Author's Note:
Rio: All right! Same disclaimers apply, so I am just going to stop mentioning that now. And just some information of the religion i.e. The greek gods.
Ryu: You will notice that the names of the gods are a bit different. For example the goddess of love is referred to as Venus but the goddess of the hearth is referred to as Hestia.
Rio: I am mixing the Roman and Greek names but I will always refer to them in this manner. For example I will always refer to Venus as Venus and not Aphrodite. If there are serious problems with who is who, e-mail me and I will explain exactly who is who.
Ryu: Now there may be a bit of confusion with Aries/Mars. Since Rio likes Aries better than Mars there is a bit of a change. All Proxians will refer to him as Aries while others refer to him as Mars. This will make more seance after you read the chapter, but basically someone like Garret will invoke the name of Mars while Saturos would invoke the name of Aries.
Rio: And speaking of Saturos....
Ryu: Sush Rio, don't spoil the story.
Rio: But I need their help!
QUESTION! How should Saturos react to Jenna? As you know she has changed (just a bit). What should his reaction be?
Should he:
a)be disgusted by the changes (don't really like this but have to put it in anyway)
b)like the changes
c)not really care
d)want her to change even more (be more like the Dark Mages of old)
Please answer in reviews!
Ryu: Also for those who have not read Dalamar the Dark (really good you should read it if you haven't), that is where the three familiar ghosts come from. The children of Chaos there are three gods: Solinari, the guardian of white or pure magic, Lunitari: the guardian of red magic i.e. neutral, and Nuitari the guardian of black magic i.e. secrets.
Rio: I do not claim any ownership of this genius, they all belong to Nancy Varian Berberick. I just use them as Dark Mage ghosts to help Jenna along! (and to bash Kraden a bit in Nuitari's case)
Ryu: And now without further ado: the next chapter of the story!
Chapter Six: Cold Lands and Blood Orbs
The First? How could this ghost be the first Dark Mage? Was there even a first Dark Mage? As far as Jenna knew there weren't any "first" adepts of any other type so why would there be a "first" Dark Mage? Outwardly Jenna blinked, silent. Was there any way to reply to a statement like that? Was she supposed to make some sign of respect or was she supposed to accept it?
The ghost merely smiled, watching the reactions that played across the young girl's face. She obviously was quite lost and had no way of learning the true extent of her power since there was no place for the Dark Mage in the world. "I am the First." the ghost whispered. "I was there when Hades walked the earth, I looked into his eyes and I created the Dark Mages."
"Hades didn't walk the earth." Jenna snapped out of whatever thought process she had been in to reply.
"Yes he did. I saw him."
"And why would Hades walk the earth? Not that I believe you because I don't." Jenna asked curious.
"I don't know." The ghost frowned. "I have never asked him and he has never said. It is not my place to question Gods."
"I don't get it." Jenna mused, not expecting a reply. But she got one.
"Every other god had followers, people to call their own. Poseidon rules those of Lemuria, Mercury the healers, they are the Water adepts. Aries (called Mars) founded the village of Prox and rules over their fighters, Vulcan founded Champa and taught them the ways of the forge, the Fire adepts. Jupiter himself created Contigo and could be found teaching his powers to those who lived there; and Athena's followers, who now derive their power from animals, could be found in a village called Garoh, both of those the original Wind Adepts. Venus had her tribe on an island near the Earth's rock, and Dionisis created those who live in the wilds of the forest, these two the planted seeds of Earth Adepts. Artimis and Apollo had followers once, the priests and priestesses of Luna and Sol. Hestia had the people of Lavero, who were not adepts in their own right but at one time were the keepers of great knowledge, even more than the libraries of Lemuria. And lastly Hera, who created both the former cities of Madra and Loho, sought to preserve the actions of men. Only Hades, with his throne in the underworld had no followers among men through which he could work his will."
"So what did he do?" Jenna asked, intrigued by this new source of information.
"That will have to wait for another time." Lunitari smiled, "Your friends are looking for you."
No sooner had the ghost spoken when Sheba's voice could be heard ringing through the air, "Jenna, what are you doing on the roof?"
Jenna frowned, thinking. The ghost sensed her thoughts, laughing. "Yes I was sealed into the trident prong, but now that you have released me I am your familiar, and will be until I am needed for a greater purpose. You may show them without fear."
Jenna smiled, "I found something!" Sheba emerged from the hole in the roof, followed quickly by Felix and then by Picard. "What did you find Jenna? The Lemurian asked .
Jenna held out the mettle object. "You're asking me?"
Felix reached out to take the object but Picard intervened. "Don't touch it!" Everyone, including Jenna, looked at Picard strangely. "That is part of Triton's trident. It is the weapon of the son of Poseidon, his only heir. All Lemurians are taught to recognize it."
