Return+to+the+Forum+and+Into+the+Past

Back in the Forum, the Fox collapsed into a chair, exhausted. Meats, breads and cheeses appeared on the table next to him along with a pitcher of water and another of fruit-wine. "Ah, thank you," he said faintly, as he poured a goblet for himself and then began loading a plate with food. The Forum usually did a relatively good job of anticipating his needs. If he could not get rest, at least he would feel better once he got some food.

In a seat that sat parallel to the Fox's, the Shadow dropped down on softly padded, but upright sitting chair that absorbed his shape and form. He put his feet on the round table in front of him. He reached to his right where a pyramid of succulent green apples appeared, alongside a pitcher of a crimson wine. He poured a glass of that as well, and just as he was going to take a bite of the apple, he noticed the Fox's rather serious face. Rey jerked his head to the side ever so slightly. "Very well then." The Shadow sighed in displeasure as he removed his boots from the table and sat up. He took a bite of the apple in a manner that seemed to spite his good friend. Smiling, he started to work a little shadow magic to amuse himself. Now that it and he got along in a new form, he found that the shadow magic was purely blissful to use.

Rey gazed at Gerion, a small smile playing on his lips. The young man had learned joy at last, he thought. Oh, the Shadow was still moody, prickly, mercurial, to be certain, but he was now able to control his abilities. And he and the magic had begun to really understand each other. Rey was satisfied with his work. Perhaps Rey //would// make a good teacher. That was important to know, especially if...well, that was for the future. He needed to be in the present. But for now, Rey had hope. And, as Celia had said to him many times, hope is all we need.

But he was tired, so tired. They had gotten back first, twelve days after they had first left the Forum. They had a few moments of respite. He glanced around the room. Esme was engrossed by the golden topaz, watching pictures from across Pyrosium flash in its facets. Talos was poring over the minutely detailed maps of Arcis that the Forum held. He was clearly fascinated with their accuracy and precision. Now would be the perfect time for Rey to get some rest, if ever.

"Gerion, may I ask a favor? The recent events have tired me, and I need to have perhaps twenty to thirty minutes of meditation to restore my energy. Would you watch over me? Make sure that no one disturbs me?" Rey knew the magnitude of what he was asking as he was sure that Gerion knew the level of faith that Rey was placing in him.

"If you trust me that much Rey, then very well." He allowed the Fox to engross himself in his own mind, while he kept a very careful watch. He unsheathed //Howler,// receiving a puzzled look from Talos and Esme. He reached in one of his numerous pockets and pulled out a sharpening stone, holding it in clear sight of the two, and went to work. He waited for the flare of a portal, or anything that threatened the odd peace of the Forum. Finding no true reason to be wary, he relaxed his precaution ever so slightly. He kept a careful watch on the three people in the Forum, particularly Rey, and waited for something to happen.

Rey slipped out to his chair and sat cross legged on the floor, hands resting on his knees, palms up. He closed his eyes with a small sigh. As Gerion watched, tiny purple flames began to flicker around Rey’s body, slowly encasing him in a shadowy bubble made of dusky mist and violet fire. Rey rose in the air, hovering inches above the floor. Gerion heard, like an undertone, the familiar song that he had heard before, the music of the spheres. And then, forming on either side of Rey, Gerion saw the ghostly forms of Celia and Adamo. They nodded gravely to the Shadow and then placed their spectral hands on the globe surrounding the Fox, pouring energy into it and through it, into Rey. Gerion watched as Rey's smile became wider, less forced, more genuine. The smile of love and joy and beauty. Long stayed they so, Adamo and Celia singing softly to Rey. Gerion noticed that Esme and Talos were oblivious to what was happening, but that was good. This was private and intensely personal. After thirty minutes, Rey sank to the floor. The sphere shimmered away, as did the ephemeral forms of Celia and Adamo, Celia leaving a fleeting kiss on Gerion’s cheek. And then, Rey opened his amber eyes, which now glowed golden with power and authority.

Gerion smiled at his friend, sheathed //Howler// and put the stone back in his pocket. He stood, extending a hand to Rey, and helped the man to his feet. The Fox hopped up in an almost spritely manner, and Gerion couldn't help but chuckle, considering that now all of the anguish and darkness of Grieum was far behind them. For the moment, at least.

The portal to XR flared to life and the unconscious body of Veronika was unceremoniously thrown into the Forum.

“By the gods!” Rey swore, as he sprinted to her side. “Shadow! Water, please!”

The Shadow grabbed a pitcher of water and went to the Fox’s side. “A cup, perhaps?” the Fox questioned.

“Why use a cup when I have a pitcher?” the Shadow said as he dumped the pitcher over her prone body.

Veronika gasped, spitting water everywhere, and then sat up, rubbing her eyes. Esme and Talos joined them, Talos still holding a map. “Hi,” the Shadow said, “What happened?”

“I’m not sure. The last thing I knew, I was falling down some stairs.”

“Quest not going well?” the Fox queried.

“Rielan’s dead! I think he’s dead!” Veronika sobbed.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” the Shadow assured her, and looked at the Fox before saying, “Do I need to go fetch?”

The Fox smiled and chuckled. “No, Shadow,” the Fox said. “You need to sit. Stay.” He winked at the Shadow and then said to Veronika, “I assure you, he is still alive. I would know if he were not.” They helped her to a seat and gave her some food.

The gate flared again and Muirin’s unconscious body tumbled into the Forum.

The Shadow said, “Why is everyone always unconscious?!”

“Not helping,” the Fox said.

“Should I get another pitcher?” the Shadow smirked.

“Might as well get two, just in case,” the Fox responded. Two pitchers appeared on the table right next to them. With a sweeping, sarcastic bow, the Shadow said, “Your turn.”

The Fox grabbed a pitcher, flicked some water at the Shadow, and then poured the rest on Muirin. She groaned fitfully and rolled onto her side.

“Well, at least we know she’s not dead,” the Fox commented. Looking over her quickly, the Fox saw that she appeared fine but that her magic was almost exhausted. The Fox laid his hands on her. “All magic is one magic,” he murmured. "Please let this work." He lifted his hands up and a deep green glow emanated from them, sinking into Muirin’s form. The smell of pine trees and freshly turned earth filled the Forum. After several minutes, she blinked and sat up gingerly. They helped her to a chair and gave her some food as well. “Give her a small portion, please,” the Fox said quietly. "She has been without proper food for too long."

The gate opened again and Nicholas stumbled through, followed by Rielan. Nicholas turned to Rielan and said, “Hey, don’t push me,” raising his hands to push Rielan. However, before he could make contact, he crumpled as the pommel of the Shadow’s sword pulled away from his head.

“And //that’s// why everyone is always unconscious,” the Fox grinned. The Shadow swept him another bow, returning the smile. “Rielan, help yourself to some food. Shadow, help me move the body. Again. Please.” The Shadow grabbed the man’s legs while the Fox put his hands under Nicholas’s shoulders.

“You know, he’s actually not bad company when he’s not talking,” Rielan observed. The Shadow laughed as he dumped the body into a nearby chair.

“So. What happened?” the Fox asked, after which Rielan provided them with a summary of the adventure.

At that moment Arlyn's portal flared and then an ebony streak rushed into the Forum, barking excitedly around the bone in her mouth.

“You can’t bring souvenirs!” Weylin snarled.

Interestingly, though the Fox had sent four people to Arlyn, five entered the Forum. “Oh, not again,” the Shadow sighed.

“Believe me, I tried to kill him off before we got in,” Weylin said petulantly.

The Fox looked at the spare, cocking his head to the side. “Jones?” he said quizzically.

“I’m sorry. He followed me. Can we keep him, please?” Iis pleaded.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this,” the Shadow said as shadow magic began coursing around his hands.

“No, little brother,” the Fox said. “We’ll deal with this in another way.”

“Fine,” the Shadow said. “But can I kill the next one, please?”

“Shadow,” the Fox warned, shaking his head slightly. The Fox turned to Consil and asked, “Can you give us a report, please?”

“It seems that there was trade in Arlyn all along and they aren’t as passive as we have been led to believe. A storm is brewing in Arlyn; they’re building an army to oppose Corraidhín.”

“I tried to kill the informant but Consil wouldn’t let me,” Weylin griped.

"Killing is not the answer to everything, my young friend," the Fox observed wryly.

"It may not always be //the// answer but it is an answer," the Shadow said mockingly.

That much is certain, my Shadow," the Fox replied seriously. "But, in my experience, the most expedient answer is seldom the best one."

The gate to Belaruda opened up. The Fox looked up quizzically. “Didn’t I send you to Pretium?” he said.

Everyone came walking in at once. Elek looked exhausted since he did not like the extreme heat of Belaruda's gate. Everyone else just seemed happy to be back once again after being on that quest for over two weeks. Elek scrambled over to the table and found a huge pitcher of water which he picked up with two hands and dumped right on his head. The water froze to him like a blanket of rime-ice and he groaned in relief.

