RESSURECTION

BLACK WAS ALL THAT SHE COULD SEE IN FRONT OF HER. IN FACT, SHE might not even be seeing the black at all. All her other senses had deserted her, why not her sight? She couldn't feel or smell anything, nor could she hear her own breathing. And then…

Was she breathing?

She couldn't feel her chest moving up and down, and she couldn't hear the shallow breaths she would otherwise have been making. What did this mean? Was she alive?

She attempted to move her arm but didn't feel as though she had been successful. Of course she couldn't see whether or not she had moved her arm, but it hadn't felt to her as though it had responded at all. And then she remembered that she wasn't able to feel anything, and became confused as to whether or not she had even moved her arm at all.

Unconsciously, she strained her eyes, squinting, trying to make something – anything – out. But it was to no avail, and she saw nothing but the enveloping blackness that surrounded her. She grew worried and scared; the familiar feeling of butterflies in her gut, swimming around.

She tried to move again, but there was no luck. She either couldn't move because of some mysterious force or she had nothing to move.

Or she was dead, but she didn't want to consider that option.

Instead, she concentrated on something that had been nagging at her ever since she regained what she could only suppose was a consciousness. This blackness, the darkness that surrounded her, prohibiting her from seeing properly… It felt familiar. Like it was something she had been experiencing for a long time now.

Something, though she didn't know what, made her head snap to the right (at least she thought that's what had happened, she still couldn't know for certain). Though she couldn't see or hear, she could sense something beside her. What was it? A life force of some kind… She didn't know why, but something urged her to reach out with her consciousness and probe the area around her. The first thing she touched was the mind of someone else – another person. A man?

Who was he, though? His presence felt familiar to her, but she couldn't tell specifically who it was, or even if he was really there. Perhaps her mind was playing tricks on her. She could easily be drugged – or have gone blind.

Just what was going on here?

Images flashed through her mind that she couldn't control, unfamiliar with this ability. A blonde man flew through the air with an edged sword, wings sprouting from his shoulder blades as he slashed out at another humanoid creature flying on what looked like wings of light.

Another image flashed before her. Now the same man was in a small village it looked like, which was on fire. There was a spiraling flash of red light emanating from his breast, and the scene changed.

Now he was flying through the air – this time without wings – headed for a dark-looking place. Dead trees, dark mist, ghost-like creatures flying about.... A destroyed, lopsided tower sat in front of his view. He spoke, though she couldn't tell what was said, and the images ended and she felt a presence probe her, sifting through her memories. It was painful, and she winced, trying to fight off the intruder.

She felt as though she recognized the presence as he sifted through her memories, concentrating on a particular one. There were two people in some stone like tower. One was tall and blonde – the same man that she had seen earlier, and there was another person. A woman. Tall, pale… Long, black hair.

With a stab of recognition, she realized that she was looking at herself. But who was the man? The image zoomed in on his face, the intruder concentrating on the man's face. It looked so familiar to her, yet she couldn't place it…

And then it happened. Zieg. That was the man's name.

Memories flashed through her mind again. She and Zieg flying through the air together, hacking away at more of those flying creatures she'd seen earlier. Then she saw herself watching Zieg get stabbed by one of the same creatures, watched herself scream his name…

And then, later, she was flying through the air with him again, supporting him as they crashed into some creature she couldn't identify. There was a giant explosion, and then darkness.

What was that?

Zieg, said a voice in her head. The voice, too, like the face, sounded familiar to her. It was Zieg, speaking to her.

Zieg… Rose… Winglies… Melbu Frahma… What was he saying? His words were fragmented, and she could only hear parts of what he was saying, certain words sticking out more than others.

Rose, he said again.

Rose. That was her name. That was who she was. The woman fighting alongside Zieg was Rose. Her.

Zieg, she managed to shout out with her mind. It hurt her head to do so, and the dull throbbing in her temples made it difficult to concentrate properly.

You remember me? It took me a while to remember you, too.

Where are we?

I don't know, was the reply, short and honest.

Rose tried sending out her mental thoughts farther. As she did, she felt the presence of Zieg increase. Not only could she now sift through his experiences, she could get a colour of his emotions, tell what he was thinking.

She sent her mental probe out further, but Zieg was the only living thing for quite some way.

Do you feel anything? asked Zieg.

No.

