The bright, golden sun rose slowly out of the sea, chasing away the dark shadows of night and bathing the land in it's warm, yellow glow. In Asturia, most people were still in bed and missed the breathtaking sunrise. Among those fortunate enough to see it were a group of people gathered at the airship dock and making final preparations for their departure.
Adrina turned her gaze from the magnificent sunrise and looked up at the airship hovering above her. It was almost identical in appearance to the Crusade, but was at least three times larger and had six levi-stones instead of two. Allen had explained to them it was the Crusade II and was built with more luxuries so he and Millerna could travel in style. Of course, Allen's new Crusade had the same crew as the old one and Gadis stood next to the loading basket, which had been lowered to the ground already.
"It's so big," Merle commented from Adrina's side. Adrina had done as she said she would and talked to Allen and Millerna about Merle and Zane. Allen had been skeptical but Millerna agreed to them joining the quest immediately.
"It is almost time to depart," Allen announced, "has anyone seen Van?"
"Here we are!"
Everyone turned to see Van and Hitomi hurrying towards them. Hitomi was all smiles while Van's shoulders were slumped in defeat and he kept his eyes on the ground.
"Hitomi?" Millerna questioned, "What are you doing here?"
"I convinced Van to let me come along," Hitomi informed.
"What about Golan?" Merle asked, concerned.
"Princess Aries and Celena are going to take care of him while we're gone," Hitomi told her.
"Now that we're all here," Allen started, "we should get going."
The others agreed and they boarded the Crusade II. On the ship, they all crowded against the windows in the control chamber so they could watch the take off.
Below them, Asturia gradually disappeared and was replaced by a huge forest. As the scenery became monotonous, everyone drifted off to different areas of the ship. Adrina and Folken went to their designated room. Folken immediately went to the desk where the legends book had been placed and opened it.
"Folken?" Adrina called.
He looked over at her. "Yes?"
"Where exactly is the Records House?" Adrina inquired, "I heard you tell Allen to head east, but you never gave him any other directions."
Folken smiled sheepishly. "That's because I don't know where the Records House is."
"What do you mean?"
"The book only gives hints and riddles." Folken turned to the appropriate page as Adrina sat down next to him. "I knew if I told Allen that, he would never have agreed to go, so I lied and told him the book said exactly where it was."
"So what are you going to do?" Adrina asked, "Allen is going to find out if you don't tell him where we're supposed to go."
"I have to decipher the riddles before we arrive at the next checkpoint," Folken answered.
"Checkpoint?"
"The journey to the Records House is broken into different legs of travel," Folken explained, "and at the end of each leg is a checkpoint. The first clue says 'Travel to the land of green where dragons roam and birds sing.' That has to be Fanelia, so Fanelia is the first checkpoint. The next clue is 'To the south of the dragon-land is a place hot and full of sand.'"
"That's easy," Adrina said, "it's got to mean Syndra Desert."
"That's what I was thinking," Folken agreed.
"So why don't we just head straight to the desert?" Adrina questioned, "Why go through Fanelia first?"
"The book says each checkpoint must be visited before the Records House can be found," Folken informed.
Adrina nodded. "So what's the next clue, after the desert?"
Folken looked down at the book. "'In a land of fire and stone, no seed will grow that has been sown.'"
Adrina's brow furrowed in confusion. "What does that mean?"
"I'm not sure," Folken admitted, "but we've got time to think about it."
"What if we don't figure it out by the time we reach the desert?" Adrina questioned.
"Then we'll have to tell everyone and hope they have a better idea of what the clue means than we do."
Two days later, the Crusade II was rapidly approaching Syndra desert and neither Folken nor Adrina had deciphered the clue to the next checkpoint. Finally, a day before they were to reach the desert, Folken decided they should tell the others the truth about the book's cryptic clues.
"We have been traveling fro nearly three days," Folken reasoned, "Allen won't make us turn back now."
Adrina agreed and the two of them went in search of Allen and Millerna. They found them in the dining room with Van, Hitomi, Merle, Zane and the Crusade II's captain, Gadis. They were seated around the table, obviously waiting for breakfast to be served.
"Folken, Adrina," Allen greeted, "we didn't think you were going to join us for breakfast this morning." Folken and Adrina took their seats at Allen and Millerna's left, across from Van and Hitomi. "So Folken, we will reach the desert tomorrow morning. Where do we go from there?"