“We definitely went there, and we definitely crashed an island, and we definitely ran out of time,” Halyn sighed.

“Which island did you crash?” the Shadow asked.

“Which one do you think? The only one that floats,” Halyn snapped.

The Shadow shook his head. “Damn. I wanted to do that.”

“I’m more interested in the time piece,” the Fox interjected. “What do you mean you ran out of time?”

“We were gone for fourteen days and we missed the gate,” Fevrea said. “And by the way, the other side of the gate? Really hard.”

“You were gone for fourteen days? We were gone for twelve days.” The Fox turned to the groggy Nicholas. “Nicholas? How long was your group gone?”

“I think... about a week?” he said, rubbing the back of his head.

“Consil? How long were you gone?”

“We weren’t even gone for three days,” Consil responded.

“So, let me get this straight. We were gone twelve days, but got here first. You two were gone between three days and a week, but got here after us. Your group was gone fourteen days, but got here perhaps an hour after we did.”

Fevrea crinkled her brow. “My head hurts.”

Elek rotated his antennae and tuned into what the others were talking about. He immediately became confused with the whole situation. Giving up, he decided to sit down and eat some of the food that was available.

“Consil. I’d like your counsel on this.”

“Perhaps there was a type of time flux or stasis... It’s not uncommon for something like this to happen.”

“True. But humans are tethered in time. Time.” The Fox thought for a second, then took off across the Forum, headed for a large wall of books.

“But time isn’t necessarily fixed. It can be rewritten,” Consil mused.

“And it is by no means linear, ” the Shadow interjected.

From over near the books, the group heard the Fox saying, “Where is it? Where is it? I know I read something...”

“What are you going on about?” the Shadow queried.

“Shh!” the Fox shushed the Shadow impatiently. “Aha!” said the Fox triumphantly a few moments later. “Found it!” He lifted a very large, old tome off the shelves and brought it to the table. He flipped open a page. “Consil, Shadow, look. According to the Great Prophecy, the Forum is supposed to be a place outside of space and a space outside of time.”

“Go on,” Consil urged.

The Fox shrugged. “It’s all I’ve got.”

Weylin, ever the eavesdropper, added, “If it’s outside of time, does time even matter?”

“If time doesn’t matter, then are there any barriers in the Forum?” Nicholas pondered.

“Obviously time exists.” Ryan paused. “There. It’s been a second.”

Weylin turned to Consil and asked, “Do you still have my bag?” Consil handed Weylin the bag and Weylin dug through it, pulling out a silver pocket watch. He flipped it open and passed it to Ryan, saying, “No, it hasn’t.” Ryan stared at the unmoving hands of the watch.

“So if time isn’t passing, then how are we progressing?” Ryan asked.

“And could we make it regress?” suggested the Shadow.

“Does that mean the Forum has its own version of time?” the Corraidhín youth questioned.

Consil ignored the conversation, his eyes on the floor of the Forum. The Fox turned to the Shadow. “I’ve got an idea!”

“Oh, here we go,” the Shadow sighed.

“No, this’ll work! I think. We’ll put you on the roof of the Forum-”

“What roof?” the Shadow cut in.

“I’m sure there must be one. Anyhow, we’ll put you up there and you could move us through time!”

“Why me?”

The Fox gave him a hard look. “You //know// why.”

“I would prefer not to go into an interdimensional rift. That’s just me.”

Fevrea piped in, “It’s not a rift, it’s a roof.”

“By the divines! It’s a clock!” Consil exclaimed excitedly.

“What’s a clock?” Rielan asked.

“The floor. The entire Forum!” Consil said.

“The entire Forum is a floor?” Rielan asked, confused.

“Out of my way, you idiot!” Consil pushed Rielan out of the way and strode over to the Fox. “The entire floor is a clock face!”

A grin tugged at the corners of the Fox's mouth. “A //stopped// clock.”

Consil knelt down, placing his hands on the floor. “The gears seem to be stuck.”

Elek reached down to touch the ground, mimicking what Consil was doing, but he found nothing but a flat surface. He gave up, grabbed an apple and bit into it, listening to their conversation.

“You know what I’ve always wanted to do?” the Shadow commented, chewing another apple. “I’ve always wanted to meet the original Shadow.” Everyone turned their heads in unison to look at the Shadow. “It was just a random thought.”

Consil grinned. “That might not be as impossible as it seems.”

“Will somebody please explain what a clock is?” Rielan demanded. Weylin took him aside and explained, showing him the pocket watch.

“What do you need, Consil?” the Fox asked.

“We need to move this table.”

The Fox waved his hand lazily, and the table skittered across the floor to the side of the Forum. The Shadow, whose feet had been resting on the table, fell to the floor, his green apple flying from his hand and across the Forum.

The Fox extended his hand. “My apologies, little brother.”

“You could have just asked me to take my feet off the table,” the Shadow said, while retrieving his apple with a tendril of shadow magic.

The Fox grinned at him. “I have. Repeatedly.”

“Anyone fancy a vacation?” Consil suggested.

A few people half-heartedly objected, but they all knew the Fox would ultimately have his way. The Fox looked at his companions, noting the concern in their faces. He had lived so much of his life in secret, never sharing his true purposes, keeping even his identity hidden. But if the time of the Great Prophecy had come at last, perhaps the time for secrecy had ended too. He sighed deeply, wishing, not for the first time, that Celia were here with him to advise him. Ah well, he thought, this was a decision that he needed to make on his own.

"Forgive me, my friends," he said sadly. "It is wrong of me to assume that you would all be willing to go where I want you to go and do what I want you to do. You all owed me favors. Now I say to you that those debts are repaid. I have no hold over you and you are free to depart or stay as you wish. Before you make your decision, however, I would like to share with you what I know."

He gestured and a large globe of shadow formed in the midst of the room, slowly rotating. In it, an image of a hooded figure appeared, eyes blazing and emanating malice. "This is what the Shadow, Talos, Esme and I saw on our quest. They can attest to the truth of the matter. This is our Enemy, but I do not know exactly who or what it is." He held up a hand to forestall any comments. "I know that the Enemy resides on Fyriah. I know that heroes from all of Pyrosium are needed to stand against it. I know that you all, arrayed before me, are those heroes, whether you believe that or not. The great topaz here marked you all at your birth, and I, or my predecessors, have watched you all and gathered favors from you so that you could be drawn here in this time of need. I believe that going back in time to visit the first Alliance will allow us to know more of our Enemy. After that, I believe that we need to return here and then mount an assault on Fyriah. I know that this is much to ask of you all. I cannot guarantee your safety. But I also cannot assume your cooperation. You must enter into this willingly, or not at all."

The Fox looked at all of them in turn, amber eyes sad and yet hopeful, accepting their choices in the matter. "So my friends, what say you? Shall we try this? Shall we stand together against the Enemy? Or do you wish to depart, to return to your homes and families?"

There was a moment of silence in the Forum that stretched on as people mulled their options. The first to move was the Shadow, who crossed silently to the Fox and shook his hand, then took a place next to him. "//Thank you, brother,//" the Fox said, his voice gentle in the Shadow's mind.

Nott padded over to the Fox and brushed against his side with Weylin following, giving a silent nod of approval. The Fox reached down and ruffled the fur on Nott’s head.

Nicholas walked over to the Fox and clasped arms with him, joining the others.

Rielan sighed and said, “Well, I guess if he’s going, I have to go. Who else is going to shut him up?”

“If we fail, what will happen to all of our regions?” Ryan queried.

The Shadow smiled tightly. “Well, for starters, every region will fall into eternal hellfire or freeze indefinitely. Next, every single one of us, especially //us//, would be either killed or captured and tortured until we’ve suffered the most horrible death imaginable. But you’re free to go if you wish. Just know that, //when// we win, we won’t thank you,” he answered sardonically.

Laughing at the Shadow’s answer, Fevrea crossed over. “You have my vote.”

The Fox met Ryan’s eyes. “It is a difficult thing to tell the future. Signs, omens and predictions are notoriously slippery and the actions that we take today influence the outcome of tomorrow. The Shadow has correctly interpreted the prophecy, //as I see it//. But you are free to make whatever choice you wish.”

“In the interest of regional preservation, I’ll agree to fight,” Ryan responded.

“How very magnanimous of you,” the Fox murmured to the people around him. The Shadow laughed quietly.

Elek jumped in, saying, “What is it like in Fyriah?”

The Fox grinned at Elek, “It’s not called the Icy Heart of the World for nothing. It’s cold. Very cold. Lots of snow. Oh, and quite dangerous." He shrugged. "But then again, what’s life without a little adventure?”

Elek smiled. “Perfect. I’m in.”

“I’m willing to fight, but worried about the conditions,” Veronika commented as she walked over hesitantly.

“It would be a shame if I didn’t get to use the rest of these arrows,” Esme stated as she strode over to join the rest of the group.

“Can I get a coat?” Iis asked awkwardly.

“Of course, my dear," the Fox responded, "Any kind you like.”

Iis nodded and walked across the room, Talos following her. When he reached the Fox, he inclined his head briefly.