"But why is it so dangerous?" Sheba asked, looking at the seemingly harmless weapon.
"Legend says that this trident was the Sea God's weakness. He created a powerful weapon for one purpose, so that when his son rose to become the new God of the sea Triton could destroy Poseidon and earn the title. But Triton would never touch the weapon and thus Poseidon shattered it, breaking the tri-blade into three prongs. Only one who has witnessed a loss such as Poseidon can touch them without being destroyed."
Felix frowned, thinking. Jenna had witnessed a great loss? Not that he was aware of. The only dead people whom Jenna had known were Saturos and Menardi... but that couldn't have been the loss Picard was referring to, could it? He turned to ask Jenna this but stopped, seeing Picard frowning. There was something that he wasn't saying, Felix knew it. He would have to ask later.
"Did you catch the Djinn?" Jenna asked, remembering the purple creature that had Picard and Felix on a wild goose chase before.
Felix growled something along the lines of "Stupid Djinn, more trouble than their worth." under his breath so only a few words could be made out. Picard grimaced but didn't say anything. And Sheba grinned. "Yes they did!"
Jenna raised an eyebrow as Sheba started chatting about fire pliers and Felix collapsing. Shaking her head at the stupidity of boys who couldn't figure out how to trap a djinn Jenna followed the others, meeting Kraden in the room below and making their way back towards Picard's ship.
A few days later found the group in a variety of moods. Kraden was busy making observations of the black orb in the bowels of the ship. Sheba was up in the crows nest thoroughly happy with the world and the fact that there were many winds that day. Jenna was sitting at the prow of the ship thoroughly annoyed at the actions of certain spirits who asked two many questions but wouldn't answer any. Felix was trying to steer the ship. And Picard was cold.
"Felix this isn't the way to Lemuria." the blue haired adept said between chattering teeth.
Felix raised an eyebrow and looked over at the Lemurian as if to say "you don't know that".
Picard saw this and shivered. "It was never this cold in Lemuria, Felix! You are going the wrong way!"
Felix shrugged, not changing the course.
"Earth to Felix, this means you should move the rudder already!" the Lemurian had a distant feeling that he was being ignored.
Felix shook his head in a set "no". He pointed to to the trident prong which Jenna had left with him so he could look at it. It was pointed so that the arrow part of the prong was in line with how the ship was headed. As Picard watched he turned the rudder slightly so that the ship moved slightly to the right. The prong moved so it was pointed slightly to the left. Felix then turned the rudder to the opposite direction, the prong moved again so now it was pointed to the right. Picard stared at the weapon as Felix righted the course again.
"Its like a compass." He murmured.
Felix nodded. "Three parts of the trident." was all he said. It clicked. The trident prong was trying to reunite with the other two.
"But why are we looking to complete the trident?" Picard asked, not seeing the logic.
"Curious."
"That's all."
Felix nodded.
Picard blinked. "Sometimes I don't get you Felix."
Felix smiled.
"Jenna you really have to stop moping."
"Like you can tell me what to do." Jenna glared at the somewhat uninformative spirit.
"I just had to understand how much you knew before I started at the beginning."
"Oh, and me simply telling you I know aposlutly nothing of the Dark Mage history didn't give you a clue?"
"You have to stop being so bitter, Jenna."
Jenna shrugged. "No reason to."
The ghost frowned. Yes, in the past three days, Lunitari had not been very informative but she wanted to know more about her guarded before engaging in lengthy discussions. This had annoyed Jenna to no end, and Lunitari had seen this. Yes, Lunitari had seen much more than Jenna thought she had seen. For instance Jenna loved her brother to no end, but something he had done still irked her and kept her from fully opening up to her brother. She had neutral feelings about Picard and Sheba, friends and good ones but not to be opened up to either. And Kraden... well it was obvious how Jenna felt about Kraden. He had lied to her about something that was now very important to Jenna. Jenna didn't trust him now and Lunitari didn't like the scholar much either. But he would be a very good source of help for spell sources. He did know where the libraries were in the modern world. And then there was someone else. Sometimes in conversation another was mentioned, the mere mention of which caused Jenna to close even further into herself. What had he been called again? Saturos, that was the name. Lunitari knew that he must mean something to Jenna and that something must have happened either between Saturos and Jenna, or just to Saturos, or even just to Jenna. Other names were mentioned in conversation as well, names like Isaac and Alex, but they never got the same reaction as that one name did. However when she tried to ask Jenna about Saturos, well, Jenna went like she was now.
Lunitari sighed. "All right, I answer as many of your questions as I can. Remember some things I do not know as I only got parts of information after I died."