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that," Folken informed, "the way to the Records House isn't exactly straight forward. The book gives clues as to the locations on the way."
"Clues?" Allen questioned, "So you don't know where the Records House is? Why wasn't I informed of this before we left? Now we have wasted almost three days of travel for nothing!"
"Not for nothing," Folken contradicted calmly, "All we need to do is decipher the next clue."
"And what if we can't?" Allen demanded, "Then this entire journey has been a waste of time!"
"Oh, calm down Allen," Millerna chided, "it's no big deal. All we have to do is figure out the clue. No problem. What is the clue?"
"'In a land of fire and stone, no seed will grow that has been sown,'" Folken recited.
"Land of fire and stone?" Millerna's brow furrowed in concentration.
"It's Namsid," Gadis spoke from the other end of the table. Everyone turned in his direction.
"Namsid?" Allen repeated skeptically.
"Yeah," Gadis nodded, "it was a tiny village west of Syndra Desert. A long time ago, it was attacked by an unknown enemy and burned to the ground. When the survivors rebuilt the village, they discovered that nothing would grow because of the fire. The people decided to abandon the village and went to different places. Some came to Asturia. My ancestors were some of them."
"There's your answer Allen," Folken smirked, "after we reach the desert, we head to the village of Namsid."
The next week and a half was spent deciphering clues and visiting checkpoints. There were ten in all and at the last one, the last clue, the one that revealed the location of the Records House, was read to everyone by Folken.
"'In a place where angels fly a gate will open in the sky,'" Folken read.
"The Mystic Valley!" Hitomi offered immediately, "the entrance to the Valley opened in the sky and the angels are the Atlantians."
"You're right," Folken agreed.
"Isn't that a problem?" Allen inquired, "Didn't the gate explode last time we were there?"
Everyone was silent as they remembered their own experiences on their previous journey to the Mystic Valley.
"So that it's then?" Allen grumbled, "The whole journey was pointless."
"Maybe, maybe not," Folken said, "the only way we'll know is if we continue to the Mystic Valley."
"But that's still a day and a half journey," Allen complained.
"Oh quit whining Allen," Millerna scoffed, "What else have we got to do, sit around and wait for the sorcerers to unleash Zeus on us? This may be our only chance and we're not turning back now."
Allen fell silent at his wife's harsh words. After a few more minutes of discussion, everyone went their separate ways. Back in their room, Adrina addressed Folken.
"What happens when we find the Records House?" Adrina asked.
"What do you mean?" Folken inquired.
"Well, after all the clues and riddles I can't imagine the Records House is going to welcome us with open arms," Adrina explained, "there's got to be some trick or spell or something that has to be used to get it."
"The book says there is something," Folken admitted, "it says that the entrance process will be explained at the Records House but doesn't give any hint as to what it is."
"I hope it's not too difficult," Adrina commented, "if we get there and then can't open the Records House, Allen will never let us forget it."
"I know." Folken cupper her cheek in his hand and smiled, "Don't worry Rina. We will succeed."
Adrina closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. "For everyone's sake, I hope you're right."
On the twelfth day of their journey, the Crusade II approached the entrance to the Mystic Valley. Everyone was nervous and anxious to see just what the end of their quest would hold. When they reached the place where the gate had opened before, Gadis stopped the Crusade II and let it hover a couple hundred feet above the ground.
"Now what?" Allen demanded.
"I don't know," Folken admitted.
"You don't know?" Allen shouted, "This was all your idea! I thought you knew what you were doing!"
"He does know what he's doing!" Adrina defended.
"Well he sure isn't proving his competence to me at the moment," Allen shot back.
"Allen!" Millerna cried.
"Back off Allen," Van growled, "if anyone can find the Records House, it's Folken."
"You're being unfair Allen," Hitomi added, "if we succeed in this journey and stop the sorcerers, will you be so eager to hand over sole responsibility to Folken?"
As the adults bickered, Merle and Zane stared out the window boredly. As they looked out, a movement on the ground caught their attention. The air seemed to shimmer and shift and soon the outline of a building materialized. As the structure filled in, Merle turned to the others.
