Outlands
Sequel to Dragon Wars
By Mieren
---
Cold, rolling fogs stretched into the horizon on the empty plains. No light, no warmth, no life. The emptiness of the endless fields was almost complete. A woman sat where the fogs were the thinnest, occasionally trailing her fingers through the icy mists to pass the time. She sighed forlornly and scrubbed her hair out of her face futilely, wondering if she should continue wandering through the endless fogs, the unending night. Pushing herself unsteadily to her feet, she continued in the direction she had been traveling for what seemed like forever. There was no day here, no end to the absolute darkness and boiling fogs, no way to know how long she had been here, how long it had been since she had eaten last.
Sighing and trying to change her train of thought, she began a steady lope into the fogs, the icy moisture blistering her bare skin. She had been over every detail of her arrival more times than she could count and still had yet to figure out how to escape this nightmare. After running for some time, she decided to try yet again to escape, tracing intricate patterns in the still air with the tips of her fingers and chanting softly under her breath. Several runes flared to life in the chill air, illuminating the harsh wastelands around her for a mere instant before the energy of her spell faded.
Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she continued moving, knowing that any further attempts to break free of the blackness would be equally worthless. Magic didn't work properly here, her strongest spells and incantations producing little more than puffs of smoke or the occasional flash of light. Her constant attempts to keep the fogs at bay proved to be less than worthless. More often than not, the unraveling spells drew the mists to her, the almost intelligent white tendrils moving unerringly towards the source of energy.
Wincing, she looked to her burning skin, blisters rising where the opaque cords of mist had brushed against her only moments ago. Past encounters with the fogs were still visible on her pale skin, vicious scarring blanketing her slender form. Her arrival in the endless, barren land had nearly been fatal before she recognized the burning of her skin and very soul. She had barely staggered into a small area of clear air before collapsing onto the cold stone below, unconscious and barely breathing. So slight was her life energy at that moment that the fogs had been unable to detect her presence, allowing her the time she so desperately needed to recuperate. Now, she could almost swear that the mists were hunting her, laughing at her efforts to escape her nightmarish prison. She could feel the unfathomable energies contained in the whiteness around her but could do nothing to protect herself from the endless power.
Despite the repercussions of some of her past attempts, curiosity and desperation began clawing incessantly at her mind for her to try again. Pulling to a halt in a small patch of clear air, she steeled her mind and body, forcing her psyche to open to the powers around her. Pain lanced through her as the fogs retaliated, objecting to her quest for an understanding of the peerless energies surrounding her. Tears streamed unending from her eyes as she continued searching through the secrets, the limitless power, of the plane of existence she had been trapped in for almost thirteen years.
Unable to bear the searing pain any longer, she withdrew her mind from the chaotic tangles around her, smiling tightly. Despite the best efforts of the nearly sentient energies around her, she had indeed learned the one thing that had been driving her to the brink of insanity for thirteen long years. The way out.
The path she had learned would allow her to escape after her lengthy, tortured imprisonment. She would finally have revenge on those who had forced her into this place, this plane of existence. The fogs would part for her if… when, she corrected herself forcefully… she learned to control them, when she made their power her own. The only problem she could see was that this would be more painful than she would have really cared for. Sighing loudly and steeling her nerves, she began, desperation weighing heavily on her decision.
For the first time since her violent arrival, she called the fogs to her instead of struggling to repel them, closing her eyes as cords of power shot out from her towards the rolling whiteness. Sensing the power, the mists closed in to consume the raw energies flaring in the blackness. Screams shook the dimension as the two powers collided.
Howling into the rising winds and slipping to her knees in agony, she struggled to draw more powers to herself, eyes overflowing with tears as the pain racing through her body continued to intensify. She couldn't help wondering if her visions had been accurate, if the information she had wrenched from the fogs had led her to the right decision. Melted lumps of skin and half-charred flesh slid from her gaunt frame as the seconds ticked on in the unending night. The flames of power around her were slowly guttering out, flickering feebly in the endless fogs that continued to build from her first summoning.
The moment she feared most came upon her suddenly. The flames around her trembling form vanished in the unyielding fogs, the last of her mental defenses collapsing with the fires. Unable to bear the pain any longer and no longer possessing the ability to fight back, she did something she had never done in her entire life. She surrendered. Darkness consumed her.
Numbness, blessed coolness, spread along her charred limps suddenly, washing away her injuries completely, only the memories of pain remaining in her churning mind. Shocked, she opened her still watering eyes and was greeted with an incredible sight. The once fierce flames surrounding her had shifted to gently rolling waves of mist. Gasping in shock and hope, she concentrated slightly on the fogs, crowing triumphantly when they erupted into boiling tsunamis.
