Author- Huh, you know, I've realized that I've used rain in two consecutive
chapter. O.O OH NO! HOW UNORIGINAL! ...*shrug* Oh well. They both mean
something different so I guess it isn't such a big whop. YES, ladies and
gentlemen, EVEN THAT DANG RAIN THAT IS GETTING ON EVERYONE'S NERVES HAS
SYMBOLISM!
...amazing isn't it?
Oh! Which reminds me, two things. Firstly, these three little dots (EX: ...) have become my new favorite thing! ^^ So please excuse me if sometimes they turn into one little dot (.) instead, I don't mean it.
Second, I think I'd like to thank my reviewers personally, 'cause it's nice. Somebody thanked me for my review on the fic, and I felt special. ^_____^ So now, I'm going to thank you guys.
*~
iceangel- Aww, you shouldn't have! An extra long review just for me! *sniffle* Thanks for your support, and I hope I'm not becoming a bother with your editor duties! I'm glad you enjoy reading my story!
The Happy Reviewer- Yeah, I had fun writing Yoko's character because I've met a bunch of people like her before. :-P And I actually saw that saying on the T-shirt in the mall, glad you reviewed! And I hope to get your opinion in the next chapters to come!
Ally Drendo- Thanks so much for reviewing so many times! You were my very first signed reviewer and it meant so much to me to get that boost of encouragement. AND I'm glad to see my fic isn't boring. I was afraid that chapter wouldn't turn out right, even though I've changed it twice already since I last updated it. As I said before, I hope I can fit the bill with what you look for in a good story.
*Red- Thanks for your review too! Like Ally Drendo's, you were one of the very fist reviews I ever got, and it really helped me out in the long run. I'm glad you think my story will turn out pretty well, and I only hope I can write out the story as well as I see it in my head. ^^
fishkisser- Thanks for reviewing! I'm very pleased to see that my OC is cool, 'cause you don't know how many fanfics I've read where the OCs are just plain dull. I was nervous that I would fall into the 'Mary-Sue-Look- Alike' trap, and I am very pleased to see I didn't. (GO ME!) I am currently reading a few of your fics, actually, which are very good. I hope you keep up your good work!
.*.*.
We all walked slowly a little deeper into the cave to make sure no one could overhear our meeting. Especially not Yugi, Ryou, or Caitlin. Everyone was silent as we heard the footsteps of Yoko and the others fade away. Darren lowered the light of the lantern and turned to face me, a certain determination in his eyes that took me by surprise.
"Alright Bryac," He said firmly, "Explain."
Everyone in our group had a chosen mask. We all had to pretend to be someone else entirely to have any chance of survival. Yukio could easily trace back any of us by the tiniest detail, such as our hair length, voice, personality, or name. Most of us looked exceptionally different then when we first arrived, but it was only for the best. A new beginning some might say. Darren had one of the more drastic changes in personality when no one was around, and some might have a hard time keeping up the charade, but Darren was very good at it.
I turned back to fiddling with my sword and pretended to have not the slightest interest in the chosen topic. "Explain what exactly?"
"Please explain what the hell is goin' on with findin' all three of these kids at one time! I thought you told me that we had plenty of time! You told us that the end of our world would come in years not days!"
"Obviously, I was in error." I said simply, letting my vision fall onto a pebble on the floor so they wouldn't ask any more questions. Well, quiet frankly, I knew they were going to ask more questions, I just liked to put a little...tension on their nerves for the fun of it.
"Thina!" Darren said, turning to the girl who wasn't concentrating at all on the two sided conversation. "The prophecy didn' say anythin' 'bout them all comin' at once! Why did you tell us otherwise?"
Thina looked up from her trance, looking at Darren in one way, but not completely looking at him. She had a tendency to see without seeing, know without knowing, hear without hearing. She saw everything in her 'sixth sense' as some people would call it.
[A/N: More on that later.]
"Actually, Darren, the prophecy," Thina answered mistily, "-didn't say anything about time and appearance at all."
"Then why did you tell us that they would be comin' at different times!" Darren said, making his frustration well known.
"It was just, what people call them nowadays, a hypothesis. I assumed they wouldn't be coming all at once, because most prophecies of the future like to drag things out. The first line could be in ten days and the next line in ten years." I said, "Apparently, this prophecy isn't like others I have known."
"Then what exactly does the prophecy say?" Cavamick asked, "I think it best that we all know this.
Thina closed her eyes, "The prophecy states this whole ordeal very shadily. Not very detailed about the events, but it makes it's urgency key, and is a clear warning of great danger."
"What does it say?" Darren growled. "Tell me!"
Thina sighed, "It comes from an Ancient Egyptian tomb, destroyed long ago. Because no one knew of our kind, and the prophecy seemed to revolve around the 'Dream Realm' it wasn't important enough to stand. Luckily, I was able to find and read it before it was too late. It says:
'The number of three will be the end of the Dream Realm, by the holders of the sun, pyramid, and beetle items. Of heroism, unbalance, and spirit, they will come, quietly and quickly, no one will realize the mistake before it is too late. The protection of heroism will only end in tragedy, the protection of unbalance will end in chaos, the protection of spirit will end in destruction. Protect one, and the Dream Realm will fall. Shield none from the world, and one would pray for death itself.
'Theft will bring forth new feelings, death will bring forth new beginnings, attackers will bring forth new power, treachery will bring forth the very end of time. As two prevail, the third will not. Only the strength of one's magic blood will keep them alive. If failed, the beauty of the world will slowly turn to darkness and anger, or be trapped forever in a cage unseen."
"Lengthy isn't it?" I said, "In other words, either way you put it, we're screwed."
Darren pulled at his hair and let out an angry breath, "Then what are we supposed to do, huh? Just stand here and wait for it to happen?"
Thina joined her ring fingers and looked up at us with her pupil-less white eyes, "The prophecy goes on.
'Once the eyes of the heir of the sky open, difficult it will be to achieve the goal set before them. If the earth opens before the sky, and water before darkness, then there is still hope.'
Thina placed two fingers in her lips in deep thought, then nodded as she concluded, "Then it ends."
"Sound's like a load of gibberish to me..." Darren muttered, "How do you know what it's even talking about for sure?"