"Hey, I think all of you should see this," she called. They ignored her and continued quarreling. "Hello? Is anyone listening?" Still no one acknowledged her presence. Irritated because they were fighting over nothing, Merle took a deep breath. "STOP FIGHTING!!!"
The group of adults stopped their argument and looked over at the red-faced cat girl. "If you guys can be quiet for a minute, there is something down there you should see."
Everyone crowded around the window and looked to the ground. The building was now completely visible and quite large.
"What is it?" Millerna questioned.
Folken smiled. "It's the Records House."
Allen ordered Gadis to take them down and Gadis piloted the Crusade II closer to the Records House. The Crusade II was landed just outside and everyone exited quickly, including the crew. They all gathered in front of the door of the huge building and looked up. All along the front of the building were strange symbols and markings.
"What is all that?" Merle motioned to the front of the building.
"It's writing," Van replied, "Ancient Draconian writing."
"The language of Atlantis," Adrina murmured.
"What does it say?" Hitomi questioned.
"'This is the Records House of the Draconians.'"
Everyone's attention was drawn to Folken, who stared up at the writing.
"Since when do you read ancient Draconian?" Van inquired.
"I learned many things while with Zaibach," Folken answered and continued to relay the message on the building. "'Housed inside are all the documents important to the Draconians, keepers of Atlantis. To enter, one must possess the two stones from each side of the Draconian family tree. The stones must be placed in the appropriate slots on either side of the door.'" Folken looked down at everyone around him.
"What stones?" Allen asked.
"The only description it gives is what I just read, 'the stones from each side of the Draconian family tree.' That is all it says."
"How are we supposed to find those?" Millerna questioned.
Everyone was silent as they racked their brains for the answer.
"Hey look at this!" Hitomi called from the right side of the door. The group hurried over to see what she had found. She was pointing excitedly to a slot next to the door. "Look! It's the pendant!"
Sure enough, etched in the stone was the pendant Hitomi had given to Van. It had even been filled in with a pink paint of some kind.
"So the pendant is one of the stones?" Van questioned, holding the pink stone on his palm.
Adrina hurried to the left side of the door to search for the image of the second stone. She was shocked when she found it. The second stone was identical to the necklace she had given Folken. "Folken, come here quick. Look at the other stone!"
Folken hurried over and looked at the image carved into the wall. "That's my necklace."
"Yes!" Adrina agreed, "We have both stones!"
At that proclamation, everyone crowded around and stared at the second etching. They were all very excited.
"This is unbelievable!" Millerna breathed.
"What do we do Folken?" Adrina inquired.
Folken took a few steps back so he could see the front of the building. "Both stones must be placed in their designated slot simultaneously." Folken unhooked his necklace and handed it to Adrina. "You'll have to do it. I can't see the writing from there."
Adrina nodded and stood next to the door, the necklace lying on her upturned palm. Van quickly unhooked the pendant from his neck and stood in front of the other slot. They looked at each other.
"Ready?" Van inquired. Adrina nodded and they both stuck the stones in the slots. Both stones began to glow, the one on the right pink and the one on the left purple. The door to the Records House shifted slightly, then remained still.
"What's wrong?" Allen asked.
"Nothing," Folken replied, "a Draconian must place his hand in the outline on the door." Folken stepped forward and placed his hand on the hand outline on the door. The stones glowed brighter and a white light traced Folken's hand. Suddenly, Folken's wings burst through his shirt, tearing it to shreds and with a groan of pain, he fell to his knees.
"Folken!" Adrina cried and ran to his side. She knelt down next to him, concern covering her face.
"I'm all right," Folken assured, "it was just making sure I was really a Draconian."
A scraping sound drew their attention. They saw that the door to the Records House was sliding open. It slid back into the wall and disappeared. As it did so, the two stones stopped glowing and all was silent. Van pulled the pendant out of the slot and after getting to his feet, Folken took his necklace as well. His wings disappeared and he put the necklace back on. Without a word, they group entered the Records House.
*********************************************************
Can you tell from this chapter that I'm not too fond of Allen?
Gwuinny, I'm so sorry I haven't updated for so long! Last week my mom was on vacation and I couldn't use the computer at her work. Please forgive me!!!!!!! I have three other chapters besides this one written and I think that there will only be one or two more chapters after that, so the end is near. Thank you for reviewing!! *hugs Gwuinny* Hope you enjoyed this one! The next one should be up shortly.