Relaxing, she allowed the fogs on the fields around her to dissipate but continued to hold onto the ones around her pale form. With a mere twitch of her fingers, a gateway opened only inches from her face, presenting her with a clear path to a sunlit world. She reveled in the burning of her eyes, staring ravenously at the brilliance, the only light she had seen in thirteen years. She was free.
---
Wriggling sleepily, a lithe form sprawled gracelessly across the couch let out a jaw-cracking yawn and rolled over, intent on going back to sleep. The room was the perfect temperature and his makeshift bed was blissfully soft. There was nothing in the world that could convince him to get up.
Poke.
Face screwing up in irritation, the sleepy youth curled up tighter where he lay, blatantly ignoring everything in his vicinity. No one was going to disturb his nap.
Poke.
Swatting blindly at whatever was behind him, he contacted only empty air.
Poke.
Snarl rising deep in his throat, he lashed out again at the bothersome force behind him, his murderous swing succeeding only in killing the lamp on the nearby table. The much-abused lamp, which was now over ninety percent duct tape due to his sleeping habits, rebounded off of the side of the table and rolled across the floor mostly unharmed. The endless loops of tape holding the once nice lamp intact seemed to have protected it from his mad swing.
Poke.
Slowly, reluctantly, one bleary, unhappy blue eye cracked open, squinting angrily against the burning afternoon sunlight spilling through a nearby window.
"What… do… you… want?" he snarled, enunciating each word slowly and with murderous clarity.
"You off the couch," a stern, haughty voice answered immediately.
"No."
"But I want the TV," he growled.
"Tough! I'm sleeping here."
Poke.
"Get up."
"No."
Poke.
"Get up!"
"No!"
Poke.
"This is your last chance, Sleeping Beauty. Get up."
"Go away!"
Pursing his lips into a pout, the slender boy changed tactics as he had implied the last time he had prodded his brother. Stiffening his fingers, he set to work.
SMACK!
"Shin!" he howled, leaping off of the couch and clutching his stinging butt.
"Serves you right, Cye," he huffed, trying to push past him to rummage through the cushions in search of the elusive remote. "You know you're not supposed to sleep on the couch."
Too furious to summon words to mind, he settled on tackling his little brother, intent on driving his skull into the floor. Thinner and obviously weaker, Shin lost ground rapidly, yelping as his long, unruly black hair suddenly became firmly entangled in Cye's long fingers. Kicking angrily, he countered, snagging a fistful of the auburn waves falling to the bony shoulders in front of him. Punching and kicking in a frenzied tangle, the two squabbling brothers rolled over the lamp for the third time that week, leaving behind a mound of tape and ceramics.
"SHIN! CYE!"
Both boys straightened suddenly, trying frantically to soothe their clothes and hair. Standing before them with one foot tapping angrily was the only thing that had kept them from tearing the house to shreds years ago. Mana.
"He started it, Mom," Cye stammered in his defense, not liking the look he received for his statement. "He hit me."
"He was sleeping on the couch again," Shin hissed, regretting it instantly when his mother's molten gaze shifted to him instead. Letting out something that was nearly a squeak, he snapped his mouth shut and swallowed nervously.
"Both of you, to your room," she growled.
Neither needed encouragement. They knew the drill by now. Pushing at each other furiously to gain positions in the lead, they scampered up the stairs, neither of them willing to push their mother any further lest they augment her wrath.
Sighing, Mana set about collecting the terrorized lamp and setting it on a nearby table. Making a mental note not to let Touma anywhere near the thing again, seeing as to how he had fixed it the last time with duct tape, she decided she would repair it later with her craft glue. Attracted by the noise, Touma wandered into the living room sleepily and only half-dressed, blinking drearily and not looking entirely awake or alive for that matter. He frowned slightly, eyes roving over the messy room.
"Again?" he whined, scrubbing his electric blue hair futilely out of his face, only to have one stubborn lock fall right back between his eyes. "Can't they ever let me sleep?"
"You've slept long enough," Mana chuckled unsympathetically, shrugging off the irritated look he leveled in her direction. "It's almost two."
Touma sighed noisily. "It's my turn, isn't it?"
Mana nodded firmly, locking eyes with her husband. "And don't think you can weasel your way out of it by giving me puppy-dog eyes, either," she said wryly, biting back a smile at the indignant pout thrown in her direction. She knew his tricks too well to fall for something this simple.
"All right, all right," he groused, lumbering towards the stairs and thinking longingly of his warm, abandoned bed.
