Well, here's the first chapter. It may get a bit confusing as most of the chapter is in first person present tense and then changes to past tense and third person. Quite a serious chapter with little humour, but enjoy. And I'm not hinting at softshipping.

Golden Sun belongs to Camelot

Felix

My arms ache. I can feel the strength seeping out of them as I cling to the branch. The raging waters tear past my exhausted body, threatening to drag me away as every second passes. The cold liquid crashes over my head, obscuring my vision. My heavy clothing pulls at my limbs as every layer gets wetter and wetter and heavier and heavier. I manage to get my head into the open. I gasp for air; savouring every last gasp of oxygen I can inhale. I can see Jenna and other Valeans trying to reach out for me. I would reach out for her outstretched hand, but I know I'll just drag her into the freezing river with me. If I do die, I can't take my dear sister with me. She deserves better than death. I can see Isaac running off to get help. Gods, I hope he gets it soon. I can't hold on much longer. As every second ticks by, I can feel death approaching closer and closer. It's almost upon me. I come back up from the depths for air. I can see more branches charging towards me, ready to batter my weak body. As the creeping vines of one branch wrap around my torso, I know that this is it. Unable to hang on any longer, I finally admit defeat and let go of the cracking branch which had been keeping me alive until this moment. As I go under, I hear Jenna's cries and screams as I rapidly rush away from her. I resurface long enough to see Isaac using all his strength to stop Jenna from jumping in after me. He got back quick. I silently thank him as I shed silent tears into the water for my sister's grief and my sorrow of finally loosing the person most special to me. I can't keep on living. My aching lungs burn at the lack of oxygen. I can feel water gushing into them, soothing the burning, yet hurting even more as my lungs struggle to cope with the new substance filling them. I begin to finally give up the fight.

The water around me seems to be purple. This can't be right. Water isn't purple. Maybe I am dead already. Perhaps I have gone mad. Oh great. I'm dying as a mad person. Next branches will start talking to me. But they don't. I don't feel mad. I'm thinking straight. Then what is this purple water? I feel the current slow down and I summon the strength to attempt to get to the surface. I really need the oxygen now. I'm nearly there; but now the water has sped up again. It's getting faster and faster. My vision blurs completely. I can't see any shapes- just a blur of discoloured water and black streaks. I close my eyes. I know I'm about to die and I don't want to be able to see what I'm dying in.

A little time has passed. I don't know if I'm dead or alive now. I don't feel like I'm moving anywhere either. Perhaps I'm snagged on a plant or lying in a hollow in the bank. Perhaps I am dead. I hope it's not the latter. At least with the former it will be easier to find my body. However, it doesn't feel like I'm in water anymore. I grope for anything that could help identify where I am. Yet I cannot feel anything. I guess my ability to feel has given up now. Also, despite not feeling like I am in water, I still sense that I am floating. I don't have the courage to open my eyes and see where I am and what state I'm in. At least my lungs have stopped aching so much. It suddenly occurs to me that I'm not even attempting to breathe anymore. I cautiously open my mouth and inhale. I am overwhelmed with shock as I finally feel oxygen fill my lungs. I summon the courage to open my eyes. Before I do open them, I mentally laugh at myself. Never had I though the day would come that I, Felix, would be scared to do something as simple as opening one's eyes. I open them and one thought passes my mind:

Where the hell am I?

I continue to look upwards. Above me, a sea of purple swirls, full of oscillating patterns and waves. The different shades of purple enchant me- the colours range from the deep purple of amethysts to delicate light lilacs. I'd never seen something so mystifying in my life. I turn to look below me. There's nothing there! I'm just floating in… nothing. About two metres below me I can see the sea of purple again. I turn again and soon realise that I am surrounded by this sea of purple. It surrounds me in a tunnel; like a vortex. As I quiz the surrounding area with my eyes again, I realise one thing- there is no visible way out.

Well, there are worst places to die.

