Thanks for the reviews and follows! I'm really excited to share this story with you. Fair warning, I should have marked it on the characters, but yeah this is gonna have some OCs. The biggest one is the little boy. I hope everyone enjoys him!
The air grew cool as the short tunnel through rock opened into a spacious cave. Zane had to crane his neck to see the bases of the stalactites of dark stone. Some of the stalagmites from the bottom far below kissed their tips to those of the stalactites. A forlorn platform balanced on a pillar in the middle. Jiro led them down a flight of ramshackle metal stairs. Each step sent echoes cascading through the air. Zane shivered, though not from cold. The boy pressed close to him and took Zane's hand with both of his.
The stairs came to an end a few meters above the shadowy bottom. The way forward was a solid door leading deeper into the rock.
Jiro shouldered it open and gestured silently inside.
Zane stepped into the beginning of what seemed to be a maze of tunnels with five starts to smaller tunnels. They were mostly natural to his eyes. The inconsistently sized shafts curved this way and that. Smaller stalactites, stalagmites, and columns edged the sides. Jiro nodded to the others in the group and they scattered into the tunnels.
"Keep with me." Jiro said.
He took off at a brisk pace. Zane hurried behind him. Glimmers of light caught his eye. Harsh electric lights were strung at the top of the paths and reflected on tiny crystals embedded in the surface of the rock.
They stepped out onto a stone bridge crossing over a cavern larger than the first below. A waterfall plumed from the opposite wall. The water crashed into the earth meters below. The wash from the spray cut through the ground. From there it flowed into places unknown deep in the earth.
Zane could swear he could see people among the pillars of rock surrounding the river. He leaned and squinted to get a closer look.
"Watch your step." Jiro said.
Zane nodded and shifted himself and the boy away from the edge. He understood why the path under his feet was so smooth; it had been worn away by the river. Beyond the bridge was a long straightforward tunnel lined with doors. Jiro opened one, revealing a square, empty room.
"Please wait here. I'll be back in a few minutes." He said.
Zane nodded. The door thudded shut.
Zane shifted uncomfortably. The boy was curled on the ground nearby. He had fallen asleep not long after they had arrived.
Zane stretched his tired muscles. Jiro had said to wait there for just a few minutes, but they had been waiting approximately forty. He was just about ready to leave and explore for himself when the door burst open.
A young woman with dark hair stood frozen in the doorway. She let out a combination of a laugh and a sob and tackled him.
Zane instinctively caught her. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.
A high pitched scream caused Zane to look up sharply. The noise was coming from a man who was for some inexplicable reason dressed entirely in brown and sporting a pompadour. He was dancing lightly in place and his eyes shone. Zane dragged his attention back to the woman he was holding.
"Hello." He ventured.
She let go of him, cupped his face in her hands, and beamed at him.
"Zane! It's so good to see you!" She said.
"It seems we have met before. Forgive me, but I don't remember you." Zane said.
The woman immediately pulled away, a shocked and saddened look in her eyes. She raised a hand to her mouth.
"I forgot." She breathed.
She stuck out a trembling hand.
"Hello, Zane. My name is Nya. And that's Dareth" She pointed to the man in brown. "I'm in charge around here." She said.
Zane took her hand.
"It is nice to meet you." Zane replied cautiously. "Your men seemed eager to get me here."
"Eager?" Nya repeated, then her eyes widened and she whirled on her heel to glare at Jiro. Jiro, who had obscured himself behind the open door, took a step farther back.
"Jiro! Did you threaten him?" She demanded.
Jiro rubbed the back of his neck.
"Captain, you told us we couldn't explain anything to him. And there were Lordings in the area. How were we supposed to convince him to come back with us?"
"Zane is a reasonable person, Jiro! I'm sure if you could have thought of something!"
"I tried, but he was being difficult. Besides, you didn't warn us he was going to have a child with him ." Jiro explained.
"A child?" Nya turned around and noticed the little boy, now awake and terrified, .
"What the-" Nya exclaimed.
A spasm crossed her face but she regained her composure.
"Zane, you found a tag-a-long."
"He was there when I woke up." Zane replied
He still felt a little dizzy from the speed of the conversation.
He instinctively moved towards the boy and used his body to shield him. Nya gave him a strange glance.
