Lithos Terra's Story

(WRONG PLACE.)

Lithos was stuck in front of the castle's gate. It was, after all, his own fault that he forgot all about the carriage. He continuously told the guards that he was the TRUE Guardian of Earth and even demonstrated his powers, but they were not at all convinced. Lithos frowned. He was sure that this was just a security measure and imagined that not too few men attempted to sneak into the castle grounds by pretending to be a Guardian. Plus, due to his lower abilities, he was almost at the level of those with minor powers. He knew some people might have the same ability, he was just sad that he couldn't manipulate the walls themselves to allow him entrance, since the stone in them were "touched".

"All right," Lithos said, "For the last time, I got this (brings out a letter). I received this from the King's messenger. This letter states that the King himself summoned me here. Now, I just want to get in and see what he wants. If I am not needed in the castle, I shall walk out of here and head to my shop. I'm sure I have a few pots that need a new home. (sighs) Lord, help us all."

Inside, Lithos was growing impatient. He was not really sure that he was supposed to arrive at that certain time of the month. It seemed to be a perfect day to toss another pot from a tower near his shop, which he had to give up the idea of since he nearly hit a soldier. Next to him was a cart filled with pots, candy, sacks of clay, statues, a potter's wheel, clothes, and whatever a man needed to stay clean and healthy. He began to doubt if he really was summoned there in the first place.

In his wait, Lithos began eating his own home-made candy. It calmed him down enough to stop a nearby boulder from levitating.

Hikari Neshomaru ~ The Castle Gates

The coach came to an abrupt halt, and Hikari jerked forward with the sudden lack of movement. When she had regained her compsure, Hikari poked her head out of the window of the carriage, and was greeted by the gates of the castle. The man sitting atop the carriage yelled down towards one of the castle guards, "We got two of the guardians here. Let us pass!"

"Well, we got another of one of those supposed guardians right here. He's been sittin' here for a time. Persistent bastard!" The guards erupted into a fit of laughter as they continued to poke fun at this anonymous guardian. Hikari angled her gaze until she held a dark-haired man eating what looked to be a piece of candy in the center of her view.

Hikari exited the carriage and approached the guards, her irritation culminating in a sharp, "Enough!" The guards gazed at The Oracle of Winterfall for a moment, a dumbfounded look impressed deeply upon their faces. And as she scrutinized them with a critical glare Hikari recognized them as two of Winterfall's most audacious imbeciles. "Harold?! Kenar! Let us pass now, or gods help me I will march straight to your houses and tell your wives of your behavior."

The guards appeared very sheepish as they said, "Oracle. . . we had no idea. . ." They frantically called up to the gate director, commanding him to open the gate quickly. "Our must humble apologies Oracle, we had thought this but a hoax."

Hikari had heard their words, but she chose not to answer them. There was no need to antagonize the situation any further, she would make amends with them at a later time. As she passed the mysterious guardian she tapped him on the shoulder and said, "You should come with us."

Without waiting for an answer, Hikari turned her back and boarded the carriage once more, leaving the door open for this man whose name she did not know.

The brush moved fluidly across the canvas with a skilled hand and genius many don't have the pleasure of seeing. The morning of Winterfall was always a most beautiful time of day to paint...along with it's evenings, noons, twilight, and nights. Jea was a woman going over 60 but not even age could affect her bright smile and natural beauty that flared when her greying brown hair blew in the wind despite the worn wrinkles that riddled her eyes. She'd always love to sit atop her house during the mornings and paint the wonderful scenery that would always emerge. By no means would she ever call herself a famous painter. Life as a painter was indeed a difficult venture, one that brought in little money if they couldn't market themselves to royalty or nobles, and Jea was such a painter. She'd marry a man whom she never loved in the first place to avoid being thrown in the streets, forced to live as a beggar, and give up her aspirations of creating art.

