I've dedicated myself to completely revising this story. If you read the original that I've posted, you can definitely tell that I've written that in sixth grade. Now, as a twelfth grader, I'm going to put some sense into this story, from beginning to end. o3o

What has really inspired this are my likers on my Meru Facebook page. I've received some positive responses in regards to showing this story. Not wanting to disappoint them, I'm renewing the story.

I also have a few other things to thank for the inspiration: The Legend of Dragoon 2 project for giving me some inspiration into the LoD fandom again; "Rescue Me" by Kerrie Roberts; My undying dedication to this story. I've been writing this story since middle school, and some of my watchers know how I am with my inability to finish stories. This is the only story I've been going at for such a long time. I just hope that some of that dedication can inspire me to work on some of my other stories.

Now, without further adeu, the adventure begins.

Introduction

It was the break of dawn, and I saw myself in familiar, quiet woods. The trees seemed to be taller than me. The only light was coming from behind me. Since wary shadows were flickering from one spot to another, the light was probably fire.

I felt my eyes burn as tears rolled down my cheeks. Constantly tripping, I didn't get far very fast.

I was running. Running. Why?

After another trip, I crawled into a hollow log that was lying on the side of the road. I crouched, wrapping my arms around my legs. (I took notice that my hands and legs were very small.) Suddenly, I heard a stick snap outside the log. I lightly winced before keeping my breath still. With a quick glance, I saw outside on the ground a shadow of a person with a sword No, it wasn't a person; It couldn't be. I buried my head into my arms, trying to stop crying.

Then, sudden felt warmth hit my skin.

I looked up and realized that the sun was rising. The shadow melted away, and so did the dark prescence that accompanied it. Curious, I crawled out slowly to see if my pursuiter was gone.I peeked to the side of the log, and to my surprise, there was nothing there. However, I took another look and realized that a small figure was hiding. It was a young boy with unkempt, white hair that covered half of his face. He shivered, for whatever clothes he had once wore were gone now. His face held absolute horror, and all he could do was stare at me. When I tried to move closer, he flinched before running away.

"Wait!" I called as I tried getting up, but I failed in the attempt. I rested my arm on the log. "I don't wanna be alone," I continued in a murmur. After the tears returned, I sniffled, "Mommy Daddy NOO!"

That was when I woke up, eyes shooting open. Gasping for air, I calmed down as I realized it was a dream. Relaxing against a tree stump, I thought deep into it - The dream was what happened to me thirteen years ago.

I just didn't realize at the time that the event was going to play a much bigger role in my journey.

Chapter 1: Bad Day

Avrin

It was barely thirty minutes after that when I found myself in trouble. I was unsure how these Basil soldiers got into their minds that I stole something from the kingdom, but nevertheless, I led a speed chase. I tried to reason with them, but they only continued to shout:

"Give us back the jewel, thief!"

There were two soldiers chasing me. They seemed pretty determined to catch me, but all of that armor and heavy weapons were wearing them down. I always preferred to keep lightly packed - a short, cyan dress that was decorated with red ribbons, running shoes, my long, brown in a low bun, and my chain-sickle attached to my side. I can't understand how I appear to be a thief if I got no place on me to tuck it in.

Lost in thought, I didn't realize the third-party in front of me in time - a rather tall soldier. Before I could manuever out of the way, I collided into him, falling back. The gigantic soldier didn't even budge. Instead, before I could even get up, he picked me up by the shoulders and presented me to the other two as they finally caught up.

"Good work," one of them said, "now let's bring her back to the castle, just as the King requested."

I had never felt so on-the-spot before, and to be honest, it was embarrassing. As the soldiers escorted me into Indels Castle, the big one constricted my arms with one hand. All the employees and visitors of the castle stared at me, wondering what it was that I had done. I wanted to crawl under a rock.

"Please, I'm telling you," I begged softly, trying to not draw any more attention than I already had, "I didn't steal anything. Please let me go." Despite all my pleaing, they didn't show any kind of response. The tall soldier never said or expressed anything, so begging him would be useless.