Another thing occurs to me- am I dead already? I highly doubt it, as I do not think that you could have this level of conscience when you are dead, but I need to find out if I am or not. I punch myself in the stomach. Heck, it hurts alright. But I need to be sure. I lie there, wondering about how I could find out if I am dead or not. Time passes and I still haven't thought of anything. I could have cut myself with my sword- if it wasn't still floating down the river. I start to feel bored. I have just been lying here for quite a while now. I spy something floating around a few metres in front of me. I "swim" through the space to get to it. I gently pick up the hefty object. It looks like a pendant. But that's impossible. The beautiful, hanging stone is way too large to be a pendant. It takes a while for me to realise that the leather thong attached to it is also too think to hang around a delicate neck without injury. The cracked leather looks worn; yet the inscription is still clear. Unfortunately, it is in some language that I can't read. Something clicks in my weary brain. Of course! It's a belt.

I sling the leather strap around my waist before realising there is no way to adjusting the strap .The purple gem slaps against my thigh, then my knee as the belt slips down my hips. I pull it back up to my waist, admiring the extravagant leatherwork. It feels a bit tighter I take no notice of the change in looseness. It gets tighter. And tighter. And tighter. I don't know how it's happening. The words of the inscription have started moving about, rearranging into new words. This language looks more like something I can understand, but I can't read them from above. The leather tightens to a comfortable fit around my girth, but it just keeps on getting tighter. I start to panic and try to rip the belt off- but my efforts are in vain. The pain from the leather hurts so much. The stone continues ramming against my thigh. It feels like it is getting sharper and sharper and sharper. Soon I feel blood running down my leg. I gaze down and see the top of my trouser leg in shreds and a gaping hole in my leg. The pain kills. I must be alive- surely there is no pain like this in death. To my relief, the belt starts to loosen and the stone is no longer making the gash deeper. The stone is now the deep red of the metallic substance running from the gash. I wipe the stone, expecting it to be purple underneath all of the blood and mess. I rub harder, frustrated at the gem being hard to clean. It's still blood red. I stroke its surface gently. It is bone dry- not a speck of wet blood to be felt. I gaze closer at the cold object. It's red now, not purple.

It's absorbed my blood.

I start to feel sleepy. I can't remember the last time I slept. With the belt still fastened around my waist, I close my eyes and slow my breathing. I can feel my heart beat slowing and my tired muscles relaxing at last. My heart feels like it is beating too slowly. It feels like it is going at the pace at that of the girl in Vale who once went in a coma. I ignore the voice at the back of my brain nagging me to get up now before sleep engulfs me. I ignore it because sleep is welcoming now. I have all the time in the world. I hope Jenna is ok back in Weyard- wherever that is now and let sleep wrap its arms around me and take me off from consciousness.

Three Years Later…

Isaac

I can't believe where we are. I can't believe that we made it to Sol Sanctum. I knew it would be hard just to get to Mt Aleph with the guards- I never suspected that we'd get all the way here. I've never been somewhere containing such mystery before- from the statues which trigger traps to the room containing Luna. I would never have guessed that something so mystical could be situated so close to Vale and that we did not know about it. Jenna and Garet seem just as intrigued as me- but at least we are holding ourselves. Kraden has completely lost it in his excitement. He's jumping around like a little hyper-active kid and bouncing off the walls, as well as making a complete racquet on top of his usual jabbering- and he was the one who told us not to touch anything and to keep quiet. I can see Garet getting paranoid. I know that, secretly, he is a bit afraid of what we would find in Mt Aleph and having Kraden running into everything really isn't helping him. Jenna's trying to calm Kraden now. She's not having much success though. I know it's Kraden's lifelong dream to come here, but he could at least calm down a little and stop acting like a complete, utter lunatic. I hope he hasn't gone mad. That's the last thing we need- a mad Kraden. Garet's started to go red. This is not good. I turn away and start talking to an exhausted Jenna. I sit down next to the Valean, who is now completely red- I mean the whole of her, not just her hair- and watch Garet loose it at Kraden.

Garet opens his mouth and yells, "KRADEN. JUST SHUT THE HELL UP- NOW!"

