Chapter Three:
The Awakening
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When life seems to be lost
And death comes to my door
I vanish into a dream
Into a place so cold, yet warm
Within my flesh
A thorn is molesting my sleep
It's teasing me...
Am I human after all?
Sentenced, "Beyond The Wall Of Sleep"
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When I woke up from the abyss of the unconsciousness I was under a canopy of green leaves with the golden sun and
blue skies peeking between the leaves. I presumed before opening my eyes I would see a high black marble ceiling with
wires intertwining up the walls that gave the Ocean Palace a faint, unsettling, golden-red light. Perhaps the hell I went
though was over and I had died or perhaps I would awaken from a dream that never existed? I reached my hand out to
touch Schala's hand or touch Alfdor's soft fur. Instead I felt my hand graze against a check that had a raw, leathery feel to
it and a squeal of protest echoed in my ears.

My eyes snapped open to see the a small yellowish green… thing, one of the oddest creatures I ever saw in my life yet it
reminded me of the little creatures that scampered near the Terra Caves. I would later find out it was a called an Imp,
which was one of the weakest sub species of a race known as the Mystics. I wasn't horrified but just surprised, which was
an emotion that could be easily mistaken for fear. For a moment we stared at each other with unblinking eyes before a
shriek that made me shout and scramble away from the plot of grass I was laying on. My gaze quickly darted to where I
heard the scream. Another creature stood just slightly behind the Imp. I'm still not sure what the creature was to this day,
even living near that thing for a large part of my life. The creature was squat, with slimy green looking sink that would
remind one of a lizard, beady eyes, and small but pointy cat-like ears. He was hardly scary looking comparison to what
I've seen; he was just ridiculous looking. I slowly sat up and blinked out the rest of the uncertain feeling in my eyes for I
wasn't aware what exactly had happened.
The obese creature looked at me critically when he saw my face, his scaly face twisting into something even more
hideous than half the monsters I ran away from in the Ocean Palace. "What the hell are you?"

I just simply glared at him.

"What's the matter kid? Cat got your tongue?" He chucked, placing his short arms on his fat hips, glaring 'down' at me. I
took to notice he could float about a foot in the air despite his massive weight.

"You can fly?" I was stunned that a low class creature could float before I could!

" 'Course I can kid! Haven you seen a mystic before?"

I never did until that moment but during that moment I didn't care. I wanted to know how he could fly. "How can you
fly?" I demanded with a loud tone irritation in my voice, slowly standing up so that I was a few inches under him. I wasn't
ready to accept the fact what just happened to me nor did I want to know.

"I'm a Mystic kid, what I tell you? So what are you?"

"What do you mean by that? And you didn't answer my question!"

The creature snorted, waving his plump hand in the air slightly as if fanning the question away as if it where a bug.
"What's your race? Never seen a freaking human with ears as pointy as an elf's but I haven't seen an elf with blue hair and
brown eyes. Elves don't have brown eyes kid, it ain't natural, same with your hair!"

"What's wrong with my ears and hair? I at the least I have some!"

"Nothin' kid, normal Mystics elves don't have blue hair, that's all. Maybe you're half daemon and elf or something. I've
seen more fucked up things than you." The creature put one pudgy hand under the many chins and looked me over. After
a few moment his eyes widened with surprise and shock. "Damn, you got potential kid! If you don't got Demon blood in
you I'd swear you're one of those Magic people way back when." Again he waved off his hand, indicating how long that
time was.

"Magic people?" I asked, a cold sense of terror washed over me.

"Kid, what the hell is the matter with you? It's like you dropped out of the sky. Don't you know any Zeal myths?"

"Zeal?" I croaked out.

"Yeah, city that fell about 10,000 thousand years ago, the Mystics' ancestors, kid."
What it seemed like for hours, my thoughts churned in my head as I realized what he meant, Zeal had been in the past
and I was no where near home. I tried to hold back horror from my mind but it was in vain. Did Zeal have the power to
throw me into the future? I decided no. It was that monster, the very same monster that churned the Black Wind my
sister and I dreaded.

"You alive?"

It was only a moment to the creature what felt like hours to me. My gaze looked up at him. "I don't remember
anything…" I whispered. I wished it could be that way, in truth I didn't want to remember anything but had enough sense
or luck that it slipped out that way. I suppose it was the shock that made me agree with almost everything the creature
said.

"Don't remember a thing?" He scratched his chin with a slight smirk. It was simply obvious what he planned to use my
untapped power for his own gain. He had no love for me nor the other two children I would meet expect he adored our
potential. I saw the marks of being used early in my life and I played the part of a subverting child or slave. I mutely
shook my head, as the creatures' question. "No folks? Anything?"