-Tory’s character-

“I’m in. I’d do anything to avoid getting married,” Andresa exclaimed.

Consil, mimicking the Shadow, stepped up and shook the Fox’s hand.

“Halyn?” the Fox asked quietly.

Halyn, deep in thought, finally snapped out of it when she realized that all eyes were on her. She looked up at everyone, indecision flooding her features. She stammered a little, clearly torn.

“It’s all right,” the Fox said gently. “You must make whatever decision is best for you. I will understand.”

Halyn sighed and took her place in the standing army.

“Excellent,” the Fox said briskly, rubbing his hands together. “Consil, if you please, I believe it is time to go.”

Consil took his place in the center of the Forum, knelt down, and placed his hands on the floor, eyes closed in concentration. //Tick//. To most who watched, Consil looked like he was motionless. However, those gifted in magic saw the mystical forces gathering around him, flowing through him, into the floor. //Tock//. Consil looked up, glancing at the Shadow. //Tick//. The Shadow saw Consil straining, ran to his side. //Tock//. He reached in Consil’s bag, pulling out the ancient tome and began chanting to aid the technopath. //Tick, tock, tick, tock.//

As the sound filled the Forum, Weylin reached into his pocket and took out his watch. He saw the hands begin to move. Ears pressed back against her skull, Nott let out a high pitched whine, adding to the unpleasant noise that was erupting around the room.

The Fox glanced at Consil. “Very good. Now back, please. Oh, and you may want to hold on to something.”

The floor of the Forum slowly started moving counter clockwise, and then began picking up speed.

“Oh! I get it now!” Rielan barked.

“Good boy,” the Fox said.

Before he could respond, Rielan was flung against the wall by force, followed by Talos, Ryan, Weylin, Iis, Jones, and Esme. Fevrea stumbled, but was able to grab on to a nearby pillar. The rest were rooted where they stood.

When the spinning stopped, there were twice the amount of people in the room as before. To some, they appeared as ghostly figures and to others they were solid entities. Each group was gaping at the other, eyes wide with wonder or surprise.

“What is this?” asked a woman with auburn hair and amber eyes. She stared at the Fox, taking in his appearance, and his resemblance to her.

“Hello, Sinopa,” the Fox replied. " It’s nice to see you again.”

“Do I know you?” Sinopa asked.

“You will,” the Fox replied. “Eventually.”

“Really? How //interesting//.”

Sudden growling erupted from the corner and Nott chased after something Weylin could not see. He dashed after her, tackling the wolf to the ground. A sudden eruption of sound filled Weylin’s ears. “Heel!”

Nicholas raised his hand. “Is anyone here from Grieum?”

The Fox stared at Nick, shaking his head, and said, “Please remind me to teach you a lesson in subtlety when we return.”

Nick returned the Fox’s gaze, shrugged, gave the Fox a smirk, and said, “I’m not sure you could teach me that one.”

“If I can teach the Shadow, I can teach you,” the Fox snapped. “However, this is neither the time nor place.”

Fevrea, who was staring at the other people in the room, perplexed, and rubbing her ears asked, “Is anyone else just hearing snippets of the conversation?”

“What conversation? I don’t hear anything,” Talos answered.

A cold voice spoke, saying, “I can help with that.” A tall young man walked to the center of the room. He pulled his hood off, revealing hair that was fiery red, liberally streaked with snowy white. He raised a hand, spoke three words that sounded like the cracking of thunder, and suddenly everyone in the room could both see and hear each other. The man smiled, but the smile did not seem to reach his stormy eyes. “Welcome,” he said, “Welcome to the Forum.”

“Yeah, we’ve been here before. And your voice sounds familiar,” the Shadow said, perplexed. The Fox met the Shadow's gaze, one eyebrow raised and recognition in his eyes.

“I should think that is highly unlikely,” the man replied crisply.

“No, I assure you, we’ve most certainly been here before. Well... after.”

“You speak in riddles, my young friend.”

“Only the truth. And don’t call me young,” the Shadow said, glancing at the Fox.

“So, where, or perhaps I should say //when//, are you from exactly? And why are you here, my //young// friend?”

“Well, as to when, approximately, um, ten thousand years in the future. From where, well, everywhere,” the Shadow explained, wincing at, but ignoring, the “young” comment. “And why are we here? That is up to interpretation, depending on the person.”

“I see,” he replied, with an icy smile. “I am called Ardens Glacies. And you are?”

“They call me the Shadow.”

“Funny, they call //me// the Shadow, also,” said a slightly older man who bore a striking resemblance to the younger one.

“So they do. It is nice to see you again.” The Shadow bowed in respect for the man whom he was named after. However the man shrugged off the courtesy and laughed at the gesture.

“What is so funny?” the Shadow asked angrily.

“It’s nothing, you’re just so respectful. You are uptight. It’s hard to believe shadow magic would attach itself to you,” the elder man looked at Gerion, not understanding.

“You clearly haven’t met him,” the Fox interrupted. “Our Shadow was hardly respectful before the issues that have presented themselves to us, and he is one of the most apt shadow mages I have ever met.” The Fox then returned his attention to Sinopa and allowed the men to go about their conversation.

Sinopa and the Fox walked over to one of the alcoves, while Arden Glacies stood in the center of the Forum, eyes closed and hands playing in the air before him. The Fox shook his head, ruefully. “I should not have brought them here,” he said softly. “This was a mistake.”

Sinopa raised one delicate eyebrow. “Did you force them to come?”

“No,” the Fox replied. “They came of their own free will.”

“I see,” his ancestress said, thoughtfully. “I cannot believe that you would knowingly lead them into danger.”

The Fox gave Sinopa a feral smile. “How little you know me, my lady. I am going to lead them into very great jeopardy very soon.”

“Ah,” Sinopa replied, “but you //know// that it is perilous.”

The Fox shrugged. “What does it matter? Danger is danger.”

“If that is true, my kinsman, then why are you worried about this?” Sinopa asked, springing her trap.

The Fox gave a short bark of laughter. “You may be right.”

“I usually am,” Sinopa agreed.

The Fox laughed again. “Spoken like a true Vulponi!”

“You sound like you know us well,” Sinopa grinned.

The Fox returned her smile. “My lady," he said, “I would venture to say that I scarcely know anyone better.”

“So why are you here, my young Vulponi?” Sinopa asked, her sharp amber gaze roving about the room. Her eyes lingered on the figures of the first and second Shadow who were deep in conversation, her expression softening and a small smile playing on her lips. The Fox’s brows raised slightly. //Oh, really,// he thought. //How interesting. Well, that **would** explain things.//

“In the future, we face a great evil which resides on Fyriah. We do not know what it is or who it is. I thought that perhaps we could find out if we came back in time and spoke to the First Alliance. I believe that we have indeed found the...shall we say...source.” His eyes darted quickly to the center of the room, SInopa following them.

“No!” she said, shocked.

“Yes,” the Fox confirmed. “But I know not how.”

“You are in for a challenge then,” she replied. “He is the greatest of us all.”

The Fox frowned. "Greater than all of you combined?"

Sinopa shrugged. "Perhaps. Perhaps not. I have no way of knowing."

“Well," the Fox said, his eyes resting on Gerion, "I have a few tricks up my sleeve yet."

"You put a great deal of trust in him," Sinopa observed.

"I do," the Fox agreed.

Sinopa raised her eyebrows. "Is he worthy of it?"

"He has not failed me yet," the Fox replied, smiling slightly.

"I hope he does not do so in the future," Sinopa said, frowning.

"He won't."

Sinopa sniffed. "We shall see."

"Have you any advice that you can give me?” the Fox asked, changing the subject. His faith in the Shadow was absolute.

Sinopa did not reply for a moment. “Have you ever read //The Founding of Remia//?” she asked, the question an apparent non sequitur.

The Fox was taken aback. “Yes,” he replied slowly.

“I particularly enjoy the section on the Legends of Remia,” Sinopa mused.

“I’ll have to re-read that part,” the Fox said, puzzled by the conversation.

“Yes, you should,” Sinopa stated seriously. “Now, shall we join my Shadow and yours?”

“Well, isn’t that funny, he thinks you have talent,” the elder Shadow began to laugh heavily.

Gerion quelled his anger and looked the man in the eye, “I //do// have talent. If you would like to test that, be my guest.”

The challenge didn’t go unanswered. “Fine then. Let’s see what you have.” A dark luminescence erupted around the two men and they were in pure blackness. “Tell me, boy, can you see?”

“I don’t need to,” Gerion threw out a hearty laugh, ready for a test that would prove to be interesting.

“Fine then, we shall fight. The first to draw blood wins and becoming unconscious will result in loss, subsequently we won’t kill one another. You know, time rifts and all that,” the man called out in the darkness.

“Enough, old man, get on with it. I’m ready whenever you are.”