"If you pay attention to the smallest details, then it is an easy answer. Details hold the world together, you see. The smallest bit of thread will hold together the most beautiful tapestry if used correctly." Thina answered, her eyes slowly turning back to their regular color.
I nodded, "It's immensely complicated. Sadly, it's saying in the first part that for whatever we choose, there is a consequence. And none of the consequences are better then the one before it. It's pretty clear about three coming and going through different obstacles on the way to reach a certain goal of some sort, even though I don't know what that goal is quite yet."
"A goal." Cavamick repeated, "Do you think that...that they know what the goal is yet?"
I shook my head, "I doubt it. All three of them seem completely clueless about the entire situation. The destined third had no idea how they even got there at first, and I think they are still confused where exactly they are and how everything works around here."
Cavamick crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned up against the cave wall, "They are the lost souls of our realm. I feel for them."
I paused before continuing with the prophecy, "They say the three are of heroism, unbalance, and spirit. I don't know which is which, and unfortunately that would be a great clue onto what this whole thing is. We could assume that the list of items right afterwards are parallel to the first detail, but that would be too much of a drastic assumption."
"And you are positive it's talking about them three and not the flaws of the Dream Realm?" Cavamick said, staring intently at Thina and myself.
"After many hours of thinking, yes, I do. There is one part that I hadn't understood until now. You see, the prophecy doesn't say anything about names. The only clue I had to what their names might be, was a single line. It states, 'If failed, the beauty of the world will slowly turn to darkness and anger, or be trapped forever in a cage unseen.' The BEAUTY of the world."
"What's your point?" Darren said, starting to get grouchy and depressed from discussing the end of the world I could see.
"Beauty. The name Caitlin means 'Virginal Beauty.' Wouldn't you believe that there isn't another soul in the Dream Realm with a name that is remotely like 'Beauty'. I believe, that they are talking about the beauty of the world, Caitlin, turning to darkness and anger or being trapped forever in a cage unseen."
Silence.
"So you mean to say, that you think that Caitlin is going to go evil?" Darren repeated with a cock eyed expression that gave me the idea that he wasn't following my explanation very well.
"Well, yes. Along with the other parts, I think that it is her that is supposed to bring about the end of the Dream Realm and the end of her very friends and allies because of it. 'Treachery will bring forth the very end.' One can only assume but I've gotten this certain, vibe from her the entire time. Yoko even mentioned it when she came back."
"Bryac," Darren said slowly, "I think you're overworking yourself with this. Something about this whole ordeal doesn't fit right with everything else. What about that part at the end, huh? The whole thing about the sky or the earth opening up or something?"
"I haven't a clue what that part means." I said in reply simply, "But I think we're going to find that all out soon. I don't suspect Ryou or Yugi, it's just Caitlin I don't trust."
Darren rubbed his temples and closed his eyes in deep concentration, "Fine, Bryac, we'll believe your story. But don't you think you're getting ahead of yourself? Do you REALLY believe that the girl is just going to...kill us all off like that?"
"We don't know for sure, you never can. But it's the one that makes the most sense. I'm not saying that Caitlin is bad exactly yet, or that she will murder you in your sleep, just be careful around her."
Darren sighed, "Does she know? Does she know that she's supposed to...to do all that?"
Thina shook her head, "No, she does not. But, she will learn soon enough, whether we tell her or not."
"But don't you think we SHOULD tell her? Just so she has an idea?"
"He wants to give her an idea..." Bryac muttered, "Tell me Darren, what sort of an 'idea' would it give you to find out you are not only supposed to bring about the downfall of your friends but ALSO the whole Dream Realm and everyone in it? What would be the benefit of that?"
"I'm jus' saying Bryac maybe if she knows she can stop herself before it happens!"
Thina again shook her head, "She will try to stop herself, you don't need to tell her. She will find out on her own and do everything in her power to stop herself and in turn, be her own undoing."
"The only hope we have so far, seeing as we don't have any idea what the prophecy is trying to get to right yet, is that we get them home as soon as possible." I explained to them, raising to my feet from the cave floor.
"But no one gets out of here!" A newer member of the group named Gale exclaimed, "It's impossible! Believe me I've tried a number of times and there is simply no escaping death!"
"There is a way." Thina cooed, "Legend tells of a fire sorceress long ago who brought forth the Dream Realm into being. She only created one way out, a single way that we know nothing about. The legend says that the way out is almost living, but never breathing. Almost dead, but never sleeping. Always hungry, but never starves. It says that this, 'way out' waits for fresh life to feed on, and only if one uses it correctly will it be used for the purpose it was created for. If not, the poor soul will be destroyed...from the inside, out."
"It HAS to sound more dangerous then it actually is." I said quickly, noticing the stunned looks on my fellow comrades faces. "But it's the only way to return them to the Realm beyond our own."
Cavamick smiled a little, "Well, it's up to you I guess. I'm just thanking the lord above that I'm not the one who has to take them there."
I glared at him, suddenly remembering the perfect little vote that said Yoko, Thina and I had to train the 'newbies' for possible war. With a last and useless comment from Darren, and the meeting was adjourned. Everyone agreed that they would help Yoko, Thina, and me take care of the three as best they could and aid us in any way they could see possible. Darren took it upon himself to volunteer a small number of them to sail us across the Opanian Sea, because he thought I 'Won't be able to live a day alone with them without deciding to kill them all off.'
The Opanian Sea was the only thing separating this land from the land of civilization. This forest was more deserted then anything else. All the people built their homes and villages on the other side of the Sea, because monsters of all sorts inhabited this land. Only the bravest and strongest could survive. This, is exactly why our Cave of Alliance is located here. We would be taking a large ship across the Sea, because although there was a narrow bridge of land connecting the civilized world from the monster inhabited, the land was far away. Not to mention, right on that sliver of a bridge was the most dangerous of all places found in any realm: The Nightmare Region.
No one was ever the same when they returned from The Nightmare Region. It was told, that they lured you into giving up your fondest childhood memories. Once you let your mind completely enter the Nightmare Region, it showed the worst memories you ever had and then your future. Of course, it wasn't really your future, it was manipulated to fit your worst fears into a made future. No one known had been able to come out again without being scarred for life, and all, monsters and people alike, stayed away from it.