Jenna's face lit up into a smirk, no never a smile, just a smirk. "Start at the beginning."
Lunitari settled into a sitting position, floating just above the railing of the ship's side. "Well, you know about how twelve of the thirteen gods all had their own followers, at least at the time when the Dark Mages were created. Only Hades had no live followers. You could hardly count the dead as followers anyway. Even if they were dead they were still Air, Water, Fire or Earth Adepts. They just weren't living. So Hades ascended to the living world and he emerged from the underworld in a village south of where your modern-day Vale resides. I was out walking in the woods when I met him. I locked eyes with him and felt a power stir within me that, I admit, frightened me at first. Over time I grew accustomed to this power as Hades sent different messengers to me from the underworld to teach me about his power. I enjoyed the feeling that I got when I used my power. The ghosts are friendly creatures for after one dies they must be purified by the underworld before they can freely walk the world again."
"What about those who don't make their way to Hades?" Jenna asked.
"There are souls that don't make their way to the underworld?" Lunitari looked surprised.
Jenna shrugged, "Just wondered. Not everyone believes in the gods now."
Lunitari thought for a moment. "I don't really know details, but if they can't cross the river Styx then they must look for the pauper's entrance to Hades. But they wouldn't be seen by any mortals unless that mortal was a Dark Mage holding the item they were tied to. Because if they weren't tied to the underworld by entering it, then they would be tied to an item that was of great importance to them until they could find Hades."
Jenna's eyes widened. That was probably what Alex had been hinting at in his letter. The pendant might be the item that Saturos was tied to. That meant she could see him again!
"Anyway, over time others learned of my different power and wanted to know how to become a Dark Mage. This is how the Dark Books were created-"
"The Tomegathericons?"
"Is that what you call them now?"
"Did call them I guess. The one that showed me the power disintegrated afterwards."
"As they were supposed to. Hades didn't want just anyone to become a Dark Mage. So the Dark Books were spelled to only open to those who Hades found worthy and to destroy themselves afterward. That way once the spell on the cover was broken only that one person would be able to see the books."
"But the Dark Mages were destroyed."
"Alas, the details of such I do not know. We would need to find a more recent Dark Mage spirit to answer those questions."
"Hey Felix, watch the rock!"
The ships shuttered as it grazed a rock while passing by.
"Just a scratch."
"JUST A SCRATCH! FELIX YOU ARE HURTING MY SHIP!"
"Calm down Picard." Sheba's voice joined the two boys. "Look over there! It's a tower like the one on the Sea God Shrine!"
Lunitari disappeared as Jenna rose to join the others, "What's going on?"
"Well, Felix got the brilliant idea to find the other trident prongs, one of which seems to be situated in this barren, god forsaken, cold place!"
"Calm down Picard. I'm sure that Felix can fix the ship, he is an Earth adept after all."
Felix nodded, faltering slightly when the ship hit the shore.
"This does not look like a beach Felix! I TOLD YOU ONLY TO LAND ON BEACHES!"
Felix shook his head as Picard ranted about his poor ship. "It'll be fine." He murmured, walking over to the gangplank. Jenna helped him lower the gangplank to the ground, and started down.
"What about Kraden?" Jenna asked, noticing that the scholar was not with them.
"He said he'd be dammed if he would go out in this type of cold." Picard said simply, "But that we were welcome to leave him on the ship."
Jenna nodded, smirking.
"So..." Was all Sheba could say.
"How the heck does water exist as water in cold like this?" Picard asked, looking at the pools of water that blocked their way to two doors, the two doors that they unfortunately had to get through.
Jenna shrugged,"I guess you can use that Parch psyenergy now."
Picard grumbled about "that stupid rock" and "strange guardian tiki heads" and then about "psyenergy that was more trouble than it was worth". By the time he was done, even Felix was looking at him with an expression akin to awe.
"That was many swear words, Picard. Some weren't even in our language." Jenna remarked. She had been standing next to the Lemuria and thus heard everything.
Picard rolled his eyes and called on the Parch psyenergy. A ghostly fire appeared and spread throughout the room, evaporating the water. A flicker of white caught Jenna's eye and she turned to locate it, but saw nothing.
"Hey Jenna, you coming?" Sheba asked. Jenna looked over to where the rest of the group was heading towards the left door.
"No, I'll wait here for you. I want to see the block of ice again. Maybe I can melt it."
Sheba nodded but Felix's eyes narrowed. "Don't go anywhere." He said, his eyes flickering to the other door across the room.
"I won't." Jenna said almost too sweetly and watched the others exit through the door. "Yea right." she took off walking towards the other door.
Lunitari appeared next to her. "There is another presence here."
