Chapter 3: Realization
My eyes began to open as I felt a searing pain in my legs. My arms were throbbing in pain as well, but not to the degree that I could feel from my legs, I noticed. I groaned out in pain as I slowly forced my arms to move my body into a sitting position, wincing in pain as I set down upon the cold, stone floor. My eyes opened wide as I remembered the mystery disks that I had been holding onto, and I shifted my gaze to my arms, and sighed softly. When I moved, I hadn't been able to feel the pressure of the mystery disks against my arms or chest. "Guess I was concentrating on other things," I whispered… and then blinked. My throat was parched, which made me unable to speak above a whisper, even though I had thought I'd spoken at a normal tone of voice. I swallowed a few times, to no avail.
'First thing's first,' I thought, as I struggled against my pain to stand up against a wall. 'I need to find some water.' I listened around for a moment, closing my eyes for the same amount of time as I attempted to try and hear any sources of water echoing through the cave. It was unnerving, though… As I listened for water, the pain in my arms and legs intensified in my mind, even though they didn't really hurt any more than they did already. I shook my head and opened my eyes, this time looking around the cave. I couldn't help but to laugh a little as I caught sight of myself. My clothes were tattered and torn. My shirt was barely hanging on my body, and the only part of my clothes that were still fully intact was my shoes. My laugh died, however, as I suddenly remembered what had happened last night. My body went even colder than it was, causing me to shiver, as I replayed the events in my mind.
The flash of light from my side had signaled the departure of Jound. He'd been one of my best friends, for the longest time. He had leapt forward to attack the Naga, even as he told me to run for my life. I turned and ran, hoping for the return of my friend sometime during the night, or even in the morning. Instead- nothing. Jound had been nowhere nearby. I tried to tell myself that he was still alive, that he'd make it to these caves... but, the omen had just been cast. The sight in before me caused me to gasp in horror. The forest had been mostly burned in a large radius. My own cottage was among the forest ruins. The village was also in sight- trees had been knocked down all around it, leaving me with a clear view of the carnage. The village I had grown up in was now destroyed. Blood and water mixed to curse the earth of the village, while Lost Disks littered the countryside. I sank to my knees as I realized that I had lost everything- my friends, my family, my home... all that I had left was the tattered clothes on my back, as well as the mystery disks in my hands.
With that realization, I glanced down at the small package of mystery disks in my hands. The three disks were still in good condition, I saw. That alone gave me some hope. Perhaps… perhaps I could have a family again… I may not have any more human relative, but monsters could be a good substitute. It would be hard to find a working shrine closer than the nearest city, though. I looked in the direction of the shrine that had been within the village… only to see that it had been demolished. The roof had caved in after the supports were broken, and there was no way to get inside, other than by getting help from a Golem.
I slowly got to me feet, staggering a little bit, as I groaned in pain again. I began to head down toward the village, slow, painful steps taking me there. I soon began to realize just how much destruction had taken place. Houses had been completely destroyed, burned to the ground or just simply pummeled down. There were a few walls left standing here and there, but that was all. After about 2 hours of walking, I made it to the outskirts of the village. I sank to my knees, gazing upon the remains of the once happy place that I had spent my childhood within. No complete houses stood standing. There was a large amount of bodies and lost disks surrounding the mayor's house, indicating that it was in that area that the people and monsters of the village had made their last stand.
There was something rather strange, I saw, as I looked to see the lost disks. Some of them had been taken away from the stalks that would hold them up! 'I don't know why anyone would take lost disks… they can't be restored for a long time…' I thought to myself, once again falling to my knees near the outskirts of the village. Tears came to my eyes as I tried to stop myself from crying. So much death... and I wasn't able to stop it. I closed my eyes, a few tears streaming down my cheek before I managed to hear something- no, it was someone, not too far away. I quickly got up, and ran over to one of the standing walls that was left, just in time to see a brown haired girl and a Suezo begin to pass by. I recognized the pair immediately, and I sighed in relief, smiling as I found that I was not the only one to have survived. Both the girl and monster heard this, and they spun quickly to see me. The Suezo was standing in front of the girl, who was cowering behind the yellow monster, shaking a little in fear.
