Yup, I'm still alive. I've been meaning to update since nearly a week ago, but I'm too lazy. I also had a writer's block like the Bilibin barricade in my way, but I will prevail! MWAHAHAHA!!!!
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Morning came, howling outside the cave and bringing a sharp chill into the air. The Adepts awoke shivering, even closer together than they had been on top of the lighthouse. The entrance to their shelter was nearly covered in sheets of snow and ice.

"Garet," Mia started to say, but the half-frozen Mars Adept already had a warm ball of flame glowing between his hands. Raising his arms, he sent the fire drifting up to the ceiling of the cave, where it stayed.

"We can't stay here," Isaac said, to no one in particular. "We have to get out of the mountains before the weather gets even worse, so we..." His voice trailed off.

A deep indigo glow was spreading through Ivan. First his eyes lit up, then his whole body pulsated with light as he rose off the floor of the cave. The others were blinded as the very air around them seemed to give off the same light as their friend. Just as they could take it no more, it all stopped. Ivan drifted back to the floor, landing back in his place between Videll and Garet. The light faded from him, the indigo fire in his eyes flashing one last time before it darkened like the setting sun.

Ivan dropped to his knees, his eyes haunted. Everything was still and silent, the only sound the wind and snow outside the cave.

"They're alive." Ivan's voice echoed through the cave, quiet and pained. "Karst and Agatio are alive."

"But how... how could..." That was Mia, sounding as shocked as Ivan himself was.

"They fell, but they... they weren't dead," He continued, sounding defeated. "They're in bad condition, but they're alive."

The others sensed that wasn't all. They were right.

"The Mars lighthouse is going to be... hard. I couldn't see the whole battle, but we were losing when it ended. I coudn't see it clearly, but it was really bad..."

Instead of sinking into despair as the rest of the group had, Isaac rose to his feet. "We'd better get going, then," he said. The others looked up at him questioningly. "Sitting around brooding isn't going to help us," he stated practically. "We can think about the future after we take care of the problem we have now."

Mia stood up too, smiling. "It's a good thing we have Isaac as a leader. He's right; we have to keep going."

The others rose, their spirits lifted slightly by this show of determination. Garet moved to the entrance and blasted the snow and ice away with a branch of flame. The group stepped out of the cave and were nearly blown over by the harsh winds. But they were determined to get out of the mountains, and they pressed foward bravely, overcoming every obstacle in their way. Things were looking good for the Adepts.

Then it happened.

It started as just a low rumble, then grew to a roar. The Adepts moved together, looking around, panicking, trying to find the source. Then the mountain tumbled down upon them. Sheets of snow, ice, and even boulders rolled and tumbled down the mountain and over cliffs to rain down on them, burying them in icy depths.

All was silent.

***

Mia stepped from under the small overhang she had been thrown into, trembling with cold and fright. Her eyes darted from place to place. Where were her friends? All of a sudden, something caught her eye. She was about to dismiss it as a twig in the snow, when she noticed it had a distinct violet tint. Scrambling over rocks and ice, she came closer and saw it was a lock of hair! Diggging frantically, she hit the jackpot. Videll popped her head out of the snow, gasping for air.

"Thank Mercury I found you!" Mia was close to tears. "I can't find the others, what if they're hurt, what if they're..." She couldn't go on, and sat in the snow trembling.

"Calm down." Mia looked up as Videll's hand left her shoulder, and saw violet light for the second time that day. Videll had her hands clasped over her head, and her eyes closed. Slowly, a purple luminescence spread over the hills and valleys of snow. Videll opened her eyes, beads of sweat forming on her temples despite the cold.

"Isaac and Garet are over there," she told Mia, gesturing at a lump of snow off to their right. Mia gulped; the spot was inches away from a huge boulder. "Go, quick!"

Mia snapped out of her trance and hurried over to the spot. Videll scrambled over towards the mound that held Ivan, praying silently and feverently to every god and goddess of Jupiter that he would be all right.

The ice and snow stung her hands as she dug, but she didn't care. She was beginning to panic as she heard Garet emerge from the snow. She was getting deeper; still no Ivan. Just as the first tear started to slip down her cheek, she felt cloth under her numb fingers. Clearing the last of the snow away, she pulled him from the freezing depths. He was cold and limp, his eyes closed.

"Ivan, wake up," she pleaded, shaking him. "Come on, please, please wake up! You have to... Ivan..."

Just as she started to dissolve into tears, she felt him stir. His eyes flickered open.

"Videll? What happened... what..."

"Oh, thank Jupiter, thank Thor, you're alive!" She started to cry in earnest now. "I... I thought you were gone... I thought I'd lost you..."

"I'm all right." Ivan slowly stood up, smiling despite his exhuastion. He helped Videll to her feet as well. Then they were both attacked by Mia, who pulled them both into a fierce hug.

"You're alive!" she sang. "We're all alive and well... I was so worried!" Garet, who had summoned up yet another fireball to dry himself off, was smiling broadly behind Mia, clearly happy to be out of the snow. Isaac was smiling too, but rather tiredly. They could all relate to that - they were cold, wet, and exhausted.

