The Memories

A small promontory rises up out of the flat landscape before me. Shadowrage leaps forward and races toward it.*We're here!* I slide down and walk toward it. It seems immeasurably old; the sands of time have worn away at it. "Liger, Shadow, we're going in."

I step into the old room with Shadow behind me. I'm still a bit weak, so I rest my hand on his back as we wander about. Dust motes swirl as we step into what must have been the main hall. A large table stands in the middle.

We walk over to it. A large inscription of runes chase around it in a circular design. "Shadow? Do you understand this?" He tilts his head and looks at it. : It's ancient zoidian writing. This rune right here" He indicated a rune of a dark bird with one claw: means "Raven." I think it's coincidence.:

I look closer. Two runes are repeated over and over. A dragon and a wolf, over and over. :And this one means "Death." I don't know the rest, though. : I ponder. "You reckon Shadowrage would understand it?" He growled and nodded. :It's probable.:

Shadowrage stuck his head in and cautiously padded over. "Do you understand this?" He stared. *Yes. I need to translate it, though.* He kept on staring. *I have it. * "Will you tell it to us?"

When the dragon's eye opens, many shall close,

The darkest of days brings the deepest of woes,

Together with terror that swells into pain,

Disaster shall herald his coming again...

Worlds sigh,

People change,

Love dies,

You will always be alone..

Crawling in my skin,

These wounds, they will not heal,

Fearing how I fall,



Confusing what is real.



If the wolf is what you seek,

Head to the utter east,

In this temple of forgotten dreams....

I listen spellbound to Shadowrage's smooth recitation. "If the wolf is what you seek, head to the utter east." Simultaneously we all swung about and stared at the eastern wall. It was made of some sort of black stone, as dark as a piece of the night sky.

We all walk forward and examine the wall. It gives the impression of being opaque, but shadows shift over the stone. I reach out and touch it tentatively. Loud roaring fills my ears, and I pitch forward into the darkness.

~Who are you, to invade Alaryan's Sanctum? ~ Loud voices thunder and fill my head. 'Why does everything weird happen to me?' ~Who are you? ~ I clear my throat and speak. "I'm Raven."

~Oh, so you're The Dragon? Why are you here? ~ "Uh, to find The Wolf." The voices seem to whisper to each other for a second, and then turn and pass judgment. ~You are in the temple of Forgotten Dreams. Do you remember that fateful day when the world stopped turning, and the Wild died? ~ I shake my head. "No." My voice echoes in the darkness. ~Listen, Dragon. You will see your forgotten dream. If you survive, you may pass.~

Shadow paced angrily, trying to figure out the strange wall. Raven had touched it, a kind of whirlpool opened up, and he was gone.

* Listen. This is the temple of forgotten dreams. Only the worthy may pass. Raven will be tested. If he passes, he will revive Astarael.* Shadow looked at him, then resumed pacing.

A boy leans against a tree, waiting. He seems 8 years old, but his eyes show ages of experience. A cloud of dust rises in the distance. He looks up and yells.





"Astarael! Over here!" The genosaurer turns and slides to a stop in front of him. The cockpit opens and the boy's best friend jumps out. "Hi, Raven." One eye is black, tribute to the organoid merged with her. He smiles. "Where's Sam?" She shakes her head. "Sick, again."





"I found some new ruins. D'ya want to check 'em out?" Raven nods. "Sure." He climbs up and sits behind her. The Genosaurer's boosters open and they soar into the sky.



They set down and wander through the ruins, occasionally exclaiming over something cool. Raven walks over and suddenly falls through the floor with a shout. Astarael rushes over and peers down.





"You okay?" Raven looks up. "Yeah. Come down here." She shrugs and climbs down.

They turn and gape in awe.





"Whoa." A huge red and black zoid rears over them. "What is it?" Suddenly, Astarael falls to her knees, clutching her head. Raven is instantly beside her."What's wrong?" She shakes her head.





"This zoid.. it's evil! Pure evil. It will kill and kill and kill until there's nothing left to kill. Blind Seer is screaming. Can't you feel it? The. wrongness?" Raven looks up. Horrifying glimpses rush through his head.





Him, fighting a blue zoid. Him, with a black dinosaur by his side. This zoid, the red one, firing a weapon so powerful, it wipes out an entire army of shield ligers. Astarael, limping away from the tattered remains of the genosaurer.





The images slow and stop but not before showing him piloting a genosaurer, and mercilessly killing. They slowly get up and back away. A loud roar shatters the silence.





/I have waited many years for this moment. And now, you have given me the power to destroy!/ The red zoid mobilizes and stomps forward. Raven grabs Astarael and they quickly sprint to the genosaurer.

They fired as hard as they can, Astarael using every particle of knowledge Blind Seer had taught her. The Deathsaurer knocks them to the side and they slam their heads and black out.

Raven awakes. "Astarael!" He shakes her shoulder. She snaps awake. "That zoid!" They opened all the boosters and roared toward the ominous cloud of smoke.

Astarael leaps out and starts running toward the wreckage. A hand sticks through the beams. "Sam!" She drags him out. His skin is practically rubbing off where she touches him. "Sam." He opens his eyes.

"Sis.. A red zoid. it attacked. then a girl. with a blue organoid. came. she fired. killed me. father. everyone.I'm sorry." His blue eyes closed for the last time, a smile on his face, and he died. Astarael held him, rocking his body. She was eight, and had lost her family.

Raven sat down by her and wrapped an arm around her. She turned and buried her face in his chest, crying softly. "Astarael?" She stopped shaking with shock.

"We need to avenge your brother." She looks up. Her eyes blaze cold fury, fury against everyone that had contributed to her brothers death. "Yes." They climb into the Genosaurer and take off.