"What IS that!?" I heard a voice shout.
I sighed, recognizing the voice as Yugi's. He probably saw something strange and freaked out. Darren smirked at my expression and started to tell all of my men a long and detailed story about how the adventures with me and the others were going to go. It went something like this.
"As soon as Bryac starts teaching those little kids how to work magic items and swords, he's going to explode. Bryac couldn't teach a mole how to burrow! 'Oh yes Bryac, I just wanted to know how to use this sword correctly?' Then Bryac will say something like, 'No, leave me alone.' And then Caitlin will say, 'Oh hi Bryac! I just wanted to kill you and the entire Dream Realm today ok? Well bye!' And then, (according to Bryac) she's going to blow his head off with a sword and take over the world one person at a time by blowin' their heads off. It is a fool proof plan! Then Bryac will be able to say, 'Oh gee, I knew that she was trouble.' Only then I'll have taken over the 'evil Caitlin' and be the ruler of the world and everyone will love me except Bryac, who (if you recall) is dead at the moment."
Much to my annoyance, at this, everyone burst into a laughing fit. Darren had something about him that made people laugh all the time. He could make you laugh at something completely un-funny and had done it a number of times.
"Isn't that right Bryac?" Darren continued, "The only way to save yourself from frustration is going to be to kill them all off! And for some reason, I don't put that past you."
It was true that they were already starting to get on my nerves, especially the one who was supposed to kill of the Dream Realm as we know it, but Thina made it clear to me that if I kill off any of them then I 'will be cursed for all eternity for threatening to change fate' and my 'efforts will be in vain' anyway. We were all made our way back into the sunlight in peace and quiet. Subject to our own thoughts and confusions while I tried to plan where I would even start the search for something out of pure legend. Sunlight hit our faces as we neared the end of the cave, and we thought that we would find Yoko, Yugi, Caitlin, and Ryou all sitting patiently waiting for us. Sadly, that image was ripped from my mind as I heard a scream come from just outside.
*~ Ryou POV ~*
[A/N: Aw heck, it's getting harder and harder to give clues on who is the one whose talking, and it's harder to read, so I'm just going to tell you.]
The ground was wet from the storm we were in a while ago. The trees were wet, the bushes were wet, my hair was wet, my cloak was wet, the grass was wet, everything was wet and soggy and mushy. Although the sun had come out at last, that didn't mean that it made sitting out in a patch of shade any more comfortable.
"So," Yoko chirped, "How is everyone doing?"
All three of us looked up at her lazily and groaned. She smiled, as usual, and picked a strange yellow and purple flower off the ground. It screamed bloody murder when lifted from it's soil, and made us all stare at it in horror. Yoko took no notice of the screaming, and hummed while picking each little petal off until there was nothing left but a purple stem. She sighed and blew the petals into the wind, watching them fly away, then turned to us.
"Did that flowers...screamed at you?" Yugi said in shock.
Yoko cocked her head and grinned, "Yes, but it doesn't matter. You learn to ignore the screams when desperate measures are needed."
I couldn't help feeling a little awkward about the reply, but no one else seemed to take it the way I did, so I tried to brush it off. Everyone sighed in unison, and a bird chirped in the distance. It was very quiet. It was also very boring. Luckily, Yugi broke the silence.
"So, Yoko," Yugi asked, "Strange question, but if we all had to take on new names, did you have to take on a new name too?"
Yoko nodded, "Of course silly! It's part of the fun of dying and going to the Dream Realm! It's a new change! My old name used to be Sidonia, but you can be anyone you'd like in this new environment! No one, except you of course, HAS to change their name, it's just something that most people like! I had a friend that-"
She said all of this so very quickly I wasn't able to interrupt her fast enough when I said, "Wait a minute, DYING? You mean everyone here is...DEAD?"
Yoko nodded excitedly, "Every single person! You see, everyone that dies in their dreams comes right here. It doesn't matter if they died in Medieval times and was a princess, or died in the rise of Rome and was a peasant. Everyone here is dead and living together in a strange new place! In fact, Bryac and Thina died a long time ago, while I've only been here since Yukio started to go power hungry around a year ago. Time isn't a big issue here but I'd say I've been her about only...two years or so."
Everyone froze as she talked. Even Caitlin, who had been here in the Dream Realm longer then we had, stopped and stared in disbelief at the cheerful Yoko sitting in front of us.
"If everyone here is dead though," Caitlin said, "-how could that person in the cave...well...die?"
Yoko shrugged, "One of life's strange things I guess. See, once you've been killed here, you stay there for a while because your soul doesn't know where to go next. You've already died and gone to 'heaven' so now what, but then you kinda disintegrate into a billion pieces and blow away and your soul exists no more. The lucky ones find their way into a new body in the Shadow Realm, or the Human realm, but that doesn't happen very often."
My jaw hung open, "That's...terrible."
"Yes, well, it's kind of hard to kill people here anyway. You have to have a specific amount of magic, or a certain weapon to kill them. If Bryac didn't have a Blessed Blade then he couldn't kill anyone. It would just cut them and they would have to suffer for a while without an arm or a head or something."
She was grinning from ear to ear in spite of the dank subject matter, "That's why you didn't die Caitlin! Hugo doesn't own a Blessed Blade! And it's also why you needed that potion to make your boo-boo go away, otherwise you would still have a cut on your arm! If he DID have a Blessed Blade then you would have died slowly and painfully from blood loss!"
"That's creepy." Yugi said under his breath, but then ignoring it, pressed on, "But it's not a normal thing to have magic in our world. Why does it seem popular here?"
"Well, there is something in the air that makes it a whole lot easier to do magic in the Dream Realm here. Everyone who lives and breathes has their own special magic, it's just easier to use it in the Dream Realm then in other places. Everyone has some special talent, too, even if magic isn't their thing. Like Thina, she can see into the future and stuff and Bryac is the King of the Sword!"
"Does the magic air or whatever make it hard to concentrate here too?" Caitlin asked.