The elder was not one for patience and he struck first, fast and hard. He jumped into the air calling a blade of darkness from the abyss itself. He struck down with a sweeping blow. Easily dodging, Gerion rolled to the left and called up a white light. It burned through the darkness for a quick second and blinded the elder Shadow. That wasn’t enough however, for what shadow mage wouldn’t be able to fight blind? The elder Shadow pulled himself to the edge of the dark walls, black sword in hand. He whispered a quick word and was encased in heavy, dark armor. The sword extended into a long bastard sword with a wolf’s head pommel.

“That sword!” Gerion exclaimed, but he had to subdue his excitement temporarily. Instead he dodged and parried, knocking the original Shadow off guard. Rather than taking the final blow then and there, Gerion stepped back quickly. He wanted to make this last.

“Come on and fight, young one!” The elder Shadow bellowed in frustration.

“//Don’t call me YOUNG!”// Six colors erupted around Gerion and he charged at the man in anger. He unsheathed //Howler,// a swift engine of death//.// It started to dance in his hand, moving quicker and quicker as the six forms of magic all drew into the sword. The hilt then started to glow with color, cycling from red to white, white to green, blue to black, black to clear. Its beauty was only matched by its lethality.

The sword emanated pure magic and suddenly it extended into a two handed black sword that seemed to carry death on its blade. This was its embodiment of shadow magic. It hung in Gerion’s hands, heavy and ready. He lifted the sword and furiously attacked the older man. The elder Shadow had no means to stop the pitch black blade. He just kept blocking and retreating until his back faced the wall and he had nowhere to turn. Then, Gerion’s assault slowed and he only kept the elder man back as opposed to harming him. Small subdued attacks were made by the elder man, but nothing that affected Gerion.

Reveling in his success, Gerion yelled aloud, “I am the greatest shadow mage ever! I am darkness. I am death. I am //the// Shadow. I do not fight the darkness, I embrace it and love it. I //am// it. But all magic is one magic and I am one Shadow of many. You have lost this fight,” Gerion said victoriously.

“I was wrong about you, my friend,” the older Shadow conceded. “However you have not won this fight, look at your hand.” Gerion looked down to his stinging hand. He hadn’t noticed the pain in the heat of the battle. When he glanced at his dark hands, he saw a single scarlet drop of blood drip onto the floor. As it splashed on the ground, the dark bubble faded. The two men were left standing in the light of the Forum as if nothing had occurred, though //Howler// still gleamed in multicolored facets. The sword was magnificent. Then, Gerion felt the drain of power. He sat down heavily and took a deep breath. He was new to using all forms of magic. Tired, he bowed his head and said, “Good fight, old man.”

Gerion extended the bloody hand to the elder Shadow and they shook. The two laughed. “That was impressive, my friend,” said the elder.

“It was nothing I have done much, much more,” Gerion boasted. “However it appears that the Foxes wish to join us.” He then sheathed the sword, while admiring the multicolored blade.

They made their way over to where the two Shadows stood, Sinopa standing close to the first Shadow. Her hand reached out and clasped his, hidden in the folds of their garments. The Fox and Gerion noticed however, and exchanged glances.

“Excuse me.” Halyn smiled shyly. “Are you from Saqui Salvi?”

The man who had been introduced as Zulimar bowed to her. He towered over her, standing at six feet and seven inches. As he bowed, his medium length and slightly moistened black hair hell forward. Halyn noticed that he probably had the same condition as she held. “I am, my dear, and you must be as well. Tell me. How is our underwater utopia, ten thousand years in the future?”

“I’m afraid we’ve fallen from grace as time has passed but we are still very strong. Only our people know where we are, but we have opened trade with Cvetonia and Belaruda in recent years,” Halyn answered, a touch melancholic at the mention of her country’s sorry state.

“Cvetonia? Where is Cvetonia located?” Zulimar queried, confused.

“It’s very close by.”

“I think you might be talking about Gruvestein.”

“Perhaps. I have so much to ask you,” Halyn began. “For one, where did you acquire such a warm looking cloak?” Halyn had been cold, as if a layer of ice had been spread under her skin, since she had left the oceans of home. Just looking at the man before her was enough to have gotten her shivering from the time she had entered the Forum that held the First Alliance.

“It was a gift from one of my fellow Forum members, but you look as though you need it much more than I.” Zulimar removed the cloak and draped it over Halyn’s shoulders. She thanked him graciously, wrapping herself in the warmth of the garment. She peered into his eyes, noting the deep purple tone.

“Sir, may I know your last name? I’m afraid I didn’t catch it when we were making our introductions.” she asked timidly.

“You may call me Zulimar if you wish,” Zulimar responded, his face alight with a smile.

Halyn nodded. “Zulimar,” she repeated, as if to make sure she would remember.

“My last name is the same as your own. I am Zulimar Coalscale.”

Halyn’s jaw dropped. “That can’t be! That would mean that you’re my...” she began a futile attempt at figuring out how many greats to attach to his place in her heritage.

“I may have many greats attached to your name for me, but you may call me your grandfather. It would save a lot of time.” Zulimar’s smile remained.

Halyn nodded, in a sort of disbelief, then shook her head, trying to get back to her questions. “Tell me please, how do you manage to stay so well and alive out of water?”

“I haven’t been in the Forum for long yet today, and I rarely stay for more than a few days. You look weary. When was the last time you have returned to your home?”

“Well, you see, I’ve also rarely left Saqui Salvi. It’s likely been a month by this time since I’ve truly been home, though I have been in the general ocean. Unfortunately, no ocean is as pleasant and warm as the waters of home,” Halyn responded, her face downcast. She missed her home and her family.

“That won’t do at all. Why have you been in the Forum for so long?” Zulimar asked with a considerable amount of concern.

“Well, it’s a long story. I’m much less inclined to tell it and much more inclined to ask you more questions. For instance, who is the ruler of our country?”

“Why, it’s me. I am.” Zulimar stated.

“Wait, that can’t be. My-- our-- family didn’t go into power until my father began ruling,” Halyn objected. “I mean, I think so anyway.”

“I promise you, you’re looking upon the face of the reigning king of Saqui Salvi.”

“That means that something happened. Oh. Oh! I understand now!” Halyn exclaimed.

“What? What do you understand?” Zulimar urged.

“I don’t think I’m allowed to tell you.” Halyn new little about the intricacies of time but something was making her feel like she shouldn’t let on about anything that would happen in Zulimar’s future. Not to Zulimar himself, anyway.

Understanding registered on Zulimar’s incredibly expressive face. “That’s fine. Was there anything else you wanted to know?”

“Yes. Could you tell me how to get along better in the outside world?”

“Of course.” Zulimar launched into a discussion of techniques a young mermaid might use to stay healthy on land. They involved breathing techniques and different healing spells that Zulimar had created himself to take care of land injuries. Halyn listened intently to her companion. When he had finished, she was left with only one question.

“Do you also have Alexandria’s Genesis?” She asked, maintaining her timidity.

Zulimar gave a hearty laugh. “Why yes I do. Thank you for noticing.” The pair smiled fondly at each other. “Shall we take a seat and indulge in some land cuisine?” Zulimar offered.

“That sounds like an excellent idea,” Halyn replied and they did as such, talking idly about less important things.

A frail young man stood at the edge of the Forum, his back resting on the wall. His skin had a faint glow, not as noticeable as Iis’s but upon a close look, there was no mistaking the light that shown through his pale skin. His expression was worried and distant. His mind was tangled with depression, ensnared by the very deaths upon which he allowed history to set itself. “Sick” would be a believable title. His eyes were heavy. His figure was thin. His probably handsome face was ghostly and sad.

Iis was afraid to approach him, in fear of his fragile frame breaking under her breath. But she stepped forward, nonetheless, only to be held back by Jones. “Why do you need to talk to anyone here?”

“I, unlike you, still care about Mondiluce.”

“Don’t. You know I care.” His hand dropped from her shoulder down to her hand. He gave in and allowed her to lead him forward towards the sad man.

They approached the man and he barely looked up to notice them.

“Hello,” Jones greeted him.

At this, the man realized their presence. However, he never let his eyes look directly into theirs, as though they would be able to see the pain in his gaze. He studied their faces quickly and then focused his attention on their hands which remained intertwined at their sides. “Are you two in love?”

“What?” Iis exchanged a glance with Jones who was equally as startled by the question.

“I’m sorry.” The man’s sad eyes moved from their hands to a distant wall. He closed his eyes tightly to suppress the memory of the most recent deaths he had encountered but it was no use. Just a week ago, his wife and son were taken from him. It wasn’t until three days later that he was told they were dead. He had almost forgotten what it was like to hold the ones you love. He didn’t even know the emotion anymore. It didn’t even exist. “I suppose you’re both from Mondiluce. I can tell by your skin. It’s so bright though. Is it always that bright in the future?”

“Yeah,” Jones answered. There was a silence in which none of them knew quite what to say. The man took a deep breath to clear his mind and finally broke the silence.

“My name is Jule. Jule Prayus. I’m the king of Mondiluce. I don’t suppose you’ve heard of me. I can’t be very remembered.” Iis and Jones stared in disbelief at the mention of the name Prayus. The king didn't know of his most important fate. It would change Mondiluce forever.

