Hello everyone, here's chapter 3. I know it took me some time, but like I said, I have other stories too. Anyway, read and review!

CHAPTER 3: THE ELEMENTAL DJINN

"Ok everyone, this place is a pretty good spot to rest for the night," Kraden said as he placed his backpack on the ground and rubbed his shoulders "I am not young as I used to when I was traveling with Lord Babi".

"You mean we are going to camp?" Jenna asked in awe. Kraden nodded and sat on a rock, still rubbing his shoulders "This is great, I've never slept outside the village before!" She said jumping up and down.

"Calm down Jenna. We still need to start a fire, so we're gonna need some firewood. I am going to fetch some," Isaac said.

"Aren't we going to need some flint and tinder?" Garet asked confused and the other three looked at him like he was crazy "What?" He asked even more confused.

"Garet, can you please answer me to that: Are you an adept?" Jenna asked and Garet nodded "And what type of Psynergy you and I use?" She asked again.

"Fire. Why are you asking all those stupid questions Je... Oh. that's right," He said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Hey, I found some branches here. They have already been used for a fire, but I believe we can still use them." Isaac said, bringing the branches in the middle of their 'camp' and Jenna shot some sparks to ignite them.

"Guys... If they have already been used, doesn't that mean that someone else used them... and it might be the ones we are after?" Jenna said standing near the fire.

"Probably... And if that's the case, then this is bad," Isaac said, joining the fire next to Jenna.

"How so?" Asked Garet "I mean, we covered the same ground and if we keep up the pace, we'll be able to catch up to them".

"You are correct when you say we have covered the same distance, but you forgot something. They left Vale in the evening, while we left in the morning. We had an at least five hours head start," Kraden said, opening his backpack and retrieving some bread and some vegetables "Here," He said, offering them to the teenagers.

"We really need to keep up the pace then," Garet said and took a bite on his bread. They could go faster, but Kraden was really old. He sat down opposite from Isaac, who looked lost in thought.

"Don't think about that now. Let's go to sleep, tomorrow we leave at first light. We're also leaving the radius of Vale's crystal, so we'll probably be attacked by monsters," Kraden said and the others looked at him.

"What do you mean we're leaving the radius of the crystal?" Isaac asked.

"Well, don't you think it's strange that there has been no attack from monsters on Vale?" He asked.

"That thought never crossed my mind. You mean the crystal in front of the gate is keeping them away?" Jenna asked and Kraden nodded.

"Yes and no. If a huge amount of Psynergy is unleashed nearby, the crystal is overwhelmed and forced to stop the field. That's why three years ago there were monsters attacking. That storm was created by Psynergy," Kraden said.

"That crystal is far cooler than I first thought," Garet said with awe "Anyway, I am sleepy, so if you'll excuse me," He said and opened his sleeping bag, falling asleep immediately.

"Garet is right. I am going too and you should follow soon as well," Kraden said and placed his sleeping bag in the most comfortable place he could find. That left Isaac and Jenna in front of the fire deep in thought.

"Isaac..." Jenna said slowly, snapping him out of his thoughts "I've been meaning to ask you, doesn't that masked guy seem familiar?" She asked and Isaac's eyes widened.

"I thought so too, but pushed it aside believing it was just my imagination," He said and Jenna hugged he knees with her hands.

"Can you remember who he is? It has been bugging me ever since that day. Yesterday I couldn't sleep at all. I was thinking about it till dawn..." She said and sighed.

"I'm sorry Jenna, but I don't know. Maybe it was just someone like Saturos and Menardi. Someone that tried to steal the stars that day and escaped disguised as a villager. That's the most accurate possibility I can think of," He said.

"Ok..." She said and there was silence between them "The sky is so beautiful. The stars look so close and yet they are so far away".

"Did you know that those stars we see right now are the image of hundreds of years ago?" Isaac asked. "We might be seeing a star that have died a long time ago".

"That's impossible! Who told you that?" She said narrowing her eyes, trying to see if Isaac was fooling around. The sad expression on his eyes proved her wrong.