Still grumbling about the unfairness of having to be out of bed any earlier than four o'clock in the afternoon on a Saturday, he pushed open the door to his sons' room, biting back a grin when he saw them. The thirteen and ten-year-old boys were grappling relentlessly in the middle of the room, each straining to pin the other to the laundry-covered floor. Touma cleared his throat loudly and tried to adopt a stern expression as the two scrambled to their feet hastily.
"Boys," he began, cut off when Cye started to defend himself.
"Shin started it!"
"I did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"I don't care who started it," Touma growled. "I'm ending it."
This had the desired effects, both of the squabbling boys silencing instantly, understandably afraid of their father's temper. They had only truly ticked him off once, and that was more than enough for both of them. Since that one fateful day, they had both sworn off the pairing of cherry bombs with the toilets in the school bathrooms. The water from nearly forty erupting toilets had flooded the first floor of the elementary school they had been in at the time. Needless to say, Touma had been livid. That had been the first and only time they had seen him turn into a dragon outside of combat, and it had terrified them both. They had known he could transform, use magical abilities and manipulate the elements, but they also knew he didn't like to use his powers for any reason that was short of life threatening, excluding teasing Rowen and Mieren, naturally. Seeing him like that had nearly given them both coronaries on the spot despite their young ages.
"Now," Touma said in a softer tone. "I know you two get bored on weekends and all, but what do I have to do to keep you two quiet and peaceful today?"
"Take us flying?" Shin instantly prompted, jade eyes widening as a smile spread across his pale face.
"No elemental manipulation," Touma said quickly. "You know that."
"Swimming?" Cye asked eagerly, a hopeful grin nearly splitting his face in two.
Touma tweaked aside the curtain and peered though the fogged glass with silvery eyes, grimacing when he glimpsed the snow blanketing the yard. Trust Cye to want to hop into the ocean when it was twenty below outside.
"When its warmer," he promised hurriedly, unwilling to agree to get wet in conditions like that. He had been downright miserable the last time Cye had talked him into wading out into the nearly frozen waters.
"Can we visit Uncle Sage? I'm sure Cye wants to see Katari again," Shin said slyly, eyeing his brother carefully and crowing victoriously when the older boy blushed furiously and tried to hide his face behind his longish auburn hair.
"I think he's out today," Touma said stiffly, trying not to snicker at the look on Cye's face. It would mortally insult his son if he laughed aloud at his first crush. "How about we visit Grandma and Grandpa?" he suggested. "I'm sure that Vera and Len would like to see you two again."
There was only a slight pause before the two nodded. Both they and Touma knew that Mieren had no compunctions about teaching her children, and anyone else who would listen for five seconds, every magic trick and prank she had ever pulled, seen or could think of. Touma shook his head wearily, knowing he was going to have to watch out for an exploding… something… for at least a week after today's visit.
"Get your stuff then," he said happily. "I'll get Mom."
He had barely stepped into the hall before finding himself face to face with his wife, who was currently trying to scowl darkly and refrain from laughing at the same time. It made for a very interesting expression.
"The mighty authoritative figure," she sniggered, obviously losing her battle to hysterical laughter. "That'll show 'em, all right."
Touma quickly adopted an innocent expression and batted his eyes at his wife, gently biting the inside of his lower lip and trying to smile weakly. "But I want to see my little brother and sister," he pleaded, laying his head on her shoulder and doing his best to ignore her rolling eyes.
Barely able to refrain from giggling, Mana could only nod, knowing that her spouse's insane tricks had won again. "I'll get my things," she laughed, shifting past him towards their room. Touma heard her muttering something about 'buying straightjackets for the whole family' as she disappeared in room at the end of the hall. It took him a moment to realize that he had a snickering audience.
"Are you two ready?" he asked lightly, pretending firmly that they hadn't just seen his little performance yet again. The two boys nodded.
"You really need to teach Cye how to do that," Shin chirped happily. "It'll be handy the next time we visit Uncle Sage and Katari." He had barely finished saying the older girl's name before running for his life, Cye right on his heels.
Touma sighed loudly. "And there they go."
"Again?" Mana laughed softly, wandering into the hall at the sound of retreating footsteps. "Oh well. I guess its best to let them wear themselves down now so they behave in the car."
"We'll let them have about ten minutes to kill each other," he agreed wryly.
"That'll work. Get your stuff and I'll pack a few snacks," she murmured, heading for the stairs. She paused suddenly and glanced over her shoulder. "You did tell them that we're coming, right?"
"What fun would that be?"
"Touma…" she started warningly.
"Just call it a surprise attack. Mom loves it."
Mana sighed, knowing that there was no point in arguing further. Mieren may love the insanity of Touma's raids, but it drove Rowen absolutely insane, which was probably why he did it. Deciding to make the best of the situation, she went looking for her digital camera, just knowing that she was going to need it.