“I’m Iis and this is Jones,” Iis introduced.

“Iis and Jones,” Prayus repeated with a nod. “It’s nice to meet you.” There was another silence before he added, “This probably isn’t fair, but I need to know. Do I do a good job as king? I haven’t done much so far. I haven’t been the king for very long.” Iis remembered the legends of King Prayus. He ruled such a short term before he died. She now knew the secret murder behind his death. She had to stop it.

“You have to run!” Iis blurted out. “You’re going to die. You don’t live long. They kill you. You have to run!”

//The air blew cold// //When they told his fate// //They told him to run// //But it was too late//

//The last of many// //Was lost too soon// //The King fell ill// //At a quarter past noon//

//At half past three// //The note was read// //The air blew cold// //The King was dead//

Iis shivered as she recalled the nursery rhyme. It was in every child’s mind. The words had traveled through thousands of mouths and danced on thousands of pages. She had seen the words so many times before but had never really read it. //The air blew cold.// The upcoming battle in Fyriah. //When they told his fate. They told him to run.// What she had just said.

//But it was too late.//

“I’m going to die?”

“Iis! You can’t tell him about his future! It’s just wrong,” Jones stopped her.

“I’m going to die,” the king repeated solemnly.

“You don’t have to. It can all change! Please! You’ll stop the Three from killing everyone!”

“Iis!” Jones absconded her, covering her mouth with his hand before she destroyed the future even more. He turned to King Prayus. “I’m sorry. We can’t tell you any more. It’s not our place. We have to go. I’m sorry.” He pulled Iis away from the king. Iis struggled to break free from Jones’s arms. Her eyes were now filled with tears. She couldn’t let this poor man die.

When they had crossed to the other side of the room Jones turned her to face him. “What was that? You can’t just tell someone from the past that they’re going to die.”

Iis had trouble choking out her words through the tears. “I couldn’t let him die. He was so sad. He was so lonely. He doesn’t deserve it.”

“Iis,” Jones took her hands, “I can’t stop this man from dying, but I can stop future people dying. Just promise me you won’t follow me. There’s something I need to do.” She shakily held up her pinky for a pinky promised which he accepted. He kissed her on the forehead and walked back across the room to King Prayus. Iis curled herself up on the floor of the Forum and buried her crying eyes in her knees.

“Hello,” Jones greeted Prayus again. Prayus looked up with the added emotion of pure fear in his eyes. “I’m about to do something I’ll regret.”

“Please don’t. I’ll just die. It’s what I have to do.”

“I’m not going to save you. I can’t. I need to explain something to you. It’s a heavy topic.” He took a seat against the wall. Prayus slowly lowered himself down next to him.

“Alright. I’m ready,” the king sighed.

Jones sighed as well. “The Three. They’re not your friends and they’re not honest. They took your wife and son and killed them. They’ve been doing this for years. After you die, they will take control of Mondiluce and there’s absolutely nothing you can do to stop them. See, when our light goes out, we don’t die. The Three do horrible things. They steal away people whose lights are going out. To you it seems like a scandal but, over the years, we’ll get used to it. They’ll take people away and kill them themselves. It’s unfair. They can’t figure out how else to support normal humans. They strongly believe that humans are impure and humans will ruin them. They want to get rid of them so they do. I’ve seen families torn apart over these unfair deaths. My family has been working for generations to stop this but to no use. We don’t have enough proof. There’s one thing we need finally expose them.”

“And you need that from me.”

“When you die, they forge a letter from you that puts them in charge. The truth is, you do write a letter but it doesn’t say that. It exposes them. I need you to write that letter now and I need you make an identical copy. I need it as identical as possible.”

The king pondered this for a moment before taking two sheets of paper out of the bag he carried with him and began writing. When he finished, he gave one of the papers to Jones. “Keep it safe.” Jones nodded and returned to Iis on the other side of the Forum.

“After this, he’ll die. They’ll change his letter and Mondiluce will suffer for years,” Jones explained, “but I have a copy of the original and I swear, when we get home, this will stop.”

//The King wrote a note// //Not one, but two// //It told of things// //That no one knew//

//The Three, for years,// //Had kept lips sealed// //Then air blew cold// //And it was revealed//

Nick scanned the crowd for familiar faces and found quite a few. It seems as though the original Alliance looks a lot like our Alliance, excluding Elek. A man with black hair and eyes approached Nick and extended his hand.

“Assuming that you’re from Grieum, might I ask your name?” The man asked.

“My name is Nicholas Thorpe, and you are?” Nick answered, shaking his hand.

“My name is Pinarus Thorp, I’m your great, great, great... well you get the idea.” Pinarus replied. “I am king of Grieum and leader of the royal army. How is Grieum in the future?”

Nick was embarrassed because he realized he was only a runner, “That’s quite impressive Pinarus, much better than me. I’m only a simple a man for hire. I am given jobs to do and I do them.”

Pinarus laughed and responded with “Well, I did set up a system of voting and not a monarchy. At least you’re doing well for yourself. Tell me, did you inherit earth magic from me? I saw that you were one that was tangible ones in from the start, so I assume you have some form of magic?”

Nick smirked and said “I do have magic but it is not earth, do you remember the Air Walkers?”

“Of course I do,” Pinarus scoffed.

“Well, I climbed up onto the mountain they created, and they sacrificed their life to embed their air magic into me. I now am a master of the air,” Nick explained.

“Well I can sense Earth magic somewhere deep within you, you won’t be able to call upon it alone as you are since your air magic is covering it up. I can however, unlock is for you so you can have both active at the same time, but your life will be shortened, even halved if I do this. I can do it for you if you wish though.” Pinarus offered.

Nick thought about it for a moment and quickly came to the conclusion, “I don’t want double the power for less life, it’s not worth it.”

Pinarus nodded like he understood and perhaps, even had been in the opposite situation with the Air Walkers.

Pinarus laughed and asked, “Do you like your job though? I can assure you that being a king is not as easy as it sounds. You must make sure your subjects are happy and there are rules in place to prevent chaos.”

Nick thought for a moment then replied “I do love my job, it keeps me very fit and I’ve learned many things such as combat skills that keep me alive.”

“Perhaps if you could stay, I would be "honored" to take you out for a drink, its on me!” Pinarus exclaimed.

“Well for one, I don’t drink anymore. I had a near death experience and I just couldn’t pick up another drop of alcohol. Secondly, I doubt The Fox would ever let me stay here, I don’t think he likes me causing trouble in the future, let alone the past!”

Nick and Pinarus shared a laugh that seemed to bond the two men and form a fast friendship.

"So is the palace still in Ebova?" Pinarus inquired.

"It is," Nick replied.

"Then travel back to the palace, underneath you will find a secret chamber, findable only by a true Thorp. Underneath you will find treasure, a mystical sword, and a book that will show the Thorp family tree."

Nick nodded and made a note to check under the palace next time he was there. The the two men continued to talk until they were pulled away from the conversation by their respective leaders.

Rielan looked into the eyes of Diecien. He saw Diecien's eyes flicker from wolf to human, wolf to human. This was the man that had started it all; he had brought the curse on Xanibya. Rielan wanted to reach out and kill the man, but what would happen? Would Rielan have to live with this curse, he could be free. Just as he clenched his fist, ready to strike, Diecien grabbed his arm and held him.

"What is your problem" he spoke.

Rielan stood there looking into his eyes.

"I know what you are," Rielan murmured. "You're a werewolf."

Diecien stepped back and looked onto Rielan as if he was crazy. He quickly regained himself and pushed Rielan to the floor.

"Who told you, was it the wizard" Diecien sneered. His eyes stayed a dark red, piercing into the Rielan's own eyes. Diecien swung a fist at Rielan but he rolled out from underneath.

"No, I also have this curse, you turned me into a werewolf." Rielan's eyes also turned a dark red. The two wolves stood opposite each other staring down one another. He Rielan reached for his knife but all he found was an empty hilt. He looked up to see Diecien spinning Rielan's knife around his fingers.

"How did I in fact, give you this curse?" Diecien laughed, flipping the blade up into the air. In an instant Rielan switched to werewolf form and tackled Diecien to the floor.

"After you die at the gate, you choose to release the curse all over Xanibya, millions of people have died because of you." Rielan stood up and began to walk away. Out of nowhere he heard the blade sink back into his hilt. He turned back to Diecien who looked down at the floor.

"Well, what would you want me to do?" Diecien asked. Rielan sank into a deep thought, he could feel his body slipping away. He appeared back into the white world, Diecien standing adjacent to him.

"Welcome to the world of the dead Rielan," Diecien spoke. "I assume you've been hear before." He was right, Rielan had visited this world at least twice. He looked over to see not one, but two wolves walking towards them. He saw his wolf beaten and hurt, the other with fresh blood in his mouth. Diecien walked up to his wolf and scratched his head.

"Why are we here?" Rielan proclaimed.

