Confrontation
Fort Dragonia lie within a huge mountain range, accessible only via Mount Prye, a huge volcano. The small group headed off towards the volcano, after preparing carefully for the trip in Arni. Rune hated it in that cavern. It was steaming hot, not to mention it made him feel closed in. He always got dizzy inside of caverns like that. He had such terrible memories of being underground… The feeling of being closed in, alone, and in the dark always made him physically ill. He knew that his claustrophobia was an awful handicap, but there was nothing he could do about it. He would just have to grin and bear it.
The party continued to press through the cave, with Lynx pausing every now and then to use the Water Dragon's Ice Breath magic, to freeze the magma that they had to cross. Rune hated this even more, because he feared that the ice would break, and he would fall into the magma when he walked on it. Leena tried to help him, but she didn't seem to understand the extent of his phobia.
They exited the cave, and Rune breathed a sigh of relief. Norris looked at him.
"You do not like caverns?"
Rune shook his head.
"Bad memories. That's all."
Leena raised a brow, but said nothing.
Unfortunately for Rune, they weren't finished with the caverns yet. They progressed into another one, but by now Rune was able to control his fear. He kept his eyes glued ahead of him, waiting to see the welcoming light at the end of the cavern. A shock on his right arm alerted him, and he looked to his bracer. The small screen was flashing. Rune held back a bit, and began fiddling with the controls. He'd known for years that the power in the small bracer would only last so long, but he'd thought that it had at least six months worth of battery power left. He finally managed to balance the sensors by sending a little of his own energy into the batteries, but he knew it was only a temporary fix. He sighed and took off running after the others. When he did catch up, they were all standing at the exit. Lynx, Leena, and Harle seemed calm, but Norris's blue eyes were wide in shock. Rune's eyes widened as well.
Fort Dragonia was breathtakingly huge, and just as equally imposing. The huge tower spired high into the air, cutting through the soft innocent clouds that floated around it. Those same clouds obscured Rune's view of the top of the tower. As he stood there, eyes wide, Rune felt every one of the hairs on his neck stand up, and goose bumps rose all over his arms and legs. His body was shaking, as if it were begging him not to enter that foreboding place. He hadn't felt tremors like these in years, and it alarmed him. Norris seemed to be just as awestruck as Rune, except he seemed more interested in how incredibly huge the tower was. He spoke softly.
"I can't believe…" He said in wonder. "That the Dragoons were capable of this!" Rune nodded.
"It is hard to believe… But it's not unheard of…" He continued to examine the tower, his blue eyes taking in every detail. "Fort Dragonia is really a marvel, especially in these islands. But I've heard stories of a land called Zeal back in the B.C. times that had floating continents and great airships… So I guess this kind of building was commonplace in the old world…"
Norris looked to Lynx.
"Sir Lynx, when we get out of here, you must bring me back with a camera! I want all of Porre to see this!"
Lynx nodded.
"Okay, Norris. But get used to calling me Serge! I'll be back to normal soon!" Leena nodded with a smile.
"That's right!" She exclaimed. Rune grinned.
"After that, I'll take care of the real Lynx."
Lynx nodded.
"You can do that… But just don't hurt Kid…"
"Why would Kid…?!" Rune suddenly understood. "I see. He has your body, so he tricked her… Don't worry. I'll talk to her when the time comes."
Harle shook her head.
"Zat vill not matter. Talking vill do nothing." She smiled to the group, then stepped back a bit. "I think zat I vill take another breather… Monsieur Lynx vill not be Monsieur Lynx much longer anyvays!"
Lynx raised a brow.
"You're leaving…?"
Norris groaned.
"Again…? God, Harle. Why did you come back in the first place?!"
Harle smiled. She looked to Rune.
"So zat I could get a look at Monsieur Rune. Au revoir!" She did a backflip, vanishing. Rune felt a cold feeling inside.