---
Mieren tensed suddenly, her acute senses instantly informing her that something was outside, circling the house. Her eyes flicked towards Rowen and the twins where they wrestled playfully, oblivious to the danger they were in. Slowly, silently, she slipped out the nearest window into the back yard, eyes scanning the countryside. A single shadow moved, causing her to grin wickedly and slip into the trees from another angle, coming up behind the poorly concealed form. She couldn't help smiling as she moved ever closer to the shadow stalking the house, wondering how the intruder had missed her presence. Tensing her muscles suddenly, she sprang.
The slender form quickly lost ground and was pinned and gagged in a matter of seconds, leaving Mieren gloating arrogantly over her squirming captive.
"Too slow and loud," she smirked, planting one foot firmly in the center of the presented back. Unhappy silver eyes turned to look at her from under a mess of unruly sapphire locks. Somehow, Touma managed to extend his tongue past his gag to wiggle it defiantly at her.
A soft click alerted her to the presence of a new attacker, but she wasn't concerned in the slightest. The click had sounded suspiciously like a camera.
"Hello, Mana," she greeted softly without turning around.
A poorly muffled giggle told her that her guess was correct, her daughter-in-law hiding in the nearby bushes.
"I told him it wouldn't work," she laughed softly.
Mieren grinned, pushing her loose snowy hair out of her shimmering jade eyes and struggling to tie the unruly locks at the base of her neck. "Not on me, anyway."
"But of course."
"Where are the two monsters?"
Mana didn't answer, instead opting to ready her camera in the direction of the house. Mere moments later, Rowen and Len came bolting out of the house with a horse-sized silver dragon hot on their heels, snapping and growling viciously. Even as Rowen was trampled gracelessly, Len leapt into the air, flickering out of existence instantly to leave his father to fend for himself.
As Len vanished into nothing, another war broke out of the house. A teal dragon with a stunning white mane was viciously thrown onto the yard to land heavily on his back, his attacker following instantly. A dragon with obsidian scales that shone blue emerged from the open door, sapphire mane flying wildly as she attacked. The battle between them quickly intensified. The teal dragon was obviously stronger, but the smaller, darker dragon was infinitely more vicious and a good deal faster. Brutality and speed quickly lost to strength, and the darker form was pulled to the ground. The victory was fleeting.
The air beside them rippled, a pale serpentine form emerging in a burst of crystalline flames. A pearly form that shone blue in the harsh afternoon light entered the fray, obsidian mane and eyes vanishing in the scaly tangle. Larger and more powerful than either of his opponents, the teal form quickly rose to the summit of the ensuing pile, howling loudly in victory, or so he thought.
Having lost in a matter of seconds, Rowen was abandoned where he was half planted in the ground, his silvery attacker turning to a new target, the black eyes landing instantly on the victorious turquoise aggressor. His deafening roar was the only warning anyone had before the planned attack was turned into a chaotic free-for-all.
Unable to resist any longer, Mieren pulled Touma free of the ground and led him in a mad charge towards Rowen, who was barely regaining his feet. He only had time to squeak in protest before two dragons, one blue and one white, trampled him into the ground. From somewhere amid the fangs, claws and scales, he squirmed out of the pile and spun lightly on his toes, vanishing into thin air and reappearing beside Mana, completely out of breath and more than slightly peeved.
"You could have warned me," he groused, glaring angrily at the twin battles still raging on the lawn. Deprived of their initial target, Mieren and Touma had turned on one another. As if it could be wondered why he objected to these little surprises.
"What fun would that have been?"
"For me, plenty. I'm not exactly an equal contestant in these little brawls, you realize."
"Neither am I."
"But they're not trying to pulverize you."
"Point," Mana conceded, clicking off another few pictures. She paused suddenly, tilting her head to one side with a thoughtful expression. Her eyes suddenly widened in recognition of the gentle rumble her sharp ears heard approaching. "CAR!"
The battles raging across the lawn promptly vanished, leaving behind only trampled spans of grass where the miniature wars had been held. Rowen and Mana watched carefully as a car rounded the corner on the rarely used country road and passed by at a good deal over the speed limit. They continued to listen carefully until the soft noise of the engine faded from view. Rowen was the first to break the silence.
"Resume," he called loudly, eyes narrowing dangerously when neither of the invisibility spells dissipated. A nagging feeling settled in the bottom of his stomach, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. It did not soothe his nerves when he realized that Mana was readying her camera.
"Smile," she purred.
