Mystica

by Giarth

Inspired by the series Bleach! Only the nine, a passage unfold, till dusk it will remain. The one who shall enter, perish to be lost. These are the words which shall lead us to survival. The meaning behind it must be revealed or all shall be lost.

Mystica

Chapter one

The beginning of the end, what ever that means

In the time of mythril stars, and the portals of the nine were still connected, the ancient monks keep the travelers hall in secret. For thousands of years the traveler's hall remained hidden deep within the shadow nebula of the Sklorg galaxy. But one day when the stars of Drez aligned a prophecy was revealed. A prophecy of which said that a boy with the mark of the ancient tribe of Mesensephlon would change the fate of the entire galaxy. Soon after this discovery the monks of the traveler's hall headed out to find the boy. After years of torturous travel through the galaxy the nine came upon a woman who froze to death by the great blizzards on the planet Zeno. Near her body was a one year old boy wrapped in linen cloth who held the mark on his left arm. One of the monks who went by the name Zerathez decided that he would take the boy and train him in the ways of the monk.

13 Years Later

"Lothar, Lothar, oh where is that lazy good for nothing boy? I gave him till dawn, and now that dawn arrives the boy is no where to be found."

"Father, sorry about my absence."

"Dawn Lothar that's what I told you, and now that you've finally prepared yourself you forgot your manners?

"Sorry master." I quickly bowed my head in the proper respect feeling so embarrassed of my disobedience.

"Very good, I just hope that you don't forget what today is."

"That's right!" I thought to myself as I realized that I had forgotten my own 14th birthday.

"Come lad, we must get down to business." We walked along an ancient stone path which led straight through the forbidden grove.

"Why is it that no one else comes through the grove but you master? And why is it that I am suddenly aloud to enter as well?"

"My boy, it is time that I have shared the secrets of your past, present, and future."

"What do you mean master?" It suddenly grew silent. This awkward and unbearable pause went on for so long that even the entire grove fell silent.

"Quickly now, the entrance is nigh at hand." We then came upon a great clearing. The sun's rays shown brightly through the leaves, making it delightfully warm all around. "I fell so alive when I come here." I had no idea what he meant, but I thought it better not to ask questions. Soon and without notice we came to a large cliff side. "This is it." My master exclaimed while examining the wall with great ease.

"What is it? All I see is a dead end." I walked to the side of my master and gave him a puzzled look.

"Be patient, and look back to your early teachings." I stood there silently, and in deep thought began reviewing my past lessons.

"Master, there are thousands of teachings, but which one do ye speak of?" My master turned to me and smiled. "Well, what does that mean?" I wondered as I swung my arms back and forth impatiently.

"The teaching of which says that nothing is as it seems. You must have an open mind. Clear your thoughts lad and concentrate on the path ahead." I wanted to clear my mind but how could I? And what does he mean by concentrate on the path ahead when there is no path to concentrate on. "Wait, master said that I must have an open mind." I walked up to the wall and began to imagine a long pathway which carved its way deep into the heart of the mountain. Suddenly, to my surprise a bright light flashed from the wall. I quickly stepped back unaware of what might happen next. Strange designs from the cracks in the cliff glowed a pleasant purple and blue color which lit up the entire clearing. Writing began to form on the ground at the foot of the mountain. "Only the nine, a passage unfold, till dusk it will remain. The one who shall enter, perish to be lost. "Master, what does it mean?" I pondered over the puzzle which was placed before me. What is "the nine", and what passage does it speak. I kneeled down to get a closer look. The letters where carved right into a flat stone which stood about one inch from the ground. Strange symbols which I did not recognize surrounded the puzzling sentence. "What are these markings, and what do they mean?" I turned to my master who slowly walked over to stand by my side.

"Sinthos mohigrem, zelothenez, antigono, Zerathez." In an instant without warning the earth began to shake and then it happened. The stone which was place in the ground began to sink deep within the earth. "Jump on my lad, for now the secrets shall be reveled." I quickly, without hesitation jumped onto the quacking surface. Little did I know that every thing was about to change.

Chapter 2

The new way of travel, better than planes

The great mechanism continued to dive deeper and deeper into the earth.

"So it begins." Zerathez proclaimed. Along the wall were many markings.

"These symbols, there not of our people, are they master?" Sure enough, as expected there was complete silence.

"What you are about to see is unknown to the surface. No other man must know of these things, do you understand Lothar?" I stood there for a moment thinking of what he had just said.

"What could possibly be so secret that no one else can know?" After thinking about it I decided to agree. "Yes master, I understand."

"Good." He replied with a dull smile upon his face. Suddenly as jolt of ceasing motion threw me forward off the platform and onto the strange black stoned corridor. It was almost completely silent, except for the few rats that scurried through the stone walls.

"It looks as if it never ends." I thought to myself as I stood up after scraping my knees all along the ground. Tapestries hung along the wall on rusted rods. "The tapestries have the same markings as on the walls, what is this place master?"

"You will see soon enough." While walking along the dark passage we passed an old vault.

"Master, what is that? I can here voices on the other side of this case." I placed my ear up against the great metal safe. "It's so cold!" I shuddered as I attempted to understand what the voices were saying.

"Come away from that, the vault is not safe. You mustn't try to open it, for if you do then the doom of us all will be nigh at hand!"

"What did he mean by that?" I wondered as I walked over to my master's side.

"Shall we continue then?" I nodded and then we proceeded deeper into the darkness. Our footsteps echoed throughout the hallow space within the cliff. I suddenly began to feel uneasy as we approached a large door.

"It's made of pure gold, where does it lead?" I asked unable to take my eyes off the great wonder.

"It is time to turn another page in your story. Your fate resides on the other side, are you ready?" I looked up at him, puzzled at his last statement.

"I am ready to complete my training." He nodded, and with a quick stroke opened the door. A sudden burst of light flew into the corridor, and that's when I beheld if for the first time.

"Behold, the Travelers Hall!" To my own bewilderment I saw a grand passageway. Marble bricks built up the floor and walls. Then they reached up to produce an arched ceiling. Crystals hung on the walls producing a miraculous light. "Rubies and Emeralds are the greatest sources of light." Zerathez continued down the hall pointing out many other things as we went. "Note the pillars of solid gold. Each pillar has a description written in a different language." My master then stopped in his tracks and turned to me. "They describe what is in the other worlds apart from our own."

"What does that mean?" I wondered as I stared at one of the pillars.

"Memphis!" I turned around at the sound of footsteps from behind. A cloaked man with a large book in his left hand came trudging down the hall like a limping boar.

"Yes sir?" he quickly bowed his head down in reverence.

"Open them all." Zerathez then gave a hand gesture to a small wooden door.

"Yes master." The man then ran without hesitation into the room. A loud noise then sounded throughout the entire hall as if electricity was being funneled through the walls to the massive golden pillars. The pillars began to turn in a synchronized harmony, starting one after the other. The walls next to them began to shutter and then vanished in the blink of an eye. It left however arched doorways. Within these doorways was like a thick mass of an oily substance. The ooze bubbled frantically making a strange screeching noise, and then stopped.

"What is this master?" But before I got an answer the cloaked imp like man came rushing out again, this time a little hunched over.

"It is done master Zerathez."

"Good!" Then he turned to me with the sternest face that I have ever seen in my life. "Do you know what these doorways are?" I turned to him and shook my head in complete silence. "Then let me show you." He grabbed my arm and led me to the nearest door. "This is a portal my boy. A portal which leads to another world." Astounded by this answer a great fear suddenly over took my soul. It was then that I noticed a plaque up above the portal.

"Sintia, what does that mean?" I turned to Zerathez bewildered by this strange name.

"That is the name of the world which this portal leads. Come now, we shall enter." I took a quick step back in fear of what was hidden beyond the dark oozing passage. Zerathez then grabbed my arm and pulled me into the doorway.

Chapter 3

I discover mole people

"The boy my lord, he arrives." A heavy chuckle sounds through the dark and damp mist.

"Good, let's see how he fairs in this world."

Meanwhile

"Master, it's amazing!" We came upon a large and endless plane. Strange flowers of red and orange blossomed to color the green surface into a mystical canvas. Strange insects about the size of bats fluttered among the great paradise. "What are they master?" I looked up to see that my master Zerathez was paying no notice to me whatsoever.

"Gaze upon it lad, can you feel the energy of life about you?" I stretched out my arms and began to concentrate.

"I can master. Strong vibes arise from this earth as if it were a new."

"Very good lad, for you see that this planet is teeming with life. From the great mountains to the withered horizon, life is always to be found. This is my home world." Shocked at this comment I gazed up to see a man full of longing. "It's been so long." His eyes glistened happily as he beheld this most magnificent sight. "Look Lothar, look into the distance." I raised my hand to block out the sun to see a large forest off in the distance. "The village is just beyond those trees. Find the village, and discover your purpose." Zerathez took a few steps back. "So long my friend, I'll be seeing you when you've completed your task." I turned around, but only to see that my master had vanished. Instead of pondering over his sudden disappearance, and wasting time I decided to head down to the forest. It was a pleasant walk. A calm and subtle breeze blew softly across my face. Birds sang in the distance creating a mythical beat which harmonized the entire plain. The grass diligently danced among the field of flowers. The sun was rising slowly up over the pine trees turning the sky into a beautiful pink.

"This is it." I said aloud to myself as I arrived at the food of the forest. The trees toward high above creating a shadowy darkness. Howling animals calling out for help boomed deeply through the trees. A sudden shudder of fear came over me. "What was that?" I wondered. "I've never heard such a yelp of power." I froze deep in my tracks, unable to breathe. The bird's pleasant chime slowly and quietly ceased. The breeze was no longer found and all life seemed to die. The pleasant and joyful feeling of this place which had once overwhelmed me had but long sense been gone. I breathed in a load of fresh air. "I'm ready." I announced as if an audience stood before me. "Go, and don't look back!" I took a step.

