We were once from there. The distant home that seemed to stand only inches away. We thought coming here was a misunderstanding; a mistake. But after years of service, our minds changed. This new world became our home away from home. Eventually, all thoughts of returning dwindled away. Home sickness was replaced with the lust for adventure. We forgot our planet, because this new found place seemed so much better. There was no violence, no anger. The common cruelties of our world were lost here. The worst elemental tragedies were caused my magicians and sorcerers. Fighting was common yes, but solely between mighty warriors clad in shining armor. Monarchies were the government. There was no such thing as 'bad politics.' Pollution was ineffective here. Stunning landscapes shaped the earth below our feet. Mountains higher than any of us have ever seen stood behind magnificent castles. The waters, a crystal blue, sparkled with the shining sun. It was never too hot, and never too cold.

Myth became reality. What we thought only in our imaginations had come to life right before our eyes. The possibilities were endless. So much to do, and we had an infinite amount of time. There was no one stopping us. No one to tell us our time was up. We didn't miss our home. But somehow, it missed us…

A long lost treasure

A large highway, six lanes long, stretched along a desert background. The dirt and sand moved, almost alive. Heat wasn't a problem here, despite the blinding sun above; its golden rays beating down on all in its path. The bright bulb looked more like an orange orb than a star. It stood out from the cloudy skies. A mixture of light blue and gray swirled about, casting a gloomy sheet onto the desert rock. The smell of fresh rain drafted the air, bringing with it the chills of an early November morning.

Along this highway, placed in the middle of a desert, drove several cars. Time appeared to have slowed to a crawl, seeing as there was nothing to look at but the rolling dunes and periodic rocks. In one vehicle, weaving in and out of the light traffic, two girls sat chatting to one another.

The driver, a brunette looking to be around eighteen years old, laughed as her companion finished explaining the day's mishaps. Her light gray shirt almost matched the sky. A pair of once dark, but now faded jeans rested around her legs, with a pair of dark sneakers to match. The brunette had a kind of caring tone as she spoke. She seemed to be the kind of girl who'd run to help someone if they really needed it. But, while she sounded like a caring person, she looked confused. As if she didn't know what to do once she'd gotten to the problem.

Her brown eyes gazed quickly along the road as she nodded her head, glancing every few seconds to the girl sitting next to her. The passenger, a spunky girl with pink hair, leaned back in her seat. She gazed out the window with a pair of light brown eyes. Her figure was similar to the others, but she seemed to have a more outgoing kind of personality. She talked rather loudly, despite being so close to the first girl. Her blue sweater covered the black shirt she wore, along with the top of her pink skirt. The second girl was also very fidgety. She moved frequently, trying to find a comfortable position. But it had been a long drive, and sitting in a car for over an hour tends to bother some people.

"So how much longer Bri? You said it'd take thirty minutes tops." The driver, Brianna, glanced to the passenger with a slightly annoyed expression. "Didn't you see the accident back there? I can't do anything if the police decide to move the freeway down to one lane." The second girl simply sighed and shook her head, smirking a little. She enjoyed toying with Brianna. It not only gave her something to do, but she loved to see the looks she'd get. "Besides," Brianna started, "we'll be there in like ten minutes. So quick complaining Ky." Kyrie, or Ky as she liked to be called, frowned and turned from her sister. A low mumble escaped Kyrie's lips as she returned to staring at the scenery around them. "Don't have to be so mean about it.."

Kyrie and Brianna are twin sisters, born exactly 3 minutes apart. While Kyrie is the older of the two, she tends to be less responsible. Brianna is usually the one to get her older sister out of trouble, and takes a more steadfast approach on life. The two may seem very different, but they are siblings. Their mother was a chef, and a good one at that. She owned a small restaurant near the edge of their hometown. It wasn't that famous, but they made enough to get by. At a young age, Kyire immediately took to cooking, learning everything her mother taught her. Brianna also took a liking to cooking, but was known to burn most of what she made. However, when it came to baking a cake or making a pie, she could top her sister rather easily. Brianna was also an avid reader, and picked up writing when she was thirteen. Their father, an author for the local newspaper, couldn't be happier with his youngest daughter. The two spent much of their free time together, discussing the newest book, or researching a topic Brianna wanted to write on. Both girls lived splendid lives; until their fifteenth birthday. One month after to be exact. It was on that late August day when their worlds changed dramatically.

Their parents were on their way back from a movie. They had left the girls at home, saying they wanted to spend some quality time together. While making a turn, a driver failed to stop for a red light and slammed into the side of the parents' car. The mother, who was in the passenger seat, died instantly from the crash. Their father survived for another week or so, before dying from internal bleeding. With no parents, and still under the legal age, the twins were sent to live with their aunt and uncle. They tried their best to treat the girls as their own children, since the Aunt couldn't bear her own, but it seemed as if nothing would ease the girls' pains.