I've seen that before… He swallowed heavily. Leena stamped her foot.
"Well that's gratitude!" She exclaimed. Lynx sighed.
"She vanished before, too." He said, frowning. "We thought she was gone for good, and then she appeared again, right before we found Rune." He looked to Rune, as if pondering something. "Seems she was interested in you all along, Rune…"
Rune looked down, feeling the blood run out of his face. He felt cold, icy fear. Harle easily could have been a spy. If she was, and she informed Lynx that he was coming, then Rune's chances of winning were halved. The small group said little after that, mostly because everyone knew the enormity of what was happening in their small archipelago. Rune had no idea that his mission was far more complex than simply defeating Lynx. He had no idea… That at that moment in time, his fate was being rewritten.
The group solved the puzzles in the fort easily. Both Leena and Lynx had solved the puzzles before, and now they were less guarded than before. Lynx explained to Norris and Rune about what had happened the last time they'd traveled to the fort in the Alternate World. Rune felt renewed hatred for Lynx. The idea of him taking someone else's body was terrible. When they had finished, they headed towards the elevator to get up to the next area of the tower. They entered the room, and immediately Rune leapt back, pulling Leena with him. She looked at him in shock, but that shock turned to horror as the loud clank of metal hitting stone sounded behind her. Lynx drew his swallow, and Norris had his gun out in a second. Rune looked up, turning with Leena still clutched in his arms. His eyes widened.
The boy from his dream, Serge, stood in front of him. The same blue hair, the same height…
But his eyes…
Rune drew his sword, feeling nothing but cold unbridled hatred burning inside of him. Dark Serge looked at him, then looked at the rest of the group. He finally smiled to Lynx.
"You've recruited quite a crew…" He sneered in a tone that made Rune's blood flow faster. Dark Serge laughed a low, unsettling laugh that didn't seem to fit the body he was in. "A farm girl, a Porre failure, and a little boy. How cute."
Lynx glared at Dark Serge.
"I think you're underestimating us…" He said lowly. He prepared to attack, but Rune cried out.
"NO!"
Everyone looked at him in shock. Lynx blinked in confusion.
"Wha…?"
Rune felt his energy surging around his body. Leena moved away from him, her green eyes terrified. He smirked at Dark Serge.
"I want to finish this myself." He said, bringing up the sword. He walked forward, his smirk broadening. "I've waited so long… To ram this blade through your black heart, Lynx!!!"
Dark Serge seemed alarmed that Rune acted with such hatred, but he stayed calm.
"Do I know you?"
"Oh yes…" Rune said softly. "Oh yes you do…" He grinned, an almost mad look coming over his pale face. "You don't recognize me, do you, murderer?!"
Dark Serge shrugged.
"I really can't remember… I've killed so many in these islands. I don't recall seeing a boy like you, though…"
Rune snickered.
"That's because… This boy you see doesn't exist!" Dark Serge's eyes widened in mild surprise, but Lynx, Leena, and Norris all cried out.
"What are you talking about?!"
"You can't be…"
"How could you not exist?!"
Rune calmly sheathed his sword, and began typing a code on his bracer. He finished typing, then redrew the sword. He smirked again. He spoke, but his voice sounded much different. He sounded older.
"Do you recognize me now, Lynx…?"
Dark Serge's eyes widened in shock.
"That voice…"
Light began to radiate from the bracer, and suddenly Rune buffed up, his arms and chest becoming far more built. His face narrowed, losing the almost chubby, child-like appearance he'd held before. He suddenly looked older than his age, far more serious. His eyes became an even brighter blue, almost crystalline in appearance. His katana began to glow with energy, and it flashed with an explosion of prismatic light. Finally, Rune's hair grew out a bit, spiking into the air. The light from his sword surged up him, and when it passed, everyone's eyes widened in shock. Dark Serge stumbled backwards, drawing his sickle.
Rune's hair had changed. It had just turned red.