I feel Jenna give a terrific jolt next to me at the sudden outburst. Garet turns to us and says: "I've always wanted to say that", with a growing grin on his face. At times, I think we have all wanted to say it. There's a sudden quiet in the room. Kraden has finally shut his mouth and has stopped jumping about. I decide to deal with the situation before he gets out of hand again. I carefully approach the man and sit down next to him and start to talk as gently as possible to avoid further ecstatic outbursts. "Now Kraden" I start quietly- "As were saying, you mentioned something about the Elemental Stars being in the room in front of us. Now about going in there…"

I am quickly cut of by a once again insanely excited Kraden. He starts screaming in a manner I didn't even know possible in males, causing Jenna to quickly cover her ears and Garet to start going Red again.

"The Elemental Stars! The Elemental Stars! The Elemental Stars!" He keeps on yelling and yelling and yelling. There's no way we will shut him up now. I let out a groan, before grabbing the sack hanging from my waistband and shoving it over Kraden's head and tying it so that he can't get out. All that remains visible are his legs. Most importantly, all that remains of the monstrosity of his noise are muffled cries coming from the sack. Quiet at last. I turn to the finally relaxed Garet and the refreshed Jenna.

"Ok," I say with relief. "Let's get on with the business of getting into that room and looking at those… uhhrr… Elemental Stars".

We all turn to the door into the room supposedly containing the stars. It doesn't quite look like a normal entrance. I expected there to be a door of some description, but where the door should be all I can see is a swirling purple space. Different shades of purple are swirling between each other to create the vertical sea of purple within the door frame. I'm not sure if it is supposed to look like this. Yet again, this is Sol Sanctum we are dealing with- it has been full of surprises so far and I suppose the room containing the Stars is no exception to the surprises. We start deciding on what to do about entering the room. Kraden was supposed to guide us into the room and it was going to be his decision about whether we entered. However, seeing the state he is in, we have to decide ourselves. Jenna's all for going in and Garet seems ok with the idea; but I have a bad feeling about it. I can feel a strange sensation coming from the "door" and the room in front of us- yet I cannot put my finger on what the vibes are telling me. Whatever it is, it feels bad. However, we have come all this way and it is pointless leaving the mountain without going in for a look. The decision is made. We are actually going in to where the Elemental Stars are located.

We hear excited squeals from inside the sack. Kraden obviously heard us say that we are going in. I know it is mean, but we decide that Kraden should enter the room first- whilst in his sack. After all, he is the one who really wanted to come here. Ok, the real reason is that if the there is anything bad on the other side, Kraden will get it first and hopefully won't notice anything from within his sack. We carefully guide the old man to the edge of the door, before pushing him forward through the swirling purple sea. Not one of us really wants to enter until we know it is safe in there. We stand around the entrance for what seems like forever, before deciding that since there are no yells of pain or screams of terror coming from the other side, it must be safe. Unsure about whom to send through next, we all clasp hands firmly and push through the purple sea into the room of the Elemental Stars.

We are now standing on the opposite side of the door- frozen in astonishment and fear (well, all except for Kraden who is lying on the floor in his sack). We all turn back. The door is no longer there. We turn back, still frozen in fright; too scared to say a word. Eventually, Jenna summons the courage to crouch down next to Kraden, remove the sack so that he can be understood and to start talking.

"Umm, Kraden," she says gently, being careful not to worry the man about the situation we are in. "What exactly is this room with the Elemental Stars and the Stars themselves supposed to look like?"

Kraden realises that the sack will go back over him fully again if he gets too excited and tries talk as normal as possible.

"Well…" he starts cautiously. "I'm not quite sure as no one has been here before, but I suspect that the four stars are at right angles and they are all pointing at something towards something in the middle. I'm not sure what the stars look like. Shiny; glistening; sparkling, maybe? I don't actually know. What do they look like? Let me see. Let me see. I WANNA SEE THE STARS!"

It is now Jenna's turn to let out a groan. I hear her mutter something indecipherable and she pulls the sack back over Kraden's head. Kraden starts trying to get up. Jenna sits on him. Kraden makes a groan of pain from inside the sack- I am presuming that Jenna is sitting on him in an uncomfortable place. I don't think that Jenna is heavy enough to cause the sage pain- I think.

