"You can't be serious, Amatiel..." Erion said to his friend on the other side of the large oak desk, with a look of mild irritation on his face. "You know that I'm not the leader t-"

"Yes, yes, you're not the leader type. I know, Erion. We've had this conversation before." Replied Amatiel, obviously a bit irritated herself, as she dropped her head on the surface of the desk with a soft thunk.

"If you know my feelings about it, then why are you even bringing it up?" He replied, raising his voice a bit, but not yelling.

"Because I- " She started, as she raised her head once again, but quickly stopped herself. She had learned two things since coming to Ioden: One, because of the constant struggle between her human and Celestial halves, she was prone to random emotional outbursts, and two, flying off the handle was not the way to get Erion to listen.

"Look..." She continued, her voice mostly normal again. "Would you just listen to me...? Please? And would you please sit down? Having you pacing around like that is really offputting."

He stopped then, having not even realized that he was pacing to begin with. His black eyes met her hazel eyes for just a moment, before he sighed and took a seat.

"Fine... say what you have to say. But I'm telling you now, you're not gonna change my mind, kid."

"Thank you... though I'd appreciate it if you'd stop calling me kid. I'm fifteen now, you know?" She said, pouting a bit.

"That's still a kid in my book... " He said under his breath, though he knew full well she'd be able to hear him.

She glared at him for a moment, but didn't press the issue any further. "Ok listen, Erion. I would really, really appreciate it if you'd take the Guard Captain position-"

"We covered that part already, Tiel. This is the part where you give me a reason why I'd actually want to take the job." he said, cutting her off, as he removed his dark blue cloak and hung it over the arm of the chair.

"I was getting to that..." She said as she rubbed her temples.

Erion could sense that something wasn't quite right at that point.
"I'm sorry, Tiel." He said, his low voice filled with concern. " You look like something's bothering you... what's going on? You getting pressured by those assholes in the capital again?"

Amatiel sighed again, pausing for a moment before responding. "Yes, actually. Honestly, Erion, this whole thing with the war.. it's making things a lot more difficult than they used to be. I keep getting messages from the higher-ups requesting that we send them additional troops, and more and more food and supplies. If things keep going like this, I'm not sure we'll have enough food to feed the townspeople this year."

"I'm sure you'll be able to figure things out." Erion replied, reassuringly. "And if you ever need any help with anything, you know you can always come to me."

"But that's exactly what I'm doing, Erion. I'm asking you for help now." Amatiel said, walking over to the other side of the desk and sitting on the edge of it. "This war business... it scares me. I'm doing my best to keep the people of Ioden out of it, but I have this sinking feeling that we're eventually going to get dragged into it too."

"How can I possible help with that?" Erion replied, obviously confused.

"You can take the Captain positions, Erion. Look... in a few days, there will be an inspector coming from Urielis to examine not only my job running the town, but the townspeople themselves. It would be a huge weight off of my shoulders is someone I trust could make sure everything is running smoothly."

"Wait... why would they be interested in the townspeople, Amatiel? What could they possibly expect to find here?"

"They want to make sure that all the people in Neos have the proper amount of faith in Aion and the Celestial race. They'll be looking for any sort of proof of disloyalty they can find. We at least need to make it seem like everyone is following the Law to the letter. The people here respect you, even if they don't all like you. They'll listen to you. " She replied, trying to lighten the mood..

"This is ridiculous... " Erion said after a long pause. "I can't believe how paranoid these Celestials are. But I suppose, if it helps you out... I'll take the job. On a temporary basis! After this so-called inspection, you're gonna have to find somebody else."

"Thank you Erion!" She replied happily, launching herself off the desk and hugging him tightly. "I knew I could count on you!"

"You're welcome, Tiel." He replied, his voice sounding a bit strange. "Now.. could you maybe let me go? I... can't breathe."

"Oh..." she said, releasing him suddenly and stepping back.

"Sorry about that. Still not quite used to the Nephilim strength. I forget you're human sometimes. Anyway... you start work tonight at 10. Daviid will have everything in order for you by the time you get there."

"Yeah, yeah." Erion replied, standing up and tossing his cloak over his right shoulder. "Just remember that you owe me for this."

"Thanks again." She said with a smile as he walked out the door.

But her smile faded the moment she knew he was gone. She walked over to the window behind her desk and looked out over the town that she had come think of as home.

"Please... whoever is listening." She said softly, with he eyes closed as if in prayer. "Don't let Ioden become another Tubqal.'

So hungry…

Ryuu’s stomach growled loudly as he trudged down one of the many long dirt back roads of Neos. The vast emerald countryside spread around him as far as the eye could see, its gently rolling hills adorned with every crop imaginable. All this food around and I can’t even touch it! the monk complained, gazing longingly over one of the endless wooden fences that separated him from satisfaction. I must be in Hell!

Pushing back thoughts of purloining some of the luscious produce before him, Ryuu pushed onwards, his steps becoming more and more disoriented with his increasing fatigue. Maybe there would be a town up ahead, where he could buy some food. Maybe…

Ryuu’s vision faded slowly as he collapsed to the ground, unable to carry on. He tried to push himself up, but his weary and malnourished muscles were too weak to even lift his arm successfully. As he gradually drifted into unconsciousness, Ryuu saw a shadow loom over him, accompanied by a gruff voice. “Now, what do we have here?” Before he could even hope to respond, Ryuu blacked out.

---

“Ralph, dear, he’s awake!”

Ryuu groaned softly as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. Rubbing his eyes to clear his vision, the young man looked around. He was in a small bedroom, furnished only with a bed (which he was occupying), a wicker chair, and a small wooden table. An open window on the far wall revealed a vast stretch of farmland, just as Ryuu had seen before.

A small squeal came from the door to the room. Ryuu turned just as a short, stocky woman rushed in, pushing him gently back down on the bed. Her curly graying hair framed a red-tinged face, which was clearly wrought with concern. “Don’t push yourself, boy,” she fussed, pulling the white sheets back over Ryuu’s body. “You’re not well. If you try to get up too soon, you could collapse again!”

Ryuu gritted his teeth, his brow furrowing with annoyance. “Hey!” he protested, brushing the woman’s trembling hands off him. “I’m not a kid! I’m a full-fledged monk, for your information. And I don’t need your he-“ A loud growl interrupted the monk’s rant. Ryuu blushed slightly with embarrassment as he realized that his own stomach had emitted the sound.

“Don’t need our help, eh?” the woman asked, smirking triumphantly. She had clearly won the argument, the victory finalized by Ryuu finally laying back into the mass of pillows at the head of his bed. “You stay put; I’ll be back in a bit with some food.” A few minutes of silence passed before the woman reentered the small chamber, carrying a bowl of soup and a small loaf of bread. “Help yourself, there’s plenty.”

Ryuu sat up slowly and propped himself against the pillows as he accepted the food. He ate quickly downing both the soup and the bread in a matter of minutes. His host reached forward for a moment as if to tell him to slow down, but thought better of it. Before long, the food was gone, and Ryuu set the bowl down in his lap with a hefty sigh. “Thank you for your hospitality,” he said, bringing his hands together and giving a slight bow to the woman in the custom of his land. “But I really must be going.”

“Nonsense!” The woman replied, shaking her head vigorously. “I’m sure you can at least stay for tea.”

---

“So, my name is Marge, and this is my husband, Ralph,” Marge told Ryuu as they settled down in the living room of the farmhouse. “Ralph was the one who found you collapsed on the road. Not much of a talker, he is. So, what about you?”

Ralph looked up from his steaming cup as he was addressed. “Well, I am- or, was, I suppose- a monk from the Eastern continent. I just happen to be travelling through these parts.”

“Was?” Ralph grunted, adjusting his position in his chair. “What happened, did you quit?”

“Not quite. You could say that I’m on temporary leave.”

---

“What do you mean I have to go away, sensei? I still haven’t finished my training!”

“And you never will if you do not leave this monastery,” the elder monk said harshly, his eyes beating down on Ryuu. “You are too reckless, too proud to lead the lifestyle of a Buddhist monk. The Council has unanimously decided to send you away for your own good.”

“But how will that help anything?” Ryuu protested. “How can I become a better monk if I’m isolated from my own culture?”

“Remember the second Great truth: craving brings suffering. It was craving that brought the near destruction of the world two centuries ago, and greed that has brought around the troubles of today. The greed of the Western peoples has brought both the wrath of the earth and the heavens upon the world at times, and it is craving that will bring about your own destruction, Ryuu. You yearn for violence, and for attention. The Council believes that if you witness the unworthy deeds of the West, you will be inspired to reform your ways to the monastic code.”

“But-“

“Silence! It has been decided already. Your ship leaves in an hour; if you don’t hurry, you will have to swim to Neos.”

“So they just sent you away?” Marge asked, horrified.

“Pretty much,” Ryuu replied, taking a sip of his tea. “The old geezers thought I was too radical, so they sent me here to mellow out. I can go back no sooner than a year from when I left, they said. So, until then, I’m stuck.” Draining the last of the bitter brew in his cup, Ryuu pushed himself up. “Well, I ought to be going. Thank you again for saving me.”

“It was no trouble,” Marge said, smiling kindly. Ralph just grunted and settled back into his chair, pulling his hat over his eyes. “In case you’re interested, the town’s just a few miles down the road. You’ll be able to find work and a place to stay until you sort yourself out.”

“I guess I can check it out,” Ryuu replied as he opened the front door of the house. “Thanks again.” Ryuu could hear a heartfelt goodbye from Marge and a grunt from Ralph as he walked down the driveway to the road. Taking one last look back at the farmhouse, he turned onto the road and resumed his journey.

The sun was almost in contact with the western horizon as the clouds were reflecting the red and pink glow of the twilight. And so many clouds were scattered across the sky. Amato was still getting used to it; clouds weren’t nearly as abundant in the desert sky that he was much more familiar with. He was intrigued how different things were in lands with abundant sources of rain and water, but Amato found cloudy nights quite a nuisance whenever he needs to read the stars to know where he was going. Amato wore brown dark pants and a tunic which he purchased recently which seemed to be the usual attire for the commoners of Neos. But it didn’t help him blend in with his foreign complexion. So he also wore a cloak so he wouldn’t grab more attention then needed. He walked down a country dirt road through a field of various vegetables and grains that he had never seen before.

It was a good thing that he had a compass handy. He grew up being told that such a device would come in handy where traveling to different lands where he’s heard stories on how the stars shift with different constellations and now that he seen how the variability and persistence of cloud cover, he now understood why. Luckily the stars have not drastically changed throughout his journey. The only difference was that the northern star and its allies appeared higher and higher in the sky. North...it was one direction he was traveling. North and West.