"Snap!" The twig beneath my foot whined in pain as I slowly put pressure upon the ground.

"Well, I wasn't ready for that." I felt my body go tense once again. "I'm such a coward, for it was only a twig." I attempted to shack it off and then began trudging forward. I remembered a past lesson that I had with Zerathez.

"My boy, beware your imagination. For the imagination is unpredictable and can lead you astray."

"Well, now it makes since." I thought to myself. My imaginations lead me astray by scaring me. The snapping twig was nothing to fear, but my imagination lead me to believe that it was something else. I raised my head up high. "There is nothing in here that I cannot face!" I continued forward, this time I would not stop. I noticed that the closer I got to the center of the wood, the colder that it became. First came the shivering, and then I could see my breath. I pulled a small jacket from the bag which I had slung over my right arm. "That's better!" I sighed in relief, but little did I know of what was to come next. "What, snow?" I questioned as if someone was with me. "This makes no since, it was just barely so warm. Once again I brought my bag down to my side and began shuffling everything about. "There it is!" I exclaimed as I pulled out a pair of warm leather gloves. I was trapped in a nightmare of endless darkness, for the forest had grown so thick that no light could break through the branches. "I'm going in circles." I realized as I walked past a short black tree that I've seen three times. "This is hopeless." I kneeled down into the snow in despair. "I guess I'll just make a fire and rest for a while." I began searching for small twigs and other dry materials which I could use to produce heat. Eventually I had a small pile. "This will work." I said proudly as I took some flint and a pocket knife out of my jacket's pocket. I stroked the steal blade across the flint to produce a spark. "Well that was lucky." The materials started in an instant. "Now to gather some larger sticks." After this the flames began slowly rising higher, and higher. After a few minutes I found some large thick branches at the base of a large willow tree. "These will work!" While walking back to the camp site a small glow appeared in the distance. It slowly grew and came a bit closer. "Hello!" I yelled out to the dark silhouette in the distance. I began to walk towards the figure. "Can you help me, I'm sort of lost." Soon the figure became a bit larger.

"Who are you?" The silhouette sounded through the trees while inching forward.

"I'm a lost and weary traveler who comes from a distant town. Can you guide me to the nearest human settlement?" I stood there in silence awaiting a reply.

"Get your stuff and follow me." The mysterious figure replied. I walked over to the fire and raised my bag to my shoulder. I turned to see a person wearing a tick brown coat. There face was hidden by both a hood, and a multicolored scarf. "It's this way." The person announced as they made a hand gesture indicating to me to follow him.

"Who are you? I asked while looking at the large fluffy mass.

"My name is Lucia." The large bulging object which seemed to be the head turned and faced me. "And what may I call you?" The person stared at me anxiously awaiting an answer.

"I am Lothar." He suddenly just stopped in her tracks. "What?" I asked confused at this reaction.

"That's an unusual name." He replied and then began quickening his pace. "We must hurry if we wish to arrive by midday." I began to increase my speed, but now that the snow has reached to about knee height I began to slow down.

"Can you slow down a bit?" I asked, but by the time my words left my mouth he had disappeared into the snowy distance. "First Zerathez leaves and now this, my only way out of here just walked off on snow shoes." The worst part about all this was that it was snowing so hard that his tracks were covered up almost instantaneously. After loosing site of the tracks, I continued to wander aimlessly through the white abyss.

"Help me!" A holler of distress sounded through the cold air. I began to search frantically around the frozen landscape.

"Where are you?" I yelled out loud, but to my on surprise there was no response. "Where are you?" I repeated once again only to hear nothing but wind blowing through the trees. After repeating this about twelve times I finally heard a response.

"Down here!" I turned to see a frozen lake. I began towards the lake when I heard the voice once again. "I'm down here!" I looked into the direction of the voice and saw that a part of the ice had collapsed. I quickly ran over, but then to my dismay slipped on the ice.

"Oh crap!" I thought to myself as I slid into the hole. I landed on a hard solid mass of ice.

"Great, now well freeze together." I turned to look at who was speaking.

"You're a girl?" I gasped in bewilderment as I looked upon a young maiden.

"You figured that out on your own genius?" She rolled her eyes and then turned to face the opening in the ice. "Well, got any ideas?" I looked around and saw that we were about ten feet into the ice.

"Yeah, actually I do." I stood up and walked over to the other side of the pit. "This will just take a second." I calmly announced as I reached into my bag. I figured that since my master Zerathez was the one who packed my bag that he would have something in here for this sort of situation. I remembered his old motto that he would announce to me every morning.

"Without preparation you are sure to end up somewhere unexpected, so pack as if you were going to die by the end of the day." It still made me laugh just thinking about it.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" I pulled out an ice pick which was a little bit rusted at the tip. "No doubt about it, this is definitely the tool that I was searching for." I quickly, without hesitation began driving it through the ice.

"What are you doing?" Lucia just sat there with her mouth wide open as if she were preparing to take a large bite right out of a foot long sandwich from subway. Slowly but surely I shaped the ice into a small, slanted staircase. After about ten minutes I finally chipped up to the surface.

"Oh yeah, now lets make some tracks." I took a few steps back to admire my work. An icy staircase rose up out of the small trench that Lucia had made. "Well, let's go." I began walking up and out, but noticed that Lucia did not move at all. "What's wrong?" I jumped back down and then noticed that she was rubbing her ankle.

"I think I broke something when I fell." Looking at how the situation was placed before me I decided that there was only one thing to do.

"Take my hand." I extended my arm towards her.

"O-Ok." I held on tight and began lifting her up. "Ouch!" She squalled in pain as she fell back onto the ice. "It's no use; I can't put pressure on it." I nodded in agreement.

"Then I'll carry you." I lifter her up onto my shoulders and then began walking up out of the pit. "Which way?" I turned to look at her.

"Walk that way across the lake, and then I'll tell you where to go after that." I began in the direction which se had pointed out.

"Crack!" A large snapping noise suddenly came from the collapsed ice.

"Run Lothar, run!" I tuned to see what she was getting so flustered about. The ice from the pit began cracking towards us.

"Hold on tight!" I instructed as I began bolting across the frozen lake. Suddenly a piece of ice gave way from beneath my feat.

"Jump!" My frightened passenger yelled. I took a quick leap off the sinking platform and onto solid ground. "That was close." Lucia sighed in relief.

"Thank you for riding the Delta Airlines, I hope that you enjoyed you trip. And now if I may, we shall be departing for the village as soon as directions are bestowed upon me." I joked, but only to see that Lucia had no idea as to what I was talking about.

"What is this Delta Airlines you speak of?" She looked down at me with complete curiosity.

"Never mind, let's just get going." Lucia once again pointed me into the correct direction and we were off. "It's getting late, we should hurry." I looked through the trees hoping to see some kind of civilization. Sadly enough I could see nothing but an abandoned landscape.

"We should camp here for the night." I sat Lucia down against a large oak tree. "I'll set up camp." I began to search around my bag once again.

"And I'll make a fire." I turned to Lucia to see that she was crawling along the snow to find some twigs.

"No, I'll do that, Just rest for now alright." She nodded and then I turned back to my bag. "There it is." I happily got up and walked over to Lucia. "Here" I took two branches from the ground and used the linen cloth I found in my bag to tie them to her ankle. This was a technique that I learned from the monks when I was about eight years old. My master told me that this technique can keep any injured joint from any further damage. "This will keep it from moving." She nodded and sat in complete silence. I got up and began to gather materials to create a fire. Every once in a while instead of finding a loose stick on the ground it would be a root. I would tug and tug until I fell over. After gathering some small dry materials that could be used for a fire starter, I began searching for larger sticks. After creating a spark by scraping a pocket knife across some flint that I found in my bag flames began to rise from the wood. After the flames grew hot and blew high into the air I began looking for something that could be used for a shelter. Eventually I found branches with large leaves on them. "Leaves, in this kind of weather?" I stood gawking at the mysterious wonder, but eventually decided that I could use them. I cut off multiple branches and keep the leaves in tact. The next part of my creation was to find a large and sturdy tree. This was not very hard since we were in the middle of a forest, and eventually I decided just to use the oak tree that Lucia was propped up against. That way I could build it around her, and she wouldn't have to move. I took my plan into immediate action. I began propping the leaf covered branches onto the tree.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she watched my random creativity.

"I'm creating a hut." After leaning all the branches on the tree, and pressing them into the ground it was complete. The leaves that hung on the sides of each branch weaved around each other creating some kind of a slanted roof. I looked inside the strangely shaped tipi. "Are you comfortable?" I asked hoping that she would answer my question.

"Yes." She replied with a smile.

"Good, and with that note I shall go tend to the fire. I bid you well, have a good nights rest." I stood up and went over to the fire. I padded down some of the snow and lay down next to the fire. "And now it is time to get some rest."

I awoke to the sound of chirping birds. When I sat up I saw that all the snow had melted. "What's going on?" This climate change is so bizarre." I stood up and to my surprise saw Lucia picking berries.

"Good morning." I stared at her with a dumb look of confusion on my face as if a bird had just flown over and fires one right on top of my head.

"Wasn't she in pain about ten hours ago? I thought that she had a broken leg, or at least a dislocated ankle."

"Oh, my ankle is no longer hurting, so I can get around now." I decided to shake off the retard act and continue the conversation like a civilized human being.

"Well, that's a relief; I thought that I would have to carry you all the way there on my back." I quickly shoved my hand onto my mouth as if I was swatting a fly that had just landed there.

