're going to do this." "You guys aren't coming." I said, "It's too much to ask." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]Jams slapped me. "Ow, what was that for?" I said, rubbing my cheek. "Thinking we weren't coming." she replied. "But, you will die if you come! The prophecy says only one will make it!" "And we'll cross that bridge when we get to it!" Kiley said, "But for now, we have to get you in there to kill him." [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Ok." I said. I felt like the weight of the worlds were crashing down on me, trying to crush me. But I wouldn't let them. I had a war to win.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]After we said our goodbyes, Oakheart left. The nurse said Jams was good to go, provided she didn't over exert herself. Jams just rolled her eyes. All four of us, Bradley, Kiley, Jams and I walked out of the Infirmary together. All eyes turned towards us, and whispers echoed though the tunnels. People had heard about Oakheart's message already. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We saw that the dragons were still in their little area. When we walked over, the boy dragon was still unconscious, and the girl had just woken up. Her amber eyes looked at us pleadingly. Kiley went over, and knelt by the boy dragon's head. She placed one hand on his forehead, and in the other, held the rock we had gotten from Oakheart. The rock began to shimmer, and little sparks of mana flew from it, only to come crashing back and hitting the dragon's scales, where they were absorbed. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI]We all held our breath as the sparks continued to fly, slow at first, then faster and faster and faster until it was a glow so bright that it could only be described as light. It incased both dragons and Kiley, who hadn't moved an inch. She was calm, and concentrated. Slowly, the light faded until it was no more. Then, the dragon opened his ice blue eyes, and looked around. Kiley opened her eyes as well, and smiled. "Welcome back big guy." she said. [I]"Thank you for helping me, Light One." [/I]the dragon said, [I]"I am forever in you debt." [/I][/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]She looked at the dragon fondly. The girl dragon was elated that he was back. [I]"Thank you ever so much Brave One!" [/I]she said, [I]"We are both in your debt." [/I]I smiled. The dragons liked her. I came back to reality and saw the crowd gathering around the dragons. "Uh, guys." I said, "We got company."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]It was a large group, probably attracted by all of the light from the dragon's healing. Jams and Bradley looked very annoyed by the fact that they had come. "Go on back to yer classes kiddies, noting to see 'er!" a gruff voice said from the back of the crowd. The students protested, but went back to their studies anyways. Prospector Zeke came through the crowd with a little skip in his step. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"I see ye healed me dragons!" he said. "That I did, sir." Kiley replied. "I must say, I owe yous a lots healing those twos. Them are fine dragons, that they are, and they'll be big and strong just like they're paps and ma." Zeke said as he walked over to where they were. He talked quietly with them for a minute, then stood back up. "They are some fine dragons." he said in a distant tone, "Ain't much use for me thou." "What do you mean by that?" I asked. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Well, you see sonny, these dragons here 're meant for them battlefields 'n heros, not riding on grubby streets. They don't fit though the dang gates anymore. So I ain't gonna be able to sell them." Zeke said, "Which is why I'd like to give 'em to you kids." "Really?" I asked. "Really." he said, "You kids are going to need 'em from the looks of it anyways. You go take 'em. Besides, they like you."[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]We all thanked him, and walked over to where they laid. "Hello, fair one." Kiley said to the girl dragon, "What's your name?" [I]"Scath." [/I]The dragon replied, [I]"And my brother is Racan. We come from a great line of warriors, all the way from Celestia itself. We are pleased to meet all of you."[/I] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"You don't mind if we ride you?" I asked. Scath giggled. [I]"Isn't that what a good dragon is meant for?" [/I]she said. I smiled. "One thing." Bradley said, "Where are they going to stay?" Kiley looked up from where she had been talking with Racan. "There is a little island not far from where the Death school fell. They can stay there, and when we need them, they will come." "How will they know when to come?" I asked. "They will give us one of their scales, and when we are in need of them, we will use the scale to communicate with them." Jams said, "Speaking of which, do you have any loose scales?"[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Khmer UI][I]"I have two. One is on my tail, the other by my neck. They have been bugging me for days."[/I] Racan said. Bradley went over and helped him dislodge the scales as Kiley and I got two from Scath. When we had all four scales, we laid them out on the grass. They shimmered in the late sunlight, and mana sparks danced off them. "Who gets which?" Kiley asked. "How about Jams and I get Racan's, and you and Alex get Scath's?" Bradley said.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Ok." we all chimed in, and each picked up a scale. They were warm, and beautiful. I could have admired it all day, but we had more pressing matters to attend to. "Let's head over to the Dorms." I said, "We have some planning to do." "Ok," Jams said, "All in favor of meeting in Kiley's room say 'Ay!'" [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Khmer UI][SIZE=3]"Ay!" Bradley said as he got up. "Ay!" I said, also getting up. "Ay- hey, wait a minute, when did we decide to meet in my room?" Kiley said. "Now." Jams said, and raced down the tunnel.[/SIZE][/FONT][/quote]

I decided to read Kiley's story today; all I have to say is, "Wow!"