Disclaimer: *sigh* Another one of these things? By the Gods, but this is annoying. I don't own any of the characters from FF9, or anything else Squaresoft makes. Happy?

Author's Note: I was quite surprised at how well the third chapter went over. I was so tired when I wrote it, and in such a rush, I figured everyone would hate it. But apparently not. I got more feedback in one hour than I ever thought possible for such a chapter. But that is definitely not a bad thing! I'm glad all you people have taken an interest in my story and have chosen to review.

Please, if you are reading, I would really, really like you to review. It means a lot to me when people leave me a kind reminder that they are reading, and it gives me the motivation to get the next chapter out- and perhaps, like the last chapter, out early. So, if you are reading, just give a review- even if it's something like: good story.

Wow, that last paragraph sounded like begging… Anyways, I should start working on other fics soon, but I promise you, this story will not get pushed to the back of the line- it will remain TOP PRIORITY. After all, I couldn't disappoint all my faithful readers- and those other people who stop by from time to time. ^_^ Thank you all!

Ok, the story here is going to resemble FF9 for a little bit, but I will change it to my own take later. I'm just too lazy right now to come up with my own ideas…. Sorry… But, this story is getting better, so be thankful for that. I am sorry if this chapter doesn't make much sense. I need a reason for Arich to stay with Toy and Vivi, and this is all I could come up with. Much apologies to my readers if it seems stupid! O.o

Without further ado or weirdness, here is chapter four!

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A few strands of wandering silver hair fell into Kuja's midnight blue eyes. The wind whipped them back immediately, singing through his ears. The muscles of his silver dragon pulsed beneath him, and Kuja could tell it was eager to go faster.

"Settle," he ordered, his voice quiet and calm. He looked seriously down to the ground, so far away, scanning it for any signs of human life. His enhanced vision had no trouble detecting the details, but there was nothing but the same old scenery. He frowned.

It had been an hour already. His eyebrows wrinkled. He hadn't planned on becoming the queen's personal servant. He *definitely* had a hard time playing the dutiful slave. That old windbag was just itching to pull his strings. A smirk appeared fleetingly across his face. She was just asking for it…

He shook the thought out of his head. Her time would come. Definitely, her time would come. But for now, he was going to have to play the part of faithful minion. That was the only way.

Kuja leaned to the right, guiding the dragon to where he wished it to go. It obeyed without thought process, automatically following his command.

It was true, he was not as intent on fulfilling his mission as any faithful minion would have been, but then again, he *was* only playing the part. It certainly did *not* reflect on his personality. He smiled again. No, not at all.

The scenery beneath the young man shifted from rolling green hills to a shrouded forest, blanketed in dark Mist. If he had been any normal man, it would have been quite impossible for him to see the forest, but Kuja was- by far-*not* normal. The forest was as easily seen to him as if it had been right in front of his face. He gave it a quick look over.

It at first seemed fine- a normal, although dark, forest. Nothing out of the ordinary. But then he caught a movement- a rustle of a section of leaves in unison, as though something impossibly huge was moving. Kuja ordered the dragon lower, curious to see what it was. His tail swiped back and forth in both curiosity and puzzlement. A section further up rustled, and then both areas stopped altogether. They became gray and still, unstirred by the subtle movements of the Mist and wind. With an incline of his head, Kuja registered the odd truth. It was, simply enough, turning to stone.

The silver dragon went higher upon silent request, heading away from the strange forest. *Well, if it was in there, it's probably gone now,* Kuja thought, his eyes gleaming in pleasure at the thought of the queen's face if she knew.

With a haughty shake of his head, Kuja wheeled the dragon back in the direction of the sun.

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Duck and weave, duck and weave. That was the only thought that dared pierce Toy's fear-stricken mind. The thorns came from everywhere, cutting off paths, surrounding them- making it almost impossible to move. She squeezed through several that had wound around each other, scratching her clothes on multiple (and overgrown) thorns.

"Toy!"'

She turned, halfway through a sprinting step, to see Vivi attempting the same move she had tried moments before, but now stuck in between the vines. Without a second thought, she raced to his side to pull him through, seconds before the vines crushed against each other. Barely taking the time to register Vivi's near-death, she pulled him along after her.

Duck and weave, duck and weave.

"Look out!" she vaguely heard the prince shout. A thorn-covered vine shot out in front of her, narrowly missing her face. With a slight squeal of surprise, she yanked Vivi away as she turned to follow the prince's lead.