Completely spooked, Rowen faded into the shadows, vanishing completely in the darkness. He hadn't been out of sight for more than a few seconds before he let out a blood-curdling yelp and bolted out of the trees towards the house, cursing rabidly over his shoulder as he went.
"That wasn't nice," Mana admonished playfully, making a face. "I didn't get to take a picture."
Mouri stepped out of the trees and shrugged, casually slipping to the side as Mieren careened past him, hot on Touma's heels.
"Not my fault you're slow," he countered, sliding sideways as Vera tore by, intent on driving Cye's skull into the ground. Len and Shin followed only moments later in human form, quickly collapsing in a tangle of arms and legs as they systematically pulverized one another.
"I didn't see you in the original tangle," she said suddenly, eyeing the elfin sorcerer curiously. "Where were you?"
"Hiding," he answered evasively.
"How did you know we were coming?"
"I saw Mieren hop out the window. That was a pretty good indication that someone was planning a surprise attack."
Mana exchanged a knowing look with her ancestor. "They were never very good with the stalking bit, were they?"
"Not at all," he laughed.
"Shall we?" Mana asked, motioning towards the house. They would have to start cooking eventually, and the sooner the meal was ready, the better. The insanity wouldn't end until the insane were fed.
"Let's," Mouri agreed readily, glancing at the three miniature wars raging across the lawn. He waved at Rowen on the roof, trusting the younger man to watch for cars passing by while they worked. Rowen saluted him sarcastically as they vanished into the house, shaking his head wearily at the violence in the yard, thankful that he wasn't involved. He knew it was a silly little quirk, but he rather liked breathing.
---
Dais leapt high into the air, spinning expertly in a roundhouse kick and landing on the balls of his feet. He continued with the maneuver by delivering a low spinning swipe intended on depriving his opponent of his feet. Not even breaking a sweat, he executed a vicious uppercut, falling into a relaxed stance upon completion of the simple exercise. The applause from his advanced class instantly resounded through the large practice room, causing him to grin widely. He rather liked showing his students what he planned for the next class at the end of every session. Struggling to keep a straight face, he bowed formally, dismissing his students as he fought to keep from laughing at the faces Sehkmet was making in the far corner when he thought that no one was looking.
When he was certain that the last student was out of hearing range, he tackled his green-haired friend, pinning him to the ground with minimal struggle. He only had to twist his friend's arms behind his back for a few seconds before he heard the cry for mercy.
"I give up! You win! Uncle! Uncle! Get offa me, you bastard!"
Laughing too hard to speak properly at the improper form of the request, Dais pushed himself to his feet, still bubbling over with mirth as he hauled his best friend off of the floor.
"You shouldn't do that while I'm instructing," he reprimanded.
"Especially since you can't walk and chew gum at the same time," Sehkmet muttered, raising his hands defensively at the mock glare the statement earned him.
"As stupid as ever," a soft voice interjected before they could resume combat. Shocked that someone other than Cale or Anubis was interfering with their argument, they spun quickly to see who had interrupted their imminent war. Dais's jaw dropped when it finally registered whom he was staring at.
"Mieren!" he called happily, pushing past Sehkmet to see if he could trick her into hugging him. After all of the attempts he had made over the years, he hadn't succeeded once. Today was no different. Slipping past his outstretched arms, she clapped him on the shoulder and exchanged a few playful punches with Sehkmet.
"Where are the other two morons?" she smirked when Sehkmet was only able to successfully block one of her mock punches, the others landing on his arms and chest with enough force to leave bruises.
"They're in back preparing for their classes at six," Sehkmet supplied, rubbing at one of the ribs she had hit just a little too forcefully. "I'll get them," he offered, determined to avoid collecting any more bruises if he could. Before she could swat him again, he vanished into the back rooms.
Dais shrugged off the snubbing as he always did, wondering what had prompted her visit. She didn't come by to see them too often.
"So what have you been up to lately?" he asked merrily, leaning casually against the nearest wall and giving her his best smile.
"Not too terribly much for the last decade or so," she murmured, glancing around the practice area curiously. "Nothing of real interest, you know. How about you?"
"Just the usual teaching," he laughed, arching one eyebrow as he studied her with great interest. Something seemed to catch his eye, causing him to choke on a giggle. "You dyed your hair!" he choked out, tears streaming from his one good eye. "I thought you weren't that concerned with your appearance."
She made a face, fingering her hair idly. "Like you have room to talk. Your roots are showing."
Dais sniffed loudly and fingered his snowy hair, wondering if she could do something, anything, about his hair so he wouldn't have to keep bleaching it to keep the purple from showing through.