"It's okay… Suezo, Holly, it's me. Tyson. I was your neighbor a few years ago, remember?" I said, stepping out of the shadows. Both of them sighed in relief, and Holly smiled. Suezo, however, got really annoyed, as it hopped over to me quickly and yelled at me. "What do you think you're doing! You scared us both out of our wits!" he said, and probably would've said more, if I hadn't reached out and took hold of his tongue. "Quiet, you… Do you think that all those monsters are gone? Be quiet! If we're lucky, we can get out of here before any of those monsters decide to come back and look for survivors." I replied, letting go of Suezo's tongue. I hadn't grabbed hold of it too hard, but he wasn't ready for the sudden release, as his tongue flipped back to smack it in the eye. He swore to the Phoenix at that, and shook its head slowly. I looked to Holly, who had stepped out from behind Suezo, and saw that she was holding her breath as I commented on the bad monsters. I couldn't help but to immediately feel bad for saying that, though the statement may have been true.
"It's okay... Suezo, I'm sorry for doing that. But, we must get out of here… I'll help you get to the road toward the next town. Then, you two are on your own… I'll have to cover our tracks, so I'll try to keep the monsters away from you two." I told them, smiling warmly to them. Holly smiled, and sighed in relief as I spoke. "Well, all right. Thank you, Tyson." She said, hooking a small knapsack behind Suezo, and then hefting one of her own upon her shoulders. I noticed that she had a small leather-like rope holding something that was hidden within her tunic, and I could only guess as to what it was. Holly saw my gaze, and nodded as if to confirm what I had thought of. "Yeah… it's the magic stone. Suezo and I swore that we will find the Phoenix, unlock it, and then we can fight against the baddies."
I could only smile, and nod in agreement. "That is a very good idea… But, how will you find it? I mean, the Phoenix is a legend in the village- could it possibly be real?" I asked, to which both Holly and Suezo nodded in response. "Well then, I'd like to join you… but, it is safer if you go alone. You see, I met the monster who destroyed the village last night." I said softly. Suezo's mouth dropped in surprise, and Holly gasped as well. "It was a Naga, and it was the most powerful monster I'd ever seen! In fact, Jound attacked it, to try and let me escape. I haven't seen him since last night."
I shook my head, trying to fight back tears that were trying to escape. 'It wouldn't be good to let them see how scared I am too,' I thought. 'I am older than they are… I need to be strong, at least until they are on their way to the next town.' So, I walked over to what remained of another house, pulling out a stick that I could use to help me walk. Suezo and Holly both waited for me, and I nodded to them, motioning that they should start walking ahead of me. They began to walk slowly, so that I could keep up with them. 'I guess they saw that I was limping,' and I smiled softly, walking as fast as I was able. Soon, I began to pass them, and I glanced back to the two as I hobbled along the path. "What, are you two going to let me walk faster than you?" I challenged them, and they both grinned as they stepped up the pace, soon surpassing me. I quickly doubled my own pace, still using the walking stick to help me along the path, and they were both following me closely now. Holly began to laugh, and I couldn't help but to smile, and neither could Suezo. The laughter helped to cushion the realization that as far as we knew, we were the only survivors of Naga's attack, as well as the last survivors of our village.
We continued on like this for about half an hour, after which a solemn silence permeated the air. There had been no tracks of any other monsters along the path, I noticed, as we hiked along it. 'I just hope we don't run into any baddies...' I thought, and I smiled briefly at the fact that I had used the same term that Holly had earlier. It was an appropriate term, I speculated. The monsters were bad. In fact, they were ruthless as they must've attacked and killed humans and monsters alike. As I thought about them, my mind kept returning to the crest that the Naga had been wearing on its chest. 'Where have I seen that from?' I asked myself, and I closed my eyes as I tried to remember. It was an old book... and then, it hit me. It had been in the book in which the Legend of the Phoenix had been contained within. The only monster other than the Phoenix, which had had much mention of, was...