"My father used to tell me that story all the time before I went to bed. The story about a boy that wanted to go to the stars and a powerful adept that happened to pass by decided to help him," Isaac said.

"How did the adept help?" Jenna asked, looking at Isaac's sparkling blue eyes with a gentle smile on her face.

"He told him to choose a star and he would send him there till the next morning. The boy pointed on one and when the adept channeled his Psynergy to travel through space and reach it, he couldn't," Isaac continued

"It was because of what you said, right? That the stars we see are an image of the past," Jenna said and Isaac nodded.

"Right. He then realized that he could also feel stars that he couldn't see with his eyes. He came to that conclusion, but didn't share it with the kid. He sent him in a random star and the next morning the boy returned older... far older," Isaac said.

"How could this be?" Jenna asked, captivated by the story her friend was saying.

"When the adept sent the kid through space, the kid traveled a long way. In order to reach that far, the tunnel sped up time and the boy found himself spending ten years of his life inside the tunnel. Five years to go to that star and five to return." Isaac said, causing Jenna to gasp.

"Ten years inside the tunnel? It must have been really bad for the poor boy," She said sadly.

"When the kid returned, the adept was speechless and realized his mistake. He apologized to the boy, a man now for his foolishness that coasted him ten years of his life. The man looked at him and smiled. He just said 'Thank you for making my dream come true. I may have given up ten years of my life, but it was worth it... Even if it was for half a day'," Isaac said.

"Did your father really tell you that story?" Jenna asked and Isaac nodded. "It was a really great story. I am glad you shared it with me".

"After my father would end the story he would say just one thing before going out and closing the lights. 'Follow your dreams. It doesn't matter how many time you lose doing so. In the end, it's all worth it.' I'll always remember those words," He said smiling.

"I will too," She said as she yawned and slowly placed her head on Isaac's shoulder. The later looked at her and blushed, but smiled and started stroking her hair.

"Good night Jenna," He said as he placed his hand over her shoulder and rested his head on top of hers.

Garet groaned as the sun rays made their way to his face. He was used to sleeping in complete darkness and the sun never managed to intrude through the window shutter. He tried covering his eyes with the blanket but failed, considering the fact his feet prevented the sleeping bag for going further. He slowly sat up, rubbed his eyes and yawned, before getting up and stretching. He looked around and spotted Jenna sleeping on Isaac's shoulder, while he had his head placed on top of hers. He raised his eyebrows before bending and shaking his friends a little.

"Wake up you little lovebirds. It's morning and we have three villains to catch up to," He said grinning before heading to wake up the scholar. Isaac opened his eyes and looked at Garet, before noticing someone resting on his shoulders.

"Did we fall asleep like that?" He asked Garet and the said person nodded, still grinning.

"Sure did. You looked really cute like that you know," He said teasingly and Isaac's face turned a bit red. He looked at Jenna again and slowly removed her head, placing it on his unpacked sleeping bag. She didn't need to share the same embarrassment he did.

"Is it morning already?" Kraden asked and stood up, carefully folding his sleeping bag "Wake Jenna up and gather your stuff. The sooner we leave, the better," He said and Isaac shook Jenna gently.

"Five more minutes…" She said, hiding her head into her arms. Isaac smiled and shook her one more time "Oh, fine," She said and opened her eyes. The first thing she saw, was Isaac's face close to hers… really close "Wikes!" She said and jumped back.

"Hey, I am not that scary you know!" He said, acting offended "Anyway, why don't you, sleeping beauty, help us pack things and be on our way?" He said kindly and Jenna blushed.

"Of course," She said quickly, hiding her blush as fast as she could, and went to help Garet with his sleeping bag. He was glad for her help, since he was unable to fit it inside its container. Soon, they had finished and were ready to leave.

"All right, let's go kids!" Kraden said cheerfully and started walking forward, followed by the groaning teens.

"Excuse me…" A soft voice from their right made them jump in surprise and draw their swords/staff, ready to face the owner of the voice. They spotted a small yellowish brown creature with a big belly and blue eyes and relaxed.

"Hello little fellow, how can we help you?" Jenna asked kindly. Kraden looked from Isaac shoulder and his eyes widened in surprise.