She had to admit- even in the obviously inappropriate time- that the prince was quite nimble; like a cat. He could easily dodge the oncoming vines, using the same technique she was repeating in her head. He was constantly looking over his shoulder to make sure she and Vivi were still behind him, calling out warnings when need be.

They were nearing the end of the place. Toy could see the light piercing through the now sparse trees, a beam of hope to her exhausted mind. She pulled a stumbling Vivi on, speeding up to avoid being struck by the vicious vines.

She sucked in a breath, her feet going faster than she ever thought possible. Out of the corner of her desperate eye, she could see more of those deadly vines approaching their exit from the sides, attempting to block their only way out.

The prince took a running leap at the edge of the forest, rolling onto the ground outside. Toy, although still some distance away, hastily swung Vivi as hard as she could towards the exit, relieved as she saw him tumble out of harm's way.

And now for herself. Vivi was already on his feet, heading back for her. Toy let out a breath, greedily taking in the next…

"Toy!"

She was almost there- she could practically taste freedom on her tongue. She was going to do it. She was going to cheat death.

With a determined look in her eye, she leapt for the end…

…only to be stopped by a constriction of vines.

They wrapped around her form, leaving her half in the petrified forest, and half out. Desperately, she tried to wriggle out, but the more she tried, the tighter the thorned vines became. She wrapped her hands around a cool thorn, trying to push herself out, but it was no use.

The cold of stone was approaching her fast, biting at her heels. She could hear Vivi muttering a spell under his breath, but she knew it would be too late. She cried out as she felt the petrification wrap around her heels, crawling up her leg-

-and yelled once again as she collided into the chest of a prince.

She was immediately pulled to her feet, and the prince had his hands on her shoulders, looking over her with knitted brows for any sign of physical injury. She had to lower her eyes against the scrutinizing teal gaze, wriggling away from his grip.

"I'm alright, I'm alrig-"

"TOY!"

She was interrupted mid-sentence as Vivi jumped up and tackled her. He wrapped his soot-covered arms around her neck, trembling against her shoulder. His voice was muffled by the fact that he had pressed his face into the crook of her neck.

"I'm so sorry- I couldn't save you in time! After you saved me and all, I just would have felt awful if you had died! I'm so glad you're alright! You couldn't just leave me, you know! I'd be all alone! I'm so glad you're alright! Thank you!" His words came so fast Toy could hardly understand him, but she understood what he meant all the same. Gently, she eased him off, and with a kind smile, stood up.

"I'm fine now, Vi. Don't worry, ok? Everything's alright."

The prince stood awkwardly to the side, watching the strange duo revel in the fact that they were both still alive. Toy looked to him, not sure exactly what to say or think. Hadn't he just minutes earlier decreed her a dead-woman? It was mind-boggling.

She sucked in her pride, walking until she was right in front of him. "Thank you. For… you know… Thanks," she murmured.

The prince nodded. "You are welcome. I was indebted to you, since you so kindly saved me from certain destruction before. And now, by saving your life, I have repaid that debt."

Toy blinked. "Oh, yeah. That. Well, uh… Yeah." There was an uncomfortable silence, and then Toy forced herself to speak again. "Well, you know, just for future reference, I'm Toy. Or at least, that's what my friends call me."

"I am well aware of your name. Your friend over there was kind enough to scream it in my ear a few times, just so there would be now way I could forget."

"Yeah, Vivi can overdo it sometimes."

Another silence. Again, Toy blinked. "Well, aintcha gonna tell me your name?"

The prince looked stunned, as though the thought that she could not know his name was unfathomable.

"I've only been to Alexandria but this once," Toy explained. *Came especially for the pendant,* she added in her head, but the longer the prince forgot about it, the better.

"Oh, I see. I am Arich Tate til Alexandros the Twenty-First, heir to the throne of Alexandria." His voice carried a regal tone to it when he said those words, but it also had an air of boredom- as though he had repeated the phrase once too much.

Toy blinked. "Ah," she said.

"Toy… Can we go? This place gives me the creeps," Vivi called, shuffling silently over to the pair.

Toy nodded. "The faster we get away from here, the better," she commented. She gave a nod in the prince's direction. "Been nice meeting you. Hope to see you again sometime."