How she survived years living with an ill-drunkard husband she didn't know. Now she just thrived in his death and did her part for the future. No sunset or Winterfall kingdom was on the canvas today though. She had a mission today. Portraits of each entrant that got past the gates to the castle were painted on these canvasses. On one, there was a tall young man with hair that fell down to his cheek, sucking on a piece of candy, an amusing piece indeed, while on another was a blossoming woman with long silver-blond hair that ran down all the way to her back, The Oracle Of Winterfall. Jea took her time with her portrait, making sure every detail was right, hoping deep down she could be sympathetic with Legion.

The time it took to make her face right took it's toll in the next portrait for the taller woman who held a significant tan as it was obviously hasty and not as clearly drawn. It was imperative that she'd get the face right but she was afraid she'd might mess up the details that were right about it. Gorrister told her not to worry about dresses and attire; just to get the face right.


It wasn't long before the sunlight attacked the goblin's eyes; forcing him to open them and look to the tombstone in his left and then the one to his right. He cursed himself again and again until his words felt numb and battered. So close. He was so close to ending it all and storming the castle with his followers; to put an end to the rule of kings. By no way was it even Gorrister's fault. How could the soldier have seen the ballista wasn't the problem, the fact that he got skewered by throwing himself in the way for the lineage of nobles and royalty to continue ruling their lives, was truly saddening.

At the time, Gorrister was both angry and wrought with guilt over the outcome that happened, but he managed to stay away that feeling. Keep a calm demeanor until Night arrived, cancelling the attack, and calling for the artist, Jea, to keep track of who goes in and out the castle gates.

The graveyard felt like a proper place to sleep.

It still feels like a proper place but the goblin knew he had to get over this. He had people relying on him and he couldn't afford to mope around the death of an innocent. It wasn't the death of an innocent. He was a soldier. Soldiers die. He lied to himself. He secretly knew that he didn't have to die, that he didn't raise his sword first and tried to cut him too, that he just layed on the floor, in a pool of his own blood. Yet the lie was comforting enough to stand up. Not many people visited graveyards in the morning or at night; but he still took the precaution of getting a cloak.

When he finally get up and stretched his body, he figured out that he was still right on that night, that his drive to pull daring escapes from the guards if they ever saw him, abandoned him then and still abandoned him now. He kept his hood low and looked at the tombstones in the distance. It would be impossible to find the man he inadvertently killed especially since he didn't even know his name and probably wasn't even buried yet. The massive crucifixes that jutted up from the ground mystified him and immediately captured his attention. He pressed his hand up against the cold stone to feel the courseness before pulling back, and turning around. He heaved a sigh and exited the Land of the Dead.

The goblin took his time with his walk, the sorrow slowly whittling away, perhaps maybe he was a little elated with some of his blood flowing again. It would made the task at hand easier; finding the perfect candidate. It has to be someone sane, so that made going to the beggars a little risky. Someone taller then Gorrister himself; which excluded children. No shop-keeps as they don't have the time, and in no way was he going to reward a noble. Someone in a good mood. He was unsure with the people that lay scattered here and there in Snowflake City as they all look like they're in dire need to go somewhere.

Then there was one woman with an ever-so-present smile on her face. Obviously he was taller then the goblin (but then who again wasn't) and her clothing suggested a steady stolen income as it wasn't tattered rags but cloth made for speed. The daggers on her hips didn't dissuade him as he knew with his dirty black cloak; he didn't need to worry about being stabbed and robbed. As she was walking towards him, Gorrister waited, putting his head down until she passed him, before he could walk beside her and ask her a question, a simple question anyone could answer.

"Would you like to fly?"

"Call me that again and I'll hurl a mountain on you two!" Lithos wanted to shout at the guards. He'd rather not, if he would leave immediately. First of all, he doubted if his powers could even move a mountain. Then, he has heard of stories of people who teased the guards and returned to their homes with broken bones. He began to fully understand what have happened. Of course, there was the danger of them getting seriously injured, if not dead. Then he would lose customers, no potter in his condition and state would want that, even the craziest of them.

Lithos sighed out of relief that his prayers have been answered. He turned to the guards and tossed two pieces of candy at them. "Remember to chew them long enough to taste the honey." he advised them. "I wonder why the King even employed such bastards." he mumbled to himself. He looked at the carriage, then to his cart. Seeing that the others have made themselves comfortable inside, he decided to hook up his cart to the back of the carriage and climbed on.