"My God, you are a Djinn!" He said excitedly and the teens looked at him in surprise, while the creature, the Djinn, looked at him smiling.

"So you know about us? Then this is going to make things a lot easier. I was separated from my friends during the eruption in Mt. Aleph and I am looking for them. Will you accept me as your companion?" He asked kindly "My name's Flint by the way".

"I am Kraden the scholar and those young mans and woman are Isaac, Garet and Jenna," He said, pointed a hand on each while introducing "And it will be our honor to accept you of course. We could really use your help actually," He said and the teens just looked at him blankly. Was this getting a bit weird or what?

"Thank you very much! Is there any Earth Adept in the group?" He asked and Isaac nodded, still feeling a bit weird about the conversation between Kraden and the creature "Then you have to set me. I know it sounds crazy, but it's nothing really. You just have to allow me to join your Psynergy and become one with it." The teens blinked in surprise.

"Hey, hold on. What do you mean by that?" Isaac asked, after finally recovering from the daze "If you become one with my Psynergy, doesn't that mean you are going to amplify it?" He asked and Kraden smiled. His pupil was getting things pretty fast.

"Of course I will. That's what Djinn have been doing for quite some time now. As long as we are set on you, your Psynergy grows stronger. The more Djinn you set, the more power you'll get".

"Flint, I really want to ask you so many questions, but we don't have the time to do that right now. Fuse with Isaac's Psynergy and I'll explain everything on the way. We'll talk later, when we camp for the night," Kraden said and Flint nodded.

"Sure thing, here I come comrade!" He said and he exploded in yellow balls of Psynergy and made their way into Isaac's body.

"What the hell was that?" Asked Garet in shock "Does this mean Isaac is stronger now?"

"I don't know, but I sure feel stronger. I believe Kraden can explain further," Isaac said.

"I can of course. Let's go and I'll explain everything".

"Can't you keep that stupid thing away from me? It's really annoying!" Menardi snapped and the small creature hid behind Felix's shoulder "I suggest you stay there you little beast!"

"Come on now Menardi. It's just a little, cuddly thingy. Aren't female supposed to like cute and cuddly things?" Saturos asked teasingly, his usual smile in place.

"Oh, so that's why you like it?" Menardi asked smiling evilly at him. Saturos's smile remained in place, but his eye twitched a bit.

"Will you two stop acting like an old married couple?" Felix asked in frustration. Saturos smiled and he calmly looked at Menardi who glared daggers at Felix.

"Are they always acting like that?" The creature, that was actually a Venus Djinn asked.

"Yeah Echo…All the time," He said and Echo looked at Menardi again.

"She is pretty scary…" He said in worry.

"I know. Believe it or not, I am scary sometimes too," Felix said, looking at the Djinn on his shoulder.

"This mask make you look scary, but you are a really good person. You saved me from those monsters and allowed me to come with you. I owe you Felix," He said happily.

"The only thing I want from you Echo, is to never call me by my name. If you do, the mask won't be the only thing making me scary. Got it?" He asked and Echo sweat-dropped.

"Sure thing pal. I'll either call you pal or buddy. How does this sound?" He asked.

"As long as you don't use my name, it's fine," Felix answered "You said you are looking for another one like you, right? Your childhood best friend."

"Yeah… We've been through so much together. He is a cheerful idiot that just can't shut up, but he is also a caring person."

"That sounds like Garet, one of my childhood friends".

"Are you searching for him as well?" Echo asked.

"No. I know where he is and I don't plan on going to see him. I have a mission to accomplice before I am able to hang out with them again," Felix said.

"Then I hope we finish it soon. I, on the other hand, can't wait to see him again. Just you wait Flint, I am gonna find you soon enough!" Echo said happily.

"Will you two shut up? I can't stand your rambling!"

End of Chapter

I don't think it went exactly as I planned… But it turned out pretty good, don't you think? I have also added the Djinn. I am going to try and have them active during the story, but I won't have all of them in conversation… Seriously, there are 72 Djinn! Also, I am not going to follow the locations of the game (like you have guessed from Echo being found near Vale). Thanks for reading!