The prince narrowed his eyes. "You are not going *anywhere* without me until you hand over that necklace!"

"This again? I might have been ready to hand it over if you had been a little quicker to help me out, but there's no way you're getting it now!"

"Quicker to help you out? There was hardly five seconds between the time you got stuck and the time I helped you! Besides, I *did* save your life, you ungrateful worm, and you should be ready to hand over the pendant by even the thought of helping such a low-life as you!"

"Weren't you the one who said that you owed me one for saving *your* royal ass? And now you're preaching about how I should give you back the pendant for you paying back your debt?"

"Oh, Gods," Vivi muttered, slapping his forehead as the trio trekked into the horizon and the rising sun.

******

It was a long walk, for Vivi in particular- he had to listen the constant arguing of his companions.

"You know, I'm getting *real* tired of your mouth. There isn't anything you can do about it!"

"You could have ended this argument hours ago if you had only handed over what is rightfully mine!"

"Oh, you big baby! You have everything you heart desires, and all you can think about is this silly old thing! You only want what you can't have!"

"'Silly old thing'?! That 'silly old thing' is worth more than you ever will be!"

"Well, if you want it so bad, Prince Hotshot, why don't you just take it?!"

There was silence in Arich's end, and Vivi was beginning to get his dying hopes up. Several seconds passed, and finally, the prince spoke.

"It would be dishonorable to… *touch*… a lady so."

Toy frowned in confusion. "Lady?"

"A woman," Arich corrected, giving her a scrutinizing look.

For several more seconds, everything was quiet. Vivi was about to heave a sigh of relief when…

"But that still doesn't give you the right to take anything of mine! It belongs to me, thief! Now hand it over!"

"No way! Vivi and I are hardly to survive with what little money we're making. This thing is gonna support us for the rest of our lives! You think I'm going to just *hand* it over?" She laughed. "Boy, do you have a lot to learn!"

Arich glared at her, his eyes aglow with a fierce light. "You are a stubborn one, thief. So be it. I have no choice but to call the guard on you."

Toy raised her eyebrows. "You do realize that we are in the middle of nowhere, right? It's going to be kind of difficult to call any guard on me."

Arich sighed. "Do you think I am that daft as I do not realize that? I know perfectly well I cannot call them from here." There was a mysterious look to his face. "Besides, they are probably out right now, searching for me. It won't be much longer."

Toy shook her head. "Their chances of finding us are about zilch. I wouldn't get my hopes up too high if I were you."

Arich just glared at the back of her head. Both kept quiet as they climbed the summit of a hill, only to resume once they were coming down the other side.

"Why are you following us, anyway? You're not going to get it back, and you don't seem willing to take it from us. What's the point, Hotshot?" Toy looked over her shoulder, and she looked honestly curious, although a little frustration was mixed in.

The prince frowned. "Well… I need to get to the nearest city, so I find an airship that will take me to Alexandria. There I can-"

"Yeah, yeah, we know. We know! Alert the guard! Will you two just be quiet? It's five in the morning, I'm cold, wet and hungry, and you guys haven't stopped arguing since we left the forest! Shut it already!" Vivi shouted, his shoulders hunched and his eyes glistening with rage. "Nobody cares about your little problems! *You're* not getting the pendant back, and *you're* not helping anything! Just… both of you, accept that you hate each other and move on before I cast a thunder spell on you!"

He stomped off down the plain, muttering under his breath. Toy and Arich looked at each other, a little stunned, before chasing after him.

"How dare you speak to me that way!"

"Vivi, what's gotten into you?! Why so horribly mean all of a sudden?"

"Well *maybe* it has something to do with the fact that you won't be quiet!"

"*I'm* not the problem here, Hotshot! If you had just left us alone and went about your business, we wouldn't have this problem!"

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Amarant trudged on through the cavern, watching as the dim light bounced playfully of the walls that shimmered with ice. He could see his breath in front of him, stirring and moving away as he moved through it. His boots gripped the ice expertly, not allowing him to slip on the slick floor. He shivered, the area around him settling.

Why in the world had he chosen *this* place to search for the prince? Arich could not be so stupid as to enter here, could he? Amarant shrugged. There was no telling what the prince would and would not do. He had a tendency to get caught up in the moment and forget about common sense. But then again, His Majesty never really did have that much common sense to begin with…

Amarant glanced around the glistening area once before continuing on to the next. Why in the world had he left? Was he so honestly foolish as to believe that he could catch the girl himself? He shook his head. No. Arich may not have had common sense, but he was not one to be rash. There had to be a reason behind it. But what?