"Thank you, Miss Oracle. I have been resisting the temptation of flinging boulders at them for nearly hours." he humbly told his new acquaintance. He did not see her before, but he did hear about her. He just called her whatever the guards did. He saw another man, shorter than him, and presumingly younger. He felt ashamed to climb into a carriage with exclusive-looking people such as them. He was just a humble potter, if not, one of the best. But that didn't feel like being the wealthiest man in all the lands.

His mind began to flash memories of his family, the ones who died in a war of seemingly no end. He was happy it finally did, but he doubt if this peace would last long enough for his own children to taste.

"Would you care for some, miss?" he shyly asked Hikari, handing out another piece of candy.

Today was a typical troublesome day. The birds were still as loud as normal and the sunlight was beginning to make his eyes hurt because it was so bright. Ivan squeezed his eyes shut as his lips pursed into his typical pout. He wanted to sleep! Not going into this palace and worked his ass out. The teenager tried to suppress a yawn without much success as he closed his eyes, a bored expression on his face. 'This better be worth it...I'm not working my ass out if I can't afford a sunflower field' The lazy teenager tiredly grasped his backpack and walked to the castle, yawning all the way there 'Troublesome agreement. Troublesome Sky. Troublesome sunlight. Troublesome king...urg' Looking around, Ivan suddenly realized. He was lost...again. Frustrated beyond words, Ivan mumbled under his breath "...troublesome. Now what? Why doesn't this troublesome castle have a map?...". He looked around once again, trying to find some help. Ivan grimaced as he caught sight of a carriage with about 4 or 5 people inside and he cleared his throat. Oh great...what should he do now? Should he ask for help or something? He passed the guards with a lazy wave "...I'm here on a troublesome agreement with the king...please let me pass..." The guards eyed him suspiciously but Ivan just shrugged and took a piece of paper out from his pocket "...here's the troublesome message...it has the king's sign on it...you guys can check..." The guards looked at the paper for a whole minute before grumbled "...yeah, you can pass...just go"

Ivan rolled his eyes and waved his hand in a dismissive manner "...Yeah yeah...thanks..." He passed the guards and tried to catch up with the carriage. He saw there were two men and a woman inside the carriage and he cleared his throat, trying to find the right word. Man! This was so troublesome! "...Ehem...Is it too troublesome if I come with you to the Castle...err...I'm kinda lost..."

Hikari raised an eyebrow as the strange man held out a candy to her. Slowly, she reached towards the man's hand and grasped the piece of candy, giving him a slight nod. Moments later, she deposited the treat into her pocket. She would save it for a time when merriment was more appropriate. Perhaps a day when important matters were not so close at hand.

"Thank you, and please do adress me as Hikari. Do not heed Harold and Kenar's words. This is not the first time they have behaved like fools, and unfortunately I doubt it will be the last." Hikari explained, a faint smile playing across her lips as she reminisced on their rather humorous antics, "It is funny, they are near their thirtieth year, and yet they still act as if they are no more than the sneering children I grew up with."

As the carriage came to a stop, the coachman climbed down, and elegantly opened the door. "We have reached our destination, Snowflake Castle." He said collectively with a dignified expression. Hikari let out an exasperated sigh, and, along with her newfound companions, alighted from the luxurious carriage to the kempt gardens of Snowflake Castle. It was a landscape that Hikari was too familiar with; she had lived here most of her life after all.

When she began to walk, Hikari was met with some resistance from her sore legs. She hadn't stretched them the entire trip, and she was not given the chance to relieve herself, which only exacerbated her bitter mood. As Hikari, Akihiro, Lithos, and Lara ascended a flight of curved marble stairs the pitter pat of unfamiliar footsteps filled Hikari's ears.

Behind them, in an effort to remain inconspicuous, another guardian approached, and hid herself among the backs of Akihiro and Lithos. And before The Guardian of Light could contemplate the appearance of this black-haired female, another newcomer approached the group, donning a broad, warm grin. And, to her dismay, yet another staggered towards them, as if he was drunk.

