Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, setting, ect If I did, I wouldn't be writing this.

Claimer: I do however own The Prophecy so please no copying. I haven't posted it yet so no worries! It will in chapter five.

Chapter 1: Party at Midnight

The night was so late it was almost morning. Down in the stables you could hear the soft sound of the horses swishing their tails, but all else was silent. But just because everything's silent doesn't mean everyone's asleep. No, as a matter of fact, up in her room at the convent a girl named Alanna sat on her bed staring out of the open window. A soft breeze swept her red-copper hair behind her so it looked like a flickering flame.

"You look absolutely stunning in the moon light," said a melodic male voice. A middle aged man with light brown skin, salt-and-pepper hair, and dark blue eyes appeared sitting on the window sill. He was wearing a long flowing robe that shifted to multiple shades of blue with silver trim making it look like the ocean during the night. He blazed so brightly with magic in Alanna's Sight that she had to do that mental shift in order to see him properly.

She grinned at him, "You don't look like you're rotting too much yourself."

"Oh please, you're flattering me!" came his sarcastic reply.

"No one can flatter you, you're Kyprioth."

"Now see here! I came to wish you a happy birthday and look at how you treat me!" the god said indignantly.

Alanna's smile wavered. "My birthday… it came so soon," she whispered sadly, more to herself than to Kyprioth.

"It sounds as if you didn't want your birthday to come. Why is that?" there was a mischievous gleam in his eyes, he already knew the answer to his own question.

Alanna, still deep within her reverie, didn't notice, "I'm leaving the day after my birthday… I guess that's in two days."

"Actually, that would be tomorrow. It's been your birthday for an hour and a half already. So where are you going to go? Any place in particular?"

"No. I'm just going. I have to get away from here." She still had that far away look on her face, and she talked as if she was in a trance.

"Great!" exclaimed the god as he clapped his hands together, "I've got the perfect birthday present for you."

That got her attention. Alanna raised her eyebrows, "Oh? And what might that be, a flying horse that I can ride? Even better, a pair of socks!"

"Your sarcasm hurts. I do have feeling's you know." Alanna coughed. Kyprioth grinned, "My birthday present to you is a mission."

"I mission?" Alanna asked, more than a little confused.

"Yes. As my Chosen, you have been granted the honor of running about to do my bidding."

"Lucky me." She muttered in response. Kyprioth ignored her.

"So your first mission is to locate Chaos's messenger," he paused and gave her a serious look before he continued, "and stop him by any means possible."

"I need to find who?" Alanna inquired believing she had heard incorrectly.

"Chaos's messenger."

"Wha-" Kyprioth cut her short before she could ask what he was talking about. Alanna had never heard of this thing he called chaos's messenger.

"Not what, but whom. The answer to your question is one I cannot tell you, but I will tell you that he is currently stationed at Chorus."

"So how am I supposed to find him, if I don't even know who he is? Chorus must have a thousand people in it. It's worse than telling me to search for a needle in a hay stack! What do you want me to do, walk up to people and ask, 'hello, are you chaos's messenger?'"

"That is your job, not mine. But think; if Chaos was to strike, what would be the easiest way to annihilate a nation?"

"Kill its monarchs,"she said stupidly, stating the obvious.

"Exactly."

Alanna glanced sharply at him, "Are you saying someone's planning regicide?"

"All I'm saying is that somebody near to the throne is getting ideas."

Alanna sat, thinking about what the future was bringing when she thought she heard a small cough. 'Gods don't cough,' she thought. There it was again.

Ahem

"What was that? Who was that? Kyprioth, what did you bring this time? Not another griffin?"

"Ah! I almost forgot. Alanna, meet your other birthday present."

'Meet my present?' she thought, as a black cat jumped up onto the bed beside her. "A cat? I don't need a pet!"

"No," the god agreed, "you don't, but you will need help." The god faced the cat, "I'll leave you to explain the rest; I think our noble lady here will be needing her beauty sleep." Alanna stuck her tongue out at him as he turned back to her, smiling. "Get some sleep while you can. You have some long days ahead of you. Good luck, and take care of yourself."

"I didn't know you cared," she retorted mischievously. The night's events took their toll as Alanna felt herself drifting to sleep. "G' night," she yawned.

"You mean good morning," and with a little smile, Kyprioth disappeared.

'Gods,' Alanna thought, 'they always have to have the last word.' Then the mounting wave of exhaustion crashed down upon her.

When Alanna woke, she found herself gazing into two violet orbs. The orbs blinked. "Get off of me cat!" yelled Alanna as she sat up in bed. She looked around her room checking if the cat had done any damage while she had been sleeping. Thankfully everything was where she had left it the night before. Thee were a couple of dresses thrown on the floor (Alanna wasn't very fond of them), an old table and chair was in the corner opposite the window, and a chest stood at the foot of her bed, containing her personal items. The room wasn't very comfortable with its stone floor and walls, but it had been hers. Now, after four long years, she was going to leave it behind. The one place where she could be herself away from the Sister's condemning glances.