"Moo!" I exclaimed, and I opened my eyes. I turned around to see Holly and Suezo stunned behind me. "Those bad monsters… they had Moo's crest on them!" I explained, and both of the youngsters paled. "Here… I'll show you the design that they had on their crests." I said, and I knelt in the dirt, and with the walking stick, I etched out the design of the crest. The younger villagers knew the legend of the phoenix by heart, I knew... I had known it just as well as they did, when I was Holly's age (which was only a few years ago). Holly simply nodded in agreement as she saw the finished design. "Yeah... that's the sign of Moo from the Book of the Phoenix..." she said softly, confirming my fears. Suezo asked Holly about the monster known as Moo, and I left them to talk about for a moment, as I walked a little further on the path. Sure enough, I finally noticed fresh tracks. 'Tigers, probably Cabalos,' I thought to myself. Then, I noticed a few others. Figuring from what I knew from the troops that had laid waste to the village, I said aloud the information I knew. "Evil Hares and Tigers have been here." I said to myself, unaware that the two behind me had heard my whisper.
"They... they're here?" Holly asked, and I turned around to look at them. I smiled to her, and shook my head slowly. "Not right here, but they have been here. Perhaps a few hours ago, I think." I replied, and I walked over to them both slowly. "They're probably used as scouts for a main body of monsters making their way inland… which means, the monsters came from the Northeast. If I'm right, those monsters are long gone by now." I explained, and smiled to them. "You see, Tigers and Hares won't cut it if a small force comes down this way. They need more muscle in order to survive against the wild monsters around here. No, if anything, we'll see Dinos before we see any of the faster monsters."
They sighed in relief, and smiled. Holly and Suezo both had known some Dinos from the village, and they knew that Dinos often lacked speed and agility, due to their size. "So… we can at least outrun them… for a while." Holly said, smiling as her hopes arose. Suezo laughed in its own, annoying way- loud and obnoxious, after she said that. I nodded in response to her comment. "That's right. And now, you two had better be moving. I have to cover our tracks now… You'll have at least a few days' head start over any Dinos that may come down this way." I said, and Holly nodded, her features set in a grim determination. "Thank you, Tyson. I'll find the Phoenix. With the help of the Magic Stone, we'll revive it, and we'll defeat Moo." She said, her voice firm and full of hope. Suezo nodded in response. "Yeah, you better believe we'll find the Phoenix!" he said as well, jumping into the air slightly to put an exclamation on his point.
I smiled at that, and grinned. "Make sure you two do find the Phoenix…" I said firmly, feeling some of the pain in my body leave me now. "Remember, the village was destroyed by Naga. Naga is one of Moo's monsters. So, if you do meet up with him... Give him a thrashing for me, as well as for Jound, all right?" I said, my face showing them the same amount of determination, as well as sadness. "But, above all, be safe you two. At this time, you're best off running from danger for now. Fight when you must, but remember that speed is your ally now. Use the magic stone… and find some mystery disks. Even if it doesn't contain the Phoenix, the monsters within the disks can still help you." I said, giving them some advice. I didn't even know where some of the words came from... and then I smiled, taking away one of the disks from the small package of three, and I handed it to them. "Here, take this disk to the nearest shrine. Perhaps it will give you the help you will need." I told them, and Holly took the disk, hugging it to her chest as she smiled warmly at me. "Okay... The nearest one is to the west, right?" she asked, and I thought about that direction.
To the west was a wasteland. There was an old, rundown shrine there, to which an old, stone bridge led. I nodded in agreement to her, even though I knew it would be a several day walk. "That's right, Holly, but you both must get there quickly. The head start I will give you may not last long enough for you to get there..." I warned, to which they both grinned and nodded. "That's all right. I'll protect Holly no matter what." Suezo said, even as Holly held out a hand to me. I took her hand and shook it gently, even as she did the same. "Thank you, Tyson, and good luck." Holly said, smiling once again before turning to Suezo. They then began to walk toward the west, where the sun was beginning to sink towards already. As they walked out of earshot, I finally spoke. "Good luck to you as well… for you are likely to be our best hope in this battle..." and, with that, I turned back toward the east. Using the walking stick, I began to scratch out the tracks the two left, and after an hour or so of doing so, I made my own tracks on them, heading toward the south. 'With any luck, any baddies following our tracks will only follow me,' I said to myself, even as I continued walking, my arms and legs feeling much better than before. Little did I, or Holly, know of the adventures that would cross our paths... nor of the people who would fall into our friendship, either.
Though we would have different adventures, we would still make friends, who would then become... our family.