It’s been almost 4 months since Amato had left the refuge in the distant outskirts of Tubqal, his hometown which was practically annihilated by the Celestials a year ago. He had travelled across the coast of Sequeia to the westernmost point where, by ship, he had departed northwest across one of the great oceans to the continent of Neos; he was determined to find answers.

Amato had been searching for other cities that have suffered that same fate as his own. He came across several ruins, but most of them bare; there was no evidence or resolve for his questions. Eventually it was decided find somewhere with someone that has a connection with the incident.

Scaling up one of the many rolling hills in the prairie of farmland a cluster of building emerged from the edge of his sight. That should be the place. He gave a deep sigh, almost of relief. It was good to see the town still standing

The city of Tubqal acknowledged the Celestials with temples and statues and they were worshipped by most. Before the attack, there were rumors that these gods were greatly displeased, but they weren’t taken seriously. Even the Nephilim of the city didn’t seem to warn the citizens of any ominous signs. Ideally it would be easy to ask…or interrogate, the Nephilim as to why the city was destroyed, but that Nephilim…he disappeared during the city’s attack, presumed dead.

The next best thing would be to speak with another Nephilim. And if Amato’s sources were correct, this small town of Ioden happens to be the residence of one. The sun was now halfway over the horizon and it was starting to get dark. Only a half about a half a mile away, Amato pressed on to the town of Ioden.

Uneasy as he was about the position that he had been appointed to, Erion decided that it was best to take it seriously. He was always this way when it came to work. His mother had worked her hands to the bone all his life to take care of him, and had instilled him with that work ethic. If he was going to do it, he was going to do it right.

After stopping in to speak with the merchant he had been working for the past few months, he had headed home to explain the situation to his mother, Mala. He had found her out in front of their small home, tending to her garden, still finding ways to stay active, even though he now took care of all the bills and supplies for the house. He stood to watch her for a moment, as he approached, taken aback, even after all these years, at how little she had changed over time. In the afternoon sun, he could make out a few fine lines at the corners of her mouth, and there was a bit of gray now in her black hair, but aside from that, she looked exactly as she had when he was a child. He hoped he aged as well.

"I'd make a comment about how working in the dirt all day would hurt your chances of finding a new husband, but I suppose, in this town, that might actually be a positive thing." He said to her with a smirk.

"Good to see you as well, my love." She said, returning the same smile. "I'd ask you how your day went, but I've already heard all the details."

She chuckled at him quizzical expression before explaining. "It's a small town, son. Word travels fast."

"Oh... well I suppose that makes things a little easier." He replied. "You're not.. upset that I took the position, are you?"

"Upset?" She said, walking over to him and placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Why would I possibly be upset? If anything, I'm proud of you. You're finally doing something with your life that's worthy of your talents. What more could a mother ask of her son?"

"Well.. It's only a temporary job, and I'm really not so sure I'm as worthy of it as you and Amatiel seem to think I am, but I'll do it, if only as a favor to her." He said, a bit embarrassed at the unexpected comment.

"Nonsense, son." She said, smacking him playfully on the shoulder. "I can't think of anyone who's more suited to keep the peace in town than you. Who in town is better with a sword than you? You should really have more confidence in yourself, you know. It seems that the person you show to the world is still just a mask after all... "

Unable to deny what was said, and unable to think of a response, Erion remained silent.

"Ah well," Mala said, realizing she had hit a nerve. "I have faith in you, son. I know you'll figure out who you really are one of these days. And Aion willing, I'll be right there with you, even more proud of you than I am now."

"I'm sure you're right, mother." Erion replied, with a weak smile.

"Well..." Mala continued after a brief silence. "You'd better get inside and get some rest for tonight. I'll be sure to have a nice meal ready for you when you wake up."

"Thank you mother." He said, leaning over to kiss her cheek, before heading inside.

His mother's words stuck with him however. The questions the conversation had brought up stayed in his mind even after he fell asleep.

The warm sensation from the sunrays. The chilling breeze from the north. The sound of fronds weaving in the wind. Valerie opened her eyes, just to go blind in an instance because of the brightness of the sun. She was lying on a grass field next to a tree. The grass field was in the middle of Ioden next to a playground, where the kids were playing, when they weren’t at the school or helping their parents with their work. ’Days like these, makes life worth living.’ She thought and smiled to herself ’Should be ready for tonight now.’

Suddenly Valerie could hear the cry of a little girl. She sat up and looked towards the playground. She could see a little girl standing beside the swings all alone crying. Valerie stood up and walked towards the little girl. ”What’s wrong little girl.”

The little girl looked at Valerie with tears in her eyes “M-m-my doll, it b-broke.” She sniffed, while showing a bunny doll in one hand but its leg in the other.

Valerie pat the little girl on her head ”Don’t cry.” She smiled ”You are lucky that I am a bunny doctor. We just need to go fetch my doctor gear at the tailor.” She gave the little girl her hand.

The little girl looked at Valerie “Why is your doctor guor at the tailor?” She took Valerie’s hand. It was almost as if the little girl had forgotten that she was sad.

Valerie couldn’t help but give the little girl a big smile because of her way of saying gear. ”Well you see, the tailor have had trouble with some other animals, so she wanted me to help her out.” She said while walking towards the tailor’s store “At that time I didn’t know whether or not the animals needed to be treated because they were in pain or if they just played tricks on the tailor. But in the end it was just the animals that wanted to play a little, and when I got there they were already gone.”

They walked into the tailor’s store. The tailor was standing behind a wooden counter “Oh, if it isn’t Valerie, please come in, come in.” She waved them in “What can I do for you today?”
The little girl gave her doll to Valerie ”As you can see I am in need of my doctor gear” She said with a wink in her eye. The tailor smiled and gave a needle and some thread to Valerie, without commenting anything.

After some time with the needle in hand, Valerie was finally done with the doll. ”Here you are.” She put the doll in the little girl’s hand ”Now he is as good as new.”

A big smile appeared on the little girls face “Thank you miss.” And off she was running out of the store, with the little doll tight in her hand. But before the door to the tailor closed a man appeared in the entrance. It was the head priest of the church in Ioden. “Valerie please take a walk with me.” Before Valerie could answer he was already outside again.

Valerie walked outside to meet the priest ”What is it father, are you in need of some help?”

The priest looked at Valerie “You know what’s wrong. I really don’t think that this pilgrimage to become a paladin is truly something for you. Just look at how good you are with the kids, you wouldn’t be able to harm someone even if you wanted to… I was also a candidate to become a paladin at some time, when the Celestials purged us from the Devils year ago.” He stopped for a moment “The battlefield is like nothing you could ever imagine. Please rethink this, we really need you here.”

Valerie looked down into the ground as they walked. It wasn’t the first time they had had this conversation. ”Father… You know my choice, and I won’t go back. You should rather cherish my decision, instead of keeping me from training from day to day.” The sun was setting; giving a red color to the sky.

“I want you to sleep on it before you decide. You have a long day ahead of you.” What the priest didn’t know was that Valerie had some way different plans for the night. “At least just think about it my child.” The priest stopped, took Valerie’s hands and waited for an answer “Remember that I just want you to be happy.”

”Alright I will think about it father.” She bow her head “I will go to my room now and begin making me ready for the night.” The priest didn’t answer her, deep inside his heart he knew that she wouldn’t back down from going onto a pilgrimage, especially not when it was one of the high paladins that had asked her to go.

---

Valerie snuck out as the sun went down but even though the sun was down, there were light everywhere because of the clear weather letting the moon shine down with all of its might. She took her grand claymore and walked outside of the churches area, to the same place she slept early the same day. With the claymore in her hands she began training; combining different arts of swordsmanship. The claymore is the biggest weapon of the sword-class, making it heavy and very hard and slow to control. A big weakness, but the strength in one hit from the sword was worth everything. No defenses are strong enough to endure getting hit by such devastating weapon.

As Valerie trained sound could be heard around the area of a sword swinging through the wind ’Seems like my strikes are much faster without full body armor.’ She looked at the tree she had been sleeping under earlier the day; the trunk of the tree was rather small. Valerie placed the claymore behind her with the blade touching the ground. ’One strike.’ She unleashed a powerful attack towards the trunk of the tree. The blade of the sword cut right through the trunk making a loud noise and an even louder noise as the tree fell to the ground. The strike Valerie had used was one the high paladin had tried to teach her while he trained her; it was all about using every muscle in the body to create a hit that could cut through anything with ease. A strike she had finally mastered, the day before beginning her pilgrimage ’Tomorrow’ She looked up towards the moon ’Yes… Tomorrow.’

As the sun finally found it's way down the side of the sky, Liliana decided it was time to come out. She poked her head out from the small cave opening and looked out at the forest covered on snow. The small, pale girl took a few small steps outside her den, her eyes closed and her ears searching for any sounds that were unnatural. Satisfied after a few moments, she opened her eyes again, taking a few more steps outside, into the forest she knew like the back of her hand.

There was a breeze out tonight, chilling the air even more that it already was. The breeze blew her long white hair behind her, and forcing her black cloak to open and flutter behind her as well. Not bothering to force it back closed, Liliana ran her hands over her simple white dress, smoothing it out, and began to walk forward. Her light blue eyes saw into the dark easily, growing over the years to have similar properties to a cats. They even glowed in the dark if you looked at them right.

She honestly had no idea what she was doing. She had plently of food stockpiled in the cave, and it was't like her main source of water had dried up and she had to find a new one. But she just felt like walking. Perhaps there were some travelers out tonight... Liliana blinked at the thought. It got lonely out here, and a few seconds of company could do wonders. But travelers weren't always nice people.

Silenceing her thoughts instantly, Liliana turned her attention back to the world around her as she came to her favorite clearing. It was a small circle with no trees in it, the circle where her and her only friend had practiced their fighting skills, but it had been unused for years now. Now it was just a place to sit and think, which was exactly what she decided to do.

This was what Liliana did a lot of nights. She simply wandered around, sometimes taking breaks to sit and sometimes sing in a language she had known since birth. A language she spoke more often than english because english was spoken to people she met. And Liliana lived her life alone.

As her thoughts began to circle her mind, Liliana shivered. It wasn't due to the cold, she was used to that, but rather because her thoughts scared her sometimes. For example, her thoughts turned this time to a subject she spent a lot of time on. The possibility of leaving.

A small, but not always dormant, part of her brain told her to run. Run out of the forest, find her friend and the group that had taken away her life, and introduce them to the justice that was her and her weapon. But that was only a small part. The rest of her was deathly afraid of leaving. She simply wanted to stay and wait, and maybe her friend would come back one day, and everything would be normal again. Liliana had no idea what to think anymore. Only self defense was unaffected by her tormented mind.

The pale girl looked up to the moon, silently wishing it would somehow give her an answer. But she knew it wouldn't. It was the moon. And as beautiful and as much of a connection Liliana felt to it, the moon was not going to talk to her. But that didn't stop her from hoping. Liliana looked back down, listening to the forest once more. But not even hearing any animals nearby, it was dead silent. Not liking the silence as she usually did, Liliana began to sing under her breath.