Hikari stared blankly at the three of them for a moment, turned back to the group, and then said, "The ballroom is this way, you may all follow me. The King should be waiting there."

She then hurried off down the main hall of Snowflake Castle, then walked down a highly decorated corridor, which opened into a large banquet room. The room was large, with golden wallpaper, and elegant, cloth-covered tables set with a breakfast fit for ten kings. It was lit by hundreds of candles, which gave the room a warm feel. And that is not even mentioning the temperature.

Hikari took a seat at one of the tables and watched, one by one, her companions filed in the large white double-doors. The King was nowhere to be found, but Hikari had a badgering suspicion he was romping around in some flower-dotted field with one of his many anonymous concubines. Either that, or he was being pestered by his two insolent wives; Hikari could never stand to see women behave so foolishly over one man.

Although, that was completely out of her control.

Lara was sitting in the carriage just staring out the window. She thought she heard someone taking to her, but she was so wrapped in her own world that she couldn't hear her. Before to long the carriage had stopped and she was jerked back into reality. She could hear screaming coming from outside, but she didn't notice what it was all about. She really just wanted to see her father, and then go to her room and be left alone for the night. Although she was very happy that these two Guardians has gone to get her, and tried to talk to her, even though she wasn't paying much attention. It made her feel somewhat welcomed to her new life.

When they has gotten out of the carriage and stepped into the court yard she looked at the size of her new how. It was quite larger than any building she had ever seen before, and she was in awe of it. "The ballroom is this way, you may all follow me. The King should be waiting there." she heard the blonde lady said. She believed her name was Hikari, but she couldn't quite remember. With her mother's will being held tight in her hand Lara nodded and followed the lady, along with some of the other Guardians. When they had gotten to the meeting area, she looking around again in awe. She had never seen a place more beautiful than here. She had noticed that people were taking a seat, and took a seat a bit away from everyone else, but only about three chairs away from the group. She sat there, letter in hand, in her mother's best kimono, waiting to finally meet her father after 19 long hears of never hearing about/from him.

"Of course, Miss Hikari. I apologize for that." Lithos replied. He was still the humble potterer he has been for years and found comfort in keeping himself that way. He unhooked his cart and settled it where he knew no one would bump into it. He then followed Hikari into the castle. Never had he thought that he would enter the structure. He turned to the other Guardians and shrugged. If he was going to stay there with them, he might as well get used to their appearance and behavior.

The day seemed to tire Lithos. If you were stuck outside a castle with noisy guards throwing insults at you, your body would be as tired as your ears. But he felt something different inside him. As if, his powers began to evolve. He felt footsteps, but not his. Then the feeling disappeared. It was a new experience for him, since all he knew was moving stones and the ground itself, but he didn't know he could actually feel what the Earth does.

To be honest, Lithos found it more horrific than amazing. He had much more to practice. He knew that first he must master moving even stone that was touched, but that seemed difficult, if not, impossible. But he reminded himself, if he could make a nearly indestructible pot, he should be able to move a nearly indestructible wall.

He shook his head only to discover that he was standing there for a few minutes. Embarrassed, he moved to a seat farthest from the end where he knew the king himself would sit. He turned and looked closer at the other guardians and saw a young man with a sunflower, a seemingly more mature one whose appearance made you feel like you were going to be his next victim. Then there was a woman who seems to be a master in combat, the shorter man from the carriage, and one who looks like the son of some rich landlord. He turned to his left and saw what seems to be the king's daughter and the woman named Hikari, the one who helped him get inside. He turned his thoughts to that moment, and realized that knowing your opponent gives you a sharper edge. He knew quite a lot about the kingdom's residents, but he doubt it was strong enough for blackmail. Then he realized two more things: he forgot to tell her his name and that he is older than she.

Nevertheless, he ignored that thought, for he knew that the king employed him as a protector, not an infiltrator.