There is a sudden splash behind us. Garet and I quickly turn around, wondering what is happening, closely followed by Jenna. In the fountain next to us, there is a very wet looking figure. He- or she- is sitting in the water, looking extremely confused and bewildered. I notice a magnificent gem hanging from the belt secured around the person's thin waist. The drenched being looks extremely confused, as though they have just been woken up from a deep sleep. The being also looks extremely familiar, yet I cannot put my finger on who it is. The person starts to clamber up onto their feet. Suddenly I recognise who this confused, wet figure is.

It is Felix.

Jenna has now recognised who it is. She leaps up from her spot on Kraden and runs over to her long lost brother, before fainting in his arms in shock. He gently starts caressing her now dripping hair and whimpering: "Jenna? Jenna? Is that really you? Jenna? Please wake up. Please. Please tell me I'm alive" like a confused child. I stand there, bewildered about what has happened. Felix is standing in front of me; Felix- the boy who drowned three years ago at the eruption of Mt Aleph. I can't believe what has happened. Garet grumbles something about having Jenna faint is all we need in the current situation, before latching on to who is now standing in front of him. We all stand there, not sure what to do. Our silence is interrupted by the sound of ripping fabric behind us and Kraden climbing out of his "prison". He starts complaining about how we were getting all the excitement with the stars and that we should have more respect for our elders. Then he notices that where we are looks nothing like anything we have ever seen before- and definitely not like somewhere of the Elemental Stars, or even Weyard. He turns slightly pale and looks nauseous. Then he turns and sees Felix.

"How…. how… why… how is Felix….?" Kraden stutters, even more shocked at the situation and finally unable to grasp any words.

We all just stand there- confused ourselves. Felix is still stood there, stroking Jenna's hair and hugging her close to him. He starts to speak:

"How long have I been gone? Where's the purple gone? Where am I?" He glances down at his leg. "Where's the cut gone? Where's the blood? Can I have some food? I'm hungry."

I break Felix up. "Wait up Felix- one question at a time. We have many questions to ask you too. "

Felix starts talking again. "Ok. How long have I been gone?"

"Three years," I answer. "We haven't seen you for three years. We thought you were, well, dead."

"Three years," he repeats. "I was asleep for three whole years. I thought that I was only having a nap in that purple- thing."

I cut Felix off abruptly. "Purple thing? What purple thing?"

"Well," he replies. "When flowing down that river, I eventually found myself in a tunnel of purple. The colours were amazing. It was there I got this." He fingers the gem and belt around his waist.

His description of the purple tunnel sounds very similar to the entrance we had entered not so long ago.

"Tell me more about this purple," I demand. Felix starts talking. Jenna moves in his arms. He stops talking and pulls her closer to him. Felix starts talking again. He doesn't get to say much though.

This is because Kraden is now letting out an ear piercing scream even more like a girl's than his previous yelling.

I quickly turn around to where Kraden is screaming and see a massive mob approaching us. They are shouting at us: "Hey, can you tell us where the gaming convention is?" I don't know what they are on about- and they are dressed in really strange clothing. It's nothing like I or any of the rest of my group are wearing- yet it is also clothing I have never seen before in my life. I begin to think that it is a bit strange that Kraden is screaming at a crowd of people. Then I see what he is screaming at. Well, I hear about them before I see them.

"The Djinn!" Kraden yells. "The Djinn have turned into monsters! We're all going to die!" Amongst the group are some really deformed Djinn- enormous deformed Djinn too. I'm not sure what to do now. Are they going to attack us or what? I watch in horror as one of the Djinn actually removes its head and reveals a person inside. The Djinn are eating people! This is all we need. Then, to add shock to fright, the Djinn start talking to us.

"What game are ya cosplaying? I guess ya can tell that we are a Pokèmon cosplay group. Me costume is quite obvious, like all m'friends' costumes," it says. "I really like your costumes. Did you make 'em yourselves?"

I am dumbstruck about what I am supposed to say to this monster of a Djinn. One has never spoken before, let alone started talking about "cosplay" and "Pokèmon", whatever they are using some strange language which just sounds stupid. I mean, what do "ya" and "'em" mean? I just stand there staring at it. Kraden is still shouting about how the monster Djinn mean it is the end. I'm not sure what Garet, Felix or Jenna are up to- I'm too preoccupied at the moment to even know if they are still conscious.

