The Longest Journey
The Journey
P. A Lion is in the Streets
1. Penumbra
2. Through The Mirror
3. Friends and Enemies
4. Monsters
5. There and Back Again
6. Chaos Storm
7. A Deep Blue Mirror
8. Reunification
9. Shadows
10. Rebirth
11. Kin
12. Dreamland
13. The Longest Journey
Prologue - A Lion is in the Streets
Lady Alvane sits rocking alone in her chair as the teenagers of earth world come together in her place for a story that she had. Their ears were fully opened ready to absorb any tales she had for them knowing her age proved that she had much experience! "So... you've come to hear me tell a story, have you?" Lady Alvane asked the children with slight curiosity though knowing the obvious answer. "If you please, we would love to hear one of your stories. You have seen so much, You have lived so long..." said the curious older teenage girl. This sent a satisfying giggle to Lady Alvane to be revered for being so old. "So good of you to remind me of my age child. No, don't worry - I'm an old woman but I have lived a long and fulfilling life. And I do have stories to tell." said Lady Alvane who in fact was proud of her age. Youth sought the elders for their wisdom and history so generations may be able to carry on with it. Lady Alvane then began with a question, "Which story would you like to hear?" and then the teen girl answered, "A true one. A true story." thus Lady Alvane reacted with a chuckle again then said, "All my stories are true, child. There are enough fairy tales in the worlds already. There's no need for me to be making up more, believe me!" this sparked the teen boy's interest to request a particular tale."Tell us a story of the balance then." This gave Lady Alvane such a joy and a giggle to tell one of her favorite all time tales! "You want the story of the balance? Oh, that's a long story, child, and not one I'd venture to tell at this hour! But perhaps I could tell you a story that I heard a long time ago..." Lady Alvane replied preferring not to tell an utterly lengthy tale so late into the night. "...A story that became a crucial turning-point in the history of the balance, and set in motion the wheels that, to this day, are still turning!" The teenager's eyes went wide with interest, he began wishing her to tell it! "Please, yes, that does sound like a story we want to hear!" She then opened with her prelude, "Very well. This story, like all good stories, begins where it ends, in a tower, in a realm that is no more..."
Everything was calm and things were all in balance as the gears turned in regular fashion, every symbol followed suit as the wheel turned. The center was filled with a glowing light the very symbol of the balance, the guardian peered in a slumber up to the pillar hanging from the ceiling known as the keeping beam! He opened his eyes once in a daze then closed them again, peering upon the painting of the guardian who was holding the balance between two alternate worlds... A world of science and a world of magic keeping them in harmony. However, the guardian was compelled to descend from his glowing place away from the magical ultraviolet light emanating from the symbol where dragons ran clockwise biting each other's tails and the beam above holding the guardian in a stasis. He opened his eyes thus allowing the celestial glow in his eyes to leave him causing him to lower and then walk away from the center of balance, dismissing his long held duty at last! The dragons began locking into place and the ultraviolet beam of light quit shining creating turmoil for both worlds. Upon the scientific world known as Stark or as the people there called it... Earth. The usual traffic in the sky of this Futuristic Age was in order but below a disturbance was going to awake, inside a chosen girl named April Ryan... April shifted lightly in her sleep until her dream shifted her into another dimension, all she could see was a strange and unexplainable world. "Oh, no, don't tell me I'm dreaming... again." she said to herself then had a thought that sounded like a good idea in her case. "You know, for once - just once - it would be nice to have a decent night's sleep so I wouldn't wake up screaming from a bad dream at four AM!" She felt rather auspicious for her lack of luck, she noticed the landscape below that looked truly realistic but nearly as fake too, 'Postcard pretty.' she thought before noticing the storm, 'A storm is heading this way! Even the weather sucks in my dreams, I feel so charmed.' She recognized the brilliant sunshine in the distance that shone brighter than where she was from, 'A very pristine and brilliant sunshine.' She even noticed the earth having a much more marvelous shape compared to the real world, 'Real life never looked this good!' After taking in the view of the world she noticed herself in a different way, 'I'm in my undies, that's... So not appropriate.' She turned around just before realizing there was a giant nest nearby, soon the earth shook and her curiosity struck a question, 'what's happening?' The egg in the nest started rolling out to the tree limbs hanging on the edge of the earth making a greater danger for the unborn creature, 'Oh perfect!' April thought with a spaz realizing she was powerless in this situation. 'I guess if I don't do something to save that egg, I'll suffer seven years of bad karma or something.' she thought half sarcastically. She began to study the egg out of curiosity of what it could be if anything were to come out. 'It looks reptilian... But it can't be. It's much, much too big and - and...' Said April feeling apprehensive about the creature it contains having been exposed to television and rumors about reptilian creatures making humans their general meals. '...I don't much care for reptiles!' she finished feeling great fear for such a creature knowing it is likely going to eat her if it ever gets hatched! After refocusing she just termed, 'It's a very big egg.' Noting the obvious case.