Claire entered the large hall along with everyone else, there were tables strewn around, all surrounded by chairs. Claire didn't sit down. She always got fidgety whenever she wasn't on her feet. If she were sitting and she was attacked then she might not be able to keep up. She couldn't risk that. Besides it felt much more natural for her to stand than sit. She walked to the side of the room and leaned against a pillar, crossing her arms.

She took the opportunity to study her fellow guaridans. There was a beautiful woman with flowing blond hair who she percieved as a strong leader. Claire liked that in people. There was the younger boy with sandy blond hair who seemed to be cursing under his breath every few minutes. The boy with short blond hair seemed to be at peace with the situation. There was a littlg girl here too, but she wasn't a guardian. Claire had heard a little about the King's daughter but noticed how she sat by herself and seemed very nervous. The other three guardians who were all male had black hair like her. Two of them seemed to be distracted by something and the other was just taking in what was around him like her. Claire did not make a move to meet any of them. She had always been a solitary person and sometimes that would tear her up inside but she still didn't fully trust any of these people. Not yet anyway. She would let events unfold for a bit before she introduced herself.

Between the momentary, unexplained flurry of activity by a slight torrent of guards, and the normal trickle of commons bustling to and fro the castle gates, all seemed to be reflectively representative of every single other day for a palace. An increasingly hectic morning, fitting for a king distinguished by only one line: either completely loved, or completely hated. Although recent events tip the scale to the latter, I'm starting to believe. Because, although Winterfall's serenely calm mornings stated otherwise, the apparent, most important resident within the entire country had almost daily been harassed; presumably by his majesty's never-ending list of enemies. An all-too aggressive group of people who, as a certain Guardian had to repeatedly remind herself, she'd have to deal with from now on. Depressing, isn't it? But then again, life often regained its' colour as soon as a contract sprang to mind. An agreement and a job that inevitably started her journey (of pretty much just waking up and cutting through half the city) that very morning.

Since, well, it was to her client's 'best interests' that his protectors all meet up in one place, in this one fateful day. And no matter how much it went against Vel's principles to, you know, put herself out there, there was never much of a point to argue with the one who writes your paycheck. Unless, of course, she was in the process of switching contractors; but that's besides the point. In any case, with a couple hours to get over these circumstances, Vel had already made peace; much under the fact that there probably wasn't a single Guardian there that would know who she was --or what she did--, anyway. And it was with this equally easy, almost unperturbed sense of mind that she approached the city gates, subconsciously weaving in and around the flow of people (or just soldiers) to reach the guards. Two protectors, presumably not Harold or Kenar, that didn't make it particularly hard for her to pass by; granted her letter and a little show of abilities, meaning some form or other of intimidation.

In any case, Vel was soon well within Palace grounds; following the imprinted, memorized map she'd long since toiled over. And, although it was pretty obvious that she'd be late, the consequences seemed to matter much less than it really should. Given, then, that subconscious thought that she didn't actually want to be there. If this were terribly important, we'd have discussed it earlier anyway. So, with all that said and done, Vel's pace remained rather natural, steady; while she let her mind take in and record the whereabouts of her surroundings. And even then, provided with so many (admittedly beautiful) things to see, it wasn't long before her eyes grew much accustomed, and her head stuffed with enough scenes permitted to remember. It's ironic. If Jelani hadn't contracted me at that moment, he'd have had another assassin on his list of threats. Brilliant, and now I'm a good guy. I hope this coincidence is worth the effort, although the pay certainly is.

Several inwardly dreaded moments later, the nonexistent sound of Vel's feet along cobblestone accordingly changed to the altogether silence among Palace halls. Then, after no less than multiple turns here and there, led her to whatever grand room for the gathering of Guardians; most of which foreboded a more exasperated relationship than anything else. Making only barely a noise, similar to a lightly treading ghost, Vel placed herself conveniently by the farthest wall from pretty much everyone else; leaning with arms folded and a relaxed, combat-assimilated body only subtly alert. Her swords, as they usually were, lay within noticeable reach as her indifferent gaze swept along the room; settling on one target respectively for a few seconds before moving on. Until, of course, analyzing people seemed less interesting than analyzing the palace.