"Oh, so I'm fat am I?" She glared at me. Her eyes seemed to furiously pierce my skin and burn into my soul. I felt as if I were drowning. That I had sunk at least a hundred feet into the sea and the pressure was crushing me into a flat saucer.

"No, that's not what I meant. I meant that I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to walk on your own." I took a step back afraid that she'd yell at me furiously. But instead she just kept on walking with no response. "Great, I just brought the death sentence upon myself." I thought to myself as I looked at her frustrated face. She seemed to be mumbling insults as she stomped through the tall grass. I thought that I could feel her radiating anger flow of her body and seep deep into my skin like some kind of a curse. "I only hope that she won't leave me out here lost." I imagined her asking me to try to find an apple tree for our late afternoon lunch, and then ditching me without a single word. "I'd be trapped out here forever." I told myself. After about ten minutes of acquired silence she spoke.

"Were almost there, only about one mile left to go." I sighed in relief. I haven't walked this far since the first lesson that I learned from Zerathez.

"My boy, today we begin your training."

"But master, can't we wait till noon I'm exhausted!"

"Lothar, I am your master so do not complain and follow me!"

"Yes master." I remember packing up my bag and then being dragged up a great mountain, as if the walk to the base of the mountain was not enough. He had me pack so much stuff that it felt as if I were carrying a bag filled with a pile of rocks. Once we arrived at the top a great lake came into view. It was more pure then the others and was crystal clear. It was so clear in fact that if you walked up to the edge of the lake you could see catfish and other types of fish swimming at the very bottom of the lake.

"Lothar, gaze upon the beauty of this land." I looked around to see the suns rays glisten off the water to create a marvelous rainbow. Grand redwoods toward hundreds of feet into the air high above the summit of the mountain. Thousands of animals could be heard from the tallest tree, to the lowest valley. Birds chirped in the distance as cougars roared while they stalked their prey. A herd of deer were grazing along the far side of the lake. To the left of us rested a small herd of buffalo stopping by to grab a quick drink from the watering hole.

"It's like a harmonized song." I looked over at Zerathez to see his happy, glistening eyes that gazed upon the magnificent scene. "I have never beheld such beauty!" I took a few steps closer to the lake. The catfish scattered in fear of my presence and then swam away to the opposite side of the lake.

"Can you feel it Lothar?" Zerathez stared happily at me, waiting for an answer.

"Feel what?" I looked up at him dumbfounded as if I were some kind of animal looking straight at an on coming train.

"The energy of course. All life produces an aura of energy. It radiates from our soul and surrounds our bodies. If a monk stretches forth his feelings then he and he alone can feel the energy from life's soul. Take a deep breath, and then stretch forth your five senses into the organisms around you to reveal the souls of other living things." I kneeled down and then took a deep breath. I tried to clear my mind and then paced my hand down onto the grass. I closed my eyes and listened closely to the sounds which surrounded me. Chirps and squawks echoed through the trees as a soft breeze blew gently across my face. The grass was cold, yet soft and alive. It also felt a little damp from the early morning dew. The breeze that blew past began to increase in ferocity and power as if a dark spirit had just come into the region. Suddenly a vibrant like sensation came over me. Every hair on my arms began to shack making a silent and deep tone. It was almost as if I was able to hear some kind of sonar coming from the earth. My blood began cycling through my veins at an exhilarating rate. My head began to feel light headed from all the blood entering my head and then leaving almost instantaneously. The temperature of my body began to rise and sweet trickled down my face as the dew on the grass evaporated beneath my own hands. Water began gushing out of my eyes like a slow moving stream. My eye sight began to blur as if I were about to faint from over exhaustion.

"I feel something master, like an extremely toast fog sweeping across the land and through my very soul." I looked up only to find that my strength had weekend. After my head got about half way up it collapsed again unable to move. My legs became extremely stiff like some kind of a two by four board, while my arms dangled to my sides like I was some kind of a rag doll. "I can't stand up!" I attempted to gaze upon my master, but only to find that I could only see his feet.

"Take my hand boy, and find your inner strength." I forced energy into my arms. The blood flowed deep inside my veins as it began to rise. I grabbed hold of my master's hand.

"What happened master?" I asked as he lift me up and all my senses returned to normal.

"You used the power which only a monk can achieve. This is the ability to read ones soul, and to feel its strength within. You are still a novice, so you were unable to control the energy that began entering your soul. Because of this you were unable to clearly see what lies within the other organisms about you. You were unable to grasp the great powers that reside within every one of us. But once you discover how to control this ability then you will be able to cast even greater spells then you have ever imagined."

"But how does this power to see auras help me cast greater spells master Zerathez?" I stood there waiting for some kind of a reply when finally after a few minutes he spoke.

"When you view the aura of another organism, their power that radiates from there soul and surrounds their body becomes available to you. You can absorb their strength directly from their soul and then use the power that you absorbed and turn it into a most magnificent spell. This takes a great amount of concentration, but in the end it will be more rewarding then you can even imagine.

"Lothar, we have arrived." I shook my head realizing that I've been walking in a daze yet my body had continued on with out me. I pushed away my flash back and looked over at Lucia.

"Really, but where is it? All I see is an old dried up lake." Bushes grew alongside a most devastating sight. Cracked dirt spiraled down forming some kind of a large circular ditch. There seemed to be no animals whatsoever within the area. I stood there in complete bewilderment trying to understand how there could possibly be a city within the premises. I curiously watched Lucia as she stepped down to the center of the old lake. She stumbled through the brush, and tripped on a few cracks while attempting to reach the very center of it.

"This will just take a second." She kneeled down and began to shuffle through her deep and never-ending pocket of despair. After a couple of moments she finally pulled out a magnificent crystal. The blue glimmering stone shinned immensely. As light shown through the center of this bewildering wonder, it created a series of magnificent colors upon Lucia's face. Lucia leaned over and pressed the small crystal into a small hexagonal shaped hole within the center of the lake. For a few moments nothing happened, but then without any warning the earth began to tremble beneath our feet. A great flash of light boomed from the earth. Then Lucia with extreme care took the crystal from its resting place and stood up as if embracing herself for what was to come next. In fear I stumbled over a small bush as I took a couple of steeps backward from the terrifying scene. Quickly, and without hesitation I crawled backward to the nearest tree then stood so that I could see all the terror that would take place. Slowly but surely steps began forming, and then sunk deep into the earth.

"A spiral staircase!" I gasped as Lucia waved to me and then began descending down the great stairs. Warm and moist air rose from the depths of this great cavern. Smells of sweetened pineapple, and ripe grapes rose from within. I took a few steps closer to look into the depths of this bewildering sight. Upon the walls that had formed was some kind of ancient writing which I could not make out. Torches lit the path of what appeared to be the path of the dead. After a great amount of hesitation, and talking to myself I began to follow taking great caution as to what might lie ahead of me. The heat seemed to increase with every step that I took. The smell of great orchards flew up the cavern and reached the inside of my nose. I could smell oranges, and apples. The sound of water rushed through the walls as if it was being channeled into the depths of the earth. The torches blue fire lit the stairway with a ghastly glow. "This is amazing!" I thought to myself as I looked upon the hieroglyph covered walls. "There seems to be markings from almost every era." I said out loud trying to start up a conversation between Lucia and I.

"This stairway is thousands of years old. Only people, who are born here, live here." I began to ponder deeply about her comment. "How can a human possibly live underground and then live to tell the tale? How would they get food, or water? Where would all the air come from in order to be able to survive? And how could any life form possibly survive without the benefit of the suns rays? I shuffled through these questions, hoping to find a logical answer. But sadly enough, to my own bewilderment, I was unable to come up with anything. "Here it is, home sweet home." We approached a large wooden door. The smell of mold and dust radiated from it like some kind of an old wooden crate that had been buried for over thirty years. Two pillars of unmatched beauty stood about twenty feet from the base of the landing. Images of dragons, and grand sand worms covered the massive structures. And above these was an arch that curved above the wooden door. And that was when I saw it. Carved upon the stone of the arch was the same phrase that I came upon when entering the Travelers hall.

"Only the nine, a passage unfold, till dusk it will remain. The one who shall enter, perish to be lost." Beneath it in small chiseled letters read, "By the builders of the Travelers hall." I stood before it in complete bewilderment.

"It's an exact copy." I thought to myself as I took another step closer. "What does it mean by a passage unfold? And how come these two similar passages are written within two completely separate worlds?" Although these questions were extremely good, there was still one thing that scared me the most. "What does it mean by perish to be lost? And more importantly, who or what is being perished?" I trembled, hoping that I would never find the answer to that question. "There's a settlement behind this door?" I asked trying to get my mind of the subject. I stepped forward in order to see the answer to all my questions.

"Allow me to introduce our beloved city, Ephesus!" Lucia shoved the doors wide open to reveal a massive city.

"It's amazing!" I glanced around to see that the city was covered with life. Grassy fields stretched for miles, and large trees reached up and out of the massive tunnel. There homes were built on the trunks of these trees, with ladders attached to each one. Orchards filled with every fruit and vegetable imaginable lined the interior wall of the grand cavern. Cows and other manner of animals frolicked in the fields grazing upon the luscious green grass. Sounds of chirping birds could be heard from anywhere within the underground setting. People of many different sizes ran through the town as if late for an extremely important date. Right before us stood an outside market crawling with swarms of customers. The entire place seemed so alive that it was completely unbelievable. Then I saw a beautiful sight within the background. Far back, about a mile away from the market was a waterfall that moaned as it crashed into a large lake. "So that's why there's no water in the lake above." I realized noticing that the water was gushing out of a crack in the cave. After all this bewilderment I saw something that took my breath away. Crystals of every color, and shade lined the roof of the cave. It seemed as if the crystals absorbed the sunlight from above and then transferred it into these depths which Lucia called home. That was the answer to the question which could not be solved. "So that is how the life down here is sustainable." I realized as I gazed up at the beauty which it produced. Then Lucia grabbed hold of my hand.