My eyes began to open as I felt a searing pain in my legs. My arms were throbbing in pain as well, but not to the degree that I could feel from my legs, I noticed. I groaned out in pain as I slowly forced my arms to move my body into a sitting position, wincing in pain as I set down upon the cold, stone floor. My eyes opened wide as I remembered the mystery disks that I had been holding onto, and I shifted my gaze to my arms, and sighed softly. When I moved, I hadn't been able to feel the pressure of the mystery disks against my arms or chest. "Guess I was concentrating on other things," I whispered… and then blinked. My throat was parched, which made me unable to speak above a whisper, even though I had thought I'd spoken at a normal tone of voice. I swallowed a few times, to no avail.
'First thing's first,' I thought, as I struggled against my pain to stand up against a wall. 'I need to find some water.' I listened around for a moment, closing my eyes for the same amount of time as I attempted to try and hear any sources of water echoing through the cave. It was unnerving, though… As I listened for water, the pain in my arms and legs intensified in my mind, even though they didn't really hurt any more than they did already. I shook my head and opened my eyes, this time looking around the cave. I couldn't help but to laugh a little as I caught sight of myself. My clothes were tattered and torn. My shirt was barely hanging on my body, and the only part of my clothes that were still fully intact was my shoes. My laugh died, however, as I suddenly remembered what had happened last night. My body went even colder than it was, causing me to shiver, as I replayed the events in my mind.
The flash of light from my side had signaled the departure of Jound. He'd been one of my best friends, for the longest time. He had leapt forward to attack the Naga, even as he told me to run for my life. I turned and ran, hoping for the return of my friend sometime during the night, or even in the morning. Instead- nothing. Jound had been nowhere nearby. I tried to tell myself that he was still alive, that he'd make it to these caves... but, the omen had just been cast. The sight in before me caused me to gasp in horror. The forest had been mostly burned in a large radius. My own cottage was among the forest ruins. The village was also in sight- trees had been knocked down all around it, leaving me with a clear view of the carnage. The village I had grown up in was now destroyed. Blood and water mixed to curse the earth of the village, while Lost Disks littered the countryside. I sank to my knees as I realized that I had lost everything- my friends, my family, my home... all that I had left was the tattered clothes on my back, as well as the mystery disks in my hands.
With that realization, I glanced down at the small package of mystery disks in my hands. The three disks were still in good condition, I saw. That alone gave me some hope. Perhaps… perhaps I could have a family again… I may not have any more human relative, but monsters could be a good substitute. It would be hard to find a working shrine closer than the nearest city, though. I looked in the direction of the shrine that had been within the village… only to see that it had been demolished. The roof had caved in after the supports were broken, and there was no way to get inside, other than by getting help from a Golem.
I slowly got to me feet, staggering a little bit, as I groaned in pain again. I began to head down toward the village, slow, painful steps taking me there. I soon began to realize just how much destruction had taken place. Houses had been completely destroyed, burned to the ground or just simply pummeled down. There were a few walls left standing here and there, but that was all. After about 2 hours of walking, I made it to the outskirts of the village. I sank to my knees, gazing upon the remains of the once happy place that I had spent my childhood within. No complete houses stood standing. There was a large amount of bodies and lost disks surrounding the mayor's house, indicating that it was in that area that the people and monsters of the village had made their last stand.
There was something rather strange, I saw, as I looked to see the lost disks. Some of them had been taken away from the stalks that would hold them up! 'I don't know why anyone would take lost disks… they can't be restored for a long time…' I thought to myself, once again falling to my knees near the outskirts of the village. Tears came to my eyes as I tried to stop myself from crying. So much death... and I wasn't able to stop it. I closed my eyes, a few tears streaming down my cheek before I managed to hear something- no, it was someone, not too far away. I quickly got up, and ran over to one of the standing walls that was left, just in time to see a brown haired girl and a Suezo begin to pass by. I recognized the pair immediately, and I sighed in relief, smiling as I found that I was not the only one to have survived. Both the girl and monster heard this, and they spun quickly to see me. The Suezo was standing in front of the girl, who was cowering behind the yellow monster, shaking a little in fear.