"I know. I saw a flicker of white head through this door."
"Like that one?"
"Yea... exactly like that one."
Another white streak flashed around an approaching corner. Jenna broke into a run, chasing the figure that she could just see if she looked correctly.
"It's another Dark Mage. I can feel his aura."
"He?"
"Yes, he is dressed as a male Dark Mage."
Jenna frowned and followed the ghost around corners and through doorways. He lead her slipping over ice, sliding through hallways, and even into a pit in the floor, but finally Jenna found herself on the roof.
"This looks familiar."
"It should. All of these were created to look the same on the outside."
Jenna looked up to see a teenage boy sitting on the top of the pedestal on the tower-like structure. He was wearing white, all white, making him even harder to see as he was also a ghost. He had kind blue-gray eyes and platinum hair which was bound in a loose braid that fell down his back. Short hair really, compared to Lunitari's braid. He gestured to a sparking object next to him. "You will need the Burst Brooch to get to my trident prong."
Jenna climbed up to where the ghost was sitting, er, floating. Sure enough, there was a purplish broach sitting there in an indentation just as the trident prong had on the other pedestal. Jenna picked up the brooch, examining it, as Lunitari and the boy began to converse. She couldn't hear them but they kept moving as if they were talking, and talking very rapidly. Finally Jenna attached the "Burst" brooch to her cloak and turned to look at the two ghosts.
"I am Solinari." the boy announced.
"He is a later Dark Mage, Jenna so he could answer your questions." Lunitari added.
"Really?" Jenna asked, sarcasm slipping into her voice unintentionally.
Solinari said nothing, his eyes looking her over. "Why do you have to auras about you?" he asked suddenly.
"What?" Jenna asked surprised.
"Yes, what?" Lunitari asked as well watching the other ghost.
"I can see auras. You have two. One, a black one like all Dark Mages. And then, you have a fire red aura, like one who follows Aries, but it only encircles one item."
Jenna's eyes widened. Saturos's aura! It had to be!
"May I see the item?" Solinari asked politely.
"Why?" Jenna asked, suspicious.
Suddenly Lunitari smiled. She had quickly relayed all of the information that she had learned about Jenna to the other ghost, who was already attached to the Dark Mage as a familiar. "Its all right Jenna. Put it on the pedestal."
Jenna hesitantly pulled out the blue pendant and laid it on the rocky surface. A bright glow surrounded Solinari and the pendant.
"That was a bit rude." Someone commented.
Jenna jumped. She knew that voice!
"I apologize. It has been many years since I have tried to wake ghosts." Solinari apologized.
"Doesn't matter" the voice answered, a ghostly form materializing behind the pedestal. Proxian armor intact, but with a few new scars, Saturos's ghost floated there calmly, eyes closed. Fluttering, red eyes opened, first seeing the other ghosts, then...
"Jenna?" blood orbs widened in surprise.
"JENNA!"
All three ghosts vanished as Jenna wheeled around to see a furious brother standing behind her.
"This isn't good." Jenna murmured a bit scared and a bit miffed at the same time.
Author's Note:
Ryu: WHAT! You're just going to end it like THAT!
Rio: Well I need some ideas for the Saturos reaction bit.
Ryu: But you are the AUTHOR! You should already KNOW things like that!
Rio: Well I have an idea of how its going to go... but I want to see what others think.
Ryu: ^.^ So the more opinions, the more you can write?
Rio: Something like that.
Ryu: Thank you to ALL reviewers from the last chapter! They are very important to Rio, she really likes reading what others think, even if they are just two or three words. (even though none of them are, you are all so great!)
Rio: IMPORTANT NOTE BEFORE I CLOSE! Yes, I skipped Aqua Rock! But they did go there! I will also be skipping Gaia Rock in this manner! But LATER in the story they will go back to the different Rocks, more for sightseeing than to get stuff. This is for all of the ALEX/MIA fans and FELIX/PICARD fans! These will be how I make up for the lack of the aforementioned pairs. I don't know how many chapters will occur before these fluffy and sappy chapters. Basically they could stand alone, but they happen in the story after Issac, Garret, Ivan, Mia, and Alex (he will join when Issac and co. do) join Felix and co. To that end: if there is something that you personally would like aforementioned pairings to do while on their "dates" + romance sessions please e-mail me or write it in a review. I will do my best to satisfy all the fans though I don't know if I could write something graphic, but if that's what you want, that's what you'll get!
I cannot skip Magma Rock in this manner because...well it's necessary to the plot. (can't skip the place where *Ryu covers mouth*) Oh well, you'll see when I get there. Oh, and thanks for the idea for Magma Rock, UmbrielBluethorn, I am so going to use it!
Rio the flowerofblackfire