He shrugged. What did it matter? All that counted was finding the prince and bringing him back.

"You're much more trouble than you're worth, prince," Amarant joked, smiling to himself. Perhaps it was true.

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Another hour later, and the bickering between the prince and the thief had died down to the occasional insult.

Vivi was still fuming, his little yellow eyes burning inside of his skull, his boots hitting the grassy ground much harder than was needed. He tried as best he could to block out all negative thoughts, and even though he was an optimist, he found it hard to do so. He hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday and he was impossibly hungry. The Mist was heavy and thick, so he couldn't see and he was impossibly wet. He hadn't slept all night, being as he and Toy had spent hours searching for the prince. He was exhausted, seeing as he had used all his magic and energy reserves on the plant-thing. All this left him excessively grumpy, and the fact that Arich and Toy *still* hadn't shut up was not helping, either.

But after a while, even they became too tired to complain or argue, which did lift Vivi's mood some. There was the occasional grunt from Arich, and Toy was no doubt giving everyone dirty looks, but it was better than constant bickering.

"What say we find somewhere to rest for a little while, hm?" Arich suggested, stopping dead in his tracks. The other two turned to look at him, tired eyes now filled with frustration.

"You can sit and rest all you want- you aren't in danger of being persecuted by the queen's men," Toy pointed out, her voice flat with exhaustion. Vivi nodded his agreement, turning around to start walking again.

Arich smirked. "So, the cocky little thief is afraid of being caught after all."

Toy ignored him, stomping after Vivi and enjoying the way the grass crushed under her heavy black boots. She did not, however, like the tone in Arich's voice as he said that, nor did she like the fact that she heard him walking just behind her. And the fact that she had tears in her clothes and morning dew all over her? Yeah, definitely not doing anything to make her exactly chipper.

They all walked on in aggravated silence for quite some time. It was only when they saw an opening in the side of a mountain did any of them speak up.

"Looks inviting," Toy commented, shrugging. "It's probably our best bet to getting to safety."

Vivi looked at her. "But… It's a cave… I don't think…"

"Oh, nonsense. We'll be fine. 'Sides, I'll protect you from anything big and scary." Toy winked. Vivi lowered his head in submission.

"You mean to tell me we're going in there?" Arich asked, his voice incredulous.

Toy looked over her shoulder at him as she and Vivi proceeded inside. "Well, *we* are going in there. You're welcome to stay outside and wait for your castle buddies for all I care."

Arich hustled after them. "Don't think you're getting rid of me *that* easily," he said, walking in after them. "There's no way you're losing me now."

Vivi picked up his pace, just in case they started arguing again. To his surprise, however, Toy remained silent. Vivi chanced a glance at her. Her head was lowered and she was staring at the ground, her eyes darkened with concentration.

She was thinking something, and whatever it was, it was not good.

"My Gods," Arich breathed.

They stood inside of a high-ceilinged cavern. Everything was absolutely covered in ice- it hung from the ceiling, shot up from the floor, clung to the walls and smothered every rock. The once rocky floor was now made slippery because of it, and Vivi noticed that although he had stopped walking to get a look around, he was still moving forwards. He looked down at his feet on the iced-over ground, just to be sure he was not still walking and he wasn't aware of it.

Nope. He was sliding.

The thought lifted his spirits immediately. He began sliding back and forth across the floor, giggling with glee. Toy shook her head as she passed him, calling out. "Come on, Vi. No time for play now."

Vivi "skated" over to her. She guessed that if he had in fact possessed a physical mouth, he would have been smirking. He followed her into in to the next area, sliding all the while.

Toy shivered as she struggled to remain upright. The ice caught her feet, tugging maliciously to pull her down. She flailed her arms, tipping over. Something pulled her upright and steadied her.

She lifted her gaze to the right as she resumed walking, noticing how the prince purposefully and perhaps smugly avoided her gaze.

What was with him, anyway? First he saves her life, even though if he had just let her die, he could have taken the pendant from her neck and been done with it. And now he was almost helping her. If it had been she who was in his position, she would have let him fall flat on his face. She couldn't understand him. Maybe it was some royal honor code.