"Tää jylhä kauneus ja ääretön yksinäisyys..." She started quietly, but as she went on, it slowly got louder. "Lapsuuteni metsän, taivaan. Kaikuu se haikeus halki tän matkan aamun tullen yö tarinansa kertoo..." Liliana paused her slow soft voice, but after a moment she continued, slightly louder. "Jylhä on kauneus ja ääretön yksinäisyyteni sitä henkeensä halajaa kehtoni hauta, hautani paikka, erämaan viimeinen on..." Liliana stopped and smiled, feeling a bit better. This singing was rumored to be the cries of a ghost in town, with Liliana the ghost, but Liliana herself didn't know that. She just sang to help herself cope.

Satisfied, Liliana resumed her silence, looking back up at the moon.

Erion remembered talking to his mother, and lying down in bed, but he didn't remember falling asleep. One moment he was awake, and the next, he found himself waking up on a cold stone floor, surrounded by near-total darkness.

As he picked himself up, small balls of what looked like blue lightning burst into existence in the air overhead, illuminating the room with a soft glow, allowing him to take in his surroundings- a large room completely composed of the same stone as the floor.

His body felt heavier than normal, and as he attempted to dust himself off, he figured out why- he was wearing a strange set of armor. The armor was like nothing he had ever seen before. Parts of it were made of a strange black metal he didn't recognize. In the metal were what looked like carvings of odd symbols that glowed with a light the same color as the lightning suspended in the air, which seemed familiar to him somehow, though he couldn't imagine why. Somehow the metal parts of the armor were attached to some sort of cloth, complete with a hood, that resembled the cloak he usually wore. Combined, it had the appearance of armored robes, more than actual armor.

A thousand thoughts ran through Erion's mind. Where was he? How did he get there? Why was he there? Who had brought him? Where had that amazing armor come from?

"This has to be a-" he said aloud, but was cut off by a deep voice from behind him

"A dream?" The voice said, finishing his sentence.

Erion whipped around immediately, reaching to his back for his swords, which of course, weren't there. He found himself looking at a very tall man, seated lazily upon a huge throne, which he was absolutely certain hadn't been there before. The man was wearing the same type of armor he was, though his was much more ornate than his own. His face was hidden by a hood, though he could see a short dark beard and long, dark hair that fell past the man's chin.

"I assure, you, young one... this is no dream." The man said in that impossibly deep voice. "I simply needed to speak with you for a moment, so I took the opportunity to borrow your soul for a bit."

"Borrow... my soul?" Erion said, fear beginning to creep in inside of him. "What...? What do you mean?"

"Exactly as I said." The man replied, standing up slowly, his lips curled into a smirk. "I borrowed your soul."

The moment the word "soul" came out of the man's mouth, the was suddenly standing right next to Erion. Erion wanted to run away, but found that he was unable to move his body"

"This is... bending the rules a bit, I suppose." The man continued, that smirk still on his face. "But I'm not a fan of taking the roundabout method.Though Sol should have no problem with this as long as I don't tell you too much. Now... not that you have a choice, but stand still and listen."

The man placed the first two fingers of his right hand to Erion's chest, and a strange neon blue symbol appeared there. Erion felt heat upon his skin, and that feeling only intensified as the man's hand went inside his body, as if it were the hand of a ghost.He found himself being lifted up until he was eye-level with the man.Looking into the man's glowing eyes, he tried to scream, but no sound would come from his mouth, paralyzed as he was.

"Pay attention!" The man yelled, turning Erion's face to his with his free hand.

"This world is in great danger, Erion. Aion and Orobos are like petulant children. They are siblings, yet they fight amongst themselves as they have for millions of years, completely oblivious the what happens to those around them as a result. They seek power that is not theirs to wield, and they will destroy this planet, and all of its races along with it, if they are allowed to continue unchecked. The group I represent will not allow this. Celestials and Devils must be beaten back, must be reminded of their proper place. And you, my dear child, will be the instrument of my wrath."

The man's hand seemed to grow brighter and the pain more agonizing with every sentence he spoke. Erion could barely focus on anything but the pain.

"You are like a midnight storm, Erion. You hold back your true feelings, your true self, and the storm builds. Every time you ignore your own pain, your own desires, that storm grows even more, filling the sky that is your soul, the clouds blocking out the light of the moon, leaving all covered in darkness. What you fail to realize is that those feelings you hide and suppress are the source of your strength. Eventually, you'll no longer be able to hold it inside. Your lightning will light the night sky, your thunder will make the earth itself tremble. And on that day, you will become the person you were meant to be."

Finally the man pulled his hand away and the pain stopped. Erion fell like a rock, face first onto the floor, feeling like his body would come apart at the seams.

"You may not understand now, but I assure you, you will soon. Things have already been set in motion, Erion. What is done cannot be undone. You and your kin must gather, must complete the task that has been given to you, or the next Collapse will be the last."

Though he was till fighting the remnants of pain, mention of the Collapse caught Erion's attention. "Wh-What... do you mean, Collapse?" He asked, looking up at the man from the floor. "Wh-Who.... are... y-you?!"

"Heh..." The man said, and in the blink of an eyes, he was seated at his throne once again. "All will be revealed one day... if you survive, that is. Now go..."

"No! Wait!" Erion called out, but it was too late.

He found himself sitting up on his bed,gasping for breath, the last rays of the afternoon sun shining through his window.

Frantically, he pulled up his shirt, examining the spot where the man's hand had gone inside his chest, but there was nothing to be found. It had all been a dream, a terrifying nightmare, the likes of which he had never experienced.

Knowing that he'd not be able to find sleep again, and still rattled, he decided to put it all out of his mind by preparing for the night ahead.

Stella Chase

"Man, that was a long shopping trip! Well, it was worth it." Stella smiled happily and took a sip from her caffechino. "Of course, you're not the one carrying all the bags. Stella rolled her eyes and giggled at her brother, who was struggling to carry the mountain of bags. "Come on Aaron, you're not doing anybody good by yappering away." Stella skipped over to the park and sat down under a maple tree. It was pretty nice outside. Aaron collapsed next to Stella and dropped all the bags roughly onto the floor. "Hey, careful with those." Aaron rolled his eyes and nudged his sister. Stella wondered about Amatiel and what she was doing right about now. 'I hope she's not having too much trouble with the Celestial visit coming soon. I wonder if she managed to convince Erion. He must have been a tough nut to crack. I'm glad i don't have her duties. Ah, I'll go check on her to see what she's doing.' Stella stood up and brushed off her dress. "I'm going to go find Amatiel. You want to come along?" Aaron shook his head. "No thanks, I'm going to drag these home." Aaron pointed to the bags. Stella put a hand on her hip. "Suit yourself. See ya later." Stella ran off to find Amatiel, flapping her large wings in a rhythm.

Stella walked down the streets of town, casting glances at all of the little shops. "I wonder where Amatiel is. I'll start looking at her house." Stella walked for a good 5 minutes before finally reaching Amatiel's house. 'Here we go.' Stella knocked on the door. "Amatiel? It's me, Stella!" 'Amatiel better not keep me waiting. She knows how impatient I am.'

Valerie kept starring at the moon; the light coming from it was bluish; making everything seem beautiful in a new way. Suddenly it was as if the light became brighter and brighter; ending up brighter than the sun. But it didn’t blind Valerie despite the brightness. Instead she couldn’t help but staring, she couldn’t tell why, but it just felt right. Suddenly the light turned to a beam of light, which fell from the moon onto the earth somewhere outside the city, not too far away.

Valerie sheathed the claymore and walked towards the place she thought that the light had touched the ground. The further she walked the more she felt like she could see something in the distance. As she got to the town entrance she was sure that she could see a light coming from a forest just outside the village, and kept walking towards the light.

When she finally appeared in the forest she saw a horse, but it wasn’t like other horses, this one was made of pure white light. The illuminating horse looked at Valerie; they stood there looking at each other for a moment, when suddenly the horse set into run directly towards Valerie. ”What in heaven’s na…” She wasn’t able to end the sentence before the horse ran into her; making Valerie blind and unconscious.

---

Valerie woke up ’What was that?’ She sat up ’Where… Am I?’ She looked from left to right; she was sitting on a green field filled with flowers. Suddenly the horse of light appeared before her once again. ”What are you?”

A voice appeared behind her “He is my messenger.” Valerie turned her head to see whom the voice belonged to. Before her stood a man with an armor filled with three colors; silver, red and gold. The armor was a long silver colored chainmail that hid his legs. Outside the chainmail, red and golden, plated armor could be seen; around his chest, arms and face. But instead of eyes showing through the two holes in the helmet two bright lights could be seen. “Take it easy Valerie Hope, I bring you no harm.” The heavy plated man walked over beside Valerie; towards the horse of light.

“Where do you know my name from?” Valerie wasn’t sure whether she needed to be afraid or not ”Where am I?” Her voice started shivering ”Who are you?”

The man stood before the horse now. He put a hand on its head patting it “So many questions you ask of me. Some I can explain, some I can’t.” His head turned towards her, as if he looked at her. “But I won’t answer any of them.” He started walking slowly towards her. “You see, mere questions like those of yours help no one understand.” More animals made of light appeared in a circle around him and her. “I need to be sure about one thing though before I tell anything else.” The man stood right in front of her now. “Who do you believe in?”

Valerie stood still staring into the man’s eyes ”I believe in no one yet in everyone.” She said ”I believe in the good in everyone.”

The man standing in front of her start laughing. “You are indeed the one I have chosen.” He put his head closer to Valerie’s, making her take a step back. “No more questions. My brothers, sisters and I have chosen to give you one last chance to show your worth.” His eyes began to glow in a fiery way “You will be the last hope of your race. You and the other chosen ones… Now, look into the light… What do you see?”

Valerie looked into the man’s eyes. ”I-I see a cave.” “What else?” Valerie tried to keep herself concentrated, but began feeling dizzy ”I see snow… And a lonely light illuminating the cave.” The man took a step backwards and Valerie fell to her knees. “I see… What you see is hard to tell… The light you saw is your first task to accomplish, on your journey… We have no more time.” The man put his hand on the head of Valerie. She felt an extraordinary pain as he touched her “Remember Hope, even in the darkest times you will be the light of the chosen.” The animals around them started running towards them, and as they collided into an explosion of light, Valerie fell unconscious. ‘Light.’

---

Valerie woke up in her bed. ’A dream?’ She sat up looking towards the place where she normally put her claymore, and there is was; looking all new as if she hadn’t been out training in the middle of the night. She rose from her bed and put on the armor she had been given, by the Head Paladin few days ago, for the first time, sheathed her sword and went out into the city.