"You could have at least chosen a new color," he countered, flicking a thick lock of raven hair out of her face, oblivious to the irritated tick beginning in her cheek. Whatever she had been intending to say was cut off when the other three Warlords streamed into the room.
"Hey Mieren!"
"How's it hanging?"
"I told you guys she was here," Sehkmet groused.
"Hey guys! Look what Mrs. Vanity did to her hair," Dais teased, holding up a fistful of longish onyx locks for their inspection.
"You could have chosen a new color," Anubis bantered playfully.
"That's what I said," Dais smirked.
"For your information, I rather like this color," she said somewhat stiffly, eyes flaring with her temper.
"They were only kidding," Cale said apologetically. "You know they didn't mean anything, Mieren."
Growling softly, dangerously, she rounded on the blue-haired man. "One more thing, Children of the Midnight Shadows," she sneered, causing the four Warlords to stiffen instantly, both Anubis and Dais stepping back defensively. The blood drained from Cale's face. "I am not Mieren."
Desperately, they tried to summon their magical energies and contact the Ronins and their children telepathically, frantic to warn them what was happening. Before the first flame could rise into the air, a shield of wispy fog snapped around them effortlessly, searing their minds and effectively crippling them. Warning their friends was the only thing they could think of as blackness consumed them.
---
Mana flopped back on the plush sofa between Mouri and Touma, grinning to herself when the four children circled the room twice before darting out the front door. Mieren and Rowen watched them leave amusedly from where they were curled up together in the armchair, exchanging kisses when they thought the others weren't looking, which they usually were.
"It's a wonder that they can still move like that after eating that much," Mouri mused, always intrigued by how energetic ten-year-olds could be.
"I know," Touma mused. "Eating never did seem to slow either of them down. If anything, it gives them the energy to continue their rampages."
"Interesting theory," Rowen smirked, trailing off when Shin and Vera skidded to a stop in front of them, gibbering madly.
"Slow down," Mieren said quickly, exchanging a worried look with her husband. "What's going on?"
"Cye's hurt," Vera blurted out, her dark eyes wide and jaw trembling.
Mana and Touma were instantly on their feet and out the door, Shin only inches in front of them as they raced across the yard and into the trees, the others following less than a heartbeat behind them. They had seen Cye break limbs before without even slowing down or flinching. The thought that he was hurt badly enough to gather attention frightened them.
In a small clearing where several of Vera and Len's trails converged sat Cye, staring blankly at the sky with a slightly glazed expression. Len knelt beside him, looking worried and completely lost.
"He won't say anything," he whimpered, looking up to his mother with teary jade eyes in a too pale face. "He just sits there."
"Cye?" Mana asked softly, placing one hand on his shoulder and shaking him gently. "Cye, are you okay?"
Mieren pushed past her, gathering snowy flames around her hands and searching her grandson's mind and body with the energies. She bit her lower lip in frustration, unable to find anything wrong with him. Worried and utterly confused, she glanced at the others, the silence tearing at her sanity.
"What are you saying?" Mouri asked suddenly, dropping to the ground beside Cye and studying him carefully, watching the boy's lips move slightly. He looked almost as though he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
Len pushed past Touma to study Cye for himself, extending a chord of crystalline power towards the older boy. The reaction he received was sudden and violent. Turquoise energies flared up around the auburn-haired youth, surging furiously above the treetops before dying out again. The following silence was broken only by Cye's strained voice.
"In the beginning, there was only the darkness and the night. Daybreak gave way to light and banished the darkness, but with the setting of the sun, the night shall return once more. In the furthest reaches of destruction shall the shadow emerge and unseen light shall fall to the unending gloom, the brilliance forever extinguished. Beyond the shadow and the devastation lies the beginning and the end, that which is neither of the light nor the shadow, that which simply is. That which does not exist shall consume the illumination that cannot be seen and give rise to that which shall not exist."
"Oh, God no. Please, not again," Rowen whispered, eyes filling with tears.
"We need to find the others," Mieren snapped, voice trembling.
"We'll scatter," Mouri said quickly. "We can find everyone faster."
"We have to stay in pairs, at the very least," Mieren panted, tears slipping from her eyes. "Mouri, you stay with the children. Mana, you're with Touma. Look for Akira and Ella first. Then go after Sage, Kayura and Katari. Rowen, you're with me. Let's go." Suiting actions to words, she snapped a portal open and slipped through, Rowen leaping after her quickly lest he be left behind. A second gateway winked into existence at Touma's call, Mana shadowing him as he leapt through recklessly.
"Uncle Mouri," Vera whispered, locking eyes with the ancient elfin sorcerer. "What's going on?"
Knowing that they had need of the information, he began with the basic facts, only elaborating when absolutely necessary. Time was limited.