And why was he sticking with them? He couldn't be following them just for the silly pendant, could he? Why hadn't he just taken it? Sure it was tucked under her cloak, in an area that he may not have wanted to be grabbing for, but it was within his reach. He could have been over and done with this whole headache if he had just taken it and ran. There *had* to be some other reason he was tagging along. He couldn't possibly be *that* stubborn, no matter how valuable the pendant was. She shook her head. No, there was something else. She had no idea what, but it had to be there.

Or maybe the prince was just spoiled.

Toy pulled the pendant out from under her cloak, watching as the light bounced off it and shot into every direction. She admired the way it looked on her, the way it shined brilliantly even in the dim lighting of the cavern. It shimmered expectantly, glowing in her hands. It was truly magnificent.

She sighed, snapping out of her trance. Her hands release their grip on it, and she let it drop down onto her chest. It was no use getting caught up in these things. She just had to keep her mind on the moment.

Vivi let out a laugh that resonated through the ice-cavern. He slid across the room, his eyes lit up, laughing louder this time.

"Vivi!" Toy fussed in a harsh whisper. "Don't be so loud- you might make the icicles fall or something!"

Vivi sighed. "You never let me have any fun," he whined, although there was more joking in his voice than anything else.

"We can ice skating in the rink at Lindblum, but right now I need you to be quiet, ok?"

Vivi nodded, although he continued sliding. He propelled himself of a stalagmite icicle, shooting towards the next "doorway." He repressed a squeal of delight, reveling in how fast he was going. With lightning-fast speed (or so he was convinced), he flew through to the next room.

CLANG! BOOM! BANG!

"Ouch!"

"What in the world…?"

Toy rushed across the floor to her fried, taking care not to fall flat on her face. Vivi was sprawled out in the opening to the next room, his face flat on the floor. He sat up, rubbing his head, his eyes a little unfocused.

"Vi, are you alright? What happened?" Toy asked, stopping down to help him to his feet. Vivi wobbled a little.

"I-," he began, but he was interrupted.

"He bumped into me, Lady," a gruff voice called from the other side. Toy, startled, looked up to see a threatening-looking redhead in armor staring down at her. Or, at least, she *thought* he was staring. She couldn't tell through the masses of hair that covered his eyes.

"AMARANT?" Arich nearly shouted, sliding forwards. His eyes were wide with happiness and possible relief as he looked over the man in front of them. "What are you doing in place like this?"

"I might ask you the same question, my prince." Amarant looked to Toy and Vivi. "Who are these creatures that you have with you?"

Arich gave Toy an apprehensive glance. "*These*," he started, his voice carrying an accusing tone.

Toy froze. This guy was obviously with the Pluto Knights. If Arich told him- which he surely would- both her and Vivi would be dead. There was no escape now…

But Arich's voice had apparently caught in his throat, for he said nothing. There was a moment of silence in which Amarant gave Vivi and Toy a look-over, and then shot an anticipating glance at Arich.

"These," he repeated, his voice less accusing and more friendly, "are my friends."

"Friends?" Amarant asked.

*FRIENDS?* Toy thought. Why was he protecting them all of a sudden? Surely if he were with the Pluto Knights he would remember her from the castle. She looked again. No. He hadn't been one of the knights after her, and he hadn't been one of the guards at the door to the queen's seats. He wouldn't not know who she was. He would not recognize her.

"Um… This is-"

"Toy," she interrupted, extending her hand to the knight. He took and shook it warmly, smiling. "And that little guy is Vivi."

"Pleased to meet you," Vivi said, his voice muffled. He was utterly confused. Hadn't Toy said to never give their names to anyone who was… well, like this Amarant. Official. Able to arrest them. All that stuff. It was definitely weird. But then again, Arich was being weird, too. He wondered what exactly was in the air in this place.

"I tried to catch the intruder on my own. I jumped out after the airship, hoping to catch the person who invaded the castle and restore our honor. Unfortunately, due to some unfortunate circumstances, the airship crashed into a nearby forest. The Misty Forest, I believe. The intruder was killed but I escaped somehow alive. I was wandering through the forest, trying to find some way home, when I was attacked by some sort of plant monster. These two saved me from and are graciously taking me to the nearest town to find an airship that will take me home."

"Oh?" said Amarant, his voice skeptical. "And what were these two doing in that evil forest?"