"It's okay… Suezo, Holly, it's me. Tyson. I was your neighbor a few years ago, remember?" I said, stepping out of the shadows. Both of them sighed in relief, and Holly smiled. Suezo, however, got really annoyed, as it hopped over to me quickly and yelled at me. "What do you think you're doing! You scared us both out of our wits!" he said, and probably would've said more, if I hadn't reached out and took hold of his tongue. "Quiet, you… Do you think that all those monsters are gone? Be quiet! If we're lucky, we can get out of here before any of those monsters decide to come back and look for survivors." I replied, letting go of Suezo's tongue. I hadn't grabbed hold of it too hard, but he wasn't ready for the sudden release, as his tongue flipped back to smack it in the eye. He swore to the Phoenix at that, and shook its head slowly. I looked to Holly, who had stepped out from behind Suezo, and saw that she was holding her breath as I commented on the bad monsters. I couldn't help but to immediately feel bad for saying that, though the statement may have been true.
"It's okay... Suezo, I'm sorry for doing that. But, we must get out of here… I'll help you get to the road toward the next town. Then, you two are on your own… I'll have to cover our tracks, so I'll try to keep the monsters away from you two." I told them, smiling warmly to them. Holly smiled, and sighed in relief as I spoke. "Well, all right. Thank you, Tyson." She said, hooking a small knapsack behind Suezo, and then hefting one of her own upon her shoulders. I noticed that she had a small leather-like rope holding something that was hidden within her tunic, and I could only guess as to what it was. Holly saw my gaze, and nodded as if to confirm what I had thought of. "Yeah… it's the magic stone. Suezo and I swore that we will find the Phoenix, unlock it, and then we can fight against the baddies."
I could only smile, and nod in agreement. "That is a very good idea… But, how will you find it? I mean, the Phoenix is a legend in the village- could it possibly be real?" I asked, to which both Holly and Suezo nodded in response. "Well then, I'd like to join you… but, it is safer if you go alone. You see, I met the monster who destroyed the village last night." I said softly. Suezo's mouth dropped in surprise, and Holly gasped as well. "It was a Naga, and it was the most powerful monster I'd ever seen! In fact, Jound attacked it, to try and let me escape. I haven't seen him since last night."
I shook my head, trying to fight back tears that were trying to escape. 'It wouldn't be good to let them see how scared I am too,' I thought. 'I am older than they are… I need to be strong, at least until they are on their way to the next town.' So, I walked over to what remained of another house, pulling out a stick that I could use to help me walk. Suezo and Holly both waited for me, and I nodded to them, motioning that they should start walking ahead of me. They began to walk slowly, so that I could keep up with them. 'I guess they saw that I was limping,' and I smiled softly, walking as fast as I was able. Soon, I began to pass them, and I glanced back to the two as I hobbled along the path. "What, are you two going to let me walk faster than you?" I challenged them, and they both grinned as they stepped up the pace, soon surpassing me. I quickly doubled my own pace, still using the walking stick to help me along the path, and they were both following me closely now. Holly began to laugh, and I couldn't help but to smile, and neither could Suezo. The laughter helped to cushion the realization that as far as we knew, we were the only survivors of Naga's attack, as well as the last survivors of our village.
We continued on like this for about half an hour, after which a solemn silence permeated the air. There had been no tracks of any other monsters along the path, I noticed, as we hiked along it. 'I just hope we don't run into any baddies...' I thought, and I smiled briefly at the fact that I had used the same term that Holly had earlier. It was an appropriate term, I speculated. The monsters were bad. In fact, they were ruthless as they must've attacked and killed humans and monsters alike. As I thought about them, my mind kept returning to the crest that the Naga had been wearing on its chest. 'Where have I seen that from?' I asked myself, and I closed my eyes as I tried to remember. It was an old book... and then, it hit me. It had been in the book in which the Legend of the Phoenix had been contained within. The only monster other than the Phoenix, which had had much mention of, was...