Finally, the group and the Djinn leave us. Kraden finally clams down- and faints. Now it is my turn to mumble about having Kraden faint is all we need at a time like this. I turn around and see Garet staring straight at me, a look of fear covering his face.

"What… what the Hell were they?" he stutters.

"I don't know. I don't think even Kraden knows." I look at the knocked out Sage. "This place is nothing like Vale and from Kraden's reaction; it doesn't seem anything like he's ever seen in Weyard either."

I hear Kraden grumble. He must be coming back round. Both Garet and I turn to Felix. He is clutching Jenna even tighter now. She still looks unconscious.

"We really are in trouble, aren't we Isaac?" he asks me; a hint of nervousness comes through in his voice. "Can I carry on asking questions now?"

"Yes," I sigh. "We are in trouble. For now, let's ask those questions and figure out what is going on."

Meanwhile, in Imil…

Mia

I enjoy coming to this well. It gives me a few moments to finally relax and to be able to forget about having to look after Imil. Sometimes, I wish that I wasn't part of the Mercury Clan. Since Alex left and abandoned us, the work has been getting harder and harder. It's not easy being a healer and having to look after Mercury Lighthouse. It's a full time job and I'm really suffering because of the work. I'm not getting much sleep and I can feel myself getting weaker and weaker. This worries me even more- if I become too weak to do my duty, the young apprentices will have to become Imil's healers, and they are way too young to do that, and there would be no one to protect the Lighthouse. This well provides my only rest.

I lean over the side, clutching onto the worn grey stones and small green plants that weave their way through those stones. I stare into the clean waters below. It looks a bit different today- slightly purple. I know it's not purple really. It must be my insomnia and lack of energy that is making me imagine things. I feel really tired today. I haven't slept for two days, as there have been many sick people in Imil and I must keep them safe and make them better. I have to. I'm part of the Mercury Clan.

I stare at the water even more closely as saltwater flows down my cheeks. I watch it trickle down my dress front and drip into the well below. The tears are flowing faster now. I really don't know how much longer I am going to be able to last before I finally breakdown. My vision is blurred by the saltwater now and I can tell that my face is soaked. My eyes feel sore and swollen. I lift my right arm and wipe my face. Now both sleeves are pretty wet. I'll have to change these clothes. I can't let anyone in Imil know how I am feeling- I am their only hope to survive through the winter. Damn Alex. If he was here, everything would be alright. I wouldn't have this huge strain on me. He's lazy- I bet that's why he left just before the winter epidemic of illness. I feel more tears washing my face. I have to get a grip of myself. I've got to go back to my patients.

I continue to stare at the water for just a little bit longer. I've clamed down and despite my breathing still being gasps, my clothes being rather wet and my face red, I don't think the ill residents of Imil will notice anything unusual. I begin to notice strange things in the purple water. I can't see my own reflection. I can see two people- a tall, brown haired boy embracing a pretty red haired girl. He looks very wet. She looks unconscious. Her face is red and tear stained, like mine. He's holding her really close, as though he's about to loose her. She looks like she's stirring a bit now. She is raising her head. This can only be a hallucination. There aren't really people in the bottom of the well. There are fairy tales like that everyone in Imil has known since they were old enough to use a knife and fork, but they aren't true. I must be imagining things. I really do need a break. Yet there is still something intriguing about these images in the bottom of the well. I lean over further for a closer look.

And further…

And further…

… A bit too far actually.

I am now falling into the well. I let out a scream as I hit the water. I feel the icy liquid flow into my mouth. I try to use my abilities inherited by the Mercury Clan (the abilities are called "psynergy" in some parts of Weyard apparently. Yet there is no one else with them except Alex and I) but I am too weak to summon enough power. I try to swim, but I am too weak to do that too. I feel so feeble- one of the last living members of the Mercury Clan is actually having trouble with water. Gods, I hope that someone heard my scream. If they didn't, I'm in trouble. I'm still going down. I can't remember the well being this deep. It must go miles underground. I feel a sharp pain as my leg hits what feels like the well wall. I summon the courage to open my eyes. My left leg is a deep crimson and I can see the metallic fluid flowing from a gaping wound. I really hope now that someone heard my scream. The water still doesn't seem normal- it looks even purpler than it did before. I shut my eyes as the water stings them. My chest starts to ache. I need oxygen.