"I live here" Diecien answered walking up to Rielan "We have come here to talk about our....problem." Suddenly a table appeared in front of the four. They each took a seat at the table and looked at one another.

"So you say I gave you this curse, I unleashed my wolf into the world" Diecien smiled at Rielan.

"Yes, but you can't do that, you've ended up killing millions of people because of this," Rielan yelled across the table. Diecien picked up a fork and jammed it into the table. He slammed his head down hard.

"Who, who's life is worth what mine is, if I do die as you say then everyone deserves to die," Diecien spoke "I am a part of the first Alliance." He pounded his fist on table and began to walk away.

Rielan stood up and yelled to Diecien, "Come back here, Im not done with you."

"But I am done with you" Diecien whispered "Goodbye Rielan." Rielan pulled out his knife and tossed it at Diecien. Diecien turned around as the blade entered his stomach. He looked up at Rielan, his eyes turning back to human. He sank to the floor. A blinding light flashed as Rielan appeared back in the forum. He saw Diecien sitting in a meditating state. Rielan looked down at his knife which still sat in his hilt. He got up from the floor and walked towards the Fox who looked done with his conversation.

Weylin glanced around the room nervously, trying to comprehend all of the noise. “Nott, stop fidgeting, stay with me,” his whisper sounded more like a whine, but Nott listened regardless. Weylin’s fingers tangled in her black fur, his panic starting to to ease.

“Boy, is that a Ceile?” A man questioned as he approached Weylin and knelt, stroking the top of Nott’s head. For a moment Weylin did not understand why his usually over-protective wolf was so tolerant, but as he looked the man over, the more it made sense.

A stag of great height came over to him as well and at least this time Nott snarled. Regardless, the stag dropped his nose down and sniffed at her fur, snuffling his nose into her ear.

“You’re the first Ceile pair, aren’t you?” Weylin said with awe in his voice, laughing in relief. “That’s Ossian, the great white stag. So you must be...Mor!” he gasped and stood up quickly, hand disappearing from Nott’s reach.

The connection between the past and Weylin flickered, noises in the room disappearing. Puzzled, he slid his hand back into her fur and their voices returned. She was his connection, he’d have to remember that.

“What is it you want to know boy? I don’t think we have a much time,” The elder muttered, reaching out and fixing the collar of the boy’s shirt. Weylin made a face, starting to understand why names like boy and youth were rather demeaning.

“Our people have forgotten how and why the connections between us are so different from just regular pets. They’re used as battle companions and friends, but that’s it,” Weylin explained and chuckled to himself as Nott growled her own protest.

“They’re part of your soul. That’s it. It’s as simple as that. When you journey out, you’re opening up your heart. When one is afraid, the true judgement of character can be made. So that’s what our magic does, conforms that fear and uses the opening to create a creature so that our courage never wavers again,” the tribesman shrugged as if it was the simplest of concepts to wrap a mind around.

“If she’s part of my soul, if she...” Weylin trailed off, unsure whether or not he wanted to continue. The stag seemed to understand his point however, for it kneeled to him and pressed its nose to his cheek.

“My boy, if she dies you do. If you die, she can live on. Do not view her as a toy you can disregard whenever you please. She’s special, just as you can be,” Mor muttered and played with Nott’s ear affectionally, once again surprising Weylin with her tolerance.

Weylin glanced around the Forum, finally understanding his mortality. “Mor? Later on the clans divide themselves amongst their Celie partners. Families are torn apart and scattered across Corraidhin only allowed to see each other on the gathering, is there anything you can do? Write a letter to the future or something!” he protested with a child’s sort of voice, already knowing the answer to the question he had asked.

“I’m sorry, there isn’t. This must go according to what has already been done. Think of this, if they were not the way they were, would you be standing in front of me today?” Mor smiled before taking a step back and bowing slightly to Weylin. “Goodbye, boy. Ossian and I must return to our friends, I hope you journey back safely.”

Before he had walked more than a few steps away, Mor turned back to him and turned his head slightly. “I never got your name, boy,” he chuckled and viewed Weylin with gentle eyes, Ossian bumped his nose into the back of Mor’s head.

“Weylin,”

“Ah, you really are the son of a wolf. It’s in your eyes. Now, once again, goodbye,” and with that Mor slipped back into the sea of people, leaving Nott to deal with a confused Weylin. Weylin withdrew his hand from her fur, sinking to the floor and ruining the connection of sounds. He needed to process in peace and he couldn’t do that if he was hearing a whole bunch of nonsense.

Anxiety ate away at him, his pessimistic quality returning to his thoughts. Would they get home? Did he even want to go home? A gentle press of Nott’s cold nose to his cheek brought him back and he turned amber eyes to her.

“Nott? Just as a reminder, I love you,” he chuckled softly and let her nuzzle into his shoulder, embracing the affection.

With the new found quiet, the ticking of his pocket watch seemed to throb in his pocket. He withdrew it, flipping it open and watching moments pass. Nott stilled against his side, releasing a faint anxious whine.

“It’s alright, Nott. I won’t let anything hurt you,” Weylin promised her quietly, bowing his body over her protectively as she set her head in his lap. He muttered nonsense to her, smoothing down her fur and letting the voices return. As he did so, he kept watch around the room, waiting for the bad feeling in his stomach to disappear.

“We’ll be fine, it’ll be alright,” It was a promise that Weylin was unsure whether or not he could keep.

Veronika was looking around in the past for someone who might be her ancestor in any way. All she knew was his name. His name was Aidai Hida and he was a wealthy man, the founder of their region many years ago.

Veronika start looking around and asking if any knew of the man. Many said they did not. She finally found the man who must be Aidai Hida and stepped over to him, happy to have found her target.

"Hello!" exclaimed Veronika.

"Hello, Whats your name?" Aidai asked.

"My name is Veronika and you are my ancestor. I have came to find and speak with you," Veronika explained. "What's yours?" she asked, though she already knew.

"My name is Aidai Hido," he responded.

"Oh, good. It really is you. You are my ancestor I have been looking for you," Veronika replied happily.

"If I'm your ancestor what are you doing in the past?" Aidai asked, trying to work it out in his head.

"I have come into the past on a journey to find and meet you," Veronika stated.

"Why me specifically?" Aidai asked.

"Well because I had found your name on a document signed many years ago in my region. Also, I heard you were the founder of my region, Mycis," Veronika said, excited. "Shall we go for a walk?" She asked.

"Sure thing, Veronika," Aidai answered. "So how shall I help you?"

"Well before I came into the past, I had heard of strange tidings coming out of Fyriah. Along with that, Mycis's problems have begun escalating and causing unrest," Veronika explained.

"What kind of things have been happening?" Aidai asks confused.

"There have been people sneaking into Mycis and things have been stolen and I'm afraid that if they get their hands on the wrong stuff it could ruin this region forever. Do you know anything of Fyriah that happened in the past?" Veronika says loudly.

"It could be people from the regions that do not like Mycis and want to start a war. They have been doing that for a long time, trying to make the barriers and boundaries stronger. To prevent them from getting in." Aidai explained. "But no, I don't have any knowledge of Fyriah or its happenings."

"Are you sure? You have no knowledge? I'm confused." Veonika looked at him oddly.

"I know of nothing," Aidai admitted apologetically. "May I ask you a question? What kind of magic do you have?"

"I am a fire mage, I have fire magic," Veronika answered. "Why?"

"All I can say is keep your guard up around Mycis. People will do anything to get ahold of the rubies. As for Fyriah, use your fire magic to the best of your ability and don't let a single enemy past you." He paused. "Oh, one more thing. I have something for you, Veronika. It was something that is significant to your region. It's an ancient ruby bracelet made when Mycis was first formed. This bracelet is made to keep its wearer safe from anything. If you wear it, you shall be safe."

"Thank you for your time and the information you gave me. It will certainly prove to be useful. As for the bracelet, it will be safe in my hands," Veronika responded graciously.

Fevrea, realizing that she wouldn’t be able to find her descendants among the others, as her country had only been made 2,000 years age in her time, and not wanting to be left alone, followed behind Halyn.

She placed her hand on Halyn's shoulder for a moment, alerting her to her presence, as a reassurance. Fevrea then turned her gaze upon the rest of the room. Most of the room had broken off into couples, except for two men. The larger of the two laughed.

“Is there no one from Gruvestein? Do I rule that horribly?” he laughed self-deprecatingly. He threw his arm around his companion, “At least I’m not the only one! You’re stuck with me, buddy!” The grin that broke over his face was infectious, and Fevrea couldn’t help but smile. Her smile fell, and her brows furrowed when a glinting from his chest caught her eye. The amulet he wore was strikingly familiar. Extremely familiar.

It only took a few strides, then Fevrea was standing in front of the imposing man. He was easily a foot taller than her, and more than twice the width. His hair was a bright unruly copper, with a short bushy beard. While he stared down curiously at her, Fevrea just reached out a hand to touch the stone hanging around his neck.