I was in slight shock but I had enough to sense to give him look of extreme irritation at his stupid questions. If I didn't
remember a thing how would I remember my parents? However I mumbled out. "My name is Janus."

"Well, you have to have some sort of mystic blood in you. No human would name a kid after some old Zealian name,
right?" He concluded. "More than likely you're some slave kid. I'm Vinegar, one of the Highest Ranking Mystics around
here." In his own way, he wasn't exactly lying. He was the highest officer of the small band of mystics who scouting
mission was in the Guardia area. At Medina he wasn't well liked and was considered a failure and disappointment. To
make a long and rather boring discussion short Vinegar had put himself beyond the call of duty to take me home and raise
me like a son. To say I was thrilled with the idea was a bit beyond doubt. In what would be later declared as his fort is
where he lived and trained two other children he taken under his wing.

The eldest of Vinegar's bunch was Soysor, a tall lanky creature of a dark plum hue who was one of the rare pure breeds of
daemon; he looked more like a reptile than Vinegar did. Soysor would remind one of a snake, he could make a common
person squirm with his presence and demeanor even as a young teen. Clearly he was one of Vinegar's largest hope at the
time I came and sometime afterwards. Soysor was at the least 5 years older than I was and despite his youth he had great
skill with a sword. However he certainly didn't have the same maturity in his personality compared to his skills with a
sword, he also had an ego to match his immaturity. His mouth curled into a snarl as he saw me trailing behind Vinegar
and his squad. At the moment he had paused from battling one of his friends to turn to Vinegar. "What did you drag
home this time?" He asked. "How many damn slaves to the house you're gonna need?"

"I'm not a slave!" I snarled right back, moving up to him, prepared to give them a piece of my mind. Vinegar snatched me
up by the collar, holding me a few inches in the air. "Keep your trap shut kid," He snarled at me before turning to Soysor.
"The kid's name here is Janus he's got potential. I think he's a half-daemon."

The taller boy glared down at me with narrow reptilian eyes. "He's short, scrawny, and pale. Are you sure he's not sick?"

"I'm not sick!" I snarled trying to wiggle my way out of Vinegar's grasp but he held tightly to the collar of my shirt.

The taller boy laughed. "He's got spark though!"

"And he's got potential for magic. I figure that when he gets old enough I'll start training him to open his channel his
power."

"Humph, if he doesn't die before then. I've never seen a halfling look so damn pale!" He shrugged before turning away as
Vinegar dragged me away from the practice area some distance away from the trainee swordsman and dropped me
roughly. I let out a cry of protest and scrambled to my feet before I was smacked back on the ground again. I was
surprised he would hit me. I knew fully well that no one would see me as a prince yet I hardly expected to be knocked flat
on the ground.

"You better thank me for that one!" The creature snarled. "I don't want my prime pupil marred and I don't want you to
get killed before you had a chance to cast anything. Wherever the hell you came from boy, you better forget how you
where treated. Until you can float you watch what you say and do to me! And if you value your life you better learn how
to fight with a sword before you back talk Soysor! He doesn't take shit from a scrawny mage who can cast spells and
float."

"You said that earlier… so how do I learn how to float?" I rolled my eyes as he quickly grabbed my face and glared down
at me.

"Don't give me that look! Your learn by books son, by books or examples." My gaze locked angrily on Soysor's back,
seeing he couldn't float yet. Vinegar caught my gaze. "He's young even if he's deadly. Most kids can't cast any spells and
Soysor ain't a magic user. Once he figures out how to float he'll be just fine when it comes with magic. That's where you
come in kid, this little force needs a magic user. I want you to do is study your ass off with magic and train like hell for a
few years. With a warrior like Soysor and a wizard like you to present to the console in a few years, we'll knock 'em
dead!"

"I hate magic." I answered, glaring up at him.

As a reward I was smacked again to the ground, he didn't look like much but he was strong, or at the least, strong to a
little a little boy of seven. "You're going to learn how to use magic you damnable brat!" Vinegar dragged me up roughly
again and marched towards a small mansion like house that his once proud ancestors lived in into the foyer room. "Where
is she?"
"She?" I asked quietly, waiting to be hit again.

"Mayonee, anther hopeful little runt. She's got potential in defensive magic; most elves do, but not in offensive magic. I
guess it's some fucking rule in nature." He scowled. "MAYONEE! WHERE ARE YOU!?"

I flinched as his rough voice echoed in the foyer and down the halls and quickly bit my tongue to keep my mouth shut. I
was too tempted to make a smart comment but at the particular moment I didn't want be slapped again. Falling to the
ground is just fine but getting knocked to the hard floor that looked rather unsanitary for my tastes is another question. I
then heard someone scamper into the room down the stairs, stopping in front of Vinegar. She was perhaps 5 years old
with a smaller frame than I did with dark red hair and deep violet eyes. "Yes?" She asked sweetly. For a moment I
wondered if she was suffering from a cold. Her ears where sharper than mine but they were not quite as long.