’One thing is for sure though.’ She put her hand through her hair ’I might as well go to see my true birthplace as the first thing on my journey to become a true paladin.’ She looked towards the sky ‘… Light?’

“You’ve always sang beautifully. It really gives this forest a soul.”

Normally Liliana would have been up in a split second, her scythe already in mid swing. It was near impossible to sneak up on her after all the years she’d lived in the forest... and anyone who ever done so successfully usually scared Liliana so bad that they were dead before they hit the ground.
But for a number of reasons Liliana did not do so this night. This voice was so… soothing. Loving. It wasn’t threatening in the slightest. Liliana, while still a bit wary, turned around slowly, her eyes wide and curious. Behind her was a tall woman, dressed in a layered dress of varying shades of blue. She had long, bright blue hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall.

She had on a few golden necklaces, and around her waist was a golden band, hugging her skin through to show off her figure as well. She even had a golden tiara that was only visible on her forehead, the rest hidden under her hair.But her eyes were the same exact shade of light blue that Liliana had. Those two pairs of eyes locked gazes, and there was silence for a minute.

“Th… thank you…” Liliana said slowly, testing the waters of conversation.
“No problem, love.” The mystery woman walked up and sat next to the confused girl. “You deserve a compliment here and there.”
“Thank you…” Liliana said again. Kindness wasn’t exactly something Liliana had a lot of exposure to. “Um… who are you…?”

“Undine. The Goddess of water, ice, snow. The moon too, actually, although Procellus and Umbra sometimes affiliate themselves with it as well.” Undine held her hand out in front of her, and snow rose up front the ground, flew around in a circle, and then let the snow fall back to the ground.

“Wow." Liliana tilted her head to the side, marveling. "That's beautiful."
"Thank you." Undine smiled at the girl. "I have to say, you're very calm for meeting a goddess. I knew I made the right choice in picking you."

“Picking me?” Liliana turned to the goddess. “You picked me for something? May I ask what?”
“You may.”
“What did you pick me for?”
“The salvation of mankind.”
“Oh. I see…” Liliana blinked.

“So calm, so serene. Yet filled with such power. You are the embodiment of water. I knew I picked right. You'll do fine.” Undine smiled brightly.
“I’m scared.” Liliana said simply, hugging her knees now. "What do I have to do?"
"The Celestials and the Demons are fighting like babies. You simply need to do what you do best."

Liliana blinked.

"Kick some ass." Undine smirked. Liliana blinked again, before she smirked as well, her head tilting forwards slightly to shade her eyes, giving a sort of evil look to them. "You'll know what to do when it starts." Undine continued. "And you'll do it well. I'm confident in you. And, if you do well enough, I might give you a little present." Undine leaned forward and tapped Liliana on the nose. "You wont fail us."

"I hope not..." Liliana stopped her evilish gaze, instead turning back to her meek self and hugging her knees again.
"Someone is coming for you, Liliana." Undine said simply.
"What?" Liliana jerk her head towards the goddess. "I... what?" She didn't know what to say.
"You'll see soon enough." Undine stood up, dusting herself off. "Just be ready."
Liliana said nothing. Undine smiled at her one last time, then walked away, out of the clearing and into the trees. She turned left behind on of them, but didn't appear on the other side. She was gone.

Liliana blinked twice, then looked down. Me? Save mankind? How am I supposed to do that? Ugh... wait... she said someone was coming! Liliana stood up sharply, her black and red bladed scythe appearing in her hand. Bring it.

Her scythe disappeared, and then she was back to her normal self. Taking a deep breath, Liliana turned to walk back to her cave, but stopped suddenly. She turned around slowly, then began to walk over to the tree which Undine had dissapeared behind. Liliana looked behind it, just making sure. Undine dulled her eyes at Liliana's discovery.

"I was trying to go for the mysterious look there."

"Sorry."

"It's fine." Undine sighed. Guess I should be happy you have such great perception. See ya." Undine began to glow with a golden light. Liliana had to look away as it got bright, Undine's body merging with the light untill it was a large golden ball of light, which flew away into the sky.

"I like her hair." Liliana said simply as she walked back to her cave.

***

Undine sighed mentally as her golden form flew away. ... I probably should have mentioned that Valerie isn't hostile. ... Huh.

Even though he had lived in Ioden for most of his life, Erion had never actually been inside the guard barracks before. It was actually built into the town walls, which was actually pretty impressive to him, though he probably wasn't as impressed as he normally would have been with that dream of his still on his mind.

He entered the set of double doors closest to the front gate, with a large brown bag slung over his right shoulder, nervous, but in his mind, the best cure for nerves was action.

"Wow... a captain who is actually early. That's a first for me." He heard someone say with a chuckle as he walked inside.

"Better get used to it, Daviid." Erion replied with a wave and a weak smile. "I'm not planning on ding this for long, but as long as I am, I'll be doing it right."

Diviid was a fairly tall young man with close cropped blond hair and a face that had always gotten him quite a bit of attention from the ladies in town. He was also a notorious smart ass. He and Erion had known each other since they were children, and although they had never exactly been friends, they had always been on decent terms, with Daviid trying to talk Erion into joining the guard on many occasions.

"Well... I suppose it's good to hear that you're taking things seriously at least." Daviid replied. "Not many here do, not that you can really blame them, I suppose. Not much goes on around here except the occasional wolf going after the livestock. In any case, here are your evening reports."

He handed Erion what looked like a small sheet of glass.

"Um... what the hell is this, Daviid?" Erion asked, obviously confused.

"It's lightscreen. Some sort of Celestial doohicky. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but it's magic powered. You press here, and i should let you know everything you're responsible for tonight." Daviid replied, pressing on the corner of the screen, causing words to appear.

"There you go. It seems to respond to your thoughts, so it will scroll itself automatically. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Hmm.." Erion said absentmindedly, toying around with the screen for a bit before placing it on a nearby desk.

"I suppose so." He continued, removing his cloak, and hanging it on the back of the chair behind the desk, which he assumed was his. "But first thing's first. How many men are under our command?"

"Uh..." Daviid said, looking up at the ceiling as he made his mental count. " Forty, give or take."

"That's it?" Erion replied, raising an eyebrow. "Forty guards for a city of 5000? That's not gonna be nearly enough to adequately patrol the town and the farms. Get some ads put out, would you? I wanna have at least one hundred guardsmen here by the time that inspector gets here."

"Will do, Captain." His lieutenant replied with a smirk. "Though...I'm not sure if i should be glad or worried that you're taking to your position so quickly."

"A little of both would probably be wise, actually." Erion said with a smirk of his own. "Oh... and after you're done getting that taken care of, have all of our men meet me at the gate. We've got some work to do."

"Whatever you say, boss." Daviid replied, though he walked out the door grumbling under his breath.

Erion stopped for a moment to take in his surroundings and assess the situation a bit.

"I suppose I could get used to this. " He said to himself, looking around the stone "building".

He took a seat at his desk, and picked up the lightscreen to take a closer look at the reports. And for a split second, the felt a familiar pain in his chest.

"What the hell...?" He said, placing his hand over the spot of the pain.

...................................................................................................................

A man in a high collared black coat stood outside the doors of the guard house, leaning with his back against the wall and his arms crossed over his chest, seemingly unnoticed by everyone who passed.

"Noticed me already, did you?" He said softly, with a smirk on his handsome face. "I have to say, I'm a little bit impressed, Iratus. Perhaps I should say hello-"

Vereor! He heard a familiar deep voice call out inside his mind. You have a job to do! You should be seeing to it that the others are at the designated place, not toying with him!

"To hell with you, Umbra." The man said with rage in his eyes. "What I do and how I do it are my own business. Almost everyone is in place, at this point, and everyone who isn't will be soon."

I see... The voice replied. But be that as it may, I forbid you to interfere once already. You would do well to remember your p-

"And you would do well to stay out of my head!" The man yelled, cutting the voice off, losing his composure, if only for a moment.

He walked over to a nearby patch of shadow and slowly began to sink into it.

"Once this is all done with..." He said just before his head disappeared, his calm seemingly restored. "You may just be the next in line to taste my blade."

Ryuu sighed dejectedly as he stared blankly as the warped wooden ceiling that stood above him. Once he had reached the small town of Ioden, he had used the little bit of currency the monks had given him to rent a room for a few nights. It wasn't much, barely larger than a horse stall, but it was enough for what Ryuu needed of it; mostly sleeping. By the time Ryuu had finalized the deal, the sun had already begun to set, so he had decided it would be a good idea to turn in early. Now the moon had risen in the sky, and Ryuu was no nearer to a good night's sleep than he had been when he started. Why is it so difficult to fall asleep? he groaned internally, heaving himself up to a sitting position and absently rubbing his eyes.

Even as he asked himself that question, Ryuu knew the answer. He was still upset, angry over his exile from the monastery. He had lived there all of his life, being raised by the very men who cast him out. His mind was a roaring tempest, a whirlwind of anger and grief, despair and rage. How could they just abandon him like that, after all the time he had spent with them?

Taking a deep breath, Ryuu quelled his irate feelings. He had to calm down. Positioning himself cross-legged on the cold floor, he folded his hands in his lap and slowed his breathing, concentrating on the sound of the moving air. A little meditation would help...

Ryuu Arishima...

Ryuu's closed eye twitched in annoyance. Couldn't whoever had spoken see that he was in the middle of something? They could surely wait.

Ryuu...

"What?!" Ryuu cried, his eyes snapping open to search around for his aggravator. His gaze of anger quickly to one of awe as he beheld what was before him. Instead of the barren room he had been in previously, he was sitting on top of a tall mountain. Stretched out before him was a vast fiery landscape, dotted with crimson lava flows as volcanoes erupted left and right. "Where am I..."

"Well, you're right here, aren't you?"

Ryuu whipped around. Behind him stood a tall, thin man, clad in awe-inspiring red and gold armor. The man slowly walked up to stand beside Ryuu, his eyes gazing past the boy and off into the distance. "Magnificent, isn't it? Such destructive power, and yet, in a few thousand years, this place will be the most fertile place in the world. The raw strength of fire never ceases to amaze me."

"Hey, you never answered my question!" Ryuu shouted, ignoring the fact that he had never directed his question at the man. "Where are we, and who the hell are you?"

The man chuckled, shaking his head slightly as he turned his head to face Ryuu. "I have gone by many names; Vulcan, Hephaestus, and Adranus are a few. You, however, may refer to me as Agni. As for where we are, we are in my realm, so to speak."

"What are you? A deva?" Ryuu asked. The situation was too strange; how had he com here, and why was such a powerful being talking to him. Some of the wisest monks at the temple had never been contacted by a higher being before!

"Not quite," Agni replied, turning his head once more to observe the landscape before him, "although if it would make you more comfortable, you may believe I am so. Anyway, enough chit chat. I have called you here for a reason, Ryuu."