It wasn't until a few days before their seventeenth birthday did things begin to change. An old friend, one they hadn't seen in almost ten years, moved back to their hometown. He had gone to live with his grandfather in Europe, since his parents were unable to take care of him. But before he'd left, the boy made a promise to his two friends that he would be back soon. With the return of their best friend, the girls perked up, and had a change of heart. They became more involved than before, meeting new people, making new friends. They had grown out of their shell. Now, the girls were on their way to pick up that same friend, who had gotten himself lost while visiting his mother in a rehab center.

"What do you mean you're lost?" Brianna had asked, her tone more disappointed than worried. "I mean I'm in the middle of some town, and I don't know how to get home.. I'm lost." Brianna sighed for a moment as she tapped her nails on the wooden table she sat in front of. Kyrie, sitting across from her, stared at the phone that rested near the center of the table. "Shawn, which freeway did you take?" "How am I supposed to know? There's hardly any signs out here." A muffled voice replied. "Look, all I know is that I'm about a half hour from your place. I have the address for this diner I'm at. I'll text it to you." Brianna's eyes narrowed as she picked up the phone. "And how are we supposed to find that place?" A short laugh could be hard, but stopped suddenly once Brianna cleared her throat. "Just punch it into the GPS on your phone. It shouldn't be that far away." Kyrie glanced to her sister, then over to the clock. It was 4:30. The sun would start to set in about an hour, and it'd get dark soon. She hated driving at night. "Ugh. Fine. We'll be there soon."

xXxXxXx

We'll be there soon…..

A rather tall, blonde haired boy of twenty opened his light blue eyes. He was facing the ocean, listening to the sounds of the waves crashing onto the beach. Salt water sprayed across the sand, drenching him slightly. But he ignored it. The boy's clothing may have looked odd to the twins, but were quite normal where he was. Baggy beige pants that fell to the top of his ankles blew in the ocean breeze. A pair of brown traveling boots shifted in the sand, causing an almost silent noise to echo. A loose belt hung onto his waist, falling down to his hip on one side. The fitted beige shirt he wore showed off his muscular physique, but also several scars that were barely visible. He appeared to be a fighter of some type, given the fact that he stood tall and moved through the sand with much ease. A staff, which probably rested in his hand most of the time, was placed on his back in a small sheath made of leather. Across his wide sleeves were symbols, ancient looking and carved in black. Many people had asked him what they said, and each time the boy replied with the same answer. "I don't know. But I'll find out soon."

Standing beside him, a girl looking to be maybe a year younger held his hand. She was dressed in similar clothing, but wore a skirt. The color of beige was a tad darker on the girl's garbs, and they had been fitted to her size. Her raven colored hair blew in front of her face, causing a small sigh to escape her. It broke the momentary silence between the two, which was uncommon for them. A pair of light green eyes glanced up at the boy, who seemed to be fixated on the water before them. It was odd for him to act like this. She knew her fiancé was a powerful sorcerer, given his young age. The elder sages had told the duo the boy had inherited a power from the angels. To be granted such an honor was rarely heard of.

But of course, the news of the magician's new abilities spread quickly through the kingdoms. The nobles rejoiced in knowing the angels had finally chosen someone to wield their gift. Some scoffed at the young man, saying he was too young to control it. While most sided with the boy, celebrating and praising him, there was always a hint of jealousy. He could feel it as he walked through the crowded cities and open roads. People would glance at him, just for a moment. But within that moment, envy showed its ugly head. He could see it, the emotions of others. It wasn't something he could do before, and no doubt came when he had been touched by one of the angels.

The boy thought nothing of that little adventure. He merely shrugged it off as a lucky break. But, one late night, while he explored an abandoned temple, he came across an odd looking rod. It was broken into several pieces, and had withered away to almost nothing. But the second his fingers touched the decaying wood, he was shocked with something one could only explain as a thunderbolt. Falling unconscious, the boy awoke to the face of a man. He was tall and exquisitely dressed. The man had a sense of nobility, perhaps. Or, perhaps he was just a con artist. The young magician couldn't tell which, but was struck with awe at the sight of him. He doesn't remember much. Except that the man had picked up the rotting staff and mended it. With just a wave of his hand, it was fixed, and placed into the boy's hands. Afterwards, he had learned the man was one of the angels who created the world he lives in. But, he wasn't shocked or excited. The mage was a little surprised, of course, but he felt like it had been any ordinary meeting with a stranger.