Yoko shook her head, "Nope. But don't worry, Caitlin, it's an easy spell to learn. Making people not concentrate is an easy way to get them to let some extra information spill."
Caitlin glared at nothing in particular and cursed under her breath. I sighed and looked down at the ring. I couldn't help wondering what was going on in our own realm. How was my Yami doing at running things? I did my best to push the frequent pictures of him getting into trouble and fight and sending any innocent person on the street to the shadow realm out of my mind...but it was very difficult. I could only hope and pray that nothing REALLY bad happened while we were gone, and that we could get home as soon as possible.
Suddenly, Yugi froze and turned his head slowly to the side and stared at the bush behind him. "Did anyone else see that?" He asked, in nothing more then a whisper.
Yoko stopped smiling, "See what?"
"A big...monster thing. It was all green and black and had horns and three eyes. I only saw it for a split second but I know I wasn't hallucinating. Nobody else saw it?"
We all shook our heads, but Yugi didn't calm down. He shifted uncomfortably on the grass, and never looked away from the bush. Then, I heard it. A low hissing noise came from right behind the bush, and it made me jump when I listened. It disappeared as soon as I noticed it, and I couldn't help feeling as nervous as Yugi had looked a while ago. Yoko continued to be oblivious to the sound, but Caitlin started to get suspicious at the looks that we were giving each other.
"What's wrong?" She asked, "Did you see that thing too Ryou?"
I nodded, and pointed to the bush weakly. "I think there's something behind there."
Yoko looked up from her daydream-like state and looked puzzled at our expressions. "I still think you all are just being silly-"
All three of us 'Shh'ed her immediately, and the bush rustled once again. I listened intently as the hiss formed words.
"You will never succeed....what you are doing to my family...to my PEOPLE...you will pay...."
I yelped, and slid a little farther away from the bush, "What did it say?"
Caitlin cocked her head, "What do you mean? I don't hear anything."
Yugi shook his head; "I didn't catch that either."
"Please calm down friends." Yoko said, "I think you are being a little too jumpy!"
Suddenly, Caitlin screamed and jumped to her feet. She looked pale and her hand was shaking terribly. "I TOUCHED SOMETHING!"
"Touched-"
"IT WAS HUGE AND SLIMY AND BUMPY AND IT FELT LIKE IT WAS COVERED IN WARTS! IT WAS LIKE A REALLY BIG HAND AND I TOUCHED IT!" She shrieked again.
Yoko's smile faded again and she looked to the cave, where The Alliance was coming out to meet us at the very moment. When Yugi, Caitlin, and I told Bryac and Darren the whole story about what we had been encountering, they didn't believe us completely and answered with an eye roll. They said that there were tons of different animals around here, and we would be fine.
"It's dark." Darren said, looking at the sky that had begun to fill with stars that just seemed to have popped up in the last four seconds. The moon got brighter ever minute, and my fear of the voices perked up again. I felt like I was wearing the one shirt that was popular in Domino that said, 'I hear voices and they don't like you.' These voices defiantly didn't like us.
Darren laughed at our expressions and protests and said, "Don't worry lads, you've got a few top shape swords men here that will be able to protect ya!"
When we had set up a camp in the dark cave, everyone went to sleep almost instantly. They didn't hear the voices though, and except for my Yami, I wasn't one to hear voices like that. Somehow, sleeping in the middle of a group of swordsmen did nothing to help me calm down, and I stayed awake almost all night. Of course, I fell asleep at some time or another, and had a dream.
There was a long stick. It was in the ground firmly and I was just staring at it. Then there was a girl, and she took the stick from me. She told me that if I took the stick I would be making a mistake, but I didn't listen. I took the stick from her anyway, and then I heard someone calling for help.
I went to look for them, but I couldn't find the person. No matter how fast I went, no one was around me. They kept calling for help, and crying, but no one was helping them. More and more people called for help until there were millions of sobbing voices calling for me. I couldn't find anyone, and then, I saw blood on the ground.
"You're too late." A voice told me.
I looked up at the person who talked to me, and gasped. There, standing in front of me, was-
~
"You will pay for what you did....you will pay with your lives....all of you!"
My eyelids flew open as I heard the hissing voice again. Footsteps followed the hissing voice, and I looked to my left. Bryac was sleeping there, and it would only take a shove to wake him up and warn him, but I was frozen. I was torn between warning everyone, and startling the voice into attacking after seeing me move. All I could do was lay still as I heard the footsteps coming closer to me.
"Look at them..." The voice said, "Sleeping like little angels...makes me sick...do they not feel guilt...? I will kill you off, human....and all your little friends too...."
I held my breath and shut my eyes, hearing it talk sent shivers down my spine. I felt my body wince and stiffen up and clenched my fists. I was about to wake Bryac up on the side of me, but never even got there. A large hand grabbed me tightly around the neck and lifted me into the air.
I could barely breathe, and all my cries for help went unnoticed. No words issued from my lips but a small squeak-like noise, and a low laugh came from behind me.
"You think I didn't notice you awakening? I can hear your fear like you can hear my voice."
I was lifted tighter, and even less air was allowed into my lungs.
"Few people can see me when I don't want to be seen. Touch me, when I do not wish to be touched. Hear me-"
His grip tightened to almost completely blocking off my air supply and I struggled in mid air wordlessly.
"-when I don't want to be heard."
"Help..." I tried to yell, hoarsely, now unable to breathe entirely.
I used my last burst of energy to struggle my hardest for freedom. I wasn't ever particularly strong, but this was a matter of life or death. The creature holding me up chuckled deeply and squeezed me to the limits of his strength.
"Stop struggling boy." He hissed at me, "You and all your little friends are surrounded with all my strongest men. There is no hope for you now."
And with that, my vision blurred, and all I saw was a swirl of dark colors followed by black.
~*~*~*~
Author- Oh boy, this is bad. Sorry for not only the sorta late chapter, but also for the short one. I've been having bad writer's block lately, and I just don't know how to cope with it properly! :-P
Ah well, it's going to be a while for the next chapter to come up I'm afraid. I'm going on a vacation to Virginia this time, and although I'm leaving Oct. 9th, I won't be back until Oct. 21st or something like that. *sigh* Yes, faithful reviewers, that means you won't know what happens to poor Ryou until then.
