Here you go you guys! The long awaited sixth installment.

Sorry that I have'nt been the most diligent of writers. I'll try to be more on the ball from now on.

Oh, and as a reviewer pointed out, I forgot to add paragraph breaks. He he, whoops.

I recently just added them.

xxx

Is he dead?

Maybe…

All of his clothes are gone. Ha ha! I can see his butt!

…

Ooh! Here, poke him with a stick!

You're not very respectful to the dead.

"…augh…"

Holy crap! He's alive!

Barely…we should get him back to the village.

Shouldn't we get a grown-up first?

I'm grown-up enough! Here, I'll take this arm, and you take that one. We'll pull him, okay?

Okay…Geez, this guys heavy! What'd he have for breakfast? Rocks?

Just shut-up and pull!

xxx

The air was silent except for the occasional chirping of sparrows and buzzing of a few cicadas. Through a glossy window, a single beam of light nudged itself into the simple room. Its light shined brightly on a sleeping form, glistening on the owner's smooth lips. Crimson eyes slowly fluttered open and blinked as they absorbed the golden light. Lyude tenderly pushed his soar body upright and into a sitting position. He gave a soft moan, and fell against the bedpost. He hovered his hand over his abdomen. His fingers met with soft gauze. He looked down to see the fabric wrapped around his lower belly.

"My god…I'm alive."

"Indeed. You are quite lucky."

Lyude's body jerked, causing the wound hidden behind the gauze to burn. Lyude grit his teeth.

"Oh dear. Please do forgive me for startling you. It was not intended, I can assure."

Lyude looked toward the direction of the voice. "You're…the doctor Kalas knew."

The old man nodded. "I am Larikush, and yes, I do know Kalas. Though I am afraid I do not fully remember you. Will you enlighten me?"

Lyude smiled. "Yes, of course. My name is Lyude Ephret…I'm from Alfard."

Larikush placed his knobby fingers on his chin. "Ahh yes…they're new emperor." He looked towards the young man in front of him. "Well, looks like you passed the amnesia test. But I hope you don't mind me asking…what's an important person like yourself doing washed up on the shore of Sadal Suud?"

"Well…" Lyude tried to regain his thoughts, replaying the previous events in his mind. "I was on a ship, going to attend a council in Diadem when…" His eyes widened, "CEE!" His mind re-played the scenario when the young girl was thrown of the ship, her scream muffled by the furious waves.

Larikush was a bit drawn back by the man's sudden outburst. "There was another with you?"

"Yes! A young girl! She was thrown off the ship when it crashed into the shoreline." Lyude threw the layer of blankets off and stood, ignoring the wound on his belly. "I have to go and find her…where are my clothes?" He paced the small room in a search for his missing garments.

Larikush placed a reassuring hand on the other man's shoulder, and then walked towards a large dresser. He pulled out one of the large, wooden drawers and removed a few articles of clothing. "Here. When you were brought to Cebalrai, you had nothing on your body, with the exception of that trinket around your neck." He handed the clothes to Lyude, and then took the necklace's pink stone into his fingers, examining it. "Rose quartz…interesting thing for a man to adorn his neck with."

Lyude paid no mind to the comment and thanked the doctor for the clothes. He began to dress himself, and then he realized something peculiar. "Doctor…these clothes…"

"Ah, I know what you're thinking. Yes, they are from Alfard. They used to belong to me, but as time wore on, I began to hate them."

"Hate them?" Lyude chuckled at this, "They're practically brand new! It's like you only wore them once or twice."

Larikush sighed. "When I moved to the capitol with Kalas' grandfather, I was given them by the tailors at the imperial fortress. I wore them for the first day of my staying there, out of being polite. But, to me, they represented the difference between myself, and the rest of Mintaka. I am from Azha, dressing me in pretty clothes will never change that. After that, I never wore them again. I simply didn't feel right wearing them."