Finally, we reached the top floor. The two average soldiers crouched down on one knees, whereas the third merely bowed. "We have retrieved the woman, your majesty," one of them announced.

The King, seated behind the wall in front of us, said, "You may leave us be." As commanded, the giant released my arms as he left with the other two. He glanced back at me before closing the doors, leaving the King and I alone. Looking up at him, all that I saw was his crown - which sat on long, blonde hair - and his sweaty face that rested on a silk glove-donned hand. Standing back a little, I was able to see a forest green cape around a dark brown shirt, silky gloves on each hands, and beige pants. On his face, he kept a sweet smile.

King Albert VI. He came from a long line of royalty; It was no surprise that an Albert would take the throne of Serdio. I had also heard that he had a younger sister that currently ruled over Tiberoa, due to the two countries' intertwined heritage. This royal family was ultimately respected.

I was unsure of what to do. Whenever I tried to talk - to defend myself - nothing would leave my mouth. My body was stiff from fear, and the most movement I could achieve was twiddle with one of my ribbons. True, the King seemed to be a gentle character, but I wasn't brought to him in good terms. Regardless of whether or not I had stolen something, I was in trouble.

Finally, applying to the silence, the King looked down at his free hand and murmured, "So, this is her, hmm?"

The silence had returned. I wanted to slap myself. "Get to the point, Avrin," I thought. Finally bringing up my courage, I hesitantly called, "Your Majesty...?"

The King looked at me, remembering that he wasn't alone. "Ah yes, I almost forgot. What is your name, dear?"

"A-Avrin," I answered. I was slightly afraid to make eye-contact with him, so I kept my eye gaze away. "There's been a misunderstanding... I haven't stolen anything. I know you might not believe me, but please give me a chance to defend mysel-"

"Oh no, but of course," the King agreed, to my surprise, "This most certainly has been a misunderstanding. Why would a sweet girl like you steal something valuable? I'm terrible sorry for the inconvenience." I replayed what I heard in my head just to make sure that I wasn't hearing things. The King was going let me go? Just like that?

Boy, do I overjudge things, or what?

When the King motioned for me to leave, I took one last look at him before heading for the doors behind me. As I pushed them open, the three guards stayed at post there. One of them had a smug look on his face.

"Well, what happened?" he asked, acting like a rotten girl wanting to get the juice on something.

"He's letting me go," I replied a little too bluntly as I walked past them. I didn't bother looking back at him, but I was sure that he was just as shocked as I was.

Leaving Bale, I kept thinking about how the King acted. He was preoccupied with other matters, he even forgot that I was there. He let me go without any confrontations. If he didn't mention the topic at hand, I would have thought that he didn't even know what I was arrested for.

Deep in thought, I was soon drawned out of it when something smacked the back of my head. Immediately turning around, I prepared to attack whoever it was. No one was there. Rubbing the back of my head, I looked down on the ground and saw a light blue gem. I picked it up and examined it. It was truly a beautiful little sphere. On the outside, it had a polished, pearl-white shell, and its core was a deep blue color that was thin as a pencil.

Things as valuable as this doesn't simply attack someone without a source. Was this the jewel that was "stolen"? Wouldn't this just simply make me look bad? Nevertheless, I wasn't going to make myself worse by leaving with it, and leaving it behind would be even more terrible. The least I could do was return to the castle and ask the King himself if this was what he was missing.

However, something caught my attention - a ferocious roar coming from a nearby cave. I recognized the cave as Limestone Cave, and it is not a path that travellers would normally take to-and-fro, due to its population of dangerous creatures. That roar certainly sounded like it would fit the profile. Why so loud, though? Perhaps someone had decided to go through the cave after all, and they are indeed trouble. After all, those creatures don't often get company. Setting my mind, I went to the cave.

Inside the cave, everything was completely damp. The dark minerals glistened to the sample of light from above. Walking down the natural stone steps, I became very cautious with watching my footing. As the ground flattened out, the corridor opened up to a large, open area. The scent of the forest was immediately replaced by all the dampness.