The good part about that, is I'll hopefully have at least a few chapters done by then to post. ^^ Sorry to leave you hanging at such an inconvenient time. Boy, I'm going to get flamed to this one...Anyway, buh-byness for now! SUNC!
Oh yes, on more thing. I thought I'd leave you with a few kewl anime pictures I found on the internet!
This sorta looks like Caitlin, if it gives you a better idea-
http:// animecrisis. net/ pics/ wall3. gif
And another one I found on the same site. It's amazing how well it fits with this one chapter in particular, and you'll better understand it later, but you can still appreciate how pretty it is right now!
http:// animecrisis. net/ pics/ stars. jpg
Isn't that person a great artist? Hats off to them!
Note- The idea for the Tupok monsters I have been using in this chapter came from a Graphic Novel called 'Inu-Yasha, Volume 1' by Rumiko Takasashi. I just spiced it up a little! ^__^ Don't ask how on earth I got the idea for these monsters from that book, just believe me.
...amazing isn't it?
Oh! Which reminds me, two things. Firstly, these three little dots (EX: ...) have become my new favorite thing! ^^ So please excuse me if sometimes they turn into one little dot (.) instead, I don't mean it.
Second, I think I'd like to thank my reviewers personally, 'cause it's nice. Somebody thanked me for my review on the fic, and I felt special. ^_____^ So now, I'm going to thank you guys.
*~
iceangel- Aww, you shouldn't have! An extra long review just for me! *sniffle* Thanks for your support, and I hope I'm not becoming a bother with your editor duties! I'm glad you enjoy reading my story!
The Happy Reviewer- Yeah, I had fun writing Yoko's character because I've met a bunch of people like her before. :-P And I actually saw that saying on the T-shirt in the mall, glad you reviewed! And I hope to get your opinion in the next chapters to come!
Ally Drendo- Thanks so much for reviewing so many times! You were my very first signed reviewer and it meant so much to me to get that boost of encouragement. AND I'm glad to see my fic isn't boring. I was afraid that chapter wouldn't turn out right, even though I've changed it twice already since I last updated it. As I said before, I hope I can fit the bill with what you look for in a good story.
*Red- Thanks for your review too! Like Ally Drendo's, you were one of the very fist reviews I ever got, and it really helped me out in the long run. I'm glad you think my story will turn out pretty well, and I only hope I can write out the story as well as I see it in my head. ^^
fishkisser- Thanks for reviewing! I'm very pleased to see that my OC is cool, 'cause you don't know how many fanfics I've read where the OCs are just plain dull. I was nervous that I would fall into the 'Mary-Sue-Look- Alike' trap, and I am very pleased to see I didn't. (GO ME!) I am currently reading a few of your fics, actually, which are very good. I hope you keep up your good work!
.*.*.
We all walked slowly a little deeper into the cave to make sure no one could overhear our meeting. Especially not Yugi, Ryou, or Caitlin. Everyone was silent as we heard the footsteps of Yoko and the others fade away. Darren lowered the light of the lantern and turned to face me, a certain determination in his eyes that took me by surprise.
"Alright Bryac," He said firmly, "Explain."
Everyone in our group had a chosen mask. We all had to pretend to be someone else entirely to have any chance of survival. Yukio could easily trace back any of us by the tiniest detail, such as our hair length, voice, personality, or name. Most of us looked exceptionally different then when we first arrived, but it was only for the best. A new beginning some might say. Darren had one of the more drastic changes in personality when no one was around, and some might have a hard time keeping up the charade, but Darren was very good at it.
I turned back to fiddling with my sword and pretended to have not the slightest interest in the chosen topic. "Explain what exactly?"
"Please explain what the hell is goin' on with findin' all three of these kids at one time! I thought you told me that we had plenty of time! You told us that the end of our world would come in years not days!"
"Obviously, I was in error." I said simply, letting my vision fall onto a pebble on the floor so they wouldn't ask any more questions. Well, quiet frankly, I knew they were going to ask more questions, I just liked to put a little...tension on their nerves for the fun of it.
"Thina!" Darren said, turning to the girl who wasn't concentrating at all on the two sided conversation. "The prophecy didn' say anythin' 'bout them all comin' at once! Why did you tell us otherwise?"
Thina looked up from her trance, looking at Darren in one way, but not completely looking at him. She had a tendency to see without seeing, know without knowing, hear without hearing. She saw everything in her 'sixth sense' as some people would call it.
[A/N: More on that later.]
"Actually, Darren, the prophecy," Thina answered mistily, "-didn't say anything about time and appearance at all."
"Then why did you tell us that they would be comin' at different times!" Darren said, making his frustration well known.
"It was just, what people call them nowadays, a hypothesis. I assumed they wouldn't be coming all at once, because most prophecies of the future like to drag things out. The first line could be in ten days and the next line in ten years." I said, "Apparently, this prophecy isn't like others I have known."
"Then what exactly does the prophecy say?" Cavamick asked, "I think it best that we all know this.
Thina closed her eyes, "The prophecy states this whole ordeal very shadily. Not very detailed about the events, but it makes it's urgency key, and is a clear warning of great danger."
"What does it say?" Darren growled. "Tell me!"
Thina sighed, "It comes from an Ancient Egyptian tomb, destroyed long ago. Because no one knew of our kind, and the prophecy seemed to revolve around the 'Dream Realm' it wasn't important enough to stand. Luckily, I was able to find and read it before it was too late. It says:
'The number of three will be the end of the Dream Realm, by the holders of the sun, pyramid, and beetle items. Of heroism, unbalance, and spirit, they will come, quietly and quickly, no one will realize the mistake before it is too late. The protection of heroism will only end in tragedy, the protection of unbalance will end in chaos, the protection of spirit will end in destruction. Protect one, and the Dream Realm will fall. Shield none from the world, and one would pray for death itself.
'Theft will bring forth new feelings, death will bring forth new beginnings, attackers will bring forth new power, treachery will bring forth the very end of time. As two prevail, the third will not. Only the strength of one's magic blood will keep them alive. If failed, the beauty of the world will slowly turn to darkness and anger, or be trapped forever in a cage unseen."