"Come, I'll take you to see my mother." Lucia began jolting forward with sheer excitement. As we ran through the town all the people just stood, and starred at my presence. When I turned to look at one of them I noticed that they were gossiping amongst each other in a most peculiar manner.

"What are they looking at?" I asked my self in complete discussed. Lucia gripped onto my hand as tight as she could while we dodged all the people within the market. Suddenly by sheer accident we ran into a large bald man wearing sunglasses.

"Sorry!" Lucia exclaimed. The man just looked down at us with a cold sneer upon his face. Once again Lucia grabbed me and continued to bolt through the crowd.

"What was that guy's problem?" I asked Lucia only to find that she had completely ignored me. After a few more minutes of running, and gasping for air I saw it. A large building toward before us which stood above all the others. It stood about fifty, or eighty feet from the ground. Glass windows covered its white painted exterior.

"There, that's my house." I looked over to see Lucia as happy as could be. "Hurry up!" Lucia dragged me up to the door of the building. The door was arch shaped and had a crystal like glass shining in the sunlight. Then I noticed it. Amongst the patterns on the glass of the door was the exact same saying as before. "Only the nine, a passage unfold, till dusk it will remain. The one who shall enter, perish to be lost." I stood in complete bewilderment, but before I was able to ask Lucia about it she opened the door then pulled me into the opening of the master house. It was an interesting building, for the walls were painted completely white. It kind of reminded me of the pictures that I had seen of the inside of the white house back in my world. Paintings hung from the walls about every eight feet. A large and narrow staircase lead up to the second floor. "Up the stairs, we don't have all day." I slowly made my way up the staircase one step at a time.

"I wonder who her mother is." I thought to myself. "She must be a very important person to be living in the largest house of the entire city." Once we reached the top of the stairs we came to a long hallway. Just like before paintings hung on the wall, but this time large red curtains covered the windows of the great mansion.

"It's this way!" Lucia, once again with excitement in her eyes grabbed hold of my hand and began running down the hall. By this time I was getting extremely tired of being dragged around like some kind of rag doll, but I didn't complain. It seemed as if the hall would never end, but sure enough we came upon a large white door. "Finally, we made it." Lucia, without hesitation opened the door. We entered a room which had blue colored walls. Pink curtains covered the gigantic window that stood on one side of the room just like the windows in the hall. In the center was a large desk. And behind the desk sat who appeared to be Lucia's mother. "Mom, I'm home." The withered old women who appeared to be about fifty years of age looked up and ceased to do her paper work.

"And who might I ask is this young fellow?" She stood up within an instant and began to glare at me with the darkest glance I had ever seen. "No outsiders are permitted within this city! Even you should know better Lucia then to let him wander in like this!" She stepped forward with a scowl of appending death as if the dark spirits were answering to her call.

"Mother, he is but a traveler who got lost within the woods, I had to help him! I would have regretted to have left him to die within those dastardly conditions!" Lucia took a step back in sheer terror as if that was the first time that she had ever argued with her mother, personally I would have loved to have had the chance to argue with my parents seeming that I had never even known them.

"He must leave the city immediately! For if he stays, who knows what kind of catastrophe may fall upon us!" The women clinched my shoulder as if she were some sort of crab, then she began to shove and drag me towards the door as if I were just some mere pest that was breaking an entry.

"But mother, he saved my life! Would you just show your gratitude to this man by having him thrown out with the other animals, almost as if he were some beast?" The women suddenly ceased her aggressive behavior and turned to face her daughter. By now Lucia had already developed an entire face full of tears, how girls do it I will never know but man was she good at it!

"That may be, but you must remember that had you not helped this here whelp, your life would not have been put into dangers way! The reason why you were within that situation was because of the boy, and this truth even I cannot deny! And you also know this to be true." Once again she started aggressively herding me to the door as if I were just some mere farm animal.

"Mother, he bares the mark, the one of which is spoken within the prophecy!" She stopped, her eyes widening as if she were an owl stalking her prey!

"What did you just say?" The women reached and clamped onto my arm once again for about the fifth time, (Which by now my arm had begun to bruise) then began to roll up my sleeve of my coat with both excitement and fear in her eyes. "This cannot be, it isn't possible." She took multiple steps back as if she were just struck by some kind of a football and then collapsed into a chair next to the door like she had just finished a long six mile hike and was weary from the travel. "If it is so, then you must take him to the monastery at once, they'll know what to do. And before you leave to continue your endeavors traveler, I believe that it would be necessary for me to introduce myself in a more subtle way. My name is Irzarbella, queen of this fare city, and by all means what may I have the liberty of calling you?" Her face turned toward mine with a glance of complete anticipation and curiosity.

"My name is Lothar, I have come a great distance in an attempt to complete my training so that I may become a full fledged monk." She nodded in a most peculiar manner, and then smiled almost in some sad way.

"Not even knowing what awaits you I see, your endeavors will be most difficult with the burden of not even knowing your purpose, but besides that you must hurry to the monastery at once. The monks will be expecting your arrival, and you must not keep them waiting." Lucia bowed in the utmost respect her head appeared to almost touch the floor before coming back up to the light, and then she tugged my arm to go. I turned while wincing in pain for the bruise had now fully covered my arm and by feeling her hand touch it made a series of pains flow through it. Silently and reverently we exited the building, and once in the fresh air of the underground cavern, (If that makes any since at all as to why there would be fresh air about twenty feet under ground) Lucia began to speak.

"The monastery is up on that hill." She pointed in the direction as to where we should be going. I instantly became reenergized, (as if the bunny really does keep on going and going, like a never ending cycle which we all know isn't true) and the pain within my arm instantly lifted as if a curse had been broken and I was ready to go!

"The truth will finally be reveled to me, and I will know what my true task is to completing my training in order to become a full fledged monk!" I steadily began to increase my pace as we approached a large staircase that went straight up the side of the hill. It was a curious staircase, two lion Statues stood on both sides of the great stair as if they were guarding the marble stairway that led to the top. "So close, yet so far." I find myself saying things like that almost all the time. I remember a couple of years back when I was being taught by my mentor Zerathez that I ended up using that exact phrase. I stood outside of the monastery waiting for my master so that we may continue my training from the night before. He came out as always, dreary eyed and drowsy as if he were to pass out right as he opened the door. You see, Zerathez was never much of a morning person, but gradually he would for himself up out of bed every morning. "Tired as always? I can tell by the un-tucked shirt and obnoxiously fluffy hair." He glanced up as if he could see the top of his head and then looked down upon me with a frown.

"Look who's talking mister I forgot to put my boots on this morning." I glanced down to see that what I had thought was there had vanished, but I am guessing that they were never there and it was just my imagination.

"Oops!" We both laughed and then after we properly prepared ourselves we began our journey. He took me through a large underground chamber which seemed to be a large crevice within the side of a hill since I could see the sky up above. But he insisted that we were underground. I am still unable to make any since out of this, but oh well. After multiple twists and turns we came to a large and open space that appeared to be a small vegetation of grape vines and watermelons.

"Watch your step; don't want to crush a melon." We ventured to the far end of this odd looking garden to find a small water fall coming directly from the ceiling. "Can you see it my boy? Within that fall lies a crystal of unknown origin. It contains the life force of the great monasteries, and even the planets themselves." I marveled at its brilliant light and energy. "Also, with that stone any person would be able to see the past of anyone who had any relation to the user of the stone. They could have seen who they were, were they are, and what was to become of them." I took a few steps closer in marvel, and that was when I realized it.

"If I get a hold of that stone, then I could discover the secrets of my past, and future. I can find out who my mother and father were, and learn about what happened to them in the past. I am so close to getting it, and yet I am still so far." Zerathez then grabbed my arm when he realized that I was reaching out for it.

"You mustn't remove it, for if it is taken from this place the planet itself will be destroyed along with everything in it." Suddenly Lucia grabbed my arm.

"Hurry up; we don't have all day you know." Right, back to adventure! Quickly, and without hesitation I began to run up the stairs. Once we arrived at the top of the staircase, a familiar face was awaiting for me outside of the monastery.

"Master Luton!" I bowed in respect as he walked over to my side.

"Come along lad, so that all may be revealed." He began to venture towards the large marble building.

"Sir is master Zerathez with you?" he paused as if stunned by the question and then turned around to face me. A grim look seemed to appear on his face as he spoke.

"I am sorry to say that he will not be joining us. He had urgent business to do and left immediately."

"So he was here?" I took a few steps closer eager to hear his reply.

"Yes he was here, but only for a moment." He glanced down at the ground as if ashamed of something that he said.

"Why did he leave me here? Usually he would come with me on all my tasks to insure success. But this time he deserted me." Luton had no remark to what I had said, but instead he grabbed hold of my shoulder and began dragging me into the Monastery. We slowly walked down a long and wide isle of benches. Straight ahead of us were four strange alters. Back in our monastery I recall that alters always had the insignia of a white stallion, but here they were marked with and snake that coiled itself around a strange staff that formed a cross at the top. Many candles surrounded them to represent the piece and serenity of the temple. A large stain glass window with an image of some sort of white warrior toward above the four alters.

"Come, the entrance is over here." Luton grabbed me and jolted us towards the right of the four alters. An old wooden door which looked well used stood before us. "Well, go on." I stepped forward and began to open the door.

(Crack) The sound of snapping wood echoed throughout the monastery as I entered.

"I haven't come in here for over thirty years!" Luton shoved me into the small room. Large stone chairs were placed around the circular room. I noticed that on the arm of every chair was the mark of the snake and cross. In the center on the empty floor was a painting of the entire galaxy. Stars, comets, you name it the murals got it.