"..Ordinary. My life has never been ordinary." Aubrey titled her head, her full attention now set on the person next to her. "Tye, what are you talking about?" He looked to be in some kind of daze, ignoring everything around him. The sound of her voice hadn't registered in his ears until he blinked several times. "Hm? Oh, it's nothing. Just thinking out loud." The girl tightened her grip on his hand, leaning a little closer to him. "Why did you drag me here? I thought you had to deal with that snobby Duke today." A small laugh caused Aubrey to smirk and gaze up to Tye. "He can wait. Not like he's got anything important to tell me. I'll just get an earful and a stern warning to stop ignoring his requests." Tye sighed slightly, a more irritated expression now settling on his face. "That moron wants every treasure in the damn world. And somehow he expects me to find them all. He thinks I can pinpoint an artifact just like that." This time, Aubrey was the one to laugh. "Well, you were blessed with those angelic powers." She teased, pressing closer to him. "Oh yeah, being able to sense random voices and see people's emotions are some awesome powers." Silence fell between the two again, before each turned to the other and roared with laughter. "Come on Aubrey, let's go for a walk." He had pulled away from her, which she didn't like. Aubrey had been known to be rather timid when away from her fiancé, but she wouldn't say why. She had been that way most of her life, until the two of them met. After, she became more outgoing.

"Where exactly are we walking to?" She asked, her face mimicking Tye's. "Nowhere special. Just this little cave I wanted to have a look at." Tye had already started walking towards the direction his finger was pointing. It wasn't too far off. A small cove near the end of the sand that stretched into the land to form a cave. It had been there for years, and yet not a soul had explored it. Rumors began surfacing that there was an undead spirit haunting the area. And Aubrey knew those rumors had intrigued Tye. He always loved getting into some kind of problem. Whether it was on purpose, or just some weird instinct, she didn't know. "Fine, fine. Just don't do anything stupid, or you'll be sleeping on the floor tonight." Tye laughed, turning to face her and bowed playfully. "Yes Dear."

XxXxXxX

The twins had finally made it to the middle of nowhere, close to their friend's location. After leaving the highway and traveling on a rugged dirt road, the car pulled into what looked to be a ghost town. It was fairly modern, yet there seemed to be no inhabitants living there. It wasn't until the two pulled into a gas station did they see why the town appeared to be dead. The entire population (which wasn't a lot) had gathered around an odd looking stage. Most were standing, mouth open, in awe at the sight before them. Some mumbled amongst themselves, hissing out boos every now and then. Brianna and Kyrie gazed around curiously, trying to grab a better glimpse of whatever was on the stage. They never noticed the sandy brown hair and rather tan looking gentleman that approached from behind them.

"About time you two showed up! I think it's gotten a couple hundred degrees hotter since I got here." A quick shock left both girls' bodies, but it quickly disappeared when they turned to see their friend. He was sweating, most definitely due to the blazing sun, even if it wasn't that hot out. "It's Bri's fault! She got us stuck in traffic!" Kyrie whined, giving Shawn a quick hug before slipping behind his large frame. She had avoided her sister's cold glare, but the look faded away as Brianna turned to the crowd. "Why are all these people here?"

Shawn shrugged, stepping to the side to reveal Kyrie crouching behind where he once was. "A couple folks are saying it's some magician. Supposedly he can make people vanish or teleport or some weird crap like that." He shook his head, laughing quietly to himself. Shawn never was one to believe in anything mystical. He saw the whole idea of magic and fairy tales as just stories. The girls, on the other hand, had been captivated to the stage. Shawn glanced toward the back of their heads as they inched closer to the front of the crowd, sighing a bit. "Sure. Why not. We can watch the show." But the twins were already out of earshot. Sighing once more, Shawn shook his head and made his way through the hoard of people. By the time he'd made his way to the front, the girls had been asked to come to the stage.

"Thank you ladies! Now, if you will please stand right on this X." An older looking gentleman with a full blown tuxedo navigated the girls to a large X that was taped onto the stage. A crimson cape moved with his body, which reacted far better than anyone else his age. Shawn guessed him to be in his fifties, maybe. His facial features looked older than that though. A thinning hairline that was hidden with a top hat could be seen every few moments when he'd wipe his forehead. No doubt the man was hot in his attire. Once both Brianna and Kyrie had been placed on top of the X, the acclaimed magician cleared his throat.

"Ladies and gentleman, please direct your eyes to my two lovely assistants! In mere seconds, they will disappear right before your very eyes!" A sudden hush fell over the crowd, all eyes glued onto the twins. Briana gripped her sister's hand rather tightly. She wasn't used to having so many people watching her. Shawn, meanwhile, was getting annoyed. He didn't feel like waiting for a silly little magic trick. He wanted to get home as soon as possible. Being out in the sun all day tends to become a bore. "Ok, that's enough." He shouted, stepping forward. Several of the fixated gazes now moved to Shawn, peering at him as he walked up to the center of the stage. "You're going to have to find some new volunteers, 'cause we gotta go." A quick furrow of the man's eyebrows caused Shawn to hold back a laugh, which seemed to agitate the gentleman even further.