"Lengthy isn't it?" I said, "In other words, either way you put it, we're screwed."
Darren pulled at his hair and let out an angry breath, "Then what are we supposed to do, huh? Just stand here and wait for it to happen?"
Thina joined her ring fingers and looked up at us with her pupil-less white eyes, "The prophecy goes on.
'Once the eyes of the heir of the sky open, difficult it will be to achieve the goal set before them. If the earth opens before the sky, and water before darkness, then there is still hope.'
Thina placed two fingers in her lips in deep thought, then nodded as she concluded, "Then it ends."
"Sound's like a load of gibberish to me..." Darren muttered, "How do you know what it's even talking about for sure?"
"If you pay attention to the smallest details, then it is an easy answer. Details hold the world together, you see. The smallest bit of thread will hold together the most beautiful tapestry if used correctly." Thina answered, her eyes slowly turning back to their regular color.
I nodded, "It's immensely complicated. Sadly, it's saying in the first part that for whatever we choose, there is a consequence. And none of the consequences are better then the one before it. It's pretty clear about three coming and going through different obstacles on the way to reach a certain goal of some sort, even though I don't know what that goal is quite yet."
"A goal." Cavamick repeated, "Do you think that...that they know what the goal is yet?"
I shook my head, "I doubt it. All three of them seem completely clueless about the entire situation. The destined third had no idea how they even got there at first, and I think they are still confused where exactly they are and how everything works around here."
Cavamick crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned up against the cave wall, "They are the lost souls of our realm. I feel for them."
I paused before continuing with the prophecy, "They say the three are of heroism, unbalance, and spirit. I don't know which is which, and unfortunately that would be a great clue onto what this whole thing is. We could assume that the list of items right afterwards are parallel to the first detail, but that would be too much of a drastic assumption."
"And you are positive it's talking about them three and not the flaws of the Dream Realm?" Cavamick said, staring intently at Thina and myself.
"After many hours of thinking, yes, I do. There is one part that I hadn't understood until now. You see, the prophecy doesn't say anything about names. The only clue I had to what their names might be, was a single line. It states, 'If failed, the beauty of the world will slowly turn to darkness and anger, or be trapped forever in a cage unseen.' The BEAUTY of the world."
"What's your point?" Darren said, starting to get grouchy and depressed from discussing the end of the world I could see.
"Beauty. The name Caitlin means 'Virginal Beauty.' Wouldn't you believe that there isn't another soul in the Dream Realm with a name that is remotely like 'Beauty'. I believe, that they are talking about the beauty of the world, Caitlin, turning to darkness and anger or being trapped forever in a cage unseen."
Silence.
"So you mean to say, that you think that Caitlin is going to go evil?" Darren repeated with a cock eyed expression that gave me the idea that he wasn't following my explanation very well.
"Well, yes. Along with the other parts, I think that it is her that is supposed to bring about the end of the Dream Realm and the end of her very friends and allies because of it. 'Treachery will bring forth the very end.' One can only assume but I've gotten this certain, vibe from her the entire time. Yoko even mentioned it when she came back."
"Bryac," Darren said slowly, "I think you're overworking yourself with this. Something about this whole ordeal doesn't fit right with everything else. What about that part at the end, huh? The whole thing about the sky or the earth opening up or something?"
"I haven't a clue what that part means." I said in reply simply, "But I think we're going to find that all out soon. I don't suspect Ryou or Yugi, it's just Caitlin I don't trust."
Darren rubbed his temples and closed his eyes in deep concentration, "Fine, Bryac, we'll believe your story. But don't you think you're getting ahead of yourself? Do you REALLY believe that the girl is just going to...kill us all off like that?"
"We don't know for sure, you never can. But it's the one that makes the most sense. I'm not saying that Caitlin is bad exactly yet, or that she will murder you in your sleep, just be careful around her."
Darren sighed, "Does she know? Does she know that she's supposed to...to do all that?"
Thina shook her head, "No, she does not. But, she will learn soon enough, whether we tell her or not."
"But don't you think we SHOULD tell her? Just so she has an idea?"
"He wants to give her an idea..." Bryac muttered, "Tell me Darren, what sort of an 'idea' would it give you to find out you are not only supposed to bring about the downfall of your friends but ALSO the whole Dream Realm and everyone in it? What would be the benefit of that?"
"I'm jus' saying Bryac maybe if she knows she can stop herself before it happens!"
Thina again shook her head, "She will try to stop herself, you don't need to tell her. She will find out on her own and do everything in her power to stop herself and in turn, be her own undoing."
"The only hope we have so far, seeing as we don't have any idea what the prophecy is trying to get to right yet, is that we get them home as soon as possible." I explained to them, raising to my feet from the cave floor.
"But no one gets out of here!" A newer member of the group named Gale exclaimed, "It's impossible! Believe me I've tried a number of times and there is simply no escaping death!"
"There is a way." Thina cooed, "Legend tells of a fire sorceress long ago who brought forth the Dream Realm into being. She only created one way out, a single way that we know nothing about. The legend says that the way out is almost living, but never breathing. Almost dead, but never sleeping. Always hungry, but never starves. It says that this, 'way out' waits for fresh life to feed on, and only if one uses it correctly will it be used for the purpose it was created for. If not, the poor soul will be destroyed...from the inside, out."
"It HAS to sound more dangerous then it actually is." I said quickly, noticing the stunned looks on my fellow comrades faces. "But it's the only way to return them to the Realm beyond our own."
Cavamick smiled a little, "Well, it's up to you I guess. I'm just thanking the lord above that I'm not the one who has to take them there."
I glared at him, suddenly remembering the perfect little vote that said Yoko, Thina and I had to train the 'newbies' for possible war. With a last and useless comment from Darren, and the meeting was adjourned. Everyone agreed that they would help Yoko, Thina, and me take care of the three as best they could and aid us in any way they could see possible. Darren took it upon himself to volunteer a small number of them to sail us across the Opanian Sea, because he thought I 'Won't be able to live a day alone with them without deciding to kill them all off.'