"Doctor…"

Larikush cleared his throat, "Besides, the looked awful on me! I had never felt so self-conscious in my entire life!" He turned towards Lyude, who was adjusting a black tie on his collar. Covering the tie was a textured, maroon vest, which formed a slight "v" at its end. Underneath the vest was a cream suit shirt with buttons on its cuffs. The pants were a long cacki material that flared at the bottom, hiding Lyude's bare feet so that only his toes were visible. "Hmm, on you it looks much nicer. But, you'll probably be wanting footwear."

Larikush returned to the drawers, this time digging around a bit more. He found an excessively dirty looking shoebox. He blew on the box's cover, causing dust to go flying everywhere. He immediately drew his fist to his mouth and gave a few hard coughs.

Opening the cover of the lid, he revealed two golden slippers.

Larikush stared at one of the slippers in disgust. "Filthy. I really should dust this place more often."

He patted the sandal with his palm, sending dust flying in all directions. The same procedure was done on the second slipper.

Shooing away the dust with his hand, the doctor handed the slippers to Lyude. "They're not much, but they are comfortable, despite their outward appearance."

Lyude placed the slippers on the oak floor, and slipped his feet into their openings. He stood straight and wiggled his toes inside of the slippers. The doctor was right, they were comfortable.

A stabbing pain brought Lyude back to the reality of the situation. He cursed, and staggered back to the bed and sat.

Larikush, not looking the least bit surprised, walked over to where the other man was sitting. He reached into a back pocket, pulling out a small vile, which appeared to contain a small amount of water. "Lift up your shirt."

Lyude grimaced as he did so.

Larikush lowered himself down on to one knee and slowly began to remove the gauze. When he had finished exposing the pale skin, he uncorked the small vile and poured it over the large, stitched gash.

Lyude tensed up for a moment, but then slowly began to relax. The pain faded just as the tension had.

Larikush placed the cork back inside the vile and wrapped the gauze back around Lyude's abdomen. "Better?"

"Yes…the pain is entirely gone." He looked at the small vile in the doctor's hand. "What is that?"

Larikush placed the vile back into his pocket. "Water. From the spring in the woods."

xxx

Oooh…

Cee tiredly pushed herself up off the ground. She was soaking wet and…the ground was even wetter. She opened her tired eyes to see that she was lying in a giant puddle.

She moaned and moved the wet hair away from her face. She tried her best to stand, but kept finding herself collapsing back into the shallow water. Eventually, she gave up and leaned herself against a boulder. She sat there for a good while, staring into space. Strangely enough, she didn't hurt anywhere. She was just tired.

"I guess…I should consider myself lucky…or this is heaven." She tilted her head upwards and stared at the large amounts of foliage dancing in the spring breeze. Light shot down between the cracks of the leaves and elegantly rested on the water's surface.

"Pretty…"

She closed her eyes, and was consumed by the darkness of sleep once more.

xxx

"The spring?"

Larikush nodded. "I only use it when it's absolutely necessary, however."

Lyude stood, twisting his lithe body. Nothing. No pain at all. "Why? It's utterly miraculous!"

The doctor sighed. "Yes, I'll give it that. But…"

"But what?"

"There's something…evil about it."

"How you mean?"

Larikush once again removed the vile and stared at it. "It's just a feeling I get. A little voice in my conscious warning me about its unknown dangers. It really isn't a miracle elixir. It's more of a drug. It doesn't heal you; it only makes the pain disappear for a certain amount of time. And, like any drug, I'd imagine that it would have some ghastly side effects." He placed the vile in Lyude's hands. "Though in this situation, keep considering it as a blessing. The likelihood of your friend's survival is low. If I were you, I wouldn't even bother searching."

Lyude frowned.

"Pour a small amount over the wound when you begin to feel the pain again. And don't push yourself too hard. The pain may be gone, but the wound is still there. You wouldn't want it to reopen."

Lyude thanked the doctor, and shoved the small vile into one of his pockets.

"Good luck to you as well." Larikush quickly added. "You'll need every last bit of it to get around through the hell that has surrounded Sadal Suud."

Lyude arched a brow at this, not knowing exactly what it meant. When he opened the door to leave, however, he understood every word.

The hamlet was in the same condition that Azha was in. Overgrown foliage mingled among the huts and barns.

"Heaven help us…"

xxx

Erde? Erde!