Wiping away her tears, Mia announced she was going to scout around for a place to rest the night - they clearly were not going any farther today. Isaac and Ivan were happy just to sit and rest, while Videll and Garet decided to help Mia search.

After a while, Mia discovered that there was a small opening under the overhang that had sheltered her from the avalanche. The Adepts crawled in one by one, and discovered that the cave was a decent size, despite the minute proportions of the entrance.

They decided not to light a fire, for fear it would attract monsters. Instead, they left a small opening when they covered the entrance with snow. It was big enough to let a small amount of light in, but small enough to keep the wind out. Before they went to sleep, the girls went outside while the boys (except Garet, who had dried himself with fire; only he could withstand it without getting burned) changed out of their wet things. Then they reversed positions. Once everyone was dry, they quickly dropped off to sleep.

All except the healers.

Videll and Mia were awake long after the others had drifted off. Something wasn't right, they could sense it in their very bones, a deep, uncomfortable, restless feeling. They sat up simultaneously, and looked at each other across the sleeping forms of their friends.

"Something's not right." Their voices came in unison, and they knew that if they both had the same thoughts, it must be true.

Whispering between them, they decided to light a fire, to take that risk. Mia took the firewood they had assembled for an emergency and struck her last dry match on the wood. It burst into flame, revealing Videll's worried face. She was standing over Ivan's still form, and dread was in her eyes.

"He's burning up." Mia moved toward the other healer, laying her hand on Ivan's neck. It was true - no wonder he had fallen asleep so fast. And yet, the others had, too.

Mia moved toward Garet next, dreading what she would find. She was relieved to discover him much cooler than Ivan had been. Videll checked him as well, and they agreed that Garet was all right. But Mia's spirits plummeted when her hand touched Isaac's forehead. He was even more feverish than Ivan had been, and Mia had to wipe sweat off of her hand after touching him. "This isn't good," she said, summoning Videll over to Isaac. Videll turned pale when she felt how hot he was, and she bit her lip, eyes wandering, searching for an answer.

She shook her head. "We're out of water of life, too," she said softly. "We have nothing that can help us..." her face set in determination. "Let's get to work."

The healers lined up their patients at the back of their cave, close to the fire. Wordlessly, Mia moved to Isaac and Videll to Ivan. They understood each other. Besides their own feelings, Mia was a more experienced healer, and Isaac was much worse off than Ivan was.

Essences of Pure Ply and Blessed Wind rebounded through the cave throughout the night, on for hours, but no matter how much the healers did for them, neither Isaac nor Ivan's fever went down; not even the tiniest bit. In fact they got worse - nothing they did helped, and the two girls were losing hope.

Finally something clicked; something thrust straight through their hearts and their soul, something cruel and terrible. The two looked at each other and knew, knew that they were losing them. They were fading, and it was horrible watching, watching, and yet they could not do a thing to help.

They had all but given up. They abandoned their healing and took their friends into their arms, remembering everything that had ever happened, all the good times they had shared. Why us, Mia thought, why me and my friends, why now of all times, the one time and place where nothing can help. Tears dug hot tracks down her cheeks, and she kept Isaac close, as if holding him to her could save him.

Videll held Ivan tight, squeezing her eyes shut against the tears that poured from her, leaving her heart empty of feeling and emotion, just pain; pain that tore her apart slowly, agonizingly slowly. Why here, why now? He was going, he was truly dying, and there was nothing she could do, she couldn't save him. Oh, why Ivan, her sweet, beautiful Ivan? Why Isaac, her friend, her leader? Of all the people in the world, these two deserved life the most; why give them death, and rob them of the joy they so deeply, deeply deserved? She let the tears go, and rocked back and forth, never letting go of the one she loved.

They didn't know how long they remained like this; crying, and holding their friends tight. But they were brought back to their senses by a surprise.

"Hello?" A faint voice found its way to their ears, a voice that was so purely good it soothed their pain just by its sound. "Is anyone there?"

They heard the sound of footsteps drawing nearer, but they weren't afraid, they knew that this could save them somehow, and they hung on to its sound as it drew closer and closer. The steps hesitated outside the entrance to their sanctuary, and a man ducked into the entrance, straightening once inside.

His bright blue eyes smiled down at them, then turned worried as he saw the two they held. Stooping once again, he gently pried the patients from the arms of their friends. They did not resist, somehow still knowing that this man was good, and that he could help them.

"Which is worse?" The two girls knew that voice, the one they used so often; it was the crisis voice of a healer. Silently, Mia pointed to Isaac, and the man laid his hands on the limp form. The cave began to glow a pale blue, then flashed brightly and faded as quickly as it had come. The man felt Isaac's forehead and, seemingly satisfied, turned to Ivan. The girls sat, mesmerized, as the process was repeated, ending in the same touch to the forehead and satisfied look. The man turned to them, smiling.

Mia cleared her throat. "I don't believe we've met," she said politely. "Would you tell us who you are, and where we are? You know, all of this?" Mia gestured with her arms, taking in their snowy surroundings. "You're a Lemurian," Videll acknowledged quietly, and the man nodded.

"My name is Picard," he said, "and you are in Hesperia."

******************************************************************************************** Yay, the chapter's over! Vilya should be happy, and all you other Picard-lovers. So review, and tell me how I did!