Sunlight and Shade

A/N: Good morning, good morning! Wonderful days all! My cold is gone (after a week)!! So here, as a celebration, is the edited, revised, on the whole better chapter three. Enjoy!

Chapter Three: Shadowed Streets

            "Dawn draws near," Cura said as she, her brothers, Picard and Felix came to the edge of the forest, seeing the village situated in a shallow valley not far away.

            "At last, a chance to see the sun," Picard muttered, still thinking about what one or the other of the twin boys had said. The sun didn't rise on this island? How silly.

            "Picard," Felix said quietly, and the Lemurian looked down (but only slightly) at him. Felix had been uncharacteristically silent, even for him, for almost the entire walk, Picard realized. "I…do you think…well, Ivan and Jenna…"

            "Relax, Felix. If we survived, so did they. Psynergy protects us all, remember."

            "I was told no to mention Psynergy to outsiders," Felix muttered, and Picard sighed. He was too used to hanging around villages, cities and entire continents full of Adepts.

            Neither of them said much else as they passed under the archway that was the village's gate. There were few people about in what the Adepts imagined was around six in the morning, but those people quickly gathered around the new arrivals.

            "Who are they?" "What are they doing here?" "Do they know of the Gift?" "Are they those spoken of?" "Bring the Elder." That last voice, standing out among the seven or so villagers, belonged to Cura. She hadn't needed to say anything, for the Elder was quickly approaching them. Surprisingly quickly, thought Felix, for one who was the Elder in both title and age.

            "Welcome to Yueivar," she said to them. "No doubt you have walked far in the night and desire rest."

            "It would be nice," Picard admitted, absently rubbing his sore shoulder, still aching from slamming into the deck.

            "Please, come with me. You may stay in my home. When you are rested, I shall answer what questions I can." Obediently, and rather gratefully, Picard and Felix followed the woman to one of the largest dwellings in the village. Despite the fact that Picard had done his best with his Psynergy, both the Adepts were exhausted and sore after the long, draining walk. Not to mention they already wished to see the sun, though neither actually believed it wouldn't rise.

            Shown to a guest room, Picard and Felix thought nothing of collapsing onto the beds and dropping into sleep.

+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+

            Jenna sat on her makeshift raft, watching through slitted eyes as the sun began to rise in front of her. She was barely able to make out a dot that might have been land, of course right in line with the sun, so, dismissing the thought that a weapon such as her staff shouldn't be used in such a way, she dipped it into the water and began to row.

            "Someone is going to pay dearly for making me do this," she growled as she paddled on into the full force of the blazing sun.

+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+

            The morning passed, and word spread around the village that two mysterious men had arrived. One with blue hair and eyes like the long-missing sun, and the other with brown hair and eyes as piercing green as spring's new growth.

            Felix was the first to wake, sleepily rising and washing his face in the provided water. Much more aware than he had been before he slept, he realized that his sword and bag were still attached to his belt, and further examination revealed that nothing was missing from the bag either. "It does make sense, if my Psynergy really did surround me," he mused.

            "You're awake!" said a surprised voice from the doorway. Felix turned to see one of the little boys from the day—or night—before.

            "I am, but my friend isn't. Tell me, is there a place to eat nearby? I think I'd like some breakfast."

            "Breakfast?" laughed the boy. "It's past midday already. You might join the Elder, and my brother and sister and me, for lunch. Bring your friend too."

            "I might take you up on that," Felix said with a smile, a rare occurrence for him. There was something about little kids, something that reminded him of when he and Jenna had been younger…Spirits. Jenna. What if she was…what if she hadn't survived?

            "Hunger is not a good way to wake up," said a decisive voice behind him, and Felix turned to see Picard now standing, brushing the hair out of his eyes, though it would only fall back in them eventually. "Did I hear food mentioned?"

            "Lunch," Felix said, forcing thoughts of his sister and Ivan out of his mind. "Downstairs, I suppose. Come on."

            "Lunch?" Picard asked. "With no light coming in the windows?"

            "Please don't tell me you believed what that kid said last night."

            "It just seems odd, that's all. Noon in most places, during the summer months at least, is bright, hot, and usually wakes one up."

            "And we're awake. Look—we've even got places at the table," Felix said, his stomach growling even as he spoke. He and Picard sat on one side of the table, opposite the Elder and Cura. The boys were seated at either end. All were silent for a while, eating, with Felix and Picard eating considerably more than the rest.

            "This is good," Picard commented, setting down his fork as he finished. "Better than a lot of places I've been."

            "Thank you," Cura said, smiling a little. The Elder smiled as well, and nodded.

            "You two have many questions. Before you ask them, let me start from the beginning," she said. Sipping her drink thoughtfully for a moment, she set down her empty glass and began, coincidentally if not purposely, at the beginning.

            "Many years ago, when my grandfather was Elder of Yueivar, a man visited the island. He was young, lively, and curious, very curious. He asked many questions and sought to learn everything that Sinelsol Island had for him to learn, to know all its secrets. He had a strange name, and was obviously from a strange land.

            "However, some of the island's secrets were not meant to be found by this man. He set loose a monster of fury, and of terrible power. It had slept for centuries, guarding a power. This power was let loose with the awakening of the monster, and the island grew dark. The sun no longer rose—instead, clouds shadowed the island day and night, and no light shone through.

            "Eventually, the man left the island. After many years the monster slept again, and the clouds parted. There was celebrating, and life went back to the way it had been. I was elder of the village by then, and I was happy to see the sun again.

            "But the man returned. Older now, but still as curious and irritatingly absent-minded as he had been so many years past. And he woke the beast again. And the darkness descended. He left shortly after, for who knows where, but we are glad he is gone.