Hmm…?

Erde, why have you forsaken us?

What are you talking about? Who are you?

We are the trapped ones. We are the sufferers and the damned. Why have you done this? Why have you harmed us so?

Done what?

Left us here to rot.

Where?

Here. Everywhere, with no shells.

This is crazy! I don't even know what you're talking about!

DON'T LIE TO US!

Cee awoke, gasping for air. Her whole body ached and burned. She tried to move, but could not, for she was entwined with vines that clung to her like steel wires. She screamed.

"Oh God! Stop it! You're hurting me!"

No.

The water in the pool began to twist and turn as wind circled hard around it. The wind pushed the water up into its cyclone and began shaping the water like clay into the form of a human being. Cee just stared, petrified with fear.

Still maintained by the wind, the figure walked towards the frightened girl. Cee's hair flew more and more wildly with each step the figure took. It finally stopped about a yard away from her. Though it had no eyes, Cee could tell that it was staring at her. She began to tremble

All we wanted was rest, and a new beginning. Why have you abandoned your shell? Why have you forgotten us?

Cee started to cry. "I really, really don't know what you're talking about! Please! Just let me go!"

The vines around her body tightened, making her scream. She felt as if she were about to be crushed.

"HELP!"

xxx

Lyude jumped. He darted his head back towards the doctor.

"Did you hear that?"

Larikush looked at him, a bit confused. "Hear what?"

"It…sounded like someone screaming."Larikush shook his head. "No, I didn't hear anything."

Lyude stared hard at the ground. He could have sworn that he heard the screams of a young girl. A young girl like-

HELP!

"Cee!" He started to run towards the direction the voice was emanating from. It was her, he was sure of it.

He stopped at the entrance of the village, breathing hard. He listened for another scream.

KIYAAAH!

It was coming from the forest.Lyude inhaled deeply, trying to prepare himself for whatever was coming next. As he ran, he wondered how in the hell the doctor couldn't hear Cee's screams. With each step he took, the screams became so loud that they began to pierce his ears. He winced at the painfully loud sounds echoing within his eardrum and slammed his palms over his sensitive ears. But it did no good. If anything, it almost made the sounds louder, like the noise was actually originating from his own mind. It hurt, and was driving him crazy.

Though his legs were already numb from fatigued, he pushed them on.

The trees overhead seemed to stare down upon him luminously as he ran. He thought, for a brief moment, that they were mocking him.

All the meanwhile, the screams were getting louder, so he knew he was on the right track. It was at a ruined temple, however, where he had to regain his bearings. He leaned up against a stone pillar, breathing heavily and letting his neck fall to rest on his chest. A few blue birds flew by; their angelic whistles mingling with the screams of his lost companion. He took notice of a small puddle on the ground and plunged his face into it. It was deep, and he drank ravenously. He had forgotten how dry his mouth had grown to be.

He dipped his hands into the clear, cool liquid and splashed the rest of his face with it. This cleared away much sweat and heat that had gathered there.

He stood himself up, feeling a little shaky. "Come on, feet." he whispered to his throbbing legs.

He jogged to the opposite end of the temple and continued on a small, lushly green pathway.

"I'm not who you think I am! Just leave me alone!"

Cee? Her cries for help no longer rang loudly inside of his mind; he could actually hear her now. Which meant she, and whatever was holding her captive, were very close.

He crept slowly to the end of the path, and himself behind a large weeping willow. He peered over the tree's fat trunk to get a glimpse of what the situation was. Fat, green vines were restraining cee while her captive stared at her. She was…talking to herself? And her captive, what's wrong with them? Wait a minute…

Lyude squinted his eyes at the form.

Is that water?

The sound of Cee screaming threw him off of his train of thought and coursing back into reality. Not entirely sure of what was to be done; he reached for a large stone that was slightly embedded in the tree trunk's roots. Pulling his arm back, he hurled the stone across the spring. BOOM! Right in to the middle of the creature's head.

The thing stumbled and fell over, but it didn't seem to take any severe damage. After all, it was just water.

Lyude took this opportunity and ran towards his friend.