Adrina turned her gaze from the magnificent sunrise and looked up at the airship hovering above her. It was almost identical in appearance to the Crusade, but was at least three times larger and had six levi-stones instead of two. Allen had explained to them it was the Crusade II and was built with more luxuries so he and Millerna could travel in style. Of course, Allen's new Crusade had the same crew as the old one and Gadis stood next to the loading basket, which had been lowered to the ground already.
"It's so big," Merle commented from Adrina's side. Adrina had done as she said she would and talked to Allen and Millerna about Merle and Zane. Allen had been skeptical but Millerna agreed to them joining the quest immediately.
"It is almost time to depart," Allen announced, "has anyone seen Van?"
"Here we are!"
Everyone turned to see Van and Hitomi hurrying towards them. Hitomi was all smiles while Van's shoulders were slumped in defeat and he kept his eyes on the ground.
"Hitomi?" Millerna questioned, "What are you doing here?"
"I convinced Van to let me come along," Hitomi informed.
"What about Golan?" Merle asked, concerned.
"Princess Aries and Celena are going to take care of him while we're gone," Hitomi told her.
"Now that we're all here," Allen started, "we should get going."
The others agreed and they boarded the Crusade II. On the ship, they all crowded against the windows in the control chamber so they could watch the take off.
Below them, Asturia gradually disappeared and was replaced by a huge forest. As the scenery became monotonous, everyone drifted off to different areas of the ship. Adrina and Folken went to their designated room. Folken immediately went to the desk where the legends book had been placed and opened it.
"Folken?" Adrina called.
He looked over at her. "Yes?"
"Where exactly is the Records House?" Adrina inquired, "I heard you tell Allen to head east, but you never gave him any other directions."
Folken smiled sheepishly. "That's because I don't know where the Records House is."
"What do you mean?"
"The book only gives hints and riddles." Folken turned to the appropriate page as Adrina sat down next to him. "I knew if I told Allen that, he would never have agreed to go, so I lied and told him the book said exactly where it was."
"So what are you going to do?" Adrina asked, "Allen is going to find out if you don't tell him where we're supposed to go."
"I have to decipher the riddles before we arrive at the next checkpoint," Folken answered.
"Checkpoint?"
"The journey to the Records House is broken into different legs of travel," Folken explained, "and at the end of each leg is a checkpoint. The first clue says 'Travel to the land of green where dragons roam and birds sing.' That has to be Fanelia, so Fanelia is the first checkpoint. The next clue is 'To the south of the dragon-land is a place hot and full of sand.'"
"That's easy," Adrina said, "it's got to mean Syndra Desert."
"That's what I was thinking," Folken agreed.
"So why don't we just head straight to the desert?" Adrina questioned, "Why go through Fanelia first?"
"The book says each checkpoint must be visited before the Records House can be found," Folken informed.
Adrina nodded. "So what's the next clue, after the desert?"
Folken looked down at the book. "'In a land of fire and stone, no seed will grow that has been sown.'"
Adrina's brow furrowed in confusion. "What does that mean?"
"I'm not sure," Folken admitted, "but we've got time to think about it."
"What if we don't figure it out by the time we reach the desert?" Adrina questioned.
"Then we'll have to tell everyone and hope they have a better idea of what the clue means than we do."
Two days later, the Crusade II was rapidly approaching Syndra desert and neither Folken nor Adrina had deciphered the clue to the next checkpoint. Finally, a day before they were to reach the desert, Folken decided they should tell the others the truth about the book's cryptic clues.
"We have been traveling fro nearly three days," Folken reasoned, "Allen won't make us turn back now."
Adrina agreed and the two of them went in search of Allen and Millerna. They found them in the dining room with Van, Hitomi, Merle, Zane and the Crusade II's captain, Gadis. They were seated around the table, obviously waiting for breakfast to be served.
"Folken, Adrina," Allen greeted, "we didn't think you were going to join us for breakfast this morning." Folken and Adrina took their seats at Allen and Millerna's left, across from Van and Hitomi. "So Folken, we will reach the desert tomorrow morning. Where do we go from there?"