"Moo!" I exclaimed, and I opened my eyes. I turned around to see Holly and Suezo stunned behind me. "Those bad monsters… they had Moo's crest on them!" I explained, and both of the youngsters paled. "Here… I'll show you the design that they had on their crests." I said, and I knelt in the dirt, and with the walking stick, I etched out the design of the crest. The younger villagers knew the legend of the phoenix by heart, I knew... I had known it just as well as they did, when I was Holly's age (which was only a few years ago). Holly simply nodded in agreement as she saw the finished design. "Yeah... that's the sign of Moo from the Book of the Phoenix..." she said softly, confirming my fears. Suezo asked Holly about the monster known as Moo, and I left them to talk about for a moment, as I walked a little further on the path. Sure enough, I finally noticed fresh tracks. 'Tigers, probably Cabalos,' I thought to myself. Then, I noticed a few others. Figuring from what I knew from the troops that had laid waste to the village, I said aloud the information I knew. "Evil Hares and Tigers have been here." I said to myself, unaware that the two behind me had heard my whisper.
"They... they're here?" Holly asked, and I turned around to look at them. I smiled to her, and shook my head slowly. "Not right here, but they have been here. Perhaps a few hours ago, I think." I replied, and I walked over to them both slowly. "They're probably used as scouts for a main body of monsters making their way inland… which means, the monsters came from the Northeast. If I'm right, those monsters are long gone by now." I explained, and smiled to them. "You see, Tigers and Hares won't cut it if a small force comes down this way. They need more muscle in order to survive against the wild monsters around here. No, if anything, we'll see Dinos before we see any of the faster monsters."
They sighed in relief, and smiled. Holly and Suezo both had known some Dinos from the village, and they knew that Dinos often lacked speed and agility, due to their size. "So… we can at least outrun them… for a while." Holly said, smiling as her hopes arose. Suezo laughed in its own, annoying way- loud and obnoxious, after she said that. I nodded in response to her comment. "That's right. And now, you two had better be moving. I have to cover our tracks now… You'll have at least a few days' head start over any Dinos that may come down this way." I said, and Holly nodded, her features set in a grim determination. "Thank you, Tyson. I'll find the Phoenix. With the help of the Magic Stone, we'll revive it, and we'll defeat Moo." She said, her voice firm and full of hope. Suezo nodded in response. "Yeah, you better believe we'll find the Phoenix!" he said as well, jumping into the air slightly to put an exclamation on his point.
I smiled at that, and grinned. "Make sure you two do find the Phoenix…" I said firmly, feeling some of the pain in my body leave me now. "Remember, the village was destroyed by Naga. Naga is one of Moo's monsters. So, if you do meet up with him... Give him a thrashing for me, as well as for Jound, all right?" I said, my face showing them the same amount of determination, as well as sadness. "But, above all, be safe you two. At this time, you're best off running from danger for now. Fight when you must, but remember that speed is your ally now. Use the magic stone… and find some mystery disks. Even if it doesn't contain the Phoenix, the monsters within the disks can still help you." I said, giving them some advice. I didn't even know where some of the words came from... and then I smiled, taking away one of the disks from the small package of three, and I handed it to them. "Here, take this disk to the nearest shrine. Perhaps it will give you the help you will need." I told them, and Holly took the disk, hugging it to her chest as she smiled warmly at me. "Okay... The nearest one is to the west, right?" she asked, and I thought about that direction.
To the west was a wasteland. There was an old, rundown shrine there, to which an old, stone bridge led. I nodded in agreement to her, even though I knew it would be a several day walk. "That's right, Holly, but you both must get there quickly. The head start I will give you may not last long enough for you to get there..." I warned, to which they both grinned and nodded. "That's all right. I'll protect Holly no matter what." Suezo said, even as Holly held out a hand to me. I took her hand and shook it gently, even as she did the same. "Thank you, Tyson, and good luck." Holly said, smiling once again before turning to Suezo. They then began to walk toward the west, where the sun was beginning to sink towards already. As they walked out of earshot, I finally spoke. "Good luck to you as well… for you are likely to be our best hope in this battle..." and, with that, I turned back toward the east. Using the walking stick, I began to scratch out the tracks the two left, and after an hour or so of doing so, I made my own tracks on them, heading toward the south. 'With any luck, any baddies following our tracks will only follow me,' I said to myself, even as I continued walking, my arms and legs feeling much better than before. Little did I, or Holly, know of the adventures that would cross our paths... nor of the people who would fall into our friendship, either.
Though we would have different adventures, we would still make friends, who would then become... our family.