"Come come now my boy! Surely you would love to see these two in a trick of illusion and sorcery!" Shawn stared at the performer, his expression unchanged. A few of the crowd had started to boo the group, some even shouting to stick Shawn in the act as well. The magician picked up on the screams, and stepped forward, nudging his newest volunteer onto the X. "I think someone is simply jealous! Why don't you join your friends, and the three of you can partake in this delight together!" Shawn stepped off to the side and reached out for the man's arm. But, before he had a chance to physically grab it, Kyrie pulled him back.

"Come on Shawn, it's not gonna hurt anyone. Just enjoy it. Please?" He'd glanced off to the side, knowing his friend was using her pouting face. And he could never say no to that. "..Fine. But make it quick." Kyrie squealed quietly with excitement, and grabbed his arm. Brianna merely laughed, gripping his other arm rather loosely. "Excellent! Now that we're all ready! Here we go!" The magician slid across the stage, clapping his hands together. A second or two later, the three found themselves inside a box. It had grown incredibly dark, and they had begun to step on each other's feet. "Hey! This isn't funny!" Shawn shouted, banging on the side. "Shawn, calm down. It's part of the trick." He turned to look at what he guessed was Brianna's face. "If you say so." The trio could hear muffled applause and shouts of excitement, before hearing the familiar voice of the elder man who'd stuck them in his little contraption. "When this is over, remind me to never come out here again."

Kyrie and Brianna both began giggling, but stopped abruptly when they noticed the cheering from outside had stopped. Shawn too, noticed the silence, and pressed his ear against the side of the box. "That's weird.." Reaching into her pocket, Brianna pulled out her phone, giving the three some much needed light. The box had grown cold suddenly, and where there was once wood, stone had replaced it. "Hey!" Shawn began shouting, "open up! Your little trick is over now!" He shoved against the side, but it wasn't budging.

XxXxXxXxX

The entrance to the old cave was darkened due to its location. Beneath a seaside cliff, right next to an abandoned lighthouse. It was a sort of storybook landscape, and the scenery only excited Tye further. "Honestly, why do you love exploring places like this? You're as bad as Alex." The mage glanced over his shoulder to his fiancé and grinned. "No, I'm definitely worse." She returned his grin with a quick shake of the head and laughed. "So true." The two walked into the mouth of the cavern, stepping over a few loose boulders and a narrow stream. The formation of the cave came from the waves. The high tides around this area were known to create havoc on the cliffside. There were several caves similar to this not too far, but all had been explored. It was the lighthouse that kept interested minds away.

Several decades ago, it's rumored that an old sailor lived in the lighthouse with his daughter. He was well known along the coast as one of the best fishermen of his day. His daughter, young and beautiful, was known for having many promising bachelors visit at all hours of the night. The sailor, in the dark of these events, soon found out about his daughter's habits and threw her out. Afterwards, it's said his life flew downhill. All in all, the man ended up jumping off the cliffs and into the ocean below. No one found a body, and over the years the local fishermen have conjured up stories.

An undead soul of a fisherman walks along the coast next to the lighthouse. He no longer lives there, as it brings back to many horrible memories. Instead, this spirit has come to reside in the caverns beneath his home. He awaits for his daughter's return so that he may apologize and forgive her. Tye laughed as the story repeated in his head once more. It was all rubbish. He'd been to far worse places, and seen more than he'd care for. He found it amusing how worked up the locals had gotten when he told them he was coming here.

Aubrey, on the other hand, felt the need to investigate the cave pointless. She wasn't afraid of the stories, she just had an odd feeling. Those usually come up when Tye is about to do something stupid. It's something she has come to rely on for certain occasions, and this seemed to match the criteria. "Watch where you're going Tye. If you fall and leave me here alone, I'm going to kill you." A soft laughter escaped him as the two descended farther into the cave. It had grown much darker. "I think we need some light." He turned to Aubrey, who had folded her arms over her chest. "Why are you looking at me?" "Well, you are a priestess." She stared at him, an unmoved expression on her face. "And?" He turned, smiling towards her. "And everyone knows a priestess, much like a bishop, uses light magic. So make with the lights." A small smirk curved her way up her lips, a satisfied hmph coming from her. "Fine."

Aubrey rubbed her hands together, as if she were planning to create a spark. Taking in a deep breath, she started speaking, but stopped suddenly when Tye raised his hand. "What now?" "Shh." He whispered, grabbing the staff that rested on his back. "You hear that?" Off in the distance, a very faint noise could be heard. It sounded as if a fight had broken out. Or, Tye hoped that's what it was. Aubrey scooted closer to him, and gripped his arm rather tightly. "See! I told you this was a bad idea!"