It still feels like I'm going deeper. Now I'm certain that the well isn't this deep. I must be imagining things- the shock of the cold water combined with my ill health and lack of energy can't be doing my brain much good. I'm scared now. It doesn't seem like anyone is helping me. It seems like hours since I fell into the well. How am I still conscious? Shouldn't I have drowned by now? Time ticks by. It still feels like I'm falling. I must be dead. It must be that in death you are still conscious, just dead in your body. I have to try and open my eyes now. Just to see where I am. Just to see the world through that of my dead body.

I feel shock at what I see. There is no water surrounding me. No purple water; no normal water; no well; just air. I'm falling through air. I take in a deep breath, glad of the air. It takes me a second to realise that falling through the air is not a good thing. It also occurs to me that it is physically impossible to fall out of the bottom of a well into thin air. Yet, as I look up, I can't see the well. Yet I must have come out of it. I feel my dress lifting up. I pull it down. Even if I am crashing towards Weyard towards my death, I want to keep my modesty. I twist in the air so that my stomach is now facing towards the ground and not my back. What I see almost causes me to faint in the air (actually, I'm surprised I'm still conscious now).

There, on the ground, in a fountain, is the girl and boy I saw in the well.

I'm falling faster and faster towards them. This must be certain death now. You'd think that I would be scared of death by now. However, all I can think about is what has happened and how the brown haired boy and red haired girl from my vision in the well have actually got below me. I'm sure I'm alive now as my pain from the wound in my leg is absolutely killing and I can see my blood soaked dress now clinging to the gash. I hope the wound doesn't look too bad. I'm sure I look pretty wind-swept, soaked, tired and like I haven't eaten a decent meal in months (which I haven't. I've been too busy with healing and the Lighthouse), but I don't want to die with an ugly, massive wound which shows the raw bone of my leg. I manage (with difficulty; have you ever tried lifting a dress whilst falling through the sky?) to lift the one side of the dress. The wound looks bad, but I will most likely look worst once I'm all smashed up on the ground- and in a lot more pain. I manage to catch a glimpse of the aqua gem secured around my thigh to an embroidered band- except that the stone isn't aqua coloured anymore. The precious gem that I was given at birth to show my belonging to the Mercury Clan is now blood red. In fact, it is exactly the same colour as the mercury liquid flowing out of my leg.

I don't have time to think about how it has changed colour at the moment. The boy and girl- and the ground- are getting closer and closer every second. I can see more people by them- a blonde boy and an old man lying on the floor. He doesn't look too good either. However, something is even more prominent about where I am falling towards.

The people below me may be dressed in similar clothing to that of Imil, but I'm definitely not falling towards that beloved town of mine.

In fact, it's like nothing I have ever seen or heard of before in my entire life.

At the same time, in Vault…

Ivan

The three thieves are in front of me. I can see them, dragging my Master's precious rod with them. I don't want them dragging it.. They're damaging it. I'll never forgive them if they break it. They're getting faster and faster. My heart is working like it has never before to pump the blood around my body. My legs ache and my feet throb from running so long. I must get my Shaman's Rod back. It's the most precious thing I own. To my delight, one of the thieves trips and stumbles on some roots. However, he is quickly up on his feet and running even quicker than before. We weave in-between houses; then trees; then the Vault villagers. We are heading towards Vault's exist. I'm really feeling the strain now. Damn those stupid thieves. Why did they have to steal the one possession really important to me? They must have known I'd try and get it back.

We're at Vault's exist. I yell for people to close the gate and to stop the fiends. No one is quick enough. I can hear people yelling for me to stop and not follow, but I ignore the desperate pleas and chase after the thieves. I have to get my rod back. Two of the men don't look armed (rather stupid for thieves really) and I'm just hoping that the other one isn't armed either. We're heading north towards Lunpa. The thieves start yelling. As I give chase- me the determined hunter and the thieves the unarmed, feeble prey- we start a yelling match- me against the thieves.