"It's the Sklorg galaxy!" I thought silently to myself. Eight monks sat around the majestic masterpiece as if we were at some kind of war meeting and the mural in the center was the board that we would use to form battle plans. And at the very center of the mural was another stone chair, but this one was different. It stood upon an odd gear which appeared to be the back of some sort of clock.

"Lothar, take a seat within the circle of destiny." I looked over at Luton to make sure that I should obey his commands. He nodded and then took a seat on the outer area of the circle. I eased myself forward to the center of the mural and took a seat. Instantly as my rear end made contact with the cold stone the mural that surrounded me began to glow. Then the image from the floor appeared to lift from the floor and then form a holographic image of the entire galaxy that encompassed the entire room.

"Show us the secrets within Sintia!" Suddenly the hologram began to change its shape. The colors upon the mural rearranged themselves to form a completely different image. It formed the landscape of the planet known as Sintia! One of the other monks walked over to my side.

"You must travel through the waste lands of no return. After this your journey will take you to the great caves of memory. Be warned, for once you enter the caves and the deeper you go in, the more memories will be lost." He paused for a moment as if he was thinking of what he was going to say next, and to give me time to let all that sink in. "Once you've gone to the heart of the cave you will find a great beast. Your quest Lothar is to slay the beast before you lose yourself within the cave." The map without a moments notice vanished in an instant and reformed back into the original mural. The monk set back down from exhaustion. I figured that he must be extremely out of shape if he just gets tired from saying a few sentences. Luton stood up and faced me.

"Do you understand the trial which was placed before you?" I hesitated for a moment. I had to think it over.

"What if I don't make it in time to slay the beast? I will end up forgetting everyone that I know; I will even forget who I am. I could be trapped within the cave for the rest of my life, not knowing who I am, or where I was from." Finally I nodded in silence.

"Good, you shall leave when the first light strikes the forests above."

Chapter 4

I find myself a sand box

Before I go on with this story, I think that it would be only fair that I answer one of the most commonly asked questions. And that question would be, do you ever eat? And the truth is that I have already eaten multiple times. One time I had a wonderful meal of sushi with Luton, and Lucia. And while I was in the woods I ended up eating an entire meal of just pure earth worms! But these were no ordinary earth worms. I mean, they were seriously around six feet long and about two feet wide! Talk about eating like a king! Anyways, let's get on with the story, shall we? I awoke to the sound of a familiar voice. "Lothar, get up you lazy child." I sat up out of the bed which they let me use at the monastery. I was in a small dark chamber that appeared to be some kind of a dungeon. A small oval shaped window toward over the head of my bed. "The sun has struck the trees, and so your venture through the wastelands begins." I stood up to realize that Luton had already packed my bag. It look so stuffed in fact that it appeared to be about the size of a medium sized bear cub. "I added some necessities that may help you through your travels." I gripped the bag firmly and rose it up onto my shoulder. It seemed to be about fifteen pounds, or maybe even more! "Oh, before you leave I wish that you take this. It will protect you from any manner of creature or beast." Luton with a swift motion pulled a sword out of its sheath. "I used this very sword on the day of my journey through the wastelands when I was just a lad." He re sheathed the sword and then handed it to me gracefully. The Sheath was blue, with a painting of a bald eagle on it. And the pommel of the sword was in the shape of the head of the eagle. The blade was a crimson color that curved slightly as it reached its point.

"Thank you Luton, you've always helped me and I'm grateful for it" He nodded and then with a wave of his hand directed me to the door. Obediently I followed him like some kind of a dog.

"Your true story begins, what may unfold during your travels may be uncertain, but even though this may be true I know that you will return safely. Let your decisions be wise, and may your endeavors succeed." I bowed down to Luton in respect.

"My true journey shall begin, and my wait to being a full fledged monk is almost over." I began stepping up a spiral staircase to reach the main floor of the monastery. Once outside of the building I began making my way down the steps into the town. As I walked over to the spiral staircase that led outside of the city I noticed how quiet everyone was. As I walked by they all just stared at me in complete silence as if they thought that I was being sent to my death. Even the children who usually were running around happily were just staring at me as if all hope was lost. Finally I reached my destination of the spiral staircase. I began to make my way up them when a similar voice echoed up the stairs.

"Lothar, wait for me!"I turned around to see Lucia running towards me.

"What are you doing here?" I looked at her exhausted expression as she ran up beside me. She gasped for air and bent over as if she were in pain and then finally began to speak.

"I'm going to join you on your quest!" I took a step away from her up towards the surface.

"No, this task was placed before me and me alone. I will not drag you into these dangerous tasks." I paused for a moment in an attempt to come up with something intelligent to say. "I am sorry, but I don't want to see you get hurt again because of my own stupidity." I continued up the stairs hoping that she would not follow, but of course as expected without hesitation she ran after me and grabbed my arm in an attempt to halt my movement. I quickly withdrew my arm from her. "I must drive her away, it's to dangerous, and it's the only way that I can protect her." I carefully thought about what to say. And then with a loud a strong voice said, "You can not come, all that you will do is slow me down!" She looked up at me with fear in her eyes.

"But Lothar." She stepped a bit closer.

"I don't want your help; you will just get in the way! I never want to see you or your stupid little underground city ever again!" I turned from her and ran up the stairs with teary eyes. "I'm so sorry." I told myself and then bolted from the city as fast as my legs could carry me. In devastation and disgrace I ran deep into the woods towards the wastelands. The trees eventually began to become scarce as sand began to cover the ground. Once I arrived I noticed that all that I could see was complete desert. It looked as if it stretched on for ever. I began trudging forward hoping that I would be able to find my way. Scorching sunlight shined down from the heavens onto my shoulders making a horrible burning pain develop. Sunburn came much faster then expected, and dehydration shortly followed. My muscles became weak, and my hands became rough and ridged. I could have sworn that the hair on top of my head was burning, but then again it was probably just my imagination. My eyes became painfully sore, as if they were about to harden and then fall right out of my sockets. I tripped many times and stumbled downward onto a hard and shifty surface of sand. Every time that this happened I ended up having to spit out small grains of sand that just made my dehydration problem about ten times worse. Within about a half an hour I had already drank all the water in my cantina and was begging that it would eventually rain (Which you and I both know is not likely to happen) Within a few hours I began to hallucinate. I saw Lucia a few times, and also thought that I saw some sort of lake. I ran over and kneeled down to drink. But soon after did I realize that all I ended up with was a mouth full of sand. Suddenly, and without notice the earth began to shake beneath my feat. I thought that it was just another illusion and kept on walking. I was too exhausted to pay any attention to the dangers around me I quickened my pace through the desert. (Which between you and me is not saying much since I was so tired that even though I started to go faster I was probably going slower than your average cow?) Then it did it again. The surface rumbled deeply and the sand began to shift. I fell over when the sand slid from beneath my feat. "I am such a fool, but I could not let her come to such a dangerous place." I stood up in pain from my face smashing into a hard clump of sand. And then it happened. A blast of sand burst up into the sky. At first I couldn't tell what it was, but then I realized what its true form was. It was a gigantic dragon. (Not like Elliot the dragon, and definitely not anything like dragon tails) It was made completely of sand and as soon as I saw it, the beast arose from the depths into the sky. The diamond roared proudly as it hovered above. Then as fast as it came, it dove right back into the sand box of heck. Completely camouflaged by the sand, the dragon seemed to have instantly disappeared. I began to run as fast as my legs could carry me. But since I was already completely exhausted, and dehydrated I found that I was probably only going about a half a mile per hour if not slower. Sand shifted around me as I bolted forward hoping to find my destination. "What in the world was that!" I ran frantically while glancing in all directions with the slim hope in my mind that I might be able to pinpoint where his next appearance will occur. I withdrew my sword from its sheath preparing for a fight. (Which at that time I was imagining that when the dragon would return I would discover that it is actually a complete wimp) A trail began to approach from behind. With sand spewing in all directions I realized that it was right on my tail. "Come on, bring it!" I shouted trying to make myself sound confident. (But in reality I was actually hoping that it would completely ignore my request) Of coarse, as luck would have it the sand beast burst up from beneath me. Instantly, form sheer instinct I gripped onto the nearest spike that I found bulging out of its back. "Crap!" I screamed in horror as I began to bash its spine with my sword. But no matter what I did the blows seemed to be completely useless to the dragons sandy scales. "Well, at least things can't possibly get worse!" I squealed terrorized as the dragon flew up even higher. Suddenly the dragon began to do a loop. "Crap, you better not let go hands; otherwise I am cutting you off!" But although I gave it my all I fell from it's back. Air blew up at my face making my eyes become all teary. "This is it, I'm done for!" I thought as I plummeted to my death. But suddenly I remembered an old spell that I was taught by my old master Zerathez.

"Lothar, get out of bed already!" I woke to the grumpiest old man I had ever seen. Quickly I hoped right out of bed and began to get ready for the day. After a few short minutes I was outside and ready to begin my lecture. "Now, you must be wondering what I will be teaching you today." I shook my head in curiosity hoping that he would actually tell me instead of keeping it a surprise like he usually does. But as to my sheer suspicions he just told me to follow him to the eastern side of the land. After a couple of painful and dreadfully boring hours we had arrived. It was a peculiar place. Great stone pillars that appeared to be randomly placed stood high above the ground. "Today I will be teaching you a most peculiar spell." My excitement had reached its peak. I had been waiting to learn the third spell for weeks. Anticipation filled my soul as I listened to him speak the word that would change my entire aspect of magic. Zerathez pointed his sword straight into the air. "Listen closely, Ascention!" A sudden burst of air came from beneath him as he blasted up into the air. It was so powerful that I was almost blown right off my feat. After a few loops and twirls, (Which in my opinion was just to show off) he finally landed like he just performed one of the most average tricks in the book. "Now, try to concentrate not on what is below you, but at the point of your sword."