---
Akira nearly leapt out of his skin when a portal of shimmering silvery blue flames snapped open only inches from where he sat in the restaurant. As it was, he inhaled a mouthful of Coke, choking violently and glaring angrily when Touma and Mana appeared in the middle of the nearly abandoned café.
"What do you think you're doing?" Ella snapped, beating him to the question by less than a heartbeat. "Have you gone mad? What if someone sees you?"
"We need to go," Touma growled sharply, keeping the gateway open behind him. "She's back."
Both Ella and Akira paled instantly, neither of them needing clarification of who 'she' referred to. No one else could get them that worked up. Silently, Akira rose from his seat and tossed a wad of cash onto the table, disappearing through the ready portal with Ella in tow.
---
Mieren leapt out of the gateway she had created without realizing where she was for a moment. The realization of her location slapped her fully in the face in the form of Nasuti's hand. Rowen averted his eyes to the ceiling the moment he cleared the weaving, cheeks heating slightly despite the gravity of the situation. They had only followed mental echoes to find their targets, not bothering to look into exactly what locations they happened to be in, such as a hotel sweet of a certain couple's second honeymoon.
Gau glared at them angrily, pulling a sheet around his waist as he surged out of bed, eyes murderous.
"What are you doing here?" he snarled, color rising in his cheeks.
"The shadow returns," Mieren murmured.
Nasuti froze, her second swing abandoned, forgotten. She shook her head slowly in denial, eyes misting.
"How can you be sure?" she asked, barely managing to keep her voice from cracking. She could not, however, keep the quaver from her words.
"Cye," Rowen answered thickly, the stiffness in his voice having nothing to do with the young couple's lack of clothing.
Gau flinched, stuffing himself into the clothes he pulled off the floor beside the bed, tossing Nasuti her clothes as he sorted through the pile numbly. They ran lightly through the ready gateway, emerging in a gathering group behind Mieren and Rowen's house. The young couple glanced behind them to find that the messengers had already disappeared, continuing their search.
---
Kayura jumped nearly three feet into the air when Touma and Mana suddenly appeared behind her in their living room. Sage choked on an exceptionally vulgar phrase, surging to his feet and looking absolutely murderous.
"What gives?" Sage growled, holding his temper firmly in check when Kayura elbowed him roughly.
"'You know who' is back," Mana said quickly, reopening the portal behind her and waving them through. Sage and Kayura exchanged frightened looks before moving towards the swirling fires. Katari simply looked confused.
The light blue flames disappeared behind them as they stepped into a small clearing in the trees behind Mieren and Rowen's house. Sage jerked in shock at everyone he saw gathered, not missing the fact that Ryo, Kento and their families were still missing. His searching eyes quickly located Cye and he hurried over, blinking in confusion as the boy mumbled something unintelligible in a language he couldn't readily identify.
"What's he saying?" Kayura asked softly.
"I don't know."
"He's gone through at least a dozen languages now," Len said quietly. "I think he's finally switched from German to Latin."
"It was French a few minutes ago," Vera murmured worriedly.
"The sorcerer's tongue before that," Mouri whispered. "I think he was even using the demon tongue for awhile."
"What's wrong with him?" Katari demanded, looking around for an answer with fearful ice blue eyes. "Why is he doing that?"
"Do you remember all of the stories I told you about the sorcerer that defeated Mieren's shadow thirteen years ago?" Sage asked quietly, barely waiting for the answering nod. "That was Cye."
"But he's not old enough to have done that," Katari protested.
"He was then," Kayura murmured. "When he was killed, he reformed as an infant from the energy released at his death."
"You guys wait here," Touma interrupted stiffly. "I'm going after Kento."
He didn't wait for a response before snapping open a portal and leaping through, Mana barely managing to follow before the gate winked out of existence.
Vera's plaintive wail promptly caught everyone's attention. Gau was the first to reach her side, trying to calm the hysterical girl. She gasped softly before breaking down into tears, beyond the capacity of speech. Len broke the ensuing silence, uttering a single phrase that caused everyone to stiffen instantly.
"Mother's gone."
---
Mieren appeared in a largish practice room, Rowen hovering at her shoulder as she looked around the empty building worriedly. She had felt an energy fluctuation in the area and had changed the order of who she would find first. They were supposed to be looking for Mia and Ryo.
"Dais? Cale?" she called, biting her lower lip in consternation. Silence answered.
"Sehkmet? Are you here? Anubis?" Rowen yelled with no better results.
"I'm afraid you just missed them," a soft voice taunted, echoing in such a way as to make locating the source all but impossible.
