This story is an old one that I redid. This is only one chapter, but if anyone wants me to continue it, I happily will.

All the characters are mine and not based on any show or movie.

There was nothing I could do. The creature loomed over me. I begged my legs to work. I couldn't scoot back any father due to the wall right behind me. The giant dog-like thing reached for me, its huge hand dripping with blood… my blood. The world was spinning already. I cursed it. Why did I have to be born without an ability? Why couldn't I get something useful? The creature's hand wrapped around my neck, lifting me up off the ground. I could hear my fellow teammates yelling at me, calling me. I turned my head toward them. They seemed so far away, struggling to destroy all the monsters between them and me. Hana had tears running down her face.

"KESS!" She screamed right as my world went black.

A moment later, the monsters melted back into the shadows and disappeared. Hana ran over to where she'd last seen her teammate. "Kess?" She looked around. His body was nowhere to be found. "B-but…" She turned to her teacher. "Teacher?"

The brown-haired man looked around. "I don't sense him anywhere. I'm sorry Hana. He was beyond saving even before the monsters left." He spoke gently, but still, his words cut a hole in her heart. She fell to her knees and began to cry.

+++ 11 Years Later +++

I heard the commotion long before I saw it. It was coming from a valley I've never been to. For a few moments, I hovered atop my phoenix at the edge of the valley, watching. There were six people, a mass of monster carcasses, and one left alive. From my vantage point, it appeared to be a mix of a porcupine and a raccoon. Nasty creatures. They were vicious, relentless, and traveled in packs.

I could tell that the people were tired. They were hiding behind a rock outcropping, probably trying to regain some energy. The monster, however, looked fine. The monster lumbered towards them. Then, everything else happened all at once. Three people ran away from the rocks and attacked; two remained behind the coverings and fired projectile weapons, while the last person – a woman – ran right at the monster.

The porcupine-thing sent a flurry of spikes at the people. One spike hit the woman in the leg, while the rest avoided injury by diving for the rocks.

I decided I'd seen enough. Kicking my mount into action, I dived toward the monster. The flames of the phoenix drove him away from the woman. As soon as it landed, the phoenix disappeared. I opened the case attached to my belt and pulled out the first card I touched, channeled my energy into the card until I felt a click. The card glowed. A ball of light fell out and immediately formed into a massive serpent. I mentally took hold of the creature's will and ordered him to do my bidding. Kill the porcupine-raccoon. There was no hesitation. The serpent had long ago gotten used to its new life. It hissed, then flew at the monster, piercing it through the chest.

I cut off the energy to the card. The serpent flashed brightly before once again turning into a ball of light and returning to the card in my hand. I replaced it in the case and turned around. The woman was staring at me with bright blue eyes and wonder. I froze for a moment, suddenly thinking that she was a childhood friend I used to have, but quickly dismissed the idea. That was just impossible. This valley was way too far from that village.

I held a hand to her. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, pulling herself up and using me as a crutch to get back to her comrades. We didn't have far to go. They came most of the way and all began talking at once. They all wanted to know if she was okay, who I was, and thanking me. An odd screeching noise behind me shut them all up. Looking over my shoulder, I saw three more of the raccoon monsters enter the valley. They'd just returned from hunting by the looks of them. They screeched again, then charged at us.

I whipped out three cards and summoned the creatures held within. Three birds appeared. "Get on!" I said, jumping onto the phoenix, putting the injured woman in front of me. The raccoon creatures all sent a flurry of spikes. The other two birds – a Roc and Giant Eagle – took flight. We were just a few feet in the air when something hit my side. I stifled a yelp. The coppery scent of blood filled my nose and warmed my side and leg. I gripped the feathery neck of the phoenix harder, ordering all the birds to land on a ledge that just presented itself. Once landed, the woman's friends hurried over and helped her down, then began to head farther into a cave set in the side of the cliff.

The eldest member of the group walked over to me once I had recalled the massive birds. "I have to thank you sir, for helping us. I don't think we'd have made it out otherwise."

I shrugged. "You don't have to thank me," I mumbled, before pulling out the giant thorn in my side. I grunted, grabbing onto the man as a dizzy spell attacked me. He grabbed my arm, the realization that I'd been hit lighting his face like a light bulb in a dark room.

"Come on, we have some medical supplies at home. We'll fix you up."

"No, that's okay. You don't have to." I tried to pull away, but he held on fast.

"I insist. Come on." Letting me use him as a crutch, he led me forward with the rest of his crew.

The cave turned out to be nothing more than a tunnel that ended at another cliff-face. The other end opened up to reveal a large meadow. In the center of the meadow sat a cylindrical tower. I only counted 4 floors. The top one was surrounded by a balcony.

A redheaded boy, who introduced himself as Raoul, smashed his giant hammer into the earth in front of the cliff. The ground began to rumble, like an earthquake. Then stairs popped out of the side of the cliff, leading all the way down to the ground. Raoul leaned against the rock wall for a moment, before we set off down the stairs, hobbling one after the other.