"But master Zerathez, I have no sword." He placed his hand on my shoulder, as if he were trying to calm me down.

"You have an arm don't you?" I nodded silently as I stretched my arm up towards the sky.

"Here it goes, Ascention!" Instantly I felt my feat fly out from under me as I face planted the dirt directly below me.

"Don't worry; no one gets it on their first try." I decided that if there was ever time to use that spell that this was that time. I quickly pointed my saber into the air and took a deep breathe. "Please let this work, Ascention!" I attempted to direct all my energy towards the tip of my sword. And almost as quickly as I had said the word my body lurched straight upwards into the clouds. Wings sprouted from my spine and began pulling me towards the dragon. The beast and I were so high up that I couldn't even see the desert beneath me. The only things in sight were the dragon, clouds, and of coarse myself. Once again on its back I felt like I was on a roller coaster. I decided that it was about time to wrap things up as quickly as possible so that I could continue my journey to the cave of memory. I flew off its back and then faced the great beast. "It is a good deal that Zerathez taught me all those spell's back then." Once again I stretched the blade of my sword towards the dragon. I took a deep breath and directed me energy this time directly to the center of my lungs. "The heart of all cold within the body, please guide me." About six years ago when I was back at the monastery with Zerathez he began to teach me many spells. But there was one which had the greatest wisdom behind it.

"Lothar, do you understand why I brought you here?" We stood amidst a great waterfall within an odd looking cave. Stalactites hung from the ceiling. (Looking at those things always made me feel like I would be impaled to the floor of the cave) We approached the waterfall slowly as if we were being aware of some sort of danger that would appear from within.

"Well, is it to learn another spell?" I studied his facial expression hoping that he would acknowledge my answer as either correct or incorrect. But naturally he just kept on viewing the waterfalls magnificent glimmer within the light which appeared to be coming from the other side of the water. He waved his hand across the fall and muttered a word, but he said it too quietly for my ears to hear. The water froze within an instant, and some of the pieces of ice collided with the floor creating a massive outbreak of broken ice.

"This spell is one of the most powerful spells if used properly. Back when the war of 1912 raged upon us the enemy used this spell to freeze our water supplies, but not only did it eliminate almost all the fish, but it also gave them a passage straight into our base. We were hopelessly out numbered. They almost defeated us, but luckily back up arrived and we drove out the enemy from our home." He hesitated to continue like he was thinking of all the pain that they went through, but then he finally continued. "This spell almost completely devastated our cause with but a single sweep of destruction. Now after all these years I shall teach it to you. But as a word of advice I must caution you. On your journeys there will be others out there who will act as your friend. But as this spell suggests, not only are their spells cold but their hearts as well. They may try to get close to you, but in the end betray you."

"Here it goes blizzaga!" I shouted and almost instantly a large blast of fog shot out of the end of my sword. Then the fog parted and formed ice shards that flew through the air directly at the dragon. It roared as shards pierced through the first layer of sand making one of the loudest crunching noises I had ever heard. (And trust me when I say that it was ten times louder then someone chewing on Captain Crunch) But although it was a direct hit, its sand was so hot that the ice almost instantly melted right off of its body. "Well that sucked!" I bellowed as I dodged its fiery breath. I attempted to think of another spell that might work on the monstrosity that was before me. It jerked its head forward in an attempt to drive its fearsome teeth deep into my skin. Quickly I lurched to the right in an attempt to dodge its terrible jaws. It missed my leg by a mere foot and then swooped right passed me like a speeding train. As soon as I cleared its mouth I aimed my sword at it once more. (I would understand if by now you were tired of the stupid flash backs and are unable to get back to the action scene, but I am sorry to say that there is still one more to come)

"Lothar, wake up!" I stood up to realize that I had been moved from my bed. I found myself at the edge of a volcano. (Right after I stood up began to rumble making me almost plummet to my death into the deep depths of lava) "Be carful you nimrod." Zerathez lifted me to my feet after the incident. "You are probably wondering why I brought you here." I nodded out of sheer disbelief that he was able to carry me straight up the face of a volcano. "The heart of fire lies within the earth. And the entrance to the earth lies within the volcano's of this land. This is where we can absorb the energy from the earth to fill our souls with the power of fire. This however is difficult and can even result in ones death, for the only way to get close enough to the center is by entering the volcano." I looked down in fear of losing my life. Then up at Zerathez.

"Just tell me what to do and I will do it." He nodded calmly and then started to direct me around the volcano to find the best way to enter it. Eventually we can to a spot that partially sloped down into the volcano.

"This is it. Once you reach the halfway point open your throat as wide as you can in an attempt to let the fumes seep down into your diaphragm. For that is where the key source of heat and energy lies within the body. I began to inch my way down the wall until I finally reached the halfway point. Once there I began my instructions to the nearest detail. Suddenly I felt a rush of energy enter my mouth. I could see the fumes enter my body only to be lost. Suddenly lava spouted out of the volcano like some sort of fountain and then began to pour into my mouth. For some odd reason I was unable to feel the scorching heat that radiated from the lava. Once this process was complete I made my way back to the mouth of the volcano. "So, how do you feel?" he helped me up to see that my body was very queasy and weak from the experience.

"Why didn't the lava kill me master?" I looked up at Zerathez with a look of both confusion and horror. He nodded in acknowledgement and then began to speak.

"I forced a potion down your throat while you were knocked out." I tried to stand, but found that my legs lacked the strength to lift me. "A side affect I'm afraid, it should wear off in a couple of hours. This spell can be very dangerous, so I must ask you to use it sparingly." I nodded to inform him that I had heard his words. "Good, then I shall take you back to the monastery, and then I shall teach you the spell."

"Here it goes, Firaga!" Three flames in the shape of phoenixes flew from the tip of my sword. They collided into its chest making a massive explosion. The waves from the explosion almost knocked me out of the air as the dragon fell back to the planet's surface. The sand that formed its body quickly heated both its form, and the surface of the desert. I stayed up in the air to keep a bird's eye view to insure the demise of the sand dragon. (Right about know I was shacking like none other from sheer fear of being crunched in the jaws of the beast) Almost as fast as the dragon delved deep into the sandy surface, the form of the dragon reappeared as sand spewed out from below me. But to my own surprise I noticed that it was no longer part of gods sand sculpture collection. The once whole grained demon had transformed into a moving, breathing glass figurine. (It looked almost as if a piece of my Lord of the rings figurine set had just been placed within the cupboard that had once brought forth a small Indian figurine from its plastic prison) "Well, that was unexpected." It began to flap its wings like some kind of flightless penguin. That was when I realized that its new form was too heavy for its wings to support. Due to this factor it was unable to fly and just sat waiting for its prey, aka me to swoop down for a killing strike. "There has to be some way that I can destroy this monstrosity." I kept a great distance between me and the large mouth that appeared to be on some kind of glass vase. The answer struck me after a few moments of solitary from being able to feel stable ground beneath my feet. "It's no longer sand, but glass! And glass shatters!" I dove down as quickly as possible increasing as much momentum as possible. I stretched fourth my sword directly ahead of me. "You'll be sorry for attacking me!" In rage I drove the sword directly into its side making it squeal in pain like some sort of dying rat. Cracks quickly spread throughout its body like some sort of plague that was infecting the land. A sharp ringing noise went through my ears as it blasted into a thousand shards. I held my ears tightly to guard from the high pitched noise, but this gesture was a mistake. By raising my hands to my ears I left my self completely open to be impaled by flying shards. Cuts formed on my face as whizzing pieces of glass ripped my skin apart. "OW!" I screamed as a shard flew directly into my gut. I knelt and leaned over to grab at the shard that had just gotten a direct hit. Without a single thought I began wrapping up the wound hoping that the pain would cease to exist. Unfortunately my attempts were futile and blood continued to gush out from the wound. "I have no choice but to remove the shard and surgically rejoin the skin to cease the bloods flow." It was a painful procedure that almost took an entire hour. (If something like this ever happens to you I must inform you that I was trained by a professional and that this procedure must never be done by anyone except an expert. So if you ever find yourself dying from blood loss I have a little wisdom to share with you. Go to the hospital, because this hurts!) I stood up and took a glance around the terrain hoping that it was the only dragon within this desert. The sun began to set in the east and darkness began to cover the lands. (You're probably curious as to why the sun is setting in such a peculiar manner. Well, as I put it earlier this is a different world completely adjacent to our world therefore this planet is rotating in a different direction around the sun. Also, instead of cycling in a circle around the sun, it travels in a much more oval shape creating dramatic changes in the weather. For at one point the planet is close to the sun, but after it while it travels far and becomes quite distant from it) Stars covered the sky and in the distance a large constellation toward above this world. The constellation of Methias had its sword to one side as he placed his hand on his hip like some high and mighty warrior. Then I recalled what Zerathez had told me a few months ago.

"Mind the constellation of Methias, for if you ever find yourself lost on you journey, he will point the way." I looked at it intently and then realized that his sword seemed to be pointing at something. I decided to head in that direction hoping that I would find the direction which the monks had instructed to me. After another two hours or so I saw it. A large mountain side toward over the desert, and at the point of the constellations sword of a large crevice. I took my map from the bag to see that the crevice was the only way to get to the south side of the wastelands. I rolled up the map and placed it back into its proper place.