In a flash her hand was encased in his, “Can I help you, little girl?” Fevrea silently pulled the chain out from under her shirt and her own amulet came tumbling out. “How- oh.” His indifferent expression burst into a grin and he pulled her away, with only a little wave back towards his friend.

“Hey,” Fever gasped out, “Watch with the arm, it is kind of attached.” He released it and took a step back, falling into a chair, that she could have sworn wasn’t there before.

“So how come you weren’t matched up with me? If we have the same stone then we are from the same region. Speaking of that, how fairs Gruvestein?”

“If you’re talking about my country, it’s called Cvetonia. I’ve never heard of Gruvestein.” She was confused, “Cvetonia is near Belaruda and Saqui Salvi, those of whom we have trade with... where is Gruvestein?”

“The same. Me thinks that Gruvestein and Cvetonia are one. It is strange that the name changed, do you still mine Mount Sivet? Or have you found another resource on our tiny mountainous island?” Leaning forward he patted a chair next to him for her to sit.

“Our? I’m sorry sir, but what was your name? You do not look to be of the royal line...” Fevrea was wary, while he seemed nice, he was being overly familiar.

“Whoops,” He laughed. “I am King Hersk of the family Moni, current regents of Gruvestein.” He stood and gave a little bow. “And you?”

“I am Heir Apparent Princess Fevrea of Cvetonia. My family has been on the throne since Peirsyn Cvetson was crowned 2,000 years ago. I am the first girl born into the family in 150 years. My father is King Kirill and my elder brother is Artem Cvetson my royal advisor.” As she spoke she slowly sat, though she kept her hand on her pommel and the other hid a dagger. “Cvetonia has many resources, there are the Sikera mines in the south-west and the Harack desert for glass in the north-west. The southern groves are famous for the fruit they produce, which make the best wine.

“While we gave up pirating during the time of King Moch, there is now a flourishing trade between a majority of the regions of Pyrosium. Started by Soviantium, it now is made of about 40% of Cvetonian ships. As our people jumped at the idea of being at sea again.

“The Cvetonia Defence Force is as strong as ever, and while I am here it is in the hands of my brother, I am normally the second in command, because the ruler of Cvetonia is the commander...” She trailed off, Hersk’s face was astonished. “What?”

“How is it possible? Gruvestein is just a mountain. There is no room for farms or, lords forbid, a desert!” His hands were flying about as he spoke. “And whats this about an older brother, if there is an older male, why are you heir apparent... is he mentally deficient?”

“Artem is perfectly capable, but Cvetonia has been in need of an appropriate ruler for over a century. I told you I was the first female. Only females are to rule Cvetonia, unless one has not been born then a male may rule. Is it not the same in Gruvestein?” At his head shake, she raised her eyebrows. “Oh, well, I guess things improve with time... And the land known as Gruvestein was was increased to a size comparative with Belaruda 2,000 years ago by Cvet. She saved our country. I don’t know too much about that time, except for the story of Cvet and that before her the country had been in darkness for many many years. Mount Siviet had been over mined and the people had fallen on hard times.” Fevrea said, speaking gently, seeing the sadness on Hersk’s face.

Putting his face in his hands, he sighed. “Are the people happy?”

Frowning at the unexpected question, Fevrea thought about it for a few moments. “I think so. The only complaints I have heard are about our enemy ‘The Paustians’ a group of rogues who plague our shores. And maybe one or two about girls joining the CDF, but I believe those were planted by my father in an attempt to tame my more militaristic ideals.”

Hersk’s head popped up. “You’re a warrior?”

Looking at him incredulously, Fevrea gestured towards her armor and weapons. “It is a possibility.”

Laughing he slapped her on the shoulder, “Then we must spar, I cannot leave my country in the hands of an imbecile.”

She stood and drew her broadsword, while sheathing her dagger. Grinning she spoke. “You are going to pay for that remark.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

When the Fox called to Fevrea a little while later, sweat was dripping down her face and she was exhausted. And Hersk, well he was in a heap on the floor. While they had fought again and again, the tally was tied.

Laughing she held out a hand and helped haul him to his feet. They both put away their weapons and clasped arms. Fevrea was surprised when he pulled her into a hug, deciding to allow it, she spoke. “You are a very good opponent, it has been a while since I’ve had such an enjoyable fair battle.”

Walking off, Fevrea turned when Hersk called out to her. “You are an impressive woman. I am proud of what my people have grown into. Trives og blomstre, Thrive and Prosper.”

Elek was wondering around in the shadows trying to keep a discreet distance between the ancestors. Elek kept walking around the forum looking into the crowd of people talking to each other. Elek became disappointed seeing everyone talking to someone from there own region. Elek began to look around the forum to see if there is another one like him self with blue skin. Perhaps one of the very first Phevynian.

Elek walked around the forum slowly in eager to see if there was one of his own kind that he could talk to perhaps and find more about what the beginning of Phevyn. Elek looked for a while to find no one that stuck out as much as he did. Then the thought came to him mind. “Perhaps Phevyn was not created yet?” This thought wondered through his mind trying to find an answer to his question. In the corner of his mind he remembered something. “The library!”

Elek looked around and found the library in the same location that it was before when the Fox looked for his book. Elek discreetly walked over to the library to find that no one was looking in his direction he walked into the library. A strange sensation had hit Elek, The feeling that someone was watching him. Elek turned around to find that no one was looking in his direction. Everyone seemed to be talking to another person or over at the table eating some food.

Elek then turned his attention back to the library. He looked around to find a regional section of the library when he noticed a map in the conner of his eye. He moved in that direction, keeping an eye out of anything that might be a regional section to the library. When he reached the map it was massive. It was a global map of all the regions. He started naming out familiar places. “ Grieum, Rithundun, Pretium....” He then turned his attention to the southern part of the map where Phevyn would be but there was nothing.

He lifted up hand and put it on the location of his home city. He left his hand there for a moment then moved his hand back to his side. He stood there for a moment admiring the map of all the regions.

Elek then turned around to find the section of the library where all the information about the regions was kept. Elek’s eyes widen as he looks through the rows of books. The information about each region was astounding. There were books about History, economics, government, geography and even some books about plants in each section. He knelt down to the bottom of the book shelf where his region should be located there was nothing.... “Nothing,” Elek whispered to himself. “Where is my region? Has it not been formed yet or is it just not known to the world quite yet?” He whispered to himself. He got mad and sat down across from the bookshelf and just stared at the empty spot in the bookshelf.

Elek’s thoughts were erratic. He started to questioned who he was and where he had came from. Lost in his thoughts he began to think about his home and his mother and friends. Then Elek remembered something that his mother had told him when he was younger. “We are not a natural people Elek, We travel and worked hard to get to where we are today.” The word travel stayed in his mind.

Then Elek started to whisper something to him self. “What if...” Elek then got up and looked around the library to find a section about emigration. Elek scampered over to the section, not knowing what he would find he picked up one of the books on the self that read, “World Emigration.” Elek started flipping through pages in the book until he reached a picture. The picture was of people who were packing up there stuff onto a boat and a man with a map. Elek squinted and found that the map’s destination was to the southern pole.

Elek then tipped his head back and smiled. He had found his answer. Elek took the book and went over to a seat on the edge of the library and sat down and started to read about it.

Without knowing it Elek was summoning small slivers of water from the table with food and started to create a sphere floating. Elek did not notice it in front of him until it started to shine light into his eyes. Elek was started to find it floating in front of him but then again relaxed. He looked around and there was no one holding it in front of him. Then Elek started to imagine home and then images started to appear on it. Elek was baffled about what was happening. He watched the ancestry of his region past by him.

Everything from the first people landing on the coast of now day Phevyn to what it was to Elek. It was telling the whole future of what was happening to his region. At the end the globe of images just bursted into nothing. It was nothing like Elek has ever seen before.

Elek had no idea what had happened but he understood now. Elek then got up and put the book back onto the shelf and left the library with the answer’s of everything that had puzzled him. He then walked around the forum and just examined everyone else talking. The two shadows were deep into conversation along with the Fox and his ancestor. Elek just listened into their conversation but could not hear them that well.

Esme looked into bright blue eyes that reminded her of her own. "I knew I would find you. You're so beautiful."

“And who might you be?” Lillian spoke in a soft whisper

"I am your great great great great granddaughter Esme, and I know that this is a lot to take in, but I need to talk to you about people trying to steal your gem." Lillian's throat grew dry and she clutched the exhilarating blue gem hanging from around her neck and Esme slowly pulled hers out from under her shirt.

“We need to talk,” Lillian croaked

“Lets walk,” Esme said. “First of all, I have figured it out, I get what “I search for many that can someday unlock” means. Don’t worry, I will keep it a secret, I know you knew that it is somehow special and you didn't really know what it was used for, but now I do.”

“Wait, you really are my granddaughter, how did you figure it out?” Lillian responded.

“It's interesting how the pendant works, I mean I can barely understand but it's highly secretive so if I tell you you mustn't say a word.”

“Tell me everything,” Lillian asked, truthfully wanting to know Esme’s story.