The Opanian Sea was the only thing separating this land from the land of civilization. This forest was more deserted then anything else. All the people built their homes and villages on the other side of the Sea, because monsters of all sorts inhabited this land. Only the bravest and strongest could survive. This, is exactly why our Cave of Alliance is located here. We would be taking a large ship across the Sea, because although there was a narrow bridge of land connecting the civilized world from the monster inhabited, the land was far away. Not to mention, right on that sliver of a bridge was the most dangerous of all places found in any realm: The Nightmare Region.
No one was ever the same when they returned from The Nightmare Region. It was told, that they lured you into giving up your fondest childhood memories. Once you let your mind completely enter the Nightmare Region, it showed the worst memories you ever had and then your future. Of course, it wasn't really your future, it was manipulated to fit your worst fears into a made future. No one known had been able to come out again without being scarred for life, and all, monsters and people alike, stayed away from it.
"What IS that!?" I heard a voice shout.
I sighed, recognizing the voice as Yugi's. He probably saw something strange and freaked out. Darren smirked at my expression and started to tell all of my men a long and detailed story about how the adventures with me and the others were going to go. It went something like this.
"As soon as Bryac starts teaching those little kids how to work magic items and swords, he's going to explode. Bryac couldn't teach a mole how to burrow! 'Oh yes Bryac, I just wanted to know how to use this sword correctly?' Then Bryac will say something like, 'No, leave me alone.' And then Caitlin will say, 'Oh hi Bryac! I just wanted to kill you and the entire Dream Realm today ok? Well bye!' And then, (according to Bryac) she's going to blow his head off with a sword and take over the world one person at a time by blowin' their heads off. It is a fool proof plan! Then Bryac will be able to say, 'Oh gee, I knew that she was trouble.' Only then I'll have taken over the 'evil Caitlin' and be the ruler of the world and everyone will love me except Bryac, who (if you recall) is dead at the moment."
Much to my annoyance, at this, everyone burst into a laughing fit. Darren had something about him that made people laugh all the time. He could make you laugh at something completely un-funny and had done it a number of times.
"Isn't that right Bryac?" Darren continued, "The only way to save yourself from frustration is going to be to kill them all off! And for some reason, I don't put that past you."
It was true that they were already starting to get on my nerves, especially the one who was supposed to kill of the Dream Realm as we know it, but Thina made it clear to me that if I kill off any of them then I 'will be cursed for all eternity for threatening to change fate' and my 'efforts will be in vain' anyway. We were all made our way back into the sunlight in peace and quiet. Subject to our own thoughts and confusions while I tried to plan where I would even start the search for something out of pure legend. Sunlight hit our faces as we neared the end of the cave, and we thought that we would find Yoko, Yugi, Caitlin, and Ryou all sitting patiently waiting for us. Sadly, that image was ripped from my mind as I heard a scream come from just outside.
*~ Ryou POV ~*
[A/N: Aw heck, it's getting harder and harder to give clues on who is the one whose talking, and it's harder to read, so I'm just going to tell you.]
The ground was wet from the storm we were in a while ago. The trees were wet, the bushes were wet, my hair was wet, my cloak was wet, the grass was wet, everything was wet and soggy and mushy. Although the sun had come out at last, that didn't mean that it made sitting out in a patch of shade any more comfortable.
"So," Yoko chirped, "How is everyone doing?"
All three of us looked up at her lazily and groaned. She smiled, as usual, and picked a strange yellow and purple flower off the ground. It screamed bloody murder when lifted from it's soil, and made us all stare at it in horror. Yoko took no notice of the screaming, and hummed while picking each little petal off until there was nothing left but a purple stem. She sighed and blew the petals into the wind, watching them fly away, then turned to us.
"Did that flowers...screamed at you?" Yugi said in shock.
Yoko cocked her head and grinned, "Yes, but it doesn't matter. You learn to ignore the screams when desperate measures are needed."
I couldn't help feeling a little awkward about the reply, but no one else seemed to take it the way I did, so I tried to brush it off. Everyone sighed in unison, and a bird chirped in the distance. It was very quiet. It was also very boring. Luckily, Yugi broke the silence.
"So, Yoko," Yugi asked, "Strange question, but if we all had to take on new names, did you have to take on a new name too?"
Yoko nodded, "Of course silly! It's part of the fun of dying and going to the Dream Realm! It's a new change! My old name used to be Sidonia, but you can be anyone you'd like in this new environment! No one, except you of course, HAS to change their name, it's just something that most people like! I had a friend that-"
She said all of this so very quickly I wasn't able to interrupt her fast enough when I said, "Wait a minute, DYING? You mean everyone here is...DEAD?"
Yoko nodded excitedly, "Every single person! You see, everyone that dies in their dreams comes right here. It doesn't matter if they died in Medieval times and was a princess, or died in the rise of Rome and was a peasant. Everyone here is dead and living together in a strange new place! In fact, Bryac and Thina died a long time ago, while I've only been here since Yukio started to go power hungry around a year ago. Time isn't a big issue here but I'd say I've been her about only...two years or so."
Everyone froze as she talked. Even Caitlin, who had been here in the Dream Realm longer then we had, stopped and stared in disbelief at the cheerful Yoko sitting in front of us.
"If everyone here is dead though," Caitlin said, "-how could that person in the cave...well...die?"
Yoko shrugged, "One of life's strange things I guess. See, once you've been killed here, you stay there for a while because your soul doesn't know where to go next. You've already died and gone to 'heaven' so now what, but then you kinda disintegrate into a billion pieces and blow away and your soul exists no more. The lucky ones find their way into a new body in the Shadow Realm, or the Human realm, but that doesn't happen very often."
My jaw hung open, "That's...terrible."
"Yes, well, it's kind of hard to kill people here anyway. You have to have a specific amount of magic, or a certain weapon to kill them. If Bryac didn't have a Blessed Blade then he couldn't kill anyone. It would just cut them and they would have to suffer for a while without an arm or a head or something."
She was grinning from ear to ear in spite of the dank subject matter, "That's why you didn't die Caitlin! Hugo doesn't own a Blessed Blade! And it's also why you needed that potion to make your boo-boo go away, otherwise you would still have a cut on your arm! If he DID have a Blessed Blade then you would have died slowly and painfully from blood loss!"