"Looks like I have finally spotted my next destination." I clenched my throat hoping that maybe I would end up finding some kind of water within the crevice. But for some reason I felt that the chances of that were extremely thin. I began trudging over the sand dunes in an attempt to arrive at the crevice. "Once there I will be that much closer to completing my task." I kept on repeating in an attempt to keep my self of steam burning. Suddenly the sand began shifting. "What in the world?" I yelped as the sand formed a large whirlpool. It began pulling me down as if I were being sucked down an oversized drain. "This is bad!" I told myself not realizing that it could get any worse. (But you and I both know that it is always possible to get worse) A large set of jaws appeared at the center of the whirlpool. It chomped furiously as if it were trying to stretch out to eat me. I leaned forward and stood up as I continued to go down like I was on some kind of escalator. I waited till I had only about a foot of clearance between life and toxic acids that would devour my flesh, and then I jumped. It roared with a terrible shriek as I leaped over the jaws of despair. Quickly I began to climb up the other side of sand and then continued towards the crevice. But sadly enough the beast wasn't going to give in so easily. (Just so you know, if you are ever being attacked by a giant monster remember that if it just disappears it is probably analyzing your strengths and weaknesses so that it can approach you again) "I've got to get to that tunnel before it is too late!" The whirlpool disappeared almost as quickly as it came. Everything seemed calm, like a sea that had just gotten past a storm. But I was ready for the worst. I drew my sword out of its sheath as I ran towards the tunnel that would lead me to my destination. Suddenly the worm like beast jumped out in front of me. I turned around and began going back into the direction that I just came. It plunged back into the earth making all the sand around us shift in an odd sort of way. I lost my footing and fail onto all fours. "Come on legs, work with me!" I told myself in anger as I began to crawl. I flipped around to see that nothing was there. The beast had vanished like it did before. "It must be protecting the territory of the crevice." I stood up and decided that it would be smart to develop some sort of plan. At first I thought that I could just use the spell Ascention and just fly over the sand to the crevice. But then I realized that up above the crevice were circling birds of some kind and I didn't want to find out if they were friendly or not. I thought that maybe I could use Firaga again and create a path made out of glass that the worm would be unable to break through. But then I realized that if my spell was too weak then the worm would be able to break through and I would be impaled by shards of glass. I then realized that the beast technique to defeating its prey was that it would shift the sand beneath them so that they would fall down defenseless. So if I used Blizzaga then I would be able to freeze the grains of sand together to make a sturdier landmass to go across towards the crevice. "It's worth a try, Blizzaga!" A cold blast of ice shot from the end of my sword and began freezing the sand before me. Once all the sand between the crevice and I was froze I began running towards my goal. The pathway that I had formed was only about two feet wide. This was very inconvenient since if I stretched my arm barley over the side that beast would be able to bite it off like it was nothing. The sand directly next to me continued to shift as I realized that it was following me, waiting for me to make a mistake. On the left I noticed that two more trails were being formed, and that was when I realized that there were three worms hoping to get a piece of me. Suddenly the trails vanished and then the sand below me began to crack. The worms were attempting to break, or at least weaken the foundation which was the only thing keeping me from being digested. (And let me tell you that the inside of any living creature is the nastiest thing that I have ever seen. No details will be given at this time) "Almost there!" I gasped as the sand began to crumble beneath my feat. I breathed through my mouth like some kind of snoring animal in a hot wasteland. With each step I took, more and more of my foundation began to crumble away. The water that was once in my mouth had evaporated, never to be seen again. Suddenly a worm shot up from beneath the sandy foundation, they had broken through. A mouth flew past me and just barely missed me by a mere centimeter. I figured that since they had no eyes they must have been tracking me by smell. (At first I wished that I had known that before I began venturing into the wilderness. But then I realized that one of the only ways that I would have been able to know this is if I had gotten close enough to one to be able to tell. And that I didn't even want to think about.) Another one swooped at me from the front. I dove forward like a baseball player that had just reached home plate. (The only difference was that I wasn't wearing one of the weird jump suits that they like to call uniforms) Then, almost as fast as I swooped down I quickly got back onto my feet and continued to run like I was in a five mile marathon. "I'm almost there, Just a few more feet!" I began to increase my pace when I realized that for some reason I began to slow down. I looked at my feet while I ran to notice that the gigantic earth worm behind me was sucking up all the sand beneath me like some kind of vacuum. (No I don't want to sound rude or anything but I suggest that you do not use the vacuum brand known as twister. I believe that they have about as much horse power as a small fan) I forced my legs to move quicker towards the crevice so that I would not be devoured. But then I realized that this was a team effort. While the one behind me planed the slow my acceleration down the other two jumped up out of the earth in an attempt to devour me. I noticed by now that the foundation was officially completely destroyed. I leaped back in fourth to dodge their attacks that seemed almost impossible to have missed. Luckily I succeeded in dodging them and continued to head for the crevice. (Now this is where the real excitement begins) Now that I was close enough to the crevice the birds up above spotted my struggle with the earth worms. They began to swoop down as quickly as they could in order to become part of the action. The closer they got, the sooner I realized that they were all sand dragons. "This is it, the end has finally arrived!" I told myself, but then I realized that the dragons were not interested in me. Right before I was crunched into pieced by a large earth worm, one of the dragons flew past and caught the worm in mid air. "It's survival of the fittest." I realized noticing the dragons were in much better shape for this sort of conflict then the worms. The dragons picked them off like flies until there where only one left. "Almost there!" I leaped into the tunnel and then turned around to see the last worm be lifted into the air soon to be a meal worthy of a dragon. "Ouch!" I bellowed as I lifted up my shirt to see that I had ripped my own wound open. I looked down at the injury thinking that there was nothing that I could do. Then I felt a cold sensation trickle down the back of my neck. Some water was flowing down the side of the cave like a miniature waterfall. I placed my cantina right up against the side of the cavern wall to fill it up. After a few moments of waiting the cantina was filled to the brim. I then washed down my wound before sewing it back together. Once this procedure was complete I wrapped the wound back up with linen cloth. "I think I should rest for a while." I told myself as I propped my back up against the hard and cold wall. Crystals hung up above me making a wondrous blue light that filled the cavern. I reached into my bag and pulled out some sandwich making materials. "Thank you Luton." I sighed in relief as I spread some jelly across the bread. "It looks delicious." Quickly I sunk my teeth deep into the whole grained wheat bread. The peanut butter stuck to the roof of my mouth as the raspberry jam slide down like a water slide that needed to be greased. "It's quite satisfying." I lade my jacket onto the cold floor of the cavern floor, and almost immediately after I placed my head on it I fell asleep. I had a most peculiar dream. (By the way, for monks we don't just have dreams but visions as well) I saw the monks at the Travelers hall. They were hustling and bustling like they usually did until it happened. Black smoke began to flow out of every portal into the hall. A low and dark voice chuckled throughout the corridor. The monks scattered in an attempt to find the source of the laughter. But by separating into small individual groups they made themselves more vulnerable to the enemy. Soon after a few moments all the monks were knocked onto the floor of the hallway. Each one was paralyzed from the waste down and was unable to move.

"Who are you?" One of the monks yelled out through the darkness.

"And who is it that requests my name?" The room was silent for several moments and then a powerful and strong sound came out to be heard.

"My name is Luton!" Sadly enough I was unable to see the faces of both Luton and his attacker.

"My name is of no concern; all that matters is the forbidden portal." The entire hallway was completely silent except for the sound of the enemies' footsteps pound along the corridor. Suddenly a loud screeching noise filled everyone's ears as the vault door to the forbidden portal was opened. I sat up to realize that the sun had already risen and was about half way across the sky. "Oh no, it looks like I have over slept!" I stood up and tied my jacket around my waste. I then grabbed my bag and began heading to the other side of the corridor. "I better hurry if I want to arrive before night fall." I walked slowly and surly along the path which I was told to take. I noticed that the path began to twist and turn and then forked into three different directions. "This is no normal cavern, it's a labyrinth." I continued walking as I came upon an odd looking set of stairs. "Here we go." I began taking my first few steps downward into the abyss when a deep and powerful roar sounded from within. It made the hairs of my skin shutter in fear, but I decided not to take note of it and to just continue onward. The Labyrinth was extremely damp, and moss appeared to be growing on the tunnels walls. After a while I entered a room. It was spacious and was covered with stone pillars that supported the ceiling. On each pillar was some sort of writing. "Strange, each pillar has some kind of inscription but in a different language every time." And then I spotted it. From not to far off I saw a pillar with an ancient Greek text that was somewhat readable. (You see, my master had been teaching me ancient and forgotten languages. Greek of coarse was my worst subject but I was still able to read most of it.) It said, "A traveler's fate soon to end, His lightened path turned to grim, Understanding leads them in, but to their demise death brings him. A power of darkness to unfold, the demons awakening will be told, and for some time they'll try to fight, but only to see an awful sight. The worlds beginning came so fast, and now the ending is here at last. But one can change this awful fate, he must enter the crest then wait, for years the path to success appears, the chosen one a chance to fear." Chills rose up and down my body as I pondered over this statement. Clearly this was some kind of prophecy for the chosen one. And of coarse the chosen one was me, so the parts about awful sights, and chance to fear really made me worry. After while I decided it best to not ponder over such things for the future is best unknown. (Especially when there are those movies and books that always talk about someone hearing about their future and then attempt to stop the outcome. And in the end they cause the outcome to occur because they try to stop it. I didn't want to end up like one of those.) I kept on walking down this spacious room until I came to another passage. I began heading into it but after a few feet realized that it branches out into three different tunnels. Which to choose, they all looked so tempting. (Ha, ha, yeah right like those caverns looked at all appealing. The one on the left had snakes slithering along the cavern floor like it was some kind of parade. On the right was a tunnel covered in scorpions and tarantulas. And as for the center path, it looked just like the other ones that I had recently came out of dull, damp, and covered in blue crystals. So obviously I chose the center path.) After walking a ways through the tunnel the crystals began to change. First they turned into a bright pink, followed shortly by a dark purple. And as if it couldn't get any creepier in the cavern the crystals turned into a bright red. From the glow of the red crystals it looked like the walls were covered in blood. It looked as if a great battle had recently taken place here, and I was the only survivor. And then, I herd it again. A low deep roar that seemed to send all of my nerves into shock bounced off the hallowed halls of the cliff. Then it got louder as if informing me that it is to dangerous to continue and that I should just turn back now. It repeated this same roar over and over again until finally my head felt like it would pop. (You know that ringing noise that you get in your head sometimes that makes it almost impossible to hear anything? Well that is exactly what happens when you hear that low tone over and over again.) I began thinking, "What could possibly be making that sound? Maybe it's another one of those worm beasts that I fought outside the cave." But then I realized that the beast's growl was too high pitched to be of any relation to this. "Perhaps it's a cave troll, or even a fierce centaur." I gulped at the image of a centaur swinging its double sided axe lobbing my head off right when I come into view of its black and deadly eyes. (You know those weird and random day dreams that some people get, and then they realize that there imagination was being extremely far fetched and that it really isn't as bad as they expected. Well I can guarantee you that it ends up being worse than I imagined.) "I am so dead!" I told myself as my breath ceased to exist. After a while I had to force myself to breathe otherwise my beat red face would start turning purple. And then I finally came to it. Ahead of my sight was a sharp turn to the left. "Well, better now then never." I told myself, and then with a deep breath swooped around the corner. To my surprise I came across a large empty room. The room reached about eighty feet high, and about forty feet wide. I took a closer look expecting that something was out of place. The rocky walls were covered with green moss, and so was the floor in front of me. This made it very difficult to walk since it was excruciatingly slippery. I began to sheath my sword after being convinced that there was nothing to fear here. I stepped forward and then noticed that in the center of the room was a deep pit. Rocks crumbled beneath my weight and fell into the pit. I took a few steps back fearing for my life, and that's when I heard it. The unknown creature roared again. "Come on out, I dare you!" Of coarse by now I should have been wiser then to go around shouting to demons to show themselves, but since when was I ever that smart. Out from the pit of despair rose what looked almost like a cliff side? Rocks and moss suddenly rose above me as if some conjurer had given life to a non animated lump of earth. It swung around to reveal what appeared to be a face. Four giant red eyes appeared on its head. Two large and stubby legs supported it's extremely muscular body. Then I noticed that it didn't even have any arms!