But, anyhow, her focus was first directed towards the previously infamous leader that she'd heard of: Akihiro Mitsuo, a general of the past king. Or so I would remember. Erus marked a lot of people. And they all, somehow or other, lost against Jelani. Nothing short of a miracle, really. The sense of familiarity merited not good or bad, although such long-begotten commanders warranted some kind of respect. Which was less to say anything about the rest of the others in the room, all of whom hadn't made within her web of contacts. Which, then, meant that they'd never been in the military in any way; or at least not in such a course that most Guardians, in her mind, should've been. The King's diamonds in the rough better be something. But I guess not being known isn't so much bad then not being able to judge. Hey, it'd be nice if some people were self-standing.

It helped to see a few apparent individuals seemingly well-versed in combat, but certain others, as always, didn't strike so much of a pretty chord. Sunflowers? Remind me, where are we? Nevertheless, Vel would soon be forced with the fact that she'd be stuck with these people; whether or not she actually wanted to be. As of yet, though, she remained calmly composed and --as per usual, with this kid-- completely uninviting; her unnatural, turquoise eyes focusing between several parts of the room. Because one could never really afford to be in boredom, especially not in her case. And so, exits were carefully marked, with everything else analyzed in the case of an emergency. Be that now or later. You never know.

Either way, it was pretty damn obvious that Vel wasn't planning on introducing herself, or talking at all. In fact, it's better to say that she wouldn't even be noticeably there; unless you just happened to look at that portion of the room. Like, again, a ghost that just sort of shows up. And, well, that's that.

Lithos eventually ate all of the candy he had in his pockets in his wait. He turned to the others and saw that more guardians arrived. He then walked pass them toward his cart outside, only to discover a...not so clean sight. He saw dead bodies before, especially during the wars before.

"YIKES!" he screeched. He looked everywhere near his area who could help, but he was a guardian now. He was help. He scanned the scene and saw that it occurred a few moments ago. Judging by the positions of the bodies and splatters of blood, it seemed to be an assassin attack. He rushed to the ballroom to the other guardians.

"Fellow...Guardians..." he panted, he swore that he never ran so fast in his life, "...we have...a problem...outside. D-Dead bodies...at gate...Hikari...missing...don't know where...please..." He nearly collapsed, if it were not for the sword from a broken statue he saw the other day. He was able to stand up straight but had to use the sword as a walking stick. "We've...got to...find...her." he said, not expecting everyone to assist him.

Although he would only show it over his dead body, Setz was impressed with the place. The ballroom was much more spacious and ornate than even the luxurious foyer. He honestly handn't been expecting this, even from a palace. Well, one should never assume, he reminded himself. He settled for leaning against one of the ornate walls and gazing about the ballroom, observing his fellow guardians. Despite the fact that he'd been watching, he failed to notice the woman leave. Her disappearance was only just brought to his attention when another guardian came running into the ballroom announcing it. "Fellow...Guardians..." he was panting like a dog, as though he'd just witnessed a great shock. Setz raised an eyebrow at the urgency. "...we have...a problem...outside. D-Dead bodies...at gate...Hikari...missing...don't know where...please..." At this point, he began using his sword for support. He looked on the verge of collapsing. Dead bodies? The woman was missing? How... intriguing. Setz nodded, showing his attetnion was focused on the other guardian. He stood up straight and stopped leaning on the wall, then approached the man's side. "Well, this seems most urgent." He looked up at the others. "We'd best get a move on, yes?"

Claire looked up as Lithos ran into the room, panting as if he had ran a marathon. "Fellow...Guardians... we have...a problem...outside. D-Dead bodies...at gate...Hikari...missing...don't know where...please..." She had noticed the blond woman leave but didn't feel any reason to follow her. One of the other guardians crossed the room to the panting boy. "Well, this seems most urgent. We'd best get a move on, yes?"

Claire crossed over to the two others and addressed the room as a whole. "If we are to pursue the woman and whatever has caused all this slaughter. I would suggest that some of us stay here in case the King comes down to meet us or he is need of protection. I personnally vounteer to stay back to watch for trouble. The rest of you can make your own decision on that to do. I will stay here, just in case." She nodded to Lithos and Setz and left the ballroom in search of the King.