"What is that?"

"The world is in grave peril. The Celestials and Devils, the children of Aion and Orobos, are fighting and bickering with each other on their gods' behalves. If they are not stopped, the world could be destroyed in the aftermath."

"But why should I care?" Ryuu protested, crossing his arms in defiance. "The plague of the Celestials was brought on the world by the greed of the West. My temple has functioned independently from them and the Devils since their arrival, and will continue to do so. Any fighting is the West's problem."

"Do you honestly think your little monastery will be able to escape the eye of the Ceslestials for long?" Agni snapped, his eyes lighting up momentarily with anger. "The Celestials believe that anyone that does not worship their god is impure, and your people fit that quota. When your temple is discovered by them, it won't last a night. This infighting of Aion and Orobos is a problem your entire world faces, and no one is exempt. The only option is for you to fight."

"Even if I wanted to help you, what do you expect me to do?" Ryuu continued, the fiery expression in his eyes matching that of his adversary. "The Celestials' power is too great, I couldn't even scratch one of their children!"

"That is why I have summoned you," Agni retorted, reaching out and grabbing Ryuu's shoulders. Ryuu struggled to get loose, but the man's grip was too strong. "You are the physical embodiment of fire; you are passionate, strong, and determined. Have you ever wondered what your name means? It means dragon, and that is what you will be. You will be my strongest soldier, one with an impenetrable will and a fiery heart!"

Suddenly Ryuu screamed out in pain. His entire body felt as though it was in flames. He looked down at himself, expecting to see his skin charring away, but there was no physical damage. "You will be my warrior," Ryuu heard Agni say as his vision began to black out. "My warrior of fire."

---

Ryuu snapped out of his trance, gasping for air as he supported himself with one arm. What had just happened? Out of all his years of training and meditation, Ryuu had never heard of or experienced anything like that before. I need some air, he thought as he pushed himself to his feet. Grabbing his coat and throwing it on, he headed out of his room and into the streets of Ioden. I just need some time to mull this over.

Waking up to the sound of the train bumping through the terrain and a voice saying; “we’ve now arrive into the northern parts Neos.” Valerie rubbed her eyes. She was sitting alone in a railway carriage on her way to North Landton. She looked out through the window, it had already gotten dark but there were at least two more stations before the one close to North Landton. Valerie stretched her arms and legs; she had been sitting in the train since morning. ’I wonder if I will be able to find my true parents there.’ She glared into the distance; snow was beginning to appear on the ground outside. ’I hope they won’t hate me for appearing; I just want to know who I really am.’

A woman appeared with a wagon before her “Anything you want my dear?”

”No thanks, I don’t have any money on me right now.” She said even though she was quiet hungry.

The woman found a sandwich and gave it to Valerie “It doesn’t matter my dear, you’re a paladin right? I often give a little to our protectors.” The woman smiled. Valerie took the sandwich and bowed her head to thank the woman. “So miss paladin, where are you going?”

Valerie took a bite of the sandwich ”North Landton, it will be the first place on my journey.”

The woman’s smile disappeared. “North Landton? All alone? You know that the celestials have a hard time getting control over that village right? Last time I saw paladins go there, they were three and none of them came back.”

Valerie didn’t know any of this information, the only thing she knew about North Landton was that it was a mining village in the north, a very poor place but not that the celestials didn’t have it under full control. ”Are you sure about this miss?” a voice appeared in the train again “Next stop, North Landton.” ”Wait already?” She rose from the seat finding the few things she had taken with her. ”Whether you are right or wrong doesn’t matter, I have some business in this city I need to attend to. But thank you for your kindness I have to go now.”

Valerie walked out of the train into the cold winter-like night. The station at North Landton was actually three miles away from the village itself, but it was the only village around here. Valerie began walking on the road towards the village, ”Brrrr… Why does it have to be this cold here?” she put on a brown carpet around her hiding most of her armor and skin. ”Why didn’t I think about taking something hot with me, l-like a pair of gloves or just… Anything… Brrrr.” She was shivering with cold. She looked up as she walked on the road. If the moon hadn’t been there; there would have been no light around for her to see where she was walking.

All of a sudden after walking for fifteen minutes Valerie stopped and looked at a forest entrance on the left side of her ’I have seen before.’ She turned towards the forest ‘This was what I saw in that… Dream?... But it can’t be.’ After looking at the forest for a few minutes she decided to walk into the forest. ”I’ve seen this before.” The further she walked into the forest the more she was assured that she had seen the place before. Suddenly she remembered ”The cave!” without realizing she had been talking to herself all the time she set into run. ’Can it really be true? Was it not a dream at all?’

Valerie stopped. She was standing right outside the entrance of the cave she had seen in her vision. Even though all of her instincts told her to run back to safety her curious mind had taken over. She wanted to know what was inside the cave. She took a step into the cave, without having an idea of what was going to happen.

Liliana sighed. She was sitting on her makeshift bed, one leg hanging down and the other she was clinging to tightly. It had been a day since her little chat with Undine. Liliana hadn't slept very well since. Her eyes had light red circles underneath them. But you couldn't really see them unless you looked from an upward view. Not that in mattered.

Someone is coming for you, Liliana. Those were her words. Liliana ran them through her head several times. One person. She could handle one person, right? Of course, Undines word had been vauge. One person was looking for her. But what if they brought an army? People that weren't really looking for her, just following the person that did? That would fall under Undines words. Liliana shivered. It wasn't due to the cold.

In order to relieve her stress (Something she didn't often have to do) Liliana got up and pulled her black cloak around her, walking outside. The moon was high and brighter than usual, providing light even for a regular human to see fine. Liliana silently hoped that this unknown person or persons used it to their advantage. Assuming they came tonight.

"Undine... are you here? Please be here..." Liliana said quietly as she came to her favorite clearing for the second time in as many nights. There was no response. Had she not lived alone for years, Liliana might have cried. She desperatly wanted her to come back and take her biggest fear - loneliness - away. if only for a few minutes. Instead, she only sighed and sat down.

Liliana closed her eyes, deciding to enjoy the silence as long as it was here and meditate. She didn't know how long she stayed like that, but she did know that she snapped her eyes open when she heard the last thing she had ever expected.

"The cave!"

Liliana's brain was thrown into an information overload. This person was a girl. She had been purposely looking for a cave. And from the way she said it, it didn't sound like she was just looking for any one. She sought a specific one. And Liliana had a sneaking suspition she knew what cave it was. The girl stood up sharply, her scythe materializing into her hand from thin air. And she smirked. And evil, 'bring it on, bitch' kind of smirk. Liliana slowly turned around, not making a sound. Years of practice had had Liliana gain the ability to sneak perfectly quietly, even on ground that would say otherwise.

Soon Liliana found herself back to a tree, out of sight of whoever was trying to find her. She peaked out for a second, and saw some girl with grey hair standing not a foot from Liliana's home. The mystery girl took a step closer to it, actually entering the shelter. Well, she doesn't seem hostile. Just curiou- ... what? Those markings... those...

Liliana snapped. Those markings that the girl had on pretty much anything she had were the same as the paladins from a few years ago. The ones who killed her only friend in the world. Liliana's eyes went dark blue, a drastic change from the bright, light ones she usualy had. Oh, sweet revenge.

Liliana slipped out from behind the tree, taking light steps towards the girl, still not making a sound. Without even a moments hesitation, Liliana held her scythe up to the back of her head and spoke. "Freeze, paladin asshole. Put up your hands."

Assuming the girl did what she was told (If she retaliated Liliana would jump back to avoid it and the fight was on.), Liliana circle around to the from of the girl, still holding her scythe towards her. "You've got a got of nerve to come back here, hm? What, Nicor not enough for you? You want my head too!? Who are you! What are you doing here!? Kerro minulle! Spill it!

As Valerie had taken the last step she had the feeling that it had been stupid not to listen to her instincts and run back to the road. Even though the moon was very bright this night, the wood was still pretty dark because of the shadows from the trees. Suddenly a feeling of cold steel appeared on the back of Valerie’s head, if it hadn’t been because of the voice right after she would have jumped a step forward; away from danger.

- “Freeze, paladin asshole. Put up your hands.”

A girl’s voice. Valerie spaced out for a second ’I am not a paladin yet actually. I am just on my pilgrimage to become a paladin... Wait… Asshole?’ Valerie was out of words she had never been called an asshole before. As she heard footsteps behind her, she felt the concentration turning back, making everything clear in her head. The girl was now standing in front of Valerie talking to her.

- “You’ve got a lot of nerve to come back here, hm? What, Nicor not enough for you? You want my head too!? Who are you! What are you doing here!? Kerro minulle! Spill it!”

Valerie observed the girl: She wasn’t anything special; a very plain girl, yet very beautiful. ’She must be living here which means that she is my first task.’ Valerie slowly lifted her right hand in order to wield her weapon, but stopped in the middle of doing it. ’This makes no sense… If that dream was true. That man was peaceful, why would he want me to kill?’

Without realizing it, she was staring into the cold eyes of the girl in front of her. ’Those eyes’ She had seen such eyes before in some of the paladins that had been passing the church in Ioden ’Those eyes show great pain’ Valerie could hear the girls breathtaking become deeper.

Valerie looked at the weapon being used to threaten her; a devil weapon. Valerie could feel how the adrenaline began to pump around in her veins, making her concentration fall and her instincts taking over. One look on the weapon of a devil had made the fear inside Valerie take over. She wasn’t thinking clearly anymore; it was as if she was a whole different person. She began talking to herself ”My first task is to save this girl right?” Valerie’s hand continued the move she had started few moments earlier and touched the handle of the sword. ”I will end all of your pain now my child, in the name of Aion.”

The claymore flew through the air towards the girl in front of her, but the girl dodged it by jumping back further into the cave. Valerie stood still for a second, even though she wasn’t thinking clearly she had changed into a fighting position no one had ever used before in history ”Let me give you an advice girl. I did not come here to take your head, but with all the pain inside you this is the only way.” Of cause this wasn’t the only way, and Valerie had misunderstood the true task.

”I will end the story of a lonely light in this cave.” Valerie closed her eyes ”Let me show you my dance of angels.” And with those words said Valerie opened her eyes once more and charged towards the girl in front of her, with the intention of ending her life. The defenses were down but if Valerie would take a hit, so would the girl. The differences were their clothes which made Valerie slow but armored. Of cause Valerie had never fought a person wielding a weapon of a devil and didn’t know what she was running towards.

"Dance of Angels!? HA!" Liliana let out a laugh as she swung her own scythe. Liliana hadn't cut loose and fought something in years. This girl was going to get the full force of it. Her scythe and the mystery girl's giant sword clashed in midair. Liliana twisted the handle so the blade and the rod caught her sword for a moment. "I have a whole town of people thinking I'm the Angel of Death!!"