“Well, I'm pretty sure it works almost like a key. It brought me to this Forum where I met these almost supernatural people first “The Fox," second “The Shadow” and third Talos and we fought and fought to save Grieum. Then eventually through ups, downs and me getting captured, we made it back to the Forum after succeeding in our battles and overcoming the king. When we reached the Forum we eet up with other groups of people one by one different people like creatures, plain weird creatures and some normal like me pop in. Anyway, I’m here back in the past and I just thought that I needed to find you, so I could tell you about the people trying to steal your gem.”

“I’ll do anything I can to prevent it, but that's unbelievable. I knew all this time that it was this special, and I’m glad that it's in your hands,” Lillian spoke quietly, trying to get every word in, in one tiny little breath.

Esme thought about it for a while, “Alright, I need you to keep the gem a little bit more quiet, people knowing about it, makes them curious.”

“Done!” Lillian said as she tucked the necklace into her blouse.

“I'm pretty sure that's all you can do. Just don't tell anyone what we just had a discussion about, and that's about it,” said Esme.

“Really, are you sure thats all I can do?” questioned Lillian.

“Positive,” Esme stated surely.

“Well, I guess this is it,” Lillian said as she gave Esme a big hug. Esme quietly sighed, returned the hug and then, without any further emotion, they both walked off in separate ways.

Consilium’s eyes darted about the Forum, struggling to find the representative from Rithundun in the mass of heroes, but finally resting upon a young man reading at the head of the table. The man’s eyes flickered up, shared a glance with Consil, and nodded his head after a few seconds.

“Hello,” Consilium greeted as he approached the table. “My name is Consilium Ucciont. As you may have so astutely observed, I’m not from around these parts.”

The man extended his hand with and with a smile, he replied, “Doctor James Biraty at your service.”

Consil readily took the doctor’s hand. “Dr. James Biraty. It is an honor to finally meet you. Founder of Rithundun and the modern source of energy.”

The Doctor laughed, “And you my famous friend, I have heard stories about you.” A stunned look appeared on Consil’s face. “Before you ask, time is a wonderful thing; progression, regression. It dominates us, yet is not unyielding. I know the future and how this place exists in the Other, because it was originally built as a time machine. I know because I built it.” He glanced to the center of the room. “When that man separates this place from the rest of the world, the Forum is able to sustain itself for that reason alone."

“But how did you know? I understand you are a time traveler, but what drove you to the point to create this machine?”

“You’ll find out in due time, Consilium.” James reached into his pocket and procured a pocket watch made out of a bizarre metal and thrust it into Consil’s hands. The Doctor’s voice then bored into his mind. //I know what you are thinking, but you must trust me implicitly. Take this. It’s dangerous to go alone.//

"This isn't the last time we will cross paths."

The Fox approached Consilium. “I believe that we must get going. We have pressing matters to attend to.”

“Is everyone finished?” Consil asked.

“They had better be,” the Fox said. “We need to move.”

Fevrea spoke up. “Why are we in a rush? We can control time.”

“While there are certain members of our group who can control time, there is an entire world that is on the brink of disaster. Would //you// miss that deadline?” the Fox snapped.

The tall young wizard stepped forward. “I will hold the first Forum here. You may take yours with you when you leave.” He raised his hands, gesturing in front of him, and the First Alliance froze. He waved a hand and said, “You may depart. See that you do not come back again.”

“Gladly,” Consil retorted. He knelt and began his chant and soon the Forum began to spin. //Tick//. People were once again thrown back against the walls. //Tock//.

//Tick//. Nott’s high pitched whine alerted Weylin to a brutal scream. //Tock//. Searching the room, he tried to pinpoint the source to no avail.

//Tick//. The Shadow stood, stoic, in the rotating Forum, waiting for the return. //Tock//. As he stood patiently, a very rare occurrence, he felt an emanation of magic whisper past him. //Tick//. For a short moment, he was able to identify it as light magic before it vanished, as if it had never existed. //Tock//.

“Thanks for the warning again,” Ryan muttered.

The voices didn’t stop. Panic in his gestures, Weylin retreated to Nott’s side and then turned to both the Shadow and the Fox. “Please tell me that I did not somehow go crazy, and that I was not the only one hearing voices.”

“I didn’t hear anything,” the Fox said, surprised.

“Nor did I,” said the Shadow.

Talos, a man of few words, stated, “Well, I did.”

The Fox and Shadow both turned to Talos and said, “Wait, what?!”

Weylin’s face paled from its usual youthful glow and his voice tremored as he began to speak. “There was screaming and then, I may have imagined the last part, but I thought I heard crying. But it sounded anguished. It wasn’t normal.”

“I didn’t hear anything, but I felt something. Like magic just flowing out of existence. It was... terrifying,” the Shadow shuddered.

“Did you hear anything else?” the Fox asked Weylin.

Weylin licked his lips nervously, glanced at Nott for the protection she always gave, and said, “Yes, but you’re not going to like it. It sounded like a man and he said ‘Let’s see how your little group fares without your healer.’”

Everyone turned to locate Halyn, who was laying on the floor, weeping quietly. Fevrea rushed to her side. Halyn looked up, saying, “It’s gone. It’s all gone.”

“What’s gone?” Fevrea asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“My magic. It’s gone. There’s nothing,” Halyn sobbed.

The group was entirely silent for several minutes. Finally, the Fox broke the silence, saying, “I’m sorry. I will try to help you in any way I can. There may still be hope.”

“More so than you may think,” the Shadow said quietly. “All magic is one magic.”

“It is indeed, little brother,” the Fox agreed. “Do you need my help?”

“I think I have this,” the Shadow whispered as he stepped toward Halyn. He placed a single hand on her shoulder. Fevrea stopped him, her sword tip pressing against his neck.

“What do you think you’re doing? Now’s not the time to talk in tongues,” she spat.

Rielan grabbed Fevrea around the waist, pulling her back. “Let him be.”

“Do you honestly think this is the time to fight?” the Shadow bellowed.

“//**Silence**//!” the Fox thundered, angrier than any had ever seen him. Shadow magic coiled around him and his eyes glowed golden. He addressed Fevrea, who was struggling against Rielan. “My trust in the Shadow is absolute, as should yours be,” he hissed. "Now. let. him. do. his. work," he ground out through clenched teeth.

“If he harms her, his head is mine,” Fevrea stated as she sheathed her sword.

“I suppose you’re--” the Shadow began.

“Gerion. That is enough,” the Fox commanded sharply.

The Shadow merely knelt next to Halyn, saying, “Do you trust me?”

Halyn nodded slowly.

The Shadow placed his hand back on her shoulder, closed his eyes, and breathed out deeply. He began a soft song and his hands illuminated. But they were not their usual black. Instead, they glowed a pure, ethereal white. It seemed to flow out of him for a short while, and then his song ceased as he collapsed on the floor. The Fox helped him to a chair, saying cryptically, “Do you still have all six?”

“But there is only one,” the Shadow answered.

The Fox laughed. “Well done, my student.”

“It won’t stop,” Consilium interjected.

“What won’t stop?” Nick asked.

“The clock. We’re still moving forward in time.”

“Is that a good thing?” the Shadow asked groggily.

“Probably not,” Rielan answered.

"Not a good thing at all," the Fox replied, as he strode over to a shelf of books. He scanned the spines looking for a familiar title. "Ah, here we are," he said. He pulled the book, //The Founding of Remia//, from the shelf and flipped through it, coming to rest on the section he wanted. A piece of parchment was stuck between the pages like a bookmark. The Fox pulled it out and began to read.

//My dear kinsman,//

//I trust your cunning to help you find this letter. I had certain things to say to you that I did not want overheard, just in case you were correct and Arden is the source of the evil in the future.//

//What I told you is true. Arden was, or is, the greatest of us, but he is not without flaws. My beloved Shadow tells me that your Shadow may be his equal in power, although perhaps not in control. Both Arden and your Shadow suffer from arrogance, and both have a temper. I know not who will win the battle between them, but I will impart some knowledge that may turn the tide in your favor.//

//Arden thinks that no one can ever be his equal. This is// hubris//, not an uncommon failing in the very powerful. There are ways to use this to your advantage. You must seek them out, but be cautious. Because of his sacrifice, I feel certain that whatever part of him remains will be bound to Fyriah. However, Arden was ever one to surround himself with others to do his bidding, and I should think that unlikely to change. Just because he is trapped does not mean that he could not do evil through others, as I am sure you realize.//

//More importantly, however, is this; what has been torn assunder will constantly yearn to be rejoined. You may find help in the most unusual of places, if you ask for it.//

//Blessings and luck to you, my Fox, from both of us, and send the same to the Shadow and the others of your group. May you be successful in your quest.//

The Fox looked up at the assembled company after reading the letter. He gestured and a gate opened, looking out on a bleak and snow covered landscape. "The time has come, my friends. Again, you have a choice to make. Go forward into Fyriah and confront our Enemy or return home to your families and lives. But you must take action now, and when you do, there will be no turning back. Make your choices and then proceed."