"I'm sorry that Jiro threatened you. We're not the bad guys, really." She said.
Zane slowly nodded at her.
"I...think I knew that."
"Good! I bet you have lots of quest-" Nya started before Jiro interrupted her.
"Captain, is this the right time to explain? We've been travelling since sunset." Jiro said.
Nya shot him a dirty glance. Zane found himself agreeing with the sentiment, though perhaps not the execution. This woman could answer his questions, and he didn't want to have to wait. To Zane's dismay she sighed and nodded.
"You're probably right. Zane,I promise I'll answer your questions tomorrow.?" She said. "Jiro, can you take care of them?"
Jiro nodded and beckoned them to follow him once more.
Zane laid back on his thin bed. It had been at least an hour since Jiro had dropped them off. The room, now to be shared by Zane and the child, was rectangular and mostly empty. The room was simply furnished with five beds and five matching side tables.
The boy was curled up in the corner of his bed. He stared off into space. Zane's mind was still buzzing and he felt he could never rest with so many questions whirling in his head. Despite this his mind quieted down and he slipped into a dreamless sleep.
Zane was woken by the sound of scuffling. He opened his eyes. It had only been 3 hours and 10 minutes since he had fallen asleep. Zane took a second to wonder how he knew that before turning his eyes to the other bed.
The little boy was writhing in his bed. The blankets were tangled around his thrashing legs. Zane immediately got out of his bed and crossed the room. He grabbed the boy's shoulder, but the child continued to struggle. It wasn't until Zane had grabbed the boy with both hands and called out to him that he opened his fear-filled eyes.
"A nightmare?" Zane whispered.
The boy looked down and nodded.
Zane sighed and sat down on the bed.
"I do not suppose you'd want to talk about it." Zane asked.
The boy glanced at him nervously, and like for the last day, said nothing.
"You cannot talk, can you?" Zane said heavily.
The boy shook his head.
"I see."
There was a long silence. Zane put his arm around the boy, who was still breathing heavily. They sat there for a while. Zane wondered, not for the first time, just who this child was.
Moments passed and the boy's breathing slowed and his eyes drooped. Zane made to get up, but the boy grabbed his hand and shook his head. So Zane sat by his side until the little boy fell back to sleep.
Zane slipped over to his own bed and fell asleep as soon as his head hit his pillow.
Five figures stand together on an overcast beach. Each one wears robes in the color that in part defines who they are. All five look to the horizon.
"Are you ready?" The one in red asks the one in green.
"As ready as I'll ever be." He replies.
He is nervous, and the others look at each other with concern.
"We have trained for this." One in white says quietly.
"What if I can't do it? What if it turns out like before?" The green one clenches his fists.
"You're strong, and we'll be behind you every step of the way." The one in black says, putting his hand on the green one's shoulder.
The green one takes a deep breath.
"Let's go." He says.
The other four can still hear the trembling in his voice.
Zane woke with a start. Shoulders heaving, he put his hands to his face. He was surprised to feel tears on his cheeks. He had been dreaming. There had been people, people he knew, but even now the dream slipped through the cracks of his mind.
Someone knocked at the door and Zane snapped his head up. He glanced over at the bed next to him. The boy blinked at him sleepily. Zane swung himself out of bed and opened the door. The brown clad man from the night before stood there.
"You are awake!" the man exclaimed. "We were getting pretty worried."
Zane didn't have a chance to respond before the man started talking again.
"Nya's been pretty impatient. Let's get going. We can take the weird kid too."
"Oh, um, right." Zane managed. He beckoned to the boy who slipped silently to the floor.
"I'm Dareth, by the way," the man said. "Nya's number one and only assistant."
Zane found his chatter faintly familiar. Perhaps they had known each other before. Dareth launched into a tirade about the inner workings of the place while they started walking. Zane politely listened, though most of what Dareth said had no meaning to him.
A woman had rounded the corner in front of them. Zane nearly stopped in his tracks. She looked human for the most part, but her silver hair, glowing green eyes, and white skin tattooed with purple circuit patterns clearly set her apart as being something else. She ignored them as she walked towards them and stayed immersed in an electronic pad. As she passed, however, her green eyes flicked up to meet his.