Undaunted, Mieren shifted her eyes to infrared, ignoring the sting of the early evening light as she desperately hunted the speaker.
"Go find Mia and Ryo," she hissed over her shoulder.
"But…"
"Go!"
"Oh, he's not going anywhere," the whispering voice smirked.
Strands of milky energy shot across the room at a speed that Rowen was hard pressed to follow visually, let alone dodge. He landed heavily on his side, howling in agony as the opaque cords of fog began burning into his flesh, black smoke rising from his writhing form. Mieren forced a gateway open, ignoring the fierce burning in her head as she forced her energies past the multiple wardings in the room. She bunted Rowen through viciously, praying that Ryo was skilled enough to free him from his bindings. The portal faded into oblivion behind him, untraceable assuming that her opponent hadn't seen the original weaving.
"Pathetic, Destroyer."
"Since when did you speak Japanese?" Mieren snapped, hoping to buy Rowen a few crucial seconds.
"I can learn, same as you," she laughed, stepping out of the unnatural shadows in the far corner. "I've learned quite a bit since I was gone."
"I thought you were dead," Mieren continued, panting softly.
"Me? Never," Lanfear answered haughtily, shifting into a small black dragon. Mieren winced, following suit hesitantly, her shimmering opal scales contrasting sharply with her other half's impossible obsidian.
"Then where have you been these thirteen years?" she demanded, taking a small step back. Rowen needed time.
"Nowhere," Lanfear hissed, lashing out with the tip of her tail, the barbed tip leaving a long gash down Mieren's forearm. "Everywhere," she growled throatily, summoning energies to herself as she spoke. Rolling waves of fog rose around her as she approached slowly, condescendingly. "The same place you're going, little sister."
Mieren stiffened and stepped back, calling her own energies to her, opal flames raging around her lithe form as she continued to back away. A delicate ripple passed through the fogs almost lethargically, sending a vicious shock wave through the room. Unprepared for the strange attack, Mieren was bowled roughly off her feet, skidding across the practice room on one wing.
Gasping in pain, she quickly regained her balance and her feet, constructing a shield desperately as slender tendrils of fog snapped in her direction. After the third blow landed on her quavering defenses, her weave collapsed altogether under the power of the burning fogs. Snarling in disbelief and fear, Mieren charged, her blunt tactics shocking Lanfear into momentary stillness. Snowy manes flew wildly as black and white blurs clashed, fangs and claws interlocking in a stalemate. The match in strength dissolved almost instantly as Lanfear returned to her senses and countered.
The battle was over in seconds, Mieren pinned firmly to the ground. Her frantic attempts at sorcery proved to be worthless, her fires dissolving from sheer proximity to the casually swirling mists surrounding her opponent. She could only watch helplessly as an interdimensional gateway was opened, the portal appearing milky, glassy. She could sense, more than see, that the far side of the passage was cloaked in absolute darkness.
Thrashing proved to be utterly worthless, nothing more than a blatant waste of energy. Lanfear easily bound her with cords of mist, the white tendrils slowly incinerating Mieren's skin. Tears slipped down her scaly cheeks as her shadowed double slung her through the portal into the unending blackness.
"Try to enjoy yourself, sister," Lanfear laughed, allowing the portal and the last source of light to fade from existence as Mieren plunged further into the night. Her screams echoed unheard as something scorched her entire being, her scales liquefying and sloughing from her writhing form.
Frantic to be free of the searing agony, she jerked rabidly at her bonds, not slowing her efforts when she tore her left arm off at the elbow. Only whimpering in protest, she cut her feet off at the ankles to escape her last bonds, knowing the necessity of freeing herself from the agony around her. Without checking, she knew that the pain entailed, knew it was quickly killing her. She was trapped in an endless world of fog, the same mists that had nearly destroyed reality thirteen years ago. Growing desperate, she lurched upright and began a lumbering run, often using her wings as an extra set of legs. The membrane of her wings quickly melted in the burning white seas, leaving behind only a basic skeletal structure and a thin coating of charred muscle, both of which were rapidly diminishing. The seconds ticked by slowly, every moment bringing her closer to oblivion. Gateways melted before her disbelieving eyes as she ran, her spells dissipating almost instantly in the endless darkness.
Injured, exhausted, she collapsed in mid-stride, skidding for several yards on the rough stone before she finally came to a halt. Her eyes burned with unshed tears as she panted her last in the darkness, flashes of light flickering in her vision as her mind slowly shut down.
"Rowen, my love. I'm so sorry."
---
To Be Continued…
I've had this typed up for a long time, but wasn't sure if I should continue with the series or not. A fan emailed me begging for more to the story, so I give. I love the reviews.