"We got a new one here." Vinegar said, pointing to me. "Just show him to a room and the library. Starting tomorrow he's
gonna help your slow ass with some of the chores until noon, then he'll study."

"Yes." The girl answered quickly, glaring at me. I inwardly sighed to myself at the intense joy of meeting another of my
eager young peers. Vinegar nodded quickly and turned to me.

"Listen to her and follow her example. She's a kid but she learns quickly on what to do around here. She'll give you the
run down of chores." He quickly took his leave; his excuse was to report back to the High Counsel. I glanced back at the
girl as Vinegar left the room. I let out a smirk when the door closed with echoing boom.

"Is that all he's taught you to say? Or is that he can get though in that skull of yours?"

Mayonee glared right back at me. "Of course I know how to say other things! He doesn't get as mad when I don't ask
questions." Her eyes narrowed, looking at my check and walking over towards me. I took a step back and she put her
small hands on her hips, stomping her foot, perfectly mocking many of my nannies when they became upset. "It's not like
I'm not going to hit you like Mr. Sauce Boy or the Boss, I wanna see if you're hurt." I frowned as she glanced at my check
once again. "It's bruised."

"Really." I muttered not realizing she was currently the nicest person I've met in this… era.

"Really." The voice slightly sounded a touch deeper than it was a moment ago. "So what are you? Are you an elf like
me?"

"No… I don't remember."

Her eyes widened at my reply. "You mean you don't know your Mommy and Daddy? Soysor claims his parents sent him
to the Boss to train because his dad and the Boss are friends. I don't remember my Daddy and my Mommy had to give me
to the Boss…"

I frowned again, looking at a wall. "I have memories though about my mom and my sister..."

"Oh really!?" She asked excitedly.

"Yeah…" Something was digging at my mind. "You got a cold or something?"

Mayonee frowned, titling her head to the side. "No, why?"

"You just sound funny."

"Oh…" At that comment she turned away slightly, closing her eyes as if she was thinking, her fists clenched together
then slowly unclenched and her bright eyes opened. "Will you pinky swear if I tell you something? I don't want Soysor or
the Boss to know." Her small hand held out an hooked pinky with it's nails polished red. I have no idea where she
painted them and was a bit surprised it was available in such a time period. It was then I that noticed how primitive this
New World was.

"It's not like I'll ever talk to them." I sighed, I never did like childish displays but Mayonee looked too hopeful and a bit
eager for me to break her heart. "Fine."

My longer, thinner finger hooked with hers and a bright look crossed over her face. "Great! Mommy told me to never tell
any of them because the Boss wouldn't have taken me in but…" Her voice dropped. "I'm really a guy."

My eyes widened as I looked back at… him. "But you look like a girl!"

Mayonee nodded. "Mommy said 'Vinegar wouldn't take you in even if you could cast powerful wall spells if you're a boy.
He wants a little girl to grow into a young woman in life. For your sake you must act like a girl and be a girl.' " He hung
his head, some of the red hair falling in his eyes. "I don't know what she means by that but I'm gonna listen to her for
now. Will you still be my friend?"

A friend, I never really had a friend besides Alfador and Schala. I thought the idea of this boy posing as a girl was an odd
at the time but in the future I saw Mayonee's mother's wisdom. After seeing and living with Vinegar I knew he was a
pervert. He would easily take a cute little girl elf over a young boy, in a matter of years she would blossom into a young
woman who'd adore him and be eager to fulfill any desire for him. It was a full proof plan in his mind expect the cute elf
was a boy and besides that point, he was disgusting and cruel to this "girl". It was beyond my logic to see how that plan
would work.

I glanced at the stairs behind the boy quietly then to his eager looking face and sighed. "Sure." I said dryly, then nearly
being knocked over by a bear hug.

"Thank you!"
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Authors Notes:
Yeah, hints of shouen-ai. Screw Crono folks! Mayonee/Flea seemed more in love with Janus. Say what you will, he's a guy. >_ But I just don't know what's going to happen with this questionable relationship. I am not promising to shouni ai lovers that something is going to happen nor am I promising more homophobic folks that nothing is going to happen. I originally planned out to be a quick jump from Janus going to 600AD straight to the War is turning out to be much longer than planned and therefore it's gonna take longer to write. Much longer, in fact what I have so far has already taken over 4 years to write. I figure I'd rather have a long fan-fic that's well done than one I could write up quickly.