She took notice of the old oak tree that looked rather ancient, 'I'm an artist, not a botanist... But I'm pretty certain this tree is dead, or close to it.' she did feel a bit of compassion for the nearly dead oak tree though, she then went over to study the nest where the egg fell from wondering what it contained. 'It's a nest, padded with scales... Very large scales. And somehow I get the feeling I should get the hell out of here before the tenets return!' she thought with study and conclusion of the nest that she bent down to analyze. She began feeling guilty thinking she should recover the egg from its fated position, something began making a noise and she assumed it was the egg. 'Was that the egg? That's some big chick!' She tried recovering it but it felt like soap, 'It's too big and really slimy, I don't think I can pick it up... It might slip out of my hands and fall by accident!' She concluded with her rather worthless effort to make a difference, a thought came to her about the shards of the egg shells that hatched long ago in the nest. She rushed over to the nest and looked for a shard or two then eventually noticed at least one that was good, 'This is interesting, I've never seen a scale this size before!' She collected the scale deciding to keep it being it was a dream after all. 'I'll keep it as a souvenir.' she started for the tree noticing a twig, 'It's brittle and dry as a bone, it would probably snap off in a second.' then she just concluded, 'It's brittle and dry!' without one considerable thought about what to expect she took the twig thus awakening the spirit of the tree. The tree groaned as April reacted with a gasp then spoke, 'Oh, the pain we must endure.' April left dumbfounded replied, 'Wh-what?' without hearing her the tree said, 'Why do you take pleasure in torturing us so?' April felt continuously puzzled about the tree's words. 'Torturing you? Who are you?' The tree felt the need to fill the human's curiosity, 'We are the voice of all trees, the spirit of wood and leaf!' April was still lost as to what the tree meant. 'Your a talking tree?' the tree quickly replied, 'No. A tree does not speak, at least not in your tongue. The tongue of a tree is the language of wood, root and oak!' April was still at a loss as to whom the voice was. 'Who are you then?' the tree spirit explained its role in detail, 'Like we said, we are the voice of all trees. Whenever an injustice is done, we must speak for the tree. If we are present.' April's guilt was placed as the tree noted how she broke the branch off.' It's the branch! I shouldn't have broken that branch off.' the tree spirit once again moaned in pity for the dying tree, 'Oh what does it matter anyway. There is nothing more to be done now! We are simply here to provide comfort in the final passing to earth.' April felt weirded out by the tree's inter-personage. 'We? I only see one of you.' the tree knew that the human wouldn't understand so it briefly put it into words, simple enough for a human mind. 'We are one in spirit, as we are one in voice. A legion!' It all became clear logic to April who couldn't understand the trees anatomical view. 'Yeah, uh, thanks for clearing that up.' The tree feeling the human was mocking its complexity replied, 'We do not expect you to understand us, you are human!' the trees deal was that humans were a lesser intelligent being but April started with a most basic question, 'What happened to the tree?' the tree spirit opened up to explain the tale behind the tree's fleeting life force, 'Oh, the pain. As the battle raged on, we...' April felt more curiosity replacing the old ones, 'Battle?' the tree spirit explained in great detail, 'Between the Mother and Black Chaos. The mother was only protecting her child, but it would not back down. And the force of their battle shook the mountain.'
April began connecting the dots of the mystery, the tree continued 'The brook that fed us was led astray, and without water, we began to wither and die.' the tree spirit said with returning mourn for the pain and withering the tree experienced. April began thinking about the egg she was nearly abandoning to sudden doom, she wondered if the tree knew anything about it. 'What's the deal with the egg?', she asked and the tree began taking notice of the egg as she mentioned it, 'Egg? What e-oh of course, the child!' The tree thus continued with ever woe in its voice, 'Whenever the mother was absent, we were entrusted the safety of the child! But now, withered and without strength. We can do nothing to help! We have failed the mother, now we despair. Our shame knows no bounds!' April being so transverse in conversation with the tree almost forgot the voice's identity again, 'Who are you again?' the tree spirit patiently responded, 'We are the Wood Spirit. We come to all trees in the hour of need to provide comfort and aid in the passing to earth, and to give a voice to those who suffer. Time is running out as we speak. The passing to earth will soon begin, leave us now!' April began to ponder the fate of the egg which fell from the nest, 'What about the egg?' the tree as melodramatic as always responded, 'Oh it is too late, without sustenance we do not have the strength to bring it safely home. We have failed, and the earth will know our shame for all time to come.' April was feeling a little frustrated that the tree was the equivalent of a drama king, 'Isn't there anything I can do to help?' the tree just responded with the usual woeful response, 'Oh, we do not expect a human to come to our aid.' April getting fed up with the tree spirit's usual nature responded, 'Lose the attitude ok! Just tell me if there is anything I can do.' The tree responded with just more woe, 'It is futile, we need water, but there is none, not after the brook changed course!' April retaliated to his endlessly glum attitude, 'I'll find a way, don't panic.' she felt his emo-ish attitude was beyond annoying. 'We do not panic, unlike you we accept our destiny.' However the tree had a thought that even a menial human could be of great assistance for they have always proven to be more than just puny helpless walking flesh beings. 'If, however, against all odds, you do succeed then we will carry the child safely back to its nest. Do not make a foolish attempt on your own. It would spell certain misery!' April was left with the task to restore the tree realizing it was right about her being too weak as a human to lift a giant egg that was half the weight of a modern car! She went over to the broken side of the mountain noticing the water falling free in waste of its true purpose to supply the tree with life. 'Something might have happened to this rock during the battle, and it might have altered the course of this stream...' A purely intelligent thought entered April's head! 'Hey, maybe that's why the trees dying!' Not completely sure herself but she recalled the tree spirit's words.