Liliana used her weapon induced grip on the claymore and lifted in up into the air where she couldn't use it. Quick as lightning, Liliana brought her scythe down and swung to decapitate the girl. The girl ducked and Liliana's scythe bit deep into the stone wall of the cave. Liliana tried to jerk in out, but the girl was attacking again. Sword, fist, who knew. She just saw something flying her way.

Instead Liliana used the handle of her scythe and jumped up using it, avoiding whatever she was attacking with easily and kicking the girl right in the head. Liliana came down like a cat on the handle, and swung down, ripping the blade out of the wall, but she didn't have time to do anything, as the claymore was heading right for her. the white haired girl only barely had time to lift up the handle of her scythe, the claymore hitting it instead of her.

The force of impact still sent her into a wall. Liliana flatened her back bones out to distribute the force better, but DAMN that hurt! Ignoring the pain in her back now, Liliana dropped to the ground and kicked her armored shin. it probably didn't do any damage, but it might trip her. Or at least make her stumble back. Liliana used the force of the kick to shoot off a good ten meters and out of the cave, grabbing her scythe.

She slid to a stop outside by swinging the blade into the ground, leaving a deep cut in the earth. Liliana slowly stood up, stretching. She picked up her scythe and held it down, much like a rapier. "Really? You didn't come to kill me? Well you're certainly geared up for it! I probably would have only hit you barehanded if you hadn't attacked me!"

Liliana smirked as Valerie emerged from the cave. "So if you didn't come for the ghost of the forest..." (Liliana used her name as the town knew her for a dramatic effect) "Then why did you come, hmm? Certainly not to help me. I had plenty of help, but your kind took it away!" Liliana stood her ground, keeping on the defensive.

Unnoticed as usual, Vereor slunk out of a shadow just inside the cave entrance. Realizing what was happening however, he slipped back into the darkness, with only his black eyes visible.

After leaving Ioden behind, he had intended to lure the ones named Ryuu and Amato into town, but sensing the presence of two of the other Chosen together, he had a feeling this would be a much more interesting scenario.

Once he was certain neither of the two women had sensed his presence, he watched the drama between the two unfold.

Good thing I trusted my instincts. He thought, with his wicked smile obscured by the darkness. I'll just enjoy the show while they beat each other senseless. It should be fine as long as I don't let someone die.

...............................................................................................

Finally done with her duties for the day, Amatiel had made her way home, taken a nice relaxing bath, and was now lying on her back in bed, lost in thought.

"What am I going to do?" She said aloud, with her hazel eyes fixed on the ceiling. "There's so much to prepare and so little time."

She wished, not for the first time, that she had been born a normal human girl, that she could do normal human things, and live a normal human life. She wondered what her life would be like if her father had been human instead of a Celestial. Would she be in school now? Would she have a boyfriend?

Her reverie was cut short, however, by a knock at her bedroom door.

"Miss Amatiel?" Her butler, Evan said from the other side. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but Miss Stella is here to see you."

"Oh!" She said, bouncing off of the bed, and making her way to her closet. "Tell her to come on up!"

....................................................................................................

Shortly after dark, Daviid had the entire night guard gathered in front of the north gate. All of them were young, rowdy men, ranging from ages sixteen to 25, and Erion recognized nearly all of them, whether from school, or just from around town. He knew right away that getting them organized was going to be a pain in the ass.

He received a myriad of different reactions from the men as he walked through them, from over-enthusiastic hoots and cheers, to scornful glares. He took his place at the front of the group, next to Daviid, and dropped the heavy bag he had brought onto the ground and proceeded to cross his arms over his chest.

" Okay, okay, settle down, men." He called out loud enough for everyone to hear. "For those of you who haven't heard the news already, Amatiel has asked me to accept the position of Night Captain temporarily, in the hopes that I can get things running smoothly in town for an upcoming Celestial inspection."

"Awesome man! Welcome aboard!" Yelled one of the men, enthusiastically.

"About damn time you joined up!" Said another, jokingly, causing most of the other men to laugh.

"What the hell man?!" Muttered a third.

"I realize that some of you might not be happy about the fact that I was offered this position when you have more experience than me." Erion continued. " For that, I apologize. I'm honestly not sure why I was the one who was asked to take this job. And believe me, as much as I like some of you assholes, hanging out with a bunch of sweaty guys into the wee hours of the morning isn't exactly my idea of a good time."

This comment of course, brought another round of laughter from the group.

"But be that as it may, I accepted the responsibility, and I intend to do it properly. Don't think I'm gonna let you slack off all night just because we know each other, alright?" He finished, pointing to a few guys in the crowd.

"Same here, guys." Daviid interjected. "I know things have been pretty lax around here for a while now, but now's the time to take your job seriously. No sneaking off into dark corners with barmaids while you're on duty or catching naps in the barns. At least not for a while."

After the laughter had died down a bit, Tamryn, the guard who had muttered under his breath earlier, stepped to the front of the group.

"So what's our first order of business, fearless leader?" He asked, sarcastically, glaring at Erion the whole time.

Erion paused a moment before walking over and standing eye to eye with the man. Or at least eye to chin - Tamryn was at least 3 inches taller, and outweighed him by probably 30 lbs.

"Our first order of business..." He started, with a smirk that could have meant just about anything. " Is assigning posts. But, as I don't know everyones' fighting capabilities, I'd like to test you all... if that's okay, Tamryn."

He walked back over to the bag he had dropped onto the ground earlier, reached into it, and pulled out two wooden swords.

"In fact, Tamryn..." He continued, tossing one of the swords to the other man. "You can be first. Pick two other men to join you, and all three of you, come at me."

Valerie put her left hand on her head ’That damn girl’ She kept an eye on the girl all time ”Angel of Death? Ghost of the Forest? You surely have a lot of names little girl.” Valerie smiled, even though the opponent was as serious as she was herself, she was having fun fighting her. ”But names aren’t going to help you here.”

Valerie put back her left hand on the claymore, and charged forth towards the girl, swinging the claymore with all of her strength. But the girl dodged by jumping directly up in the air using her scythe. In the air the girl made a counterattack swinging down the scythe so that the blade would hit Valerie in the back. Valerie wasn’t able to stop in the middle of her attack but somehow she managed to jump and spin around so that her front pointed up towards the girl. Valerie blocked her attack, but was thrown to the ground by the impact of the two weapons clashing together; the girl was thrown the other way closer to the cave entrance.

Valerie was fast up again. She could feel a slight pain in her back, but wasn’t able to tend to it cause the white haired girl was already in front of her again. Valerie swung the claymore once again but the girl jumped into the air once again with the help of her scythe. ’Oh, no you don’t!’ Valerie let go of her claymore in the middle of the swing making it fly into a tree and stay there. As the white haired girl was about to kick her Valerie grabbed her leg, spin around and threw the girl towards another tree.

Without looking how her throw turned out Valerie ran towards her claymore sitting in another tree the opposite way of where she had thrown the girl. She pulled out the sword and turned towards the girl. The girl was standing, but she had some serious pain in her back it seemed. They had both become slower and weaker in their attacks. But even though they kept on fighting the same way for about twenty minutes without any kind of break.

---

The breathtaking of both fighters had become deep and heavy. Valerie had a hard time keeping herself standing. Her body was shaking all over because of the overloading fight. ”You said something about a person named Nicor… Was it that person’s weapon you are holding right now?” Throughout the fight Valerie’s head had cleared up, and she had no intention of killing her enemy anymore. She was ready to fight her; but had no intention of taking her life anymore. ”Was it the three paladins that came here some time ago that took your friend from you?” Valerie wasn’t sure whether or not it was a wise decision to talk to her opponent this way, but she couldn’t help but feel part guilty in the girl’s pain if it was true what she was asking. Valerie was still standing with her claymore ready to defend herself, but she wouldn’t make more attacks for now; actually she didn’t have much energy left to keep charging the white haired girl anymore.

Liliana was leaning on her scythe, useing it to keep her up. Not that she couldn't stand up on her own, but as long as it was there, right? She swallowed down a gulp of air and looked down, smiling like she hadn't in a long time. Despite her eternal burning hatred for this girl and any being who killed those who didn't deserve it, Liliana was actually having fun! Odd. "Oh. Interested now that you're not sure you can win, are you?" Liliana tried to laugh. It only came out as a breathy half-chuckle.

The white haired girl frowned then, straightening up and not shaking. She narrowed her eyes at the paladin-in-training. "Yes. Nicor was my only friend in the world. And yes. He was a Demon." Liliana said the word distastfully. She never really liked that word. It make him sound bad. She flared her nostrils once before continuing.

He was alone by himself in the forest when he was young, and that's how he lived. He rescued me from the wilderness shortly after, and we were friends ever since. We lived together in that very cave." Liliana pointed at her home. "But your group are so concerned with killing anything unholy you don't look at the person individualy. And the two of us fell under that catagory. Three of them came, and none of them left. But Nicor was gone. Dead, as far as I know."

Liliana lifted up her scythe and brought it down sharply into the ground, piercing through the frozen ground like butter. "And this is his weapon. Frostin tulipalo. It's my only link back to him." She brought the weapon back up and stood it up beside her. A wind blew through the forest, openinng Liliana's now torn black cloak, and chilling any exposed skin to the bone. But Liliana didn't care. She was used to it.

"I don't think myself a bad person. I actually help travelers I come across. I've never hurt anyone who didn't hurt someone else first. Even right now, I'm just defending my life and home. You swung first. Lest it harm none, do what ye will. That's what I live by. That's what he lived by. But not that it mattered to your friends, hmm?"

Liliana sighed, pointing her scythe at Valerie. "Whatever. Not like you care. No one cares for a girl like me. And that's just fine in my book." Liliana crouched, preparing to launch herself at Valerie again. Whatever the outcome, this fight was almost over. Half as long. Twice as bright. Aim for the joints. If I'm going down, she's coming with me!

Liliana was off, burning through her last reserves of energy quickly, but it was worth it. She jumped in the air again, swinging her scythe down at the paladin. Valerie brought her sword up to block it. But the sheer force sank her into the ground another inch. Liliana fell to the ground on her feet, but Valerie was already bringing her sword down for a counter.

Liliana rolled to the right, only barely dodging the devestating blow. Before she could pick it up again, Liliana hooked the blade of her scythe around Valerie's armored leg and pulled, triping her. Valerie fell on her back, and Liliana was up in a second, bringing her scythe down on the poor girl. Valerie brough her sword up and held end end with a hand, the flat of the blade in her left. The blade of the scythe didn't actually hit the sword, but the handle bashed agaiinst it, stopping the swing in it's tracks. The point of the scythe was barely a milimeter from Valerie's nose.