"Who dares enter my realm without introduction? I am the devastator, created by gods and summoned by mortals. I stand before you in this form to guard the south side of the wastelands in order to protect what need be protected." I took a few steps back in shock that this object was talking to me as if it were a mere mortal human. It glanced down upon me and then smiled coldly. "No man comes in my cavern and lives to tell the tale." Suddenly the passage behind me ceiled itself shut. "No escape, death shall be your savior." It flung its body against the wall on the left, and then did the same on the right. Rock formations stretched themselves from the wall and collided with the beast. The four blobs that attached themselves to its massive body began morphing into the shape of four grand arms. "There is no point in struggling, just let me finish you off quickly and painlessly." I withdrew my sword preparing myself for battle.

"I'm warning you, you pick a fight with me and it shall be your last" It chuckled making the ground beneath me shack. Then it swung one of its left arms at me in an attempt to splatter my body across the cavern walls. I leaped into the air and performed something that could have convinced quite a few people that I was an expert gymnast performing a perfect 90 degree twist. Shortly after this spectacular feat I landed on the joint of his top left arm. The beast swung itself around furiously in an attempt to shack me off. It kept on bending its elbow as I gripped on tightly so that I wouldn't fly off and hit the cave walls. Then it began bashing its arm against the cavern side trying to crush me like a bug. I climbed up towards its head and held on tightly. The great beast shook his entire upper body vigorously. I began to feel light headed as if I were to pass out at any moment! I knew that I would have to get off; otherwise I would be done for! I waited for the precise moment when he leaned closer to one of the walls and then took my chance. One leap and whoosh I landed on the wall! Quickly without even thinking about it my hands gripped on tightly to avoid tragically delving deep into the pit of death! I tried to inch my way around him to try to get a good angle on him! I slipped and began sliding downward but then once again made good footing. I was now five feed above the small ledge that once headed towards the exit. The golem whaled in anger then began swinging madly at the walls on both sides. "He's going to collapse the ceiling!" I dropped down and landed on the ledge. I was hoping that this particular landing would be sturdy enough to withstand his homemade earthquake. But of coarse my luck would never let that happen! The ground beneath my feet began to crumble and shift from the great shaking of the chamber. I backed away from the edge to avoid falling. The beast roared in anger and then began bashing the wall that toward above me! As rocks fell upon me I noticed something that would save my life. A subtle cracking in the barricade that blocked my way outside. "Hey, why don't you swing those things where they could be used most?"

"No escape!" The beast increased his strength in a great effort to make the room collapse. More cracks formed in the door as I inched closer and closer to it. Finally a rock burst from passage and I saw a small gap that would barely fit my size! I ran as quickly as possible until I felt something grab me! "NO escape, only death!" I began to be dragged by two large fingers. Eventually they crushed my ankle making me wail in pain! He lifted me into the air and then began shaking me like an extremely large snow globe in an attempt to see snow flakes float out from within me! Finally he released me and I went flying into the air! I quickly grabbed onto a falling rock and then threw myself from it. I lunged forward towards the gap in the wall once more!

"There is an escape, and it's right here!" I announced proudly as I landed on the platform and then crawled through the gap in the wall!

"No, how dare you! You will regret escaping me; you shall not live to tell the tale!" My breathing began to slow down when I saw a glimpse of light coming from far off in the distance. Relief came over me knowing that I was away from the danger within this cavern of despair! Without hesitation I quickly exited the cavern to escape the horror! Once again I found myself in a sandy wasteland.

"The southern wasteland." I sat down on one of the small sand dunes. Slowly but surely I regained my energy. Soft breezes blew across the land calming even the most demonic of creatures. Sand shifted and blew throughout the air coating everything in its path. I reached into my bag and pulled out a large bottle of water. "Now to clinch my thirst!" After a moment of struggle the cap came off. "Gulp, gulp! Ah yeah." I lay down and looked up at the sky. The clouds drifted towards the North in a calm and soothing manner. I relaxed for a couple of minutes to ensure the regaining of my breath. Every once in a while the wind would pick up and get stronger but I decided not to worry about it. However that was a big mistake. The winds instantly began to increase, and sand began drifting off and rapidly flying through the sky. It felt like shards blasting into me. "I better hurry!" Quickly I stood up and began to head father south. No matter how hard it blew, it seemed as if the strength of the wind increased every step. I feared that it would get to be so strong that I would eventually lift and start soaring across the sky! I pulled a handkerchief out of my bag and held it over my nose and mouth. The hood of my jacket proved useful as well. I pulled it over to cover the top of my head which decreased the amount of sand that hit my face. All that showed now were my eyes which were being filled with sandy particles. Tears of blood began spewing out from within me causing a horrid pain that I longed to gain relief from. Eventually after a short while of walking my once white handkerchief had become a deep red color from the blood that trickled down my face. Soon after wondering around aimlessly it became difficult to breath from the sand that began to cover my handkerchief. I began to take deeper and stronger breaths to get as much oxygen into my lungs as possible. Soon it became painful to breath and blood began spurting up from my throat. I was internally injured. My throat could not take the intense pressure of the air that came in and out from within! The skin split and I began to cough up blood. My face was now covered in a bright red liquid. I drug my feet through the deep and harsh sand. My clothing tore and ripped as small shards of sand flew past cutting my skin underneath. After a while I began to notice that with every step the sand now went up to the height of my knees! In fear of being engulfed in a sand filled grave I increased my speed. I noticed that the faster that I went the less I sunk within the depths of despair. But after a while, things got worse. Suddenly I sunk all the way down to my waste! I lifted myself up and out using all of my upper body strength. I repeated this process about six or seven times when I saw my destination in the distance. A large cave made out of pure diamonds stood high above the sand field surface! It was about 14 feet tall and ran deep into a large Cliffside. However this Cliffside was solid diamond and was about 45 feet in height. I ran with the hope of being free of this sand nightmare. "Almost there!" I told myself in order to encourage the rest of my being. Sadly I found that my luck was worse than ever before. I sunk once more when about 5 feet from the peaceful sanctum. This time I found my self covered up to chest height. "It's not over yet, I still have some time! All that I must do is remain calm." I stretched my arms up and out then began pressing down on the shifty surface. But, to my own demise it only made the situation much worse. By inserting that much pressure onto the surface of the sand it forced it to shift down and inward towards my body making a solid tight cocoon. At the same moment I sunk down even deeper to about my neck. Now with my arms completely submerged and the sand crushing my ribs I realized that I couldn't get out alone. "Help, anyone!" But my effort was futile for there was no one who would ever come to my rescue. I was alone, nothing to do but wait for fate to arise from the depths and then drag me down and under! About ten minutes passed, but still I found that no one was coming. I continued to sink as the sand packed tighter against my sides. Finally I found myself completely submerged, unable to breath and unable to escape. After a few minutes of suffocation everything went black.

About the Author

Spencer Green has finally finished his first book and hopes to bring out more. He started this story at the age of sixteen and has finished it by the age of seventeen. It has always been his dream to show to the public the imaginary world within himself. Not only does Mystica come to mind, but many other ideas are prepared to become official books as well. However, throughout all of these worlds that Spencer has imagined he finds that Mystica is the most intense and magnificent world that he has come to create. The author hopes that many will become enticed by his mythical world and will have a desire to read more. By this time the author estimates that in order to complete these stories he will end up writing at least 10 books to fill the series. He hopes that you have enjoyed this world and that you may find your own worlds to summon upon a new generation.