'According to the, uhm, "Spirit," there was some kind of battle that split the rock and changed the course of the stream!' She studied the water itself noticing it was fresh, 'That is fresh mountain water, hey back in the real world they would probably charge fifteen bucks a bottle for this!' Then she just sighed in awe of its feature, 'Fresh mountain water.' After studying the water she opened her pack analyzing her items, 'That's a large, sharp... And rather disturbingly reptilian scale.' she noticed the limb she took that would count against her conscious, 'That's a dry and brittle twig which I took... I feel guilty for it, I really do!' having no real choice she had an idea to plant the twig into the ground and poke the scale into the rocks to capture the water and have it flow into the dying tree! 'This should do the trick!' After placing the crucial items, the water flowed upon the ground and the tree began root water causing its life to return and thus it basked in the nurturing of water. April analyzed the water flowing over the craft she made, 'Nice, my art teacher would be very proud of me!' She then turned to the tree that was purely dead looking earlier then commented, 'Talk about instant rehab!' but the tree spirit seemed irresponsive so she tried to contact the spirit, 'Hello? Hello!' the tree responded in celebration of its new life, 'Leave us be!' it said seeming uncaring of the situation. 'Are you okay?' April asked and the tree spirit gave a certain answer, 'We find our strength returned, we have no time for idle conversation. We must drink and rejoice!' the tree seemed too happy in its new life. April then returned to the original deal the tree made earlier, 'Aren't, "we" forgetting something?' the tree had no idea what April spoke of as it was lost in rejuvenation. 'Hush, listen. The sound of ancient wood. Is it not sweet?' April replied sarcastically to a certain doom situation of the egg. 'Sweet, definitely, yeah, the baby's probably ready to boogie down as well.' The tree began to take sudden notice the egg was in danger, 'The baby? The egg! Thank the earth, we almost forgot!' the tree bound to its oath of protecting the Mother's child, caught the egg after it tumbled down. While April watched the branch lifted the egg and placed it gently back into the nest. April ran over to see the nest with the egg safely in it but at a distance a creature noise came and April worried, 'What... What was that?' A huge white dragon flew in to gather in her nest next to the egg that seemed to be hers. April was completely taken aback in fear knowing she should have disappeared instead of observed. Without a second thought she ran to get out of the way of the dragon's landing, 'Uh, oh.' She knew she was in trouble and there was no turning back now that she was in deep! The white dragon emanated with a glowing celestial light and then spoke to April with much anticipation of her presence, 'It is you, you have come!' April was casted back into the pit of utter confusion after facing a tree who spoke in second person. 'You know me?' She couldn't believe a mere dragon that had no namable origin, nor did she ever meet it before... Yet it knew her well. 'April, daughter. I have been waiting for you.' The word "daughter" struck like lightning in her mind, A daughter... Me? Of a dragon? No that is silly! She sunk the thought into a special department of her conscious so she could recover it later for her diary. 'Waiting. Why?' April had truly no idea why any random creature, especially one as powerful as a dragon would await her. It made no sense, she wasn't related to dragons was she? No! She was related to humans, balance she is human! Yet a dragon to call her daughter was literally farfetched. 'Because it begins, here. With you, as it always has!' the dragon responded making a situation into a riddle for April's puny human mind... Though to her, she was smarter than a ditzy cheerleader! Way smarter! 'What do you mean?' She pondered unable to see what hid behind the mist of the words. 'The breach and the mending, the joy and the pain, the beginning and the end, the death of old and the dawn of the new. A different world!' The dragon explained even as poetic as she sounded, April somewhat understood as complexity reached her. 'I am the mother of what is, but you-you are the mother of a future that may yet be!' the dragon concluded to her. 'How will I know. How will I know what to do?' April asked the dragon that claimed to be her mother. The dragon responded as helpfully as possible, 'I will guide you and I will protect you, as much as I can. But in the end, you are on your own!' April seemed lost and helpless already. 'I'm afraid.' The dragon replied in reminding her it was always the case, 'You always where. my child, my daughter.' the words did little to uplift April's fears yet as a rather monstrous voice in the distance closed in closer April's fears were peaked. 'This is probably not a good thing!' the Black Chaos descended upon April as the white dragon looked to see and then bowed to protect her egg. The Black Chaos captured April's fearful gaze then used scare tactics casting April into dark oblivion making her scream for release.