Cee's face lit up like a light bulb at the sight of him. "Oh my God! You came!"

Lyude didn't respond. He was too busy pulling on the thick vines. They were too thick to break by hand, and he didn't have a knife or anything of the sort on him. Not wasting anytime thinking, he sunk his teeth as hard as he could into the hard plant, and pulled. There was a loud snapping sound. Lyude hoped it was the vine and not his jaw.

Cee screamed again. Lyude turned around to see, and was smacked in the face. Hard. The impact sent him flying shortly through the air and finished by causing him to roll across the ground until he rammed in to a tree. His head throbbed like a hollowed drum as he slowly got on all fours and lifted himself back up. He brought his hand to his head, checking for blood. He was surprised that he was still conscious. So was the water that had hit him, and began to chase him. Lyude turned around and began to run. His legs were wobbly and he couldn't see very straight. All the while, the creature was gaining on him.

As he continued to run, Lyude noticed that the ground was becoming more and more slippery. He was having a hard time trying to run and keep his footing at the same time. The thing behind him was doing even worse. It was almost like it was…sinking!

'That's it! Mud! Mud will pull it down!'

He then saw a swampy mud-hole, and dived into it. The water creature followed suit, but never resurfaced.

Panting, Lyude pulled himself out of the sticky muck. He was covered, head to toe, in dirt, slime, and algae. He even had small twigs poking out of his hair.

He reached for a small tree branch and pulled himself up, only to have it snap and fall on him.

Lyude grunted angrily, pushing the branch off of him. "I hate this place."

Once he had finally gotten himself to stand up right, he scooted his way back to the spring. As he got closer, he could hear the pathetic yelps coming from Cee, who was apparently still tied up.

"Lyude? Lyude! Answer me!"

Lyude pushed the bushes encircling the spring aside. "I'm okay C-"

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Lyude slammed his palms over his ears again.

"PLEASE DON'T EAT ME LAKE MONSTER!"

"Stop screaming! It's just me!"

"Lyude?" There was a brief pause and then, "HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! Oh my God! Look at you! You look like someone that died, came back to life, and died again!"

Cee continued to laugh insanely. Lyude simply rolled his eyes and submerged himself into the spring water. When he resurfaced, his face and arms were a bit cleaner, but his hair and clothes were another story. He then felt around for a rock that was sharp while Cee was ending her long laugh by giggling and even snorting. Once he had found a proper rock, he cut Cee free from the grips of the vines. Cee stood there for a moment, expecting them to disappear. They didn't.

"So, are you all right?"

Cee nodded. "Yeah, I think so." She then jumped into his arms, totally disregarding the fact that he was still covered in mud.

xxx

To my dear reviewers:

Golden Vixen: Wow! Thanks for all of the comments. I really appreciate them. I hope I didn't make you too mad during the looong wait for this chapter.'

jellybeanz225: Yes, Cee is very childish. I began this story when I was 15, so I'm not picking on anybody's age. The reason for her childish attitude will be explained in later chapters.
Don't worry, there will be plenty of romance later on.-

Forceuser3 the Jedi Master: Yup, that was him. Your comment on Bush made me laugh. Thank you.-

Kioji: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it.

PHOENIX CLAN SURVIVOR: Really? Thank you! That makes me feel awesome.

Rebbe: I'm just trying to make the story more interesting. But I can understand what you mean.

Toki Kishitani: Thanks for the review Toki! And a double thanks for being such a great bud here and on DA.-

Sweetbriar: Thanks a million for your constructive criticism and compliments! (blush) I will keep your advice in mind.

turquoisefox: Good geuss, but nope. Cee isn't Almarde's reincarnation. I won't say anymore about her identity. You'll just have to wait and see. Mwa ha ha ha!

CelebrenIthil: LOL. Thanks for looking at my online gallery. Lyude won't get wings for a looooong while, though.

DeumendoGirl: You got it!

Willowren: LOL. Yes, she can be bratty at times. Thanks for reviewing me. (I love your stories!)-

memumbo: Thanks! I'll do my best.

Wings of Heart: Thank you!

Ice Seraphim: Thanks, I will.