HI! Sorry, I was busy with school, but here is a new chapter, no matter how unexciting it is.

I set up a poll on my profile (i think, its my first poll) on what story I should focus on so go vote.

Disclaimer: do not own


Ed lowered himself on the make shift bed, the twigs and stray leaves were irritating but he would make do.

Two messengers were sent, to reassure the wolves and centaurs that he was fine. It made him feel kind of guilty of how he had been acting to the only ones who had tried to help.

This whole entire thing did not make any sense, him being here, the role that these…these….magical creatures put him in.

The spiders treated him past royalty, more like some god and he made sure to remind them that he was as normal as any other human being.

That worked to some limit.

There were also other humans in this world but as the spiders explained, some had magic and others didn't. The idea of it was too laughable, and that's what he had done when he was told that. But after calming down and thinking back to the people in the village that wielded sticks and shot out blasts of energy that did whatever they wanted to, the idea of it seemed reasonable.

But things did not just happen nor was it probably all magic.

There probably was a process to it and an explanation behind it.

Ed ran a hand through his hair, his brain hurt and so did the rest of him. At least he had had something to eat.

The spiders had gathered all sorts of fruit and some even managed to catch and kill a small deer for him. They didn't have the same aversion to fire as the wolves.

Now all he needed was some good sleep and he would be able to actually think tomorrow.

Water dripped in the cave and Ed let it lull him to sleep.

The next day the spiders made sure that he knew everything they did and what their customs were. Gurdon even told him a small story where humans had entered their cave and they managed to escape them.

Gurdon said that he was happy that the two humans had escaped, they were important to the magical community.

But he did not explain any further, muttering about how even the politics of magical humans did not matter very much to them.

Ed spent two weeks with the spiders before he snapped and said that he was visiting the centaurs.

The spiders weren't very keen on letting him go, especially Gurdon but Ed managed to convince him to let him go with promises of being back.

As Ed finally got out of range of the cave of spiders, he let out a sigh and shook his head.

"Gurdon is one clingy spider." Ed shuddered, he was glad that he had some power over the humanoid spider. Gurdon was always insisting to do everything for him, thing like washing himself to putting on his shoes to feeding himself.

That was just a little too much.

Ed fished out the silver watch from his pocket, snapping it open, taking a glance at it before snapping it back shut.

Noon.

He moved through the trees, repeating the directions Gurdon had given him grudgingly before leaving.

Take a right at the….was it the large oak? No. There's supposed to be a huge web on it, it can't be that hard to find.

After minutes he had spotted a beautifully woven web upon one of the trees, larger than any normal web he had ever seen but still beautiful.

As Ed wove his way through the forest his ears picked up the sounds of hooves.

A thud sounded next to him and Ed looked ever to see an arrow sticking out of it.

Ed was still staring at it when the hooves stopped behind him but jumped out of the trance when arms hugged him.

"Ed! I was worried! I mean the messenger said you were coming but you can never trust a spider, it could have been a trap for all we knew!" Alamar had an expression of worry on his face and Ed couldn't help feel a tad bit guilty that he had run off.

The he remembered Seragus.

Ed sighed and lifted a hand to his face, what was with the animosity towards each other that centaurs and spiders had?

"I'm okay and it is not a trap. So let's get out of here."

Alamar nodded before motioning to sit on his back, Ed pulled himself up with no protest.

The way there was silent and Ed relaxed. His mind drifted off, thinking of things that were and then the thought of Al made him gloomy.

Ed wondered if he was alright. He wondered why he was here in the first place, what was his purpose?

He had avoided thinking about why the creatures in this forest practically worshipped him but now it was time to face the music.

Ed snapped to attention of the mutterings coming from the cave.

There was something wrong and if by the way Alamar was acting, he knew what it was.

Ed tugged on the centaur's head, "What happened?"

Alamar gave him a nervous look before shaking his head, "It is not my place to tell you Ed, the star-gazer and leader will tell you."

Ed left it at that, not wanting to get too stressed out and blow up.

All the mutterings stopped as they entered the cave and all eyes rested on Ed.

They didn't even make a sound of anger that Ed was riding on the back of a proud centaur.

Seragus nodded to them, as Ed got off of Alamar, Argon stood near the glowing ball of light, his expression serious and cold.

"What's going on?"

Ed questioned, breaking the silence.

Seragus pointed at the glowing orb, Argon had not moved.

"What?"

Ed didn't understand, the orb looked the same to him and Argon seemed a little too cold but there was nothing he could point out that was wrong.

Seragus pushed him closer to the orb, Ed stumbled but righted himself and huffed.

"Look closer Edward, look deep inside."

Ed watched the swirling colors, trying to see past them, to see what they were hiding and as it cleared Ed couldn't help but gulp at what he saw.

Inside, right in the center of the orb was a reddish black swirling dot. A seed of darkness planted within a magical orb.

It swirled and grew before it shrunk, it repeated the process and each time the seed grew a centimeter bigger.

His eyes couldn't look away from it, it seemed to be beating like a heart but Ed shivered as a coldness seeped into his bones.

Hands wrapped around his shoulders and pushed him back, covering his view of the black seed.

"Do not look too long Edward, it is very dangerous."

Seragus's voice was frustrated and upset, as if blaming himself that the seed had sprouted inside the orb.

"What is it?"

Ed wondered, why would it be there?

"And what's wrong with Argon?"

Argon had not made a move since Ed had gotten there, if Ed had not seen the centaurs chest expand as he breathed, he would have thought him dead.

"He is protecting us from the orb, keeping the seed from growing and spreading. The seed…once it has taken the orb…it will destroy us all."

There was great sorrow in Seragus's voice as if it had pained him to even say the words.

Ed backed away from the orb, watching as it pulsed and burned brightly.

"What does the orb do exactly?"

The herd shifted and stilled as if it was an important telling of what the orb was, Alamar had joined the herb and kept casting concerned glances at Argon.

"It was a long time ago….it was when there were wars with all and many had been killed."

Seragus paused, " The orb came from an angel, she was tired of all the fighting between creatures, she floated down from the sky, with the orb in her hands and a kind smile on her face."

"All the creatures had stopped to stare and didn't move as she softly landed upon the ground, and the plants beneath her feet grew around her, filling with flowers."

Ed closely listened to the story curious as to who the angel could be, "she did not say her name, she spoke only two sentences, This orb shall protect you all, so there shall be peace. You shall guard it with your lives, every century the orb shall pass onto a new guardian of a different family."

Ed was hypnotized by the sentence as if he had heard it before but could not remember no matter how hard he tried.

"The angel then left, leaving the orb with the creatures and peace filled the land."

Silence. "That's it?"

Seragus nodded, "there are different versions from different creatures but the angel is true. This orb has kept peace between the forests for centuries, and now it is being overtaken by evil."

Seragus turned to his herd, "everybody go back to work, and all will be fine."

They did not look convinced but dispersed anyways.

Ed shifted nervously on his feet, he was worried about the centaurs, the spiders and the wolf pack but he shouldn't be, should he?

"what are you going to do then?"

Seragus gave him a confused look, "you mean what are you going to do."

Ed felt once again as if the world was set on his shoulders.