Arich looked taken aback for a second, but quickly regained himself. "They are but simple travelers, wandering the world, looking for their meal. Right?"

Toy jumped to attention. "Yeah, travelers. Right." She elbowed Vivi's hat, screaming silently for him to say something.

"Travelers. Yup. Definitely," he said, nodding vigorously.

"Travelers," Arich repeated, just in case Amarant hadn't figured it out.

The knight smiled. "Well, I must thank you Toy and Vivi. If the prince owes you his life, then so do I. A million-"

His voice faltered and stopped. Toy anxiously looked up at the knight, following his gaze to her torso. She froze.

He was looking at the pendant.

*Stupid, stupid, STUPID girl!* Toy screamed at herself. *You just had to look at it, didn't you? Just had to admire it! And then you couldn't put it back under your cloak. You and Vivi would be home free by now if you hadn't made such a stupid mistake!*

"Arich, why is the royal pendant around this girl's neck?" Amarant asked, suspicion evident in his voice.

Arich turned pale. "Well… you see Amarant… Toy… um… She saved my life, and it would unchivalrous to only give verbal thanks. Since I had nothing else with me at the time, I gave her the pendant as a symbol of my thanks."

"You gave her the pendant? Arich, you know how valuable that is to your family. Why-"

"You dare question my judgment, Amarant? This girl has saved me from certain demise. She is every bit as deserving of that pendant as anyone of royal blood. Perhaps more so! You yourself taught me never to be ungrateful and always to give thanks. Even this was not proper thanks for saving my life, but until we can give her and her friend a proper ceremony, this will have to suffice!"

His words stunned Toy and Vivi, and evidently Amarant as well. They all stood in silence, watching Arich with dumbfounded eyes until Amarant finally spoke.

"I apologize, Your Majesty. If you say it is so, then it is so."

"Then it is so!" Arich echoed, inclining his head. "Come, let us continue on. We are far from home. Let us head to the next town. We will find a way home there." He marched off, head held high in the air, leaving the other three completely speechless.

Amarant was the first to recover. He looked Vivi and Toy over once again before heading off after his charge. Vivi and Toy gave each other confused glances.

"That… that defies all logic!" Toy whispered.

Vivi nodded, letting out a puff of air. "I wonder what got into him?"

Toy shrugged, pulling Vivi's hand. "C'mon. We wouldn't want to fall behind Sir Rusty and Prince Hotshot, now would we?"

Vivi laughed quietly, following his friend after the other two.

They walked silently a little way, Toy periodically shaking her head and muttering under her breath. Everything seemed quite alright, although a little weird.

Until the sound came.

Toy wasn't sure what it was. It was almost like a crystal bell, ringing far off in the distance. It rang once quietly, causing all four of the travelers to stop and listen. Again, it rent the air, but this time louder. It rang over and over in their ears, its volume increasing each time. Vivi cried out, pressing his hands over his ears and sinking to his knees. He collapsed onto the ground. And the bell kept ringing.

The air began to smell sickly-sweet, a strange mixture of lilacs and smoke. It overtook the air forcefully, filling all of their nostrils with its stench. One whiff of it left Amarant senseless, and with a groan, he crumpled up onto the ground. And the bell kept ringing.

The temperature around them dropped drastically. The chill ran up Toy's spine, leaving fleshy goose bumps to cover her entire body. She felt like all the heat in her body had suddenly evaporated into thin air. With a weak shiver, she too fell into the snow-covered ground. And the bell kept ringing.

Arich struggled to stay awake, though he knew not why he was having such difficulties. The sound pounded in his ears, the smell infiltrated his nostrils, and the cold enveloped his body. He struggled forwards against an onslaught of a snowy wind, his head lowered.

*Sleep, my child... All the pain will go away if only you sleep…*

Yes… Sleep… Arich let out a sigh of defeat and lazily lay down in the snow. With a wave of bone-jarring force, the ocean of sleep was upon him.

And the bell kept ringing.

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Sorry if that chapter was a little stupid. It was weird and pointless I know, but I'll find some way to make sense of it all in the next chapter. Explanations for everything will come in later chapters as well, so you won't remain *too* confused for *too* long. I hope.

This chapter might seem a little short, but believe me when I say that it's just as long as the other ones were. I have the rings under my eyes to prove it.

As always, please review. I'm sorry again that this didn't make much sense, but it's 3:49 in the morning for me, so cut me some slack.