Alanna could see all of this in the dark only because she had the Sight. It's still dark! "Damn cat! What did you have to go waking me up for?"

We needed to talk

"Why would I need to talk to a cat?" There was a pause as Alanna shook her head trying to clear it, "I'm talking to a cat! What in the name of Mithros am I doing talking to a cat?" Alanna picked up her pillow, lay back down, and slammed the pillow on top of he head.

A sharp pain went up her leg. "Ouch!" Alanna sat up quickly, the pillow falling in her lap. She moved it to see four small beads of blood right above her knee. She glared at the cat that was sitting near the edge of her bed licking his paw.

We need to talk

"Great Mother Goddess, I'm going insane."

Well, that's not my problem

"A talking cat with a sense of humor. Just what the healer ordered," Alanna mumbled to herself.

You're not my first choice either, but I do what the greater god will, so now I'm stuck here babysitting a child

Alanna bristled with anger; her temper was exceptionally short due to lack of sleep. A cat calling me a child!

Now before your face turns the same color as your hair said the cat with a little smugness, you need to know a little more about the situation at hand

This shocked Alanna out of her anger, "What 'situation'?"

The situation that puts the fate of this world into your hands the cat replied coolly. Alanna blinked at the cat stupidly. The black cat with violet eyes unsheathed his claws as he stretched. Then he leapt to the windowsill and turned around to face her. There is a place called the Divine Realm. That's were all of the of the gods and other immortals reside

"Other immortals?"

Yes, yes, you know. Griffins, dragons, storm wings, centaurs. The list is endless, but that's not the point. There is also another realm, parallel to both the Mortal World and Divine Realm, it's the realm of Chaos

"Kyprioth mentioned something about conquering chaos," Alanna said, suddenly remembering. At first she didn't understand, and she still didn't, but she wanted to,

Noticing that he had he attention, the cat continued, It's not chaos it's Chaos! Now, Chaos is the most vile, twisted, and dangerous goddess of them all. Her realm is also her prison where she and all of her minions are locked away for all eternity. But some how she broke free. It was only for a moment, but a moment was all she needed. Now her Chosen he hissed the word, has been set loose in Tortal and is on the verge of destroying it

In the silence that followed Alanna tried to let this new information sink in. It took a while but eventually she fully understood the gravity of the 'situation'. (A/N: Alanna isn't stupid or slow, in fact she's extremely quick witted. What would you do if you were in her shoes? I hardly think that you would be ready to charge in to the heart of Chaos, sword drawn, ready to fight that very moment. You don't even know where it is! Not to mention she's sleep deprived!)

Alanna let out a half-hearted laugh, "I did wish for an adventure so I could prove myself to all of Tortal. Who would have though it would be to save the world?"

Funny how things work out when you're in league with the Trickster god

"At least life is never boring!" Kyprioth appeared, standing at the foot of Alanna's bed. He was wearing an orange-red robe with a gold trim. He smiled at her, "The sun is coming, look sharp." Kyprioth grinned looking overly cheery knowing how much Alanna hated mornings. "Let me tell you a little secret. Remember that necklace I gave you on your thirteenth birthday?"

"The day I met a certain Trickster and my life turned upside down?" Alanna gave a dramatic sigh, "Oh, I remember that day all to well. The day my reputation was ruined forever."

The god's eyes laughed merrily, "If I recall you hardly needed persuading. All I did was give you a little push and told you where to find that thief down in the city." Alanna broke out into a small fit of coughs. "Okay I admit it!" Kyprioth said as he threw his hands up in mock surrender, "I might have created a little distraction so you could leave unnoticed." Alanna raised an eyebrow at him.

She wondered if she would find her old teacher in Chorus, the thief Marek Swiftknife.

"Anyway, the necklace I gave you that day-"

"You mean this necklace?" Alanna said, pulling the necklace out from under her nightshirt. It was a simple gold chain with two charms on it. The first one was a blood red stone, looking very much like a ruby, except it had an air of importance and power. The second, a small gold charm that glowed silver with magic, was an anti-pregnancy charm.

"And what do we have here," said Kyprioth said indicating the second charm. Alanna's face turned bright red as she mumbled something from which the words "Thayet" and "forced me" were intelligible.

Kyprioth grinned and continued as if nothing had happened, "The red crystal on that necklace contains a special magic-"

"But I can't-"

"I know you can't detect it, and there's a reason for that. You're not the only one with the Sight, rare though the gift may be. It does a number of things you will have to discover for yourself, but its primary purpose will be to create your mark. Hold the crystal in front of your mouth and blow on it. Your sign will appear in front of the crystal." Seeing her questioning expression he said, "You will understand all in good time, but I must leave you now. Good luck!" And with a small flash the god disappeared.