Kyran looked up, slightly alarmed as the person came running. He recognized him as Lithos... but wasn't positive. "Fellow...Guardians... we have...a problem...outside. D-Dead bodies...at gate...Hikari...missing...don't know where...please..." Well... Kyran wasn't sure exactly who Hikari was, but by the way the guy seemed, she must have been pretty important.

"Just breathe, catch your breath. I'm sure we'll find her." Kyran tried to sound reassuring as he backed out toward the exit. Then Setz said something but Kyran barely heard him. He was already walking out. What was the point of talking when actions meant so much more... especially in a time like this? His pale blue eyes widened at the sight of the blood splashed all over. He sure had not been exaggerating. Bending his knees slightly, basically on instinct, Kyran produced a simple but sharp looking knife. It was always best to be prepared. Then he remembered. Hikari was the light guardian. Crap. They'd better find her quickly. She was an important asset to the team. Had he talked to her before? Kyran wasn't sure. But they were colleagues now and that had to mean something.

He expertly surveyed the scene. Where could she have been taken to? They must've been strong if they caused such a mess...

((ignore))

Lithos found it hard to calm down. Hikari was someone who assisted him in getting inside, which was very important. He knew he had to do something in return. He saw that some of his fellow guardians began to act, and saw the urgency to assist them.He turned to the others who didn't even speak and spoke.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" he told them. He turned to Setz, "Come with me."

He then ran to Kyran. He had to admit, seeing the corpses again was still as horrific as the first time.

"She left a few moments ago..." Lithos coughed, he placed down his sword for a moment and went to his cart, "...I should have followed her. *cough*cough* I could have stopped that...fiend who has caused this bloodshed on such a peaceful land. Any guesses where she could have gone?"

Kyran heard the other guardian run up behind him and turned his light blue eyes to Lithos.

"She left a few moments ago..." Lithos coughed, he placed down his sword for a moment and went to his cart, "...I should have followed her. *cough*cough* I could have stopped that...fiend who has caused this bloodshed on such a peaceful land. Any guesses where she could have gone?"

He shouldn't blame himself. This was out of his control. Kyran turned to him with a small reassuring smile.

"No. You did the right thing. If Hikari was taken so easily, I'm sure it is a very strong opponent." Kyran pondered the question for a moment. "It can't have been too long. I'm sure they are still in Snowflake Citty somewhere. The two couldn't have gone far." He surveyed the scene again and felt a wave of revulsion. What a heartless person.... "If we split up, maybe in pairs, I'm sure we'll be able to find her." It was just a suggestion. Kyran had never really been asked for his opinion. He was a listener that was able to follow directions almost perfectly. A teacher's star pupil they called him.... every parent's dream child. However.. maybe it was time KYran grew out of that shell.

Lithos nodded to Kyran, "First, we need more companions. Judging by the looks of it, their killer is fast and clean, like an assassin. But, it seems whoever did this had quite the body heat."

He brought out his gauntlets and a stone shield. His smooth hands slipped into the tough, bulky gauntlets that were his father's. The feeling of stronger hands made him more comfortable in a way that he became confident he could fight.

"A while ago, before Hikari left, I felt movement in the earth. Not only that, I also felt something heavy and fast. It could be anything, but I have a feeling the being we are looking for." Lithos said, "Anyway, if we're dealing with anything powerful and could lift rocks, it's no problem. I'm the Guardian of Earth, I know rocks."

Setz allowed a small smile after Lithos spoke. "That's awfully convenient," he noted, gazing around the crime scene, making his own observations. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of fingerless gloves. They weren't necessary, he just liked them, admittedly. He put them on as he strode about, almost pacing. "Heavy and fast... Everything leaves a trail, wouldn't you agree? They can't have gotten too far, anyhow..." he trailed off as he paused his pacing, observing the scene with narrow eyes. Most amusing. A disappearance case. This would most certainly keep him occupied.