"Ha. We've got it now. Giv' it up boy. You ain't ever gonna catch us now with ya puny legs"

I don't bother with proper speech as I shout back. Master would be furious is he knew what I was saying. I just let the anger some out at them.

"You dunno who you're being chased by, mate. I ain't no little kid no longer- I'm fifth'een y'know?"

"Y'don't look it. Look at you runnin' now. You're out of breath."

This thief is telling the truth. I am out of breath, but I can't let them get away. I start to conjure a witty comeback in my brain. My brain is also telling me that my Master would be extremely ashamed of me is he had heard my use of language and grammar. Unfortunately, wit is not one of my strong points. We're still running towards Lunpa. The thieves are running straight towards a waterfall. I can't remember that waterfall being there before, but all well. If that is where the thieves are heading, that'd where I'm heading too. They charge straight through the crashing waters. I quickly follow, not wanting to loose them (it's quite convenient here in Weyard, being able to just run through waterfalls when you feel like it.)

Now we're drenched. That is the disadvantage of running through waterfalls. The thieves have much more clothing on than me and are weighed down even more than I am by the added weight of water. They begin to slow. I get closer and closer. I'm not sure how long this tunnel goes on .In some ways I hope it ends with a dead end, as then I can trap them and get my rod back, but then the tables would be turned and I would be the one running away from them. Most of my attention is focused purely on the criminals. However, out of the corner of my eye, I still notice water cascading all down the walls of the tunnel. The water (or is it the rock?) is glowing purple. Hmm, strange…

But I can't think of that. I've got to catch up with those damn thieves. I'm sure it's just a trick of the light…

It has to be…

It feels like I've been running all day now. The tunnel must end soon. It looks like it is ending. But the end looks more like another waterfall, rather than hard rock. I don't know what to do now- hope there is a dead end or hope the waterfall can be run straight through? Gods, I hope it is a dead end- those men aren't far away from it now and at the speed they are charging at the waterfall, if there is just solid rock behind it, they will slam right into it (and hopefully get knocked out in the process. It will deserve them right.) They're running into the crashing waters now.

Damn it. They've gone straight through. I've got to follow them.

The water slams onto my head again. The liquid still looks purple- I'll have to work out why later. This waterfall seems extremely thick. There must be an extremely big lake or something at the top of this one. It's hard to breathe under all this water. It's hard to see. It must be coming to an end soon. No waterfall could be this wide. The force of the water is getting less and less. This is some strange waterfall.

I'm out of the waterfall! I run through the curtain of water, pushing past someone in front of me. He's clutching a girl tightly in his arms. It appears I am in some pool of water. I shout back an apology as I rush past the boy and jump over the small wall in front of me. I can see the thieves in front of me now. This is it. I'm finally going to catch them now. I can almost reach out and touch them…

ARGGH!

Someone is holding me back by my arm. I'm pulling against them as I watch the thieves Vault thieves get further and further away from me. Damn whoever's holding me back. I turn to look at who it is. A man is staring at me, his eyes piercing into mine and his hand still withholding an iron grip on my arm. He looks very important, with his black hat, smart clothes and the thing hanging off his belt (it looks like two bracelets joined by a chain- why does he have jewellery on his belt? He's male.) There's something written across his front- police, I think it says (whatever that means). He starts talking. "Hey, boy, you're not in trouble. Just watch where you're running. That's a road you nearly ran into. You have strange clothes on, don't you? Off to the gaming convention?"

I stop struggling and just stand there, unsure about what the man's on about and what to say. "Uhhrr, yes," I mumble. The man says something about staying safe and lets me go. I hope the thieves haven't got far and turn around to continue the chase. I hear a massive squeal and a bang so loud I think my ear drums are about to burst. About ten metres in front of me, the thieves are lying on the floor. A huge thing is next to them. It's massive and looks like a giant box on wheels. I can see blood seeping from various parts of the thieves and next to them, my Shaman's rod.

Looks like I won't have to chase them after all.