            "Now the residents of the island fear that the sun can only return if the monster is destroyed. The Beast of the Bright Sea has brought us a gift from the sea, given to him by his brother, the Serpent of Dark Storms. The Gift is here, in Yueivar. Perhaps you know of it."

            "Wow," Felix said. "It is true. The sun really doesn't rise here. Wow."

            "What is the monster that guards the power like?" Picard asked. The Elder closed her eyes and sighed.

            "No one knows. No one who has gone to try and defeat it has ever returned to this village," Cura said solemnly. "My father went, a few years ago." Picard and Felix looked at each other for a moment. Could it really be that bad?

            "This gift you keep talking about," Felix said at length. "Will it help us?"

            "It may. Come. I will show you." The Elder rose, and the Adepts followed her outside—and what they saw astounded them. Clouds almost as black as the night itself shrouded the sky, and there was barely any light that did not come from the lamps outside of each dwelling. For a moment, Felix and Picard stared upward in something that resembled a mix of confusion, awe and apprehension.

            Eventually, getting over the shock as their eyes adjusted (it had been very bright inside), they followed the Elder down the now-crowded street. Everyone stared at them, and whispers floated around. Felix heard them, but had no interest in what they said. Picard, though he was curious, had his mind focused on other things.

            "I knew it!" he muttered to himself as they approached an inn-like building. Felix turned to regard him curiously. "One of them is here."

            "One of whom?"

            "An Adept, at least, but most probably Ivan or Jenna."

            "How can you be sure?"

            "I stopped asking that years ago." Before Felix could think of a sarcastic reply, the Elder was motioning them up a set of stairs and into a room. This room was actually dim compared to the others, though bright in contrast to the afternoon sky. And in the room's single bed was a rather beaten-up version of Ivan.

            "Gods," whispered Felix. "What did this?"

            "The Serpent of Dark Storms took him to the cavern where the guardian beast resides, not realizing it had been awoken again, and this is what the monster did. The Beast of the Bright Sea found him and brought him here."

            There issued forth then a long stream of syllables, coming from Picard and in a language that Felix didn't speak and so assumed to be Lemurian. The Elder laughed when Picard was finished.

            "Quite true. Many of the island's residents think the same," she said, still smiling. Despite her obvious age, her laughter was clear and seemed unaffected by any years.

            "Picard?" Felix asked, and he reflexively took a step back when he noticed the fire burning in the Lemurian's golden eyes.

            "My opinion of this monster," he offered in explanation. "The fact that I use mostly attacking Psynergy seems to forever be forgotten—or used in some sort of ironic dry humor—which is an ironic statement in itself—by whatever Powers Be," he added. Felix was about to reply, but Picard was already wherever it was he went when he used his Psynergy. Physically, of course, he was standing beside Ivan, one blue-glowing hand on the Jupiter Adept's shoulder, but mentally, who knew? Felix sighed.

            "So, you speak Lemurian?" he asked the Elder, and she nodded. Her eyes were intent on Picard, though, watching what he was doing. Felix resisted the urge to sigh for what felt like the millionth time that day.

            A few moments later, the blue light of Psynergy faded and Picard's eyes opened seconds before Ivan's. Surprisingly, the Mercury Adept looked…greenish. "I think…I need to sit down," he mumbled, and the Elder quickly got a chair for him.

            "Picard? Felix? What in the world?" Ivan asked, sitting up and looking at himself rather amazedly. "The last thing I remember is lightning striking the ship…and maybe a sort of…blurry recollection of sharp objects…"

            "Welcome back, Ivan. Listen, there's something you should know about this island—" Felix began, but was cut off rather abruptly.

            "Island?" Ivan asked frantically. "We're on an island? An island where…it's always dark, and…and they never see the sun?"

            "Well, yes…don't tell me you saw this in some premonition and decided not to mention anything?"

            "No, it was a dream, actually. Right before I spotted the storm—it must have been only yesterday, I don't feel as if that much time has passed—anyway, right before I called to Picard, I was starting to fall asleep and I thought it was a dream. Picard? You don't look so good."

            "I'm alright. That just took way more energy than I was prepared for. You were pretty banged up, Ivan." Picard closed his eyes and sat with his head between his hands and his elbows resting on his legs. "If this monster can do that to you, the thought of facing it truly does scare me."

            "Look at it this way—we've fought worse. Nothing could have been worse than that dragon in Vale," Ivan pointed out.

            "There were eight of us then, and one of them wasn't sick from Psynergy loss," Felix said, a wry grin finding its way onto his face. Picard glared blearily up at him.

            "So I shall remind you of that time you tried to open a giant crack in the land to reach Jenna and Mia in that cave, and no one could wake you afterwards for a week," he said, tartness in his voice.

            "You used that much Psynergy?" Ivan asked in an astonished voice. "It couldn't have been that bad."

            "It was. Can we discuss something else? Like how to beat this thing?"

            There was a sudden crash noise from outside—predictably, just as Felix had begun to speak. The three Adepts hurried outside, Picard inevitably bringing up the rear and not liking it. Well, not liking the fact that they were about to fight and he was so low on Psynergy. There was, however, on the edge of his consciousness, the beginnings of that strange sensation felt when one knows that wet weather is on its way.

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Vil: Voila! Chapter Three, for your reading (and reviewing) pleasure. Chapter Four approacheth, so be watching!!

Disclaimer here, so I don't ruin the character things for you: I forgot to add that I own the Beast of the Bright Sea and the Serpent of Dark Storms, as well as this guardian monster. I own the plot-idea of the Jenna-and-Mia-stuck-in-a-cave thing, and I've already written the story of the dragon in Vale. Bonus points to he or she who knows the curious man in the Elder's tale. Later days!