Valerie lifted her leg up and tried to kick Liliana in the stomach. Liliana tried to move but the blow still caught her shoulder, nearly breaking it. Liliana flew back, and Valerie was on her in a second, bringing her own sword down. Liliana blocked in the same way valerie had done. The positions were reversed now though.
"I have to admit..." Liliana grunted, smiling. "You are the best challenge I've ever got from anyone."

Liliana pushed one side of her scythe up, Valeries blade sliding along the new slope and going into the ground. Liliana tried to roll over and strick, but Valerie simply brought up the handle of her sword and bashed it into Liliana's chest. The girl flew back again, but this time twisting around and manageing to land on her feet. Liliana coughed ans spat onto the ground, then looked up.

Valerie was getting up, sword in hand. Liliana tried to move, but her legs were locked in place. Her body wouldn't respond. Valerie aparently took notice of this, and ran towards her, preparing to swing. Liliana blinked.

Damn. This is gonna hurt. She wasn't refering to Valerie's swing. Liliana picked up her scythe and threw it, blade first, at Valerie. She jumped out of the way easily, dodging and still charging. Liliana grunted, and suddenly and black rope appeared between the scythe's handle and Liliana's wrist, connecting the two. Liliana pulled back sharply, the still flying scythe stopping midair and flying back to her hand. Valerie obviously wasn't expecting this. The handle only barely missed hitting the paladin in the back, but the blade caught her.

Anybody without armor would be cut in half easily. But the blade only stuck into her armor, and continued to fly towards Liliana, bringing Valerie with it. This threw her out of her attack. Valerie couldn't do a thing as she flew towards her opponent. Liliana did the only thing she could. She headbutted Valerie as she flew towards her at twenty miles an hour.

Both of the girls flew back by the force of impact, both of them bleeding from the forehead, and both of them landing on there backs. Liliana groaned due to the pain. I hope she doesn't wake up first... Both girls propmtly fell unconscious.

***

Liliana woke first, oddly enough. She slowly crawled up, even though her entire body screamed otherwise. The sun was just begining to set. There fight had been at night. they had been out for maybe eighteen hours. Liliana could barely pick up her scythe, but she did. She slowly walked over to Valerie, who was still out like a light.

"Shame..." Liliana coughed. "I would have liked... to fight you... again..." Liliana was about to raise her scythe when Valerie's words rang through her head. Not only the words, but the tone too. Was it the three paladins that came here some time ago that took your friend from you? She had sounded sad. Concerned. Liliana only hadn't notice it in the heat of the battle. Spare her. Her conscious yelled at her. She cared. She was concerned. Let her live.

Liliana blinked, her arm trembling. "Oh... hitto.... fine..." Liliana sank to her knees and after several moments, and her eyes went back to their light normal hue. Liliana worked for a little bit and after a few more moments, Valeries armor was off, leaving only a few simple undercloths. Liliana picked up the unconscious girl (Not without much difficulty, mind you.) and slowly stummbled into her cave. She layed Valerie down on her bed, and went to the corner of the cave, picking up and bucket of water and a spare shred of cloth from clothing long outgrown.

Liliana pressed at a few places on Valeries body, bent some joints, checking for broken bones. She had none. She would have quite a few nasty bruises, but nothing serious. After checking that, Liliana dunked the cloth in the water and began to slowly clean the dried blood on her head and hair. Her head was the only place that had bled.

After she had finished, Liliana gave herself the same treatment. Still tired beyond belief, Liliana literaly fell into Nicors old bed, her eyes dulling. But she couldn't fall asleep. That would leave her open to an attack. Thirty minutes passed before Valerie stirred. Probably due to the cold. It was freezing outside, but inside was maybe sixty degrees. Still cold for anyone but Liliana.

The second Valerie's eyes were open, Liliana spoke. "And for the record... I like names... They let me know... people are aware of me... that I'm not quite so alone..." Liliana closed her eys, unable to keep them open now. "Now go back... to sleep... so I don't have... to worry about... you attacking... me..." Liliana dropped consciousness like a bad habit.

"Oh come on guys!" Erion called out to his three sparring partners. "You're part of the city guard! You have to be better than this. If the city ever got attacked for some reason, we'd all be dead at this point."

He had spent the last ten minutes basically making Tamryn and the other two men look like fools. He knew that this wasn't exactly the nicest thing to do, especially considering that Tamryn already hated his guts, but he needed to prove a point to them as well as himself: He had been asked to take this job because he was the best at what he did, not because of his relationship with Amatiel. He need to gain the respect of all the men, especially the ones who didn't much care for him.

Tamryn, near enraged by the embarrassment, attempted to rush him with a huge overhead chop.

"No, no, no!" Erion yelled, easily sidestepping the attack and delivering a sweep to the large man's legs with his bokken, dropping him unceremoniously to the ground.

"You," He said, pointing to a random guardsman in the crowd. "What was Tamryn's mistake?"

"Um..." The young man replied, looking dumbfounded.

"Come on, man... think" Erion said smacking right hand against his forehead. "How do you think I dodged that attack so easily?"

"Uh... because you're faster than he is?" The man said, more of a question than an answer.

"I'll take it..." Erion said with a sigh.

"When you are fighting someone who is faster or more agile than you,who's more skilled than you... you never make a frontal assault, unless it's a diversionary tactic. Otherwise, you end up like Tamryn here... on your ass. Or worse."

By this time, Tamryn had managed to get back to his feet and retrieve his sword. He shot Erion a glance that could have cracked stone.

"You two." Erion continued, ignoring the man, and turning his attention to the two men who were supposed to be Tamryn's backup, but were instead hanging out in the background. "You're supposed to be a team. Back him up!"

Grudgingly, they took their places next to Tamryn, readying their weapons with an obvious lack of self assurance.

"Now... " Erion started, twisting his sword around into a backhanded defensive form. "When facing a superior opponent, it's best to have numbers on your side, which you obviously already have. So what do you do next? Anyone?"

"You cut off his escape and attack from all sides!" Said one of the older guardsmen somewhere in the crowd.

"Good man!" Erion said bowing his head slightly in the man's direction. "Attacking from all sides limits the chance of escape as well as distracting your opponent and possibly causing panic."

"Well?" He went on, turning his attention to the three men one again. "What are you waiting for?!"

Within a few moments, the three began to circle around him, presumably trying to find the best point to attack from.

"Good...." Erion said, with a smirk, though not breaking his concentration. "That's perfect. Throw me off guard.. attack from different sides at different intervals. Tamryn, your size and strength are you best attributes. Use the other two as decoys to try and get in close when the time is right. That's how a team is supposed to work. Everyone uses their unique skills in concert. That's the path to victory."

"I don't need you to tell me how to fight!" Tamryn yelled, and with a growl, rushed in to attack once again.


"Idiot!" Erion yelled at the man, parrying his attack and throwing him off balance once again. He was intending to knock him to the ground again, but noticed the other two men coming at him from his left and right.

He blocked the attack from the left, but without the benefit of a second sword, which he was so used to, he wouldn't have been able to block or dodge the attack from the man on the right. He came in low, swinging his sword in a diagonal arc.

Then, for just a moment, something strange happened. It was as if Erion's brain had gone into overdrive. Everything seemed to slow down, and he could see everything so clearly - from the speed of the strike, to it's angle and everything in between - everything just made perfect sense. Before he knew it, his body was in motion, and he was flipping out of the way at just the right moment for him to not only dodge the incoming strike, but for the two men to collide in the process, knocking both of them to the ground.

"Whoa...." He heard one of his men say, followed by cheers and whistles from the rest.

But all he could thing was : What the hell just happened?

.............................................................................................................

"Soooo..." Vereor said quietly, emerging from the shadows. "These two are Light and Water. I can't say I'm particularly impressed."

He walked over to the unconscious Valerie and stood over her with a mischievous smirk on his face, almost a mirror image of Erion's.

"Especially with you, Light." He continued, leaning over her, with his face so close to her's, he could feel her breath on his skin. "You have thoroughly disappointed me today. I expected much more from you, my rival. I do hope you that you become something more than just a pretty face..."

He closed his eyes for just a moment, and lightly kissed her forehead. There was a slight hum in the air for only a moment, and when he opened his eyes again, most of her injuries were fading away.

"I'm very much looking forward to corrupting that purity of yours." He whispered in her ear. "Now.. awaken and make your way home. Take Water with you. The fun will begin soon."

With that, he quickly faded into a nearby shadow, off to bring Fire into the game.

Michael, or Mikey as he is normally known by, landed on the outskirts of the peaceful town of Ioden. He had never been to a small town before, and growing up in the big city of Urielis never gave him any peace and quiet. However, unlike in Urielis, Mikey wasn't sure how the people would react to him out here. Everybody he hung out with in his home city were either Nephilim, such as himself, or humans that were sworn to secrecy that the ex-heir of ArmTech, one of the largest military business in the world, was a Nephilim. As he didn't want the fear of getting kicked out of the tiny town, he landed on the outskirts to fold up his wings. They were nearly at full size, or so his father said, and shone with a white brilliance that almost made them look slightly transparent. Maybe it was because of his affinity to air that they looked like that, he didn't know.

He actually hadn't had any wings until Typhon came to him in a dream once right about when he turned 16. It was a little fuzzy, but Michael could remember the most important part...

Mysterious glowing man: I am Typhon, little one. I gave you your power over air many years ago, and your father has helped you hone your skills. You have become quite masterful.

Mike: Gee thanks. But if you the True Typhon, then your the Bringer of Storms and Chaos and stuff right? You must have the most fun outta everybody! You can-

Typhon: I know what I am capable of doing. And i am glad to hear that you are too. However, you lack something that most Air Nephilim own, and to truly be a follower of my element, you will need these."
Typhon then touched his back, and his shoulder blades began to feel like they were being stretched and ripped out of his body. Mikey had cried out in shock and pain, and then it was suddenly over.

I give you these wings, Michael Grigoir. May you use them wisely.

That was all Mikey could remember, and when he woke up, on his back were a pair of white wings, their span only 6 feet.
---------------------------

Mike shook his head, bringing himself back to reality. His wings contracted, and he cleverly hid them behind his favourite orange hoodie that he was wearing. He was carrying a small little pack with enough money to get him a room for at least a year, and his headphones around his neck. He approached the city with a slight caution, but threw that into the wind when he entered the town. He constantly stopped into shops, talking to anybody and everybody about the town, the history of the town, or just about the weather. He also asked about the Nephilim in town. When he was younger, he was forced to learn about his own race and their culture. He also learned that he is the oldest of the newer generation of Nephilim, and a girl named "Amatiel'' was the Nephilim of this cute little town. So he asked around, hoping to find her.