As I advanced more into the area, the roaring became more ferocious. Finally, I saw the source of the cries: An enormous millipede about as tall as a four-story building. The monstrous insect was fighting against a man with cobalt blue armor. Holding a sword, the man was able to dodge some of the millipede's attacks at an efficient pace. When he spotted a chance to strike, he took the chance and attacked with his sword. The creature once again roared, becoming furious.

For a battle this intense, I decided that I shouldn't become involved. I could just leave the way I came in and walk around the long way. Unfortunately, fate had other plans for me. The millipede froze as its head pointed in my direction. The man paused, confused of its sudden halt, until he looked over at me. The man had snow-white hair, and he had his bangs pushed to one side so it covered half of his face. Though I was some distance from him, I could see a hint of blue in his exposed eye.

"It's not safe here," he strictly stated, "Get out, quick!"

Before he even finished his sentence, the creature finally moved, slithering along the ground with haste. It took me a second before I realized that it was coming towards me. I knew that I didn't have time to pull my weapon out, so I sprinted for the exit. However, as I soon as I got to the first stone step, I realized that it was too high for me to climb within a short amount of time. Accepting that I was in deep trouble, I turned around to face the ballistic insect.

By some miracle, before the millipede lunged itself at me, a sharp object pierced through the middle of its body, right under its head. As it came back down, it crashed into the wall to my left. That's when the cave began to shake. I was unable to move my legs, due to the intense vibration of the ground. To my surprise, the man appeared out of nowhere and literally swept me off of my feet to move me away. Within seconds, rocks fell down where I was just at, blocking the exit.

I stared at the pile of stones in awe before looking up at the man. I was right about his eye being blue - it was a deep, rich color. His other eye was still hidden by a thick mass of his bangs. His face was completely expressionless, minus the small, upward curl in his eyebrow. Dark bags laid vacant under his eye, and his skin was quite pale.

Instantly, I became selfconscious as it came to my realization that he was still holding me in his arms. "You can put me down now..." I murmured, feeling awkward. Realizing this as well, the man hesitated before setting me back down on my feet.

"Are you alright?" he asked me.

"Y-yeah," I responded, chuckling nervously, "thanks." The man stared at me, making me feel uncomfortable. Finally, he walked away to collect his sword, allowing me to breathe freely.

As he pulled the blade out of the creature, I noticed the way that he held his sword. Instead of around the grip, his fingers curled around the guard. Odd, since the guard is the piece of the sword that protects your fingers from unecessary damage. However, it was probably that strange handling that allowed him to throw the sword accurately at the millipede within a short period of time, given that he has some muscular strength.

"I'm sorry if I brought any trouble," I continued.

"No, you're fine," the man assured me, "Uroburos is a very sensitive creature. If not for your intervention, the fight may have lasted a bit longer. What are you doing down here, anyways?"

"I heard a noise," I explained, "so I came to check it out."

"You came to...?" the man repeated before trailing off. He seemed a bit angry as he sighed, continuing, "That seems pretty reckless, considering you weren't even prepared for whatever was going on."

"Yeah..." I agreed, feeling even more embarrassed. "I'll keep that in mind." After giving a polite bow, I turned around on my heels, getting ready to leave.

"Ma'am, where are you going?"

I turned around, looking back at the man. I was a bit surprised that he was adressing me as "ma'am", since he seemed to be the same age as me. "My name is Avrin," I said. "The exit's blocked off, obviously, so I have to get out the long way."

"Do you want me to come with you?" he offered.

"No thanks," I declined, "I'm more prepared this time. I promise." Holding my sickle in my hand, I waved a farewell and smiled before resuming my leave.

I almost overestimated the other creatures and beasts that I encountered in the cave. They weren't as sudden and fast as Uroburos, so I had some relief spread through me. It had probably been a solid thirty minutes before I saw the light glisten on the rocks.

It was good to smell the fresh air again.