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that," Folken informed, "the way to the Records House isn't exactly straight forward. The book gives clues as to the locations on the way."
"Clues?" Allen questioned, "So you don't know where the Records House is? Why wasn't I informed of this before we left? Now we have wasted almost three days of travel for nothing!"
"Not for nothing," Folken contradicted calmly, "All we need to do is decipher the next clue."
"And what if we can't?" Allen demanded, "Then this entire journey has been a waste of time!"
"Oh, calm down Allen," Millerna chided, "it's no big deal. All we have to do is figure out the clue. No problem. What is the clue?"
"'In a land of fire and stone, no seed will grow that has been sown,'" Folken recited.
"Land of fire and stone?" Millerna's brow furrowed in concentration.
"It's Namsid," Gadis spoke from the other end of the table. Everyone turned in his direction.
"Namsid?" Allen repeated skeptically.
"Yeah," Gadis nodded, "it was a tiny village west of Syndra Desert. A long time ago, it was attacked by an unknown enemy and burned to the ground. When the survivors rebuilt the village, they discovered that nothing would grow because of the fire. The people decided to abandon the village and went to different places. Some came to Asturia. My ancestors were some of them."
"There's your answer Allen," Folken smirked, "after we reach the desert, we head to the village of Namsid."
The next week and a half was spent deciphering clues and visiting checkpoints. There were ten in all and at the last one, the last clue, the one that revealed the location of the Records House, was read to everyone by Folken.
"'In a place where angels fly a gate will open in the sky,'" Folken read.
"The Mystic Valley!" Hitomi offered immediately, "the entrance to the Valley opened in the sky and the angels are the Atlantians."
"You're right," Folken agreed.
"Isn't that a problem?" Allen inquired, "Didn't the gate explode last time we were there?"
Everyone was silent as they remembered their own experiences on their previous journey to the Mystic Valley.
"So that it's then?" Allen grumbled, "The whole journey was pointless."
"Maybe, maybe not," Folken said, "the only way we'll know is if we continue to the Mystic Valley."
"But that's still a day and a half journey," Allen complained.
"Oh quit whining Allen," Millerna scoffed, "What else have we got to do, sit around and wait for the sorcerers to unleash Zeus on us? This may be our only chance and we're not turning back now."
Allen fell silent at his wife's harsh words. After a few more minutes of discussion, everyone went their separate ways. Back in their room, Adrina addressed Folken.
"What happens when we find the Records House?" Adrina asked.
"What do you mean?" Folken inquired.
"Well, after all the clues and riddles I can't imagine the Records House is going to welcome us with open arms," Adrina explained, "there's got to be some trick or spell or something that has to be used to get it."
"The book says there is something," Folken admitted, "it says that the entrance process will be explained at the Records House but doesn't give any hint as to what it is."
"I hope it's not too difficult," Adrina commented, "if we get there and then can't open the Records House, Allen will never let us forget it."
"I know." Folken cupper her cheek in his hand and smiled, "Don't worry Rina. We will succeed."
Adrina closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. "For everyone's sake, I hope you're right."
On the twelfth day of their journey, the Crusade II approached the entrance to the Mystic Valley. Everyone was nervous and anxious to see just what the end of their quest would hold. When they reached the place where the gate had opened before, Gadis stopped the Crusade II and let it hover a couple hundred feet above the ground.
"Now what?" Allen demanded.
"I don't know," Folken admitted.
"You don't know?" Allen shouted, "This was all your idea! I thought you knew what you were doing!"
"He does know what he's doing!" Adrina defended.
"Well he sure isn't proving his competence to me at the moment," Allen shot back.
"Allen!" Millerna cried.
"Back off Allen," Van growled, "if anyone can find the Records House, it's Folken."
"You're being unfair Allen," Hitomi added, "if we succeed in this journey and stop the sorcerers, will you be so eager to hand over sole responsibility to Folken?"
As the adults bickered, Merle and Zane stared out the window boredly. As they looked out, a movement on the ground caught their attention. The air seemed to shimmer and shift and soon the outline of a building materialized. As the structure filled in, Merle turned to the others.
"Hey, I think all of you should see this," she called. They ignored her and continued quarreling. "Hello? Is anyone listening?" Still no one acknowledged her presence. Irritated because they were fighting over nothing, Merle took a deep breath. "STOP FIGHTING!!!"