Isaac stared at his friends, not knowing what to do. He couldn't believe what was happening. First they end up in some strange place beyond his wildest dreams, and then Felix appeared out of no where. It was really been a strange day. He turned to look at Felix and Jenna. Jenna was still lying in Felix's arms. Isaac smiled as Jenna gently stirred back into consciousness and looked up at Felix. She could be happy at last. It always pained Isaac to see Jenna in pain- both physical and emotional. Isaac jumped back in fright as three men jumped out of the falling waters of the fountain and pushed past the brother and sister. They ran straight past him and into the unknown land that they were stood in. They were closely followed by a boy of about fifteen years. After pushing past Felix, he shouted what sounded like an apology. Garet commented on how the day was getting stranger and stranger. Suddenly, there was a loud bang and the group all turned around to see the three men that had appeared out of the fountain lying on the ground next to a huge… monster? The boy who had followed them ran up to the men, grabbed what looked like rod from one of their grips, before kicking the one man and turning around to walk towards Isaac. Just as he was a few metres away from the group, a loud scream pierced the silence that had built and filled the air.

Everybody turned their heads upwards to see what the cause of the noise was. Directly above Felix, a girl was dropping rapidly towards earth. She was clutching tightly to her dress and appeared to be in a lot of agony as she approached Felix and Jenna. Felix quickly lay his sister down in the fountain, making sure her head was above water, and stood looking upwards, staring at the girl. He put his arms out in front of him and wrapped them around the girl as she hit him. Felix crashed towards the floor as he clutched the girl. He gave out an agonising yell as her full weight transferred onto him and his crushed his body. Her, now wet, blue hair covered her face and her leg poured with blood. Felix moved his arm from underneath her to brush the hair from her face. Garet and Isaac approached, hoping to help with the unusual situation, Kraden sat on the floor, staring bewildered at the situation.

The girl's face was red and stained with tears. Her eyes were screwed up tightly and her breathing was heavy. She gradually opened her eyelids, revealing beautiful, aqua coloured eyes. She stared up at Felix and fresh tears rolled down her face. She spoke gently, as if words would crack her.

"I'm… alive?

Felix replied.

"Yes. I caught you. You're alive. What's your name?"

"Mia. My name's Mia. Thank you. Thank you for saving me. I though. I though…"

At that, she sat up in Felix's arms and put her face next to Felix's, before putting her lips onto Felix's and drawing away. Felix blushed bright red and Garet burst out into laughter at his embarrassment. Garet and Isaac then moved in to help Mia up and manoeuvred her carefully off Felix and out of the fountain. Felix stood up, checked himself for injuries and helped the now conscious Jenna to her feet. The boy who had run out of the fountain went up to the group.

"Uhhm, hi. I'm Ivan. I saw what happened. Is everything ok?"

Isaac looked at the boy. He looked to be not even in his teenage years, but something suggested that he was older. He clutched the staff to him tightly.

"I'm Isaac." He turned to the rest of the group. "And this is Garet, Kraden, Felix, Jenna and Mia, isn't it?" The blue haired girl nodded carefully. "I think we're ok. Do you know where we are? Where are you from?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Ivan admitted. "I'm from Weyard."

Garet's face lit up.

"We're from Weyard too- from Vale." He turned to Mia. "Where are you from?"

She spoke carefully still. "I'm from Imil. It's also in Weyard. I don't know where we are. "

The large group stood there, no one knowing what to say next. A slightly woozy Jenna broke the silence.

"So, anyone got any bright ideas about what to do next? Most of us are wet and we will catch out deaths if just stand here. Felix looks frozen enough already."

She glanced round at her shivering brother.

"And is Kraden alright now? He looks a bit... dead."

At that Kraden started to talk gibberish. No one could catch onto what he was saying.

"KRADEN, SPEAK PROPERLY OR SHUT UP!" Garet yelled.

Kraden suddenly looked serious and started to talk slowly. Jenna shivered at the tone of his voice.

"I've heard of something like this before. You're right. You're right. We're not in Weyard."

He paused, before continuing his speech.

"If I am right, we're no longer in our world."

He paused again.

"In other words, we've crossed dimensions."