As the trees had once again surrounded me, I looked up at the sun. It seemed to be a little bit in the afternoon, according to the sun's position. Turning around, I looked at the object that opposed the sun in the sky: The Moon That Never Sets. The name was true to itself, for the sphere was visible in the brightest of days. I've heard that the Moon kept the same orbit pace as the earth, hence why it never sets. Even in its mass galore, it remained a grey color along the sky with a tint of turquoise.

The Moon had instantly reminded me of the gem. However, despite my frantic search, I couldn't find it anywhere on me. "I must have dropped it in the cave..." I muttered to myself. Do I let it be then? It wouldn't be my problem any longer, and only fools that enter the cave would be able to encounter it. (I suppose I'm calling myself a fool as well.) Then there was that white-haired man...

However, before I could get into deep thought about it, something ran into me. The force was completely unexpected, I almost fell straight towards the ground. Fortunately, I was able to react quick enough to regain my balance. I glanced quickly at whatever it was, only to realize that it was a person. In the mere second, I saw it was a young man with short, silver hair. He wore a red button-up shirt that was left open to reveal a white undershirt. He wore khakis with a single red knee armor over his left knee. As the man glanced back at me, I saw the deep golden color in his eyes.

The second quickly left as it came. The man scoffed, regaining his balance from rebounding off of me, before running around me. With haste, he sprinted into the mouth of the cave. Oh boy, how disappointed he would be once he realized that there was no other exit. Then again, he was in a hurry - so much as to not even apologize - so perhaps a trip through the cave wasn't his intention. Was he hiding? From what?

"Avrin, is that really you?"

The familiarity of the voice had startled me. With hesitation, I looked behind me to see a group of thugs. In the middle of the group stood a man with sharper clothing, as well as light brown hair that reached down to his shoulders.

Gulping, I attempted to keep my cool as I muttered, "Warven..."

"My my, how you've grown," Warven said, a hint of gloom haunting his voice. "How long has it been? Six... Seven years, perhaps? Look at you; you've certainly developed." A playful smirk curled on his lips as he chuckled.

"So... you're still alive?" I questioned him, ignoring the fact that he was checking me out.

"Yes, but of course," Warven gloated, shifting his weight as he rested a hand on his hip. "Sorry to disappoint you."

"Don't be," I said, returning the taunting smirk as I hovered my hand over my weapon, "I've been waiting for this moment..."

As soon as I lashed out my sickle, all four of his henchmen charged at me. I lunged my weapon at one of them, making the chain wrap around their legs before pulling them down to the ground. One of the others tripped over their comrade as I returned my weapon to me. The third one ran the fastest, jumping over the other two as he sprinted towards me. In a hurry, I dodged, but that had played into their favor. As the third one continued to come at me, the fourth one leaped off of his shoulders as a boost before crashing down on me. I fell on the ground, the back of my head recoiling from the cold dirt. Before I could get back up, the fourth one pinned me down by the neck with his dirty boot. I tried to push him off with my feet and hands, but one of them pinned my weapon to the ground as the other two pinned my arms and legs down as well. Before I could register it, I was trapped.

"Well, that was bitterly disappointing," Warven yawned as he approached me. "You've had almost ten years to plan your revenge, and this is all you could do. Tsk tsk..." I tried to shout a nasty comeback at him, but his thug pushed his foot down more, choking me. Crouching down, Warven toyed with my bangs, murmuring, "I'm surely going to enjoy this..."

Suddenly, a tree branch above us began to shake abnormally, raining down leaves. Curious, Warven looked up to see what was causing it. What was next wasn't what he expected to hit him. Literally. Someone fell from the branch and landed right on his face. As Warven grunted in pain, the person jumped over henchmen number four and kicked his legs out, kicking the two to my sides really hard. Still midair, he grabbed the shoulders of the thug at my feet and as he pushed him, he kicked the one on top of me into Warven. Within a second, all five of them were down.

As he landed on his feet, I instantly realized that it was the man that was previously running from them before. Pulling me up, he commanded, "Let's go!"