The group of adults stopped their argument and looked over at the red-faced cat girl. "If you guys can be quiet for a minute, there is something down there you should see."
Everyone crowded around the window and looked to the ground. The building was now completely visible and quite large.
"What is it?" Millerna questioned.
Folken smiled. "It's the Records House."
Allen ordered Gadis to take them down and Gadis piloted the Crusade II closer to the Records House. The Crusade II was landed just outside and everyone exited quickly, including the crew. They all gathered in front of the door of the huge building and looked up. All along the front of the building were strange symbols and markings.
"What is all that?" Merle motioned to the front of the building.
"It's writing," Van replied, "Ancient Draconian writing."
"The language of Atlantis," Adrina murmured.
"What does it say?" Hitomi questioned.
"'This is the Records House of the Draconians.'"
Everyone's attention was drawn to Folken, who stared up at the writing.
"Since when do you read ancient Draconian?" Van inquired.
"I learned many things while with Zaibach," Folken answered and continued to relay the message on the building. "'Housed inside are all the documents important to the Draconians, keepers of Atlantis. To enter, one must possess the two stones from each side of the Draconian family tree. The stones must be placed in the appropriate slots on either side of the door.'" Folken looked down at everyone around him.
"What stones?" Allen asked.
"The only description it gives is what I just read, 'the stones from each side of the Draconian family tree.' That is all it says."
"How are we supposed to find those?" Millerna questioned.
Everyone was silent as they racked their brains for the answer.
"Hey look at this!" Hitomi called from the right side of the door. The group hurried over to see what she had found. She was pointing excitedly to a slot next to the door. "Look! It's the pendant!"
Sure enough, etched in the stone was the pendant Hitomi had given to Van. It had even been filled in with a pink paint of some kind.
"So the pendant is one of the stones?" Van questioned, holding the pink stone on his palm.
Adrina hurried to the left side of the door to search for the image of the second stone. She was shocked when she found it. The second stone was identical to the necklace she had given Folken. "Folken, come here quick. Look at the other stone!"
Folken hurried over and looked at the image carved into the wall. "That's my necklace."
"Yes!" Adrina agreed, "We have both stones!"
At that proclamation, everyone crowded around and stared at the second etching. They were all very excited.
"This is unbelievable!" Millerna breathed.
"What do we do Folken?" Adrina inquired.
Folken took a few steps back so he could see the front of the building. "Both stones must be placed in their designated slot simultaneously." Folken unhooked his necklace and handed it to Adrina. "You'll have to do it. I can't see the writing from there."
Adrina nodded and stood next to the door, the necklace lying on her upturned palm. Van quickly unhooked the pendant from his neck and stood in front of the other slot. They looked at each other.
"Ready?" Van inquired. Adrina nodded and they both stuck the stones in the slots. Both stones began to glow, the one on the right pink and the one on the left purple. The door to the Records House shifted slightly, then remained still.
"What's wrong?" Allen asked.
"Nothing," Folken replied, "a Draconian must place his hand in the outline on the door." Folken stepped forward and placed his hand on the hand outline on the door. The stones glowed brighter and a white light traced Folken's hand. Suddenly, Folken's wings burst through his shirt, tearing it to shreds and with a groan of pain, he fell to his knees.
"Folken!" Adrina cried and ran to his side. She knelt down next to him, concern covering her face.
"I'm all right," Folken assured, "it was just making sure I was really a Draconian."
A scraping sound drew their attention. They saw that the door to the Records House was sliding open. It slid back into the wall and disappeared. As it did so, the two stones stopped glowing and all was silent. Van pulled the pendant out of the slot and after getting to his feet, Folken took his necklace as well. His wings disappeared and he put the necklace back on. Without a word, they group entered the Records House.
*********************************************************
Can you tell from this chapter that I'm not too fond of Allen?
Gwuinny, I'm so sorry I haven't updated for so long! Last week my mom was on vacation and I couldn't use the computer at her work. Please forgive me!!!!!!! I have three other chapters besides this one written and I think that there will only be one or two more chapters after that, so the end is near. Thank you for reviewing!! *hugs Gwuinny* Hope you enjoyed this one! The next one should be up shortly.