Ryuu pulled his coat tighter around himself as he entered the cool night air of Ioden. The skies were completely clear, allowing the full moon to brightly illuminate the streets of the small country town. Ryuu gazed up at the stars overhead, the thousands of pinpoint pricks of brilliance that dotted the night sky like sequins on a velvet canvas. They all seemed so impossibly far away, yet they were able to be seen as clearly as the pebbles at one’s feet. I wish my future was that clear…

As he strolled aimlessly through the narrow streets of Ioden, Ryuu’s mind was whirring out of control, vainly attempting to comprehend what had occurred just minutes before. Who was this ‘Agni’ person? What he a deva, or something else, something even more powerful? Why did he contact Ryuu, who was still only a novice monk, rather than one of his teachers, or one of the Sangha, the leaders of his religion? There certainly couldn’t be anything he could do that they couldn’t…

Ryuu came to a stop in the main street of town, now cold and silent with the darkness of night. He could hear voices… a lot of them. What on earth are people doing up at this hour? Kneeling down to the ground and placing his ear on the cold cobblestone, he could make out what the crowd was saying. "Awesome man! Welcome aboard!" "About damn time you joined up!"

Pushing himself up and brushing some dust off from his trousers, Ryuu began walking again, heading towards the origin of the shouting and laughing that he could hear in the distance. Sticking his hands into his pockets, Ryuu yawned softly as he turned into the square of the north gate. The young man did a double take as he laid his eyes on the enormous crowd before him. The sheer size of it astonished him; back home, he had never seen so many people in one place before. Were they having some sort of celebration? The hypothesis seemed plausible as a few rounds of heavy laughter rippled through the crowd.

Curious to see more of what was happening, Ryuu carefully pushed himself into the crowd, working his way to the front.

"So what's our first order of business, fearless leader?" He asked, sarcastically, glaring at Erion the whole time.

Erion paused a moment before walking over and standing eye to eye with the man. Or at least eye to chin - Tamryn was at least 3 inches taller, and outweighed him by probably 30 lbs.

"Our first order of business..." He started, with a smirk that could have meant just about anything. " Is assigning posts. But, as I don't know everyones' fighting capabilities, I'd like to test you all... if that's okay, Tamryn."

He walked back over to the bag he had dropped onto the ground earlier, reached into it, and pulled out two wooden swords.

"In fact, Tamryn..." He continued, tossing one of the swords to the other man. "You can be first. Pick two other men to join you, and all three of you, come at me."

Ryuu smiled softly as he heard the man speak. He was cocky, perhaps too much. Not that the monk had anything to say on the matter; he would have done the exact same thing. Yawning slight and rubbing his eyes to ward off any creeping feelings of fatigue, Ryuu watched intently to see how the man in front of him handled his three adversaries.

As he watched the duel progress, it became apparent to Ryuu that the man was a master swordsman. He was able to easily hold off his opponents while simultaneously reprimanding his form. Ryuu shuddered slightly as unpleasant memories of the long hours he had spent training with his sensei resurfaced. He had had many experiences like the poor trip of men were having, and he felt a small pang of sympathy for them as they were dumped onto the ground again and again.

The battle lasted on for several more minutes before Ryuu came to a startling realization. "That style..." he murmured, his eyes opening wide with shock. "That's kenjutsu! But how could he have learned it? He’s not from my country…" Ryuu watched with a newfound interest as the skirmish came to a close. He had to admit, the guy was good. Not as good as himself, however, but good nonetheless. He could be an interesting adversary.

The crowd was silent with shock at the man’s amazing victory over the other three. A few seconds after the silence, the quiet was broken by a slow clapping. “Well done,” Ryuu said as he stepped forward out of the crowd. “I’m impressed. You may have been able to handle the three of these chumps, but you might want to get them on your team this time, because I assure you, I’m much more than you can handle.”

Stella was greeted by Amatiels butler. She softly thanked him as he opened the door for her and led her inside. Amatiels house never stopped amazing her. Especially the giant windows, it was such a view! The balcony had such a simple look, but it looked like it was out of a movie. Stella looked around in awe, she had been here a thousand times before, but it always seemed new every time. Stellas slowly walked up the white staircase, holding on to the railing so she wouldn't fall. Curse her clumsiness. Stella knocked on Amatiels door and opened it, stepping inside. She had to close her wings slighty to make them fit. Stella immediately hugged her. "Hey Amatiel! Oh my gosh, it feels like I haven't seen you in forever! What have you been up to? Have you seen that cute jacket the fashion shop in town has? You know, the one next to the cafe we usually meet in with Erion. Have you been okay with your duties? Did Erion agree? Oh man, Im so hyper right now!" Stella jumped onto Amatiels bed with a soft plop and squealed, her wings starting to fan rapidly. "Sorry about my rant, but I really haven't seen you in a long time!" Stella tilted her head a little bit and closed her eyes, her lipsncurving into a cute smile. Swinging her legs from the side of the bed, Stella stared outside the window. "Have you been doing okay with your duties? You could let me help for once you know." Stella said softly.

Aaron sighed as he pushed a key into the doorknob of his house, turning and entering the house. The door closed behind him with a loud creak. He dropped the keys onto the table and dropped himself into a chair. Did his sister ever stop talking? He loved her yes, but she was seriously annoying sometimes. Aaron had no idea how Amatiel dealt with having Stella around so much. That made Aaron wonder about how the town was going to get through the celestial inspection soon. The town was going to need help, those celestials were seriously strict about their rules and worshipping. Although Aaron had liked Stellas mother, Morgan, he knew the other celestials were not so friendly. It was going to be tough. Aaron sighed again, drumming his fingers on the table. He pushed those thoughts out of his mind and grabbed an apple before heading to the backyard and sitting under a tree. Stella often asked why he spent so much time under trees. 'They just help me relax and think, I guess. It makes me feel at peace.' Aaron thought. He closed his eyes,enjoying the wind ruffling his hair. 'Where's dad? Aah, probably working or something.' Aaron shrugged before closing his eyes again and falling asleep.

Mikey was laughing, and having a blast in this tiny town. Everyone seemed so friendly, and so sincere too. Growing up in the city of Urielis wasn't easy: his mom was always paranoid about him being the subject of hit-men, drugs, and all sorts of things. He had never told her about his power over wind, but she knew about him being a Nephilim and didn't feel he was ready to share it with her willingly either. She seemed at peace with the real world, and already knew about the fact that she kinda had an affair with a Celestial, but she almost seemed like she wanted to forget he was there. Sure, she still loved him, but his mom didn't love the whole him. Only about half of him, to be precise. Nevertheless, she still worried sick over him, and it bugged him so much that he would purposefully go out. With his attitude and behavior like the wind that blew in his hair, he loved just to roam, hang out with his friends at one second and then meet complete strangers on the street and convince them to hang out with him later.

While he was in this glorious little town, he felt obligated to visit the current Nephilim head of Ioden, Amatiel. The last time he remembered seeing her was a long time ago, at some formal Nephilim thing or other. Back then, he was that complete airhead kid who everybody thought knew nothing and would space out like an astronaut. She was quite a bit younger than he was, by at least 7 years, and that put pressure on his shoulders to be this leader among the children of the Celestials blah blah. He tuned out usually by then.

He began to ask around a bit, dropping the question about her as subtly as he could. Which basically meant he failed at it. He had witnessed a fight going on a while back, but completely ignored it. Fighting people didn't like to talk to him. They all complained that he was 'Too stupid' or something like that. Tuning people out was his specialty after all. Besides, if he beat them over the head a couple times with his guitar, they would lose brain cells and become stupid as well. Once he gathered enough 'Intel' as he wanted so desperately to call it, to make his 'mission' seem more exciting, he came across a house. It was a fair sized house, and he was unsure of how he was to approach it. He stood there, unmoving, and could feel awkwardness in the air as he thought of a plan.

- “Now go back… To sleep. So I don’t have… To worry about… You attacking… Me…”

With those words spoken Valerie’s eyes closed once again, she wasn’t able to answer at the time, ‘Why did I go down?... Oh yeah… She used that cheap attack at the end…’

---

Valerie’s eyes opened again. She was lying in a green field filled with flowers. She sat up ”So it wasn’t a dream… Huh?” the horse of light was standing before her once again ”So how are you doing?... Erm… Messenger?”

“I must say I am a bit disappointed in you Hope.” A very familiar voice said behind her “But even I would have attacked a person holding something I had learned to be evil through my entire life.” Valerie felt a hand on each of her shoulders. “You must learn to listen to yourself instead of others. Wasn’t it you who said ”I believe in the good in everyone”?”

Valerie rose from the ground and turned around towards the heavy plated man, she had met in something she had thought to be a dream. ”Well I... You know… I…” Valerie didn’t know what to answer. The man was right; she had attacked a person without having a good reason. Her sight turned towards her feet, making her look very miserable.

“You don’t have to try to explain, as I said I understand your actions yet, I hope you have learned a lesson from what you’ve done. It was a good idea to lock the powers I gave you last time though. I had a feeling that it would end up as it did, but I do still believe that you are the only that can bring out my wish.” He put his hand on Valerie’s forehead “Now I unlock the powers I hid in your soul Valerie. I want you to learn to master these powers…” His hand started shaking. “The powers of Light… I Sol the god of light, give you my blessing!”

A bolt of light exploded between Sol and Valerie “Rise and do my biding!” He shouted “Rise and follow my dream!” Valerie was blinded by all the light occurring everywhere around them “Rise and free your kind!” as the last word was spoken Valerie fell unconsciousness.

---

- “Now… Awaken and make your way home. Take Water with you. The fun will begin soon.”

---

Valerie woke up very confused and believing she would have a headache that would make most people cry out in pain. But she couldn’t feel any pain, not even the slightest bit of exhaustion. She sat up and saw that she was lying in a bed, inside the cave she had fought in front of. She couldn’t see what the time was, the only thing she could think of was how thirsty she was. ’Where did I put that water?’ She put her hand where she was supposed to have a belt, but couldn’t feel it. She looked down herself and observed her body without her armor. ’Okaaaay… What happened exactly?’

She rose from the bed putting on a blanket that she had been sleeping with. She looked around to see if she could find her armor, instead she saw Liliana, still sleeping, in a bed not far from her. “Sorry” She walked over to her and put her hand on the girls forehead ”I shouldn’t have attacked you.”

Valerie turned around and walked outside to see if she could find her armor as well as her weapon. And luckily as she was she spotted it just as she went outside. She started looking for the two bottles of holy water she had in her belt. Truly the so-called holy water wasn’t holy at all; it was just distilled water that had been given a blessing by the head priest of the church. Meaning it was normal clean water. She found the bottles in her belt took one and drank it. ”Ah… There is nothing as good as clean water.”

Valerie put on her armor and shed her sword before she returned into the cave seeing that Liliana had opened her eyes. Valerie walked to the bed sat on the edge and handed her the other bottle of water. ”You asked of my name right? I believe I owe you that after you tended my wounds. The name is Valerie.”