Is this limbo?

I don't know, was all she could come up with. What happened?

Can you move?

I don't think so.

Try.

She did. She tried to move her arms and legs, to try and reach out to touch Zieg beside her, but she couldn't tell if she had succeeded. Zieg, reading her thoughts, had a suggestion.

Try pinching yourself.

She tried to pinch her right arm with her left, but she felt nothing.

No sense of feeling, she replied.

Damn.

She could hear Zieg's thoughts, watch him analyze every idea that he had, and they were numerous, to try and get them out of their present situation, but every idea he had Rose had already thought through and found futile.

The question remained, though. Where were they? What was this place? Neither of them could see anything but blackness. It was very disorienting to have your eyes open (or think that you did) and see nothing but darkness. The numbness that Rose felt was disorienting as well. She couldn't move her legs or her arms, and the throbbing in her head wouldn't let her concentrate.

What do you remember? Zieg asked her.

Rose thought hard, trying to get past the throbbing pain in her head to remember events that had happened eleven-thousand years ago. She could remember little. Strangely, one of the most impacting things she remembered was a man. He was blonde, like Zieg, and bore very similar characteristics to Zieg. The similarity was bit unnerving, actually. At first glance she thought that the man was Zieg, but after a few more moments' inspection, realized that he was not.

Dart, said Zieg. My son.

Of course. She remembered him now. Dart. Someone she could honestly call one of her greatest friends. He had saved her life on countless occasions and spared it as well. The idea of forgetting him was painful to Rose. How could she have forgotten him? And worse yet, how could she have forgotten Zieg?

Suddenly, her thoughts were cut off from Zieg's, and she felt his presence leave her. And then, a second later, she felt an enormous power course through her. Another being. It clamped her down, preventing her from using her already useless arms and legs. She felt its immense power run through her, shutting her mouth so she could not scream and putting walls around her mind so she could not converse with Zieg.

Listen carefully, said the voice.

Rose had no intention of listening to a voice that was keeping her as a prisoner.

The restrictions are necessary, it said. Rose sensed the being sifting through her memories at a pace she couldn't keep up with. In no less than five seconds, it had sifted through her entire life. Eleven-thousand years – insignificant to this entity. What was it?

You are strong, said the voice, deep and powerful, laced with an unknown power, yet still managing to be soft and gentle. You defied the will of Soa. And you as well, the voice said to Zieg. But the fate comes again, it is willed by the creator. I must give you both life so that you may bestow it upon the people of Endiness. The will of the creator must be overthrown, life must prevail. Endiness must survive the coming genocide. You, heroes of Endiness, have defied the creator before. You must do so again to ensure the continued existence of life.

For what must have been the third time in as many minutes, Rose felt a stab of recognition for the voice speaking to her. A smiling image of one of her greatest friends flashed before her mind.

Rose, it said. It has been a long time.

Rose knew that voice as well as her own, but it was impossible. How could she be talking to her, dead for thousands of years, her spirit ascended to heaven?

Shirley?

The people of Endiness need you, friends. Our combined power can restore life to you so that you may give it to the creatures of Endiness.

Combined power? wondered Rose.

The faces of two other people appeared in her mind, beside Shirley's. Rose recognized them immediately – Shana and Miranda.

You must save the world, said Shana. Restore peace to Endiness. We cannot intervene directly. Our power doesn't work that way. We rest in a place where none can join us, but we cannot become corporeal in realms other than this.

We will be able to guide you through your mission in ethereal forms, said Shirley. But we can do nothing but guide you.

Rose saw a brilliant white light flash around her and Zieg, felt the warmth crawl through her, recovering the use of her legs and hands. Briefly, she felt Zieg's mind touch hers before it disappeared again.

She was flying, flying away now… the warmth turning to a burning hot temperature.

Rose, came a new voice. Miranda.

Rose, I'm sorry. You were my mother's shadow ,or so it seemed to me. I despised you because I despised my mother. Your name didn't help much, either. A laugh accompanied this as Rose felt herself flying further and further away, the voices getting dimmer and dimmer.

Rose, said Shirley. Do me a favour… Say hello to Drake for me.

And then the voices were gone along with the blackness. All she could see was a brilliant white light, flying her through the air. The last thing she saw before unconsciousness hit her was a big pile of sand, rushing up toward her.