Zane felt as though his breath had been forced out of his body. Behind those eyes was a curiosity and warmth that he hadn't expected.
Her eyes flickered back to her work and she swept past. Zane twisted his neck to try and follow her with his eyes.
A hand jerked Zane to the side, saving him from running into the wall. Zane blinked and looked down at the boy. The boy gave him a puzzled look and tugged at his robe.
"Thank you." Zane mumbled.
Dareth was still rambling on about something when he stopped in front of a door.
"Here we are! Nya should be inside training." Dareth said cheerily.
He bid them farewell and sauntered off.
Zane and the boy exchanged glances as they opened the door.
A large cavern opened before them. Looking up, Zane saw the bridge they had crossed the night before. The constant rumble of the waterfall hung in the air. Several people were sparring on the sandy floor while others climbed and leapt from the towering rock formations. One had taken noticed of them and swung down.
Nya landed in front of them. She gave them a crooked grin.
"Hi Zane! Hi… kid?" Nya greeted them.
"Hello Nya." Zane said.
The boy had slid closer to Zane, but dipped his head regardless.
"So, where did you pick him up?" Nya asked.
Zane shrugged.
"He was there when I woke up."
"He have a name?"
"I am not sure. He seems to be unable to talk."
Nya bit her lip.
"Weird. It's odd that anyone survives by themselves out here. Especially a kid." She said.
Zane cleared his throat.
"You said you would be able to answer our questions." He prompted.
Nya looked away. Her posture turned stiff.
"Yeah, I can." She said.
Nya took his hand and led them towards the waterfall and away from the curious eyes of the other people. Nya took a deep breath.
"How do I explain this?" She said to the rocks and water.
She looked back to Zane.
"There's this dark entity from the beginning of time called the Overlord." Nya started slowly. "Four years ago he attacked the world. You and I, and a couple of other people fought him."
Nya stopped again. She wouldn't look at him and instead locked her gaze on the waterfall.
"We failed." She whispered, making Zane strain to hear her. "Miserably. He took over the world and almost everyone fell under his control."
Zane's mouth dropped open and a chill radiated down his spine. The entire world was under the control of darkness. The concept alone made him feel unsettled. It was almost too much to imagine. Through his disturbance Zane still hoped that Nya's explanation would spark any memory within him.
"I've spent the last five years keeping the survivors alive and just trying to keep out of the Overlord's way." Nya went on.
"How am I connected to this?" Zane asked.
Nya closed her eyes.
"Zane, you're special. The Overlord can only be defeated by what are called elemental masters. That's what you are. You are the master of ice. When he first took over, you weren't ready. Your memories," Nya paused. "Attract the dark forces."
Zane furrowed his brow and cocked his head.
"So you removed them." He said.
"Yes. We had to seal you and your memories away." Nya said. "Zane, I'm sorry, but they have to stay that way."
Zane felt as if he had been punched in the chest.
"I cannot remember?" He whispered. "Nya-"
She put her hand on his shoulder.
"You're our only hope right now," She said. "And the only way we're going to be able to beat this guy is if you don't remember anything."
"No, you do not understand." Zane swallowed with difficulty. "I-I need my memories, I cannot-"
Zane suddenly couldn't look Nya in the eye and breathing became difficult.
Nya grasped him by the shoulders.
"Zane!" She said.
Zane jerked his gaze to hers.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She whispered. "But I promise you when this is all over I will find a way to bring your memories back."
Zane recoiled.
"You don't know how?"
The pit in his stomach plunged deeper. His vision was tunneling. A part of his mind was telling him to calm down. Even that was quickly consumed by the flames of panic. They blazed through his mind leaving only confusion and fear.
A small hand took his. The record in his mind that had been playing his doubts and anxieties on a loop skipped. Zane blinked and realized that not only was the boy squeezing his hand, but Nya was hugging him tightly. Zane was surprised to find himself on his knees.
It was enough to let the rational part of his mind take control again. His breathing was forced to slow and his body relaxed degree by degree. The panic shrunk and condensed into a small knot of anxiety. It was small enough that Zane could easily push aside. In its place he could feel a determination begin to grow.
Zane looked up to meet Nya's gaze.
"I am ready." He said.