"That's creepy." Yugi said under his breath, but then ignoring it, pressed on, "But it's not a normal thing to have magic in our world. Why does it seem popular here?"
"Well, there is something in the air that makes it a whole lot easier to do magic in the Dream Realm here. Everyone who lives and breathes has their own special magic, it's just easier to use it in the Dream Realm then in other places. Everyone has some special talent, too, even if magic isn't their thing. Like Thina, she can see into the future and stuff and Bryac is the King of the Sword!"
"Does the magic air or whatever make it hard to concentrate here too?" Caitlin asked.
Yoko shook her head, "Nope. But don't worry, Caitlin, it's an easy spell to learn. Making people not concentrate is an easy way to get them to let some extra information spill."
Caitlin glared at nothing in particular and cursed under her breath. I sighed and looked down at the ring. I couldn't help wondering what was going on in our own realm. How was my Yami doing at running things? I did my best to push the frequent pictures of him getting into trouble and fight and sending any innocent person on the street to the shadow realm out of my mind...but it was very difficult. I could only hope and pray that nothing REALLY bad happened while we were gone, and that we could get home as soon as possible.
Suddenly, Yugi froze and turned his head slowly to the side and stared at the bush behind him. "Did anyone else see that?" He asked, in nothing more then a whisper.
Yoko stopped smiling, "See what?"
"A big...monster thing. It was all green and black and had horns and three eyes. I only saw it for a split second but I know I wasn't hallucinating. Nobody else saw it?"
We all shook our heads, but Yugi didn't calm down. He shifted uncomfortably on the grass, and never looked away from the bush. Then, I heard it. A low hissing noise came from right behind the bush, and it made me jump when I listened. It disappeared as soon as I noticed it, and I couldn't help feeling as nervous as Yugi had looked a while ago. Yoko continued to be oblivious to the sound, but Caitlin started to get suspicious at the looks that we were giving each other.
"What's wrong?" She asked, "Did you see that thing too Ryou?"
I nodded, and pointed to the bush weakly. "I think there's something behind there."
Yoko looked up from her daydream-like state and looked puzzled at our expressions. "I still think you all are just being silly-"
All three of us 'Shh'ed her immediately, and the bush rustled once again. I listened intently as the hiss formed words.
"You will never succeed....what you are doing to my family...to my PEOPLE...you will pay...."
I yelped, and slid a little farther away from the bush, "What did it say?"
Caitlin cocked her head, "What do you mean? I don't hear anything."
Yugi shook his head; "I didn't catch that either."
"Please calm down friends." Yoko said, "I think you are being a little too jumpy!"
Suddenly, Caitlin screamed and jumped to her feet. She looked pale and her hand was shaking terribly. "I TOUCHED SOMETHING!"
"Touched-"
"IT WAS HUGE AND SLIMY AND BUMPY AND IT FELT LIKE IT WAS COVERED IN WARTS! IT WAS LIKE A REALLY BIG HAND AND I TOUCHED IT!" She shrieked again.
Yoko's smile faded again and she looked to the cave, where The Alliance was coming out to meet us at the very moment. When Yugi, Caitlin, and I told Bryac and Darren the whole story about what we had been encountering, they didn't believe us completely and answered with an eye roll. They said that there were tons of different animals around here, and we would be fine.
"It's dark." Darren said, looking at the sky that had begun to fill with stars that just seemed to have popped up in the last four seconds. The moon got brighter ever minute, and my fear of the voices perked up again. I felt like I was wearing the one shirt that was popular in Domino that said, 'I hear voices and they don't like you.' These voices defiantly didn't like us.
Darren laughed at our expressions and protests and said, "Don't worry lads, you've got a few top shape swords men here that will be able to protect ya!"
When we had set up a camp in the dark cave, everyone went to sleep almost instantly. They didn't hear the voices though, and except for my Yami, I wasn't one to hear voices like that. Somehow, sleeping in the middle of a group of swordsmen did nothing to help me calm down, and I stayed awake almost all night. Of course, I fell asleep at some time or another, and had a dream.
There was a long stick. It was in the ground firmly and I was just staring at it. Then there was a girl, and she took the stick from me. She told me that if I took the stick I would be making a mistake, but I didn't listen. I took the stick from her anyway, and then I heard someone calling for help.
I went to look for them, but I couldn't find the person. No matter how fast I went, no one was around me. They kept calling for help, and crying, but no one was helping them. More and more people called for help until there were millions of sobbing voices calling for me. I couldn't find anyone, and then, I saw blood on the ground.
"You're too late." A voice told me.
I looked up at the person who talked to me, and gasped. There, standing in front of me, was-
~
"You will pay for what you did....you will pay with your lives....all of you!"
My eyelids flew open as I heard the hissing voice again. Footsteps followed the hissing voice, and I looked to my left. Bryac was sleeping there, and it would only take a shove to wake him up and warn him, but I was frozen. I was torn between warning everyone, and startling the voice into attacking after seeing me move. All I could do was lay still as I heard the footsteps coming closer to me.
"Look at them..." The voice said, "Sleeping like little angels...makes me sick...do they not feel guilt...? I will kill you off, human....and all your little friends too...."
I held my breath and shut my eyes, hearing it talk sent shivers down my spine. I felt my body wince and stiffen up and clenched my fists. I was about to wake Bryac up on the side of me, but never even got there. A large hand grabbed me tightly around the neck and lifted me into the air.
I could barely breathe, and all my cries for help went unnoticed. No words issued from my lips but a small squeak-like noise, and a low laugh came from behind me.
"You think I didn't notice you awakening? I can hear your fear like you can hear my voice."
I was lifted tighter, and even less air was allowed into my lungs.
"Few people can see me when I don't want to be seen. Touch me, when I do not wish to be touched. Hear me-"
His grip tightened to almost completely blocking off my air supply and I struggled in mid air wordlessly.
"-when I don't want to be heard."
"Help..." I tried to yell, hoarsely, now unable to breathe entirely.
I used my last burst of energy to struggle my hardest for freedom. I wasn't ever particularly strong, but this was a matter of life or death. The creature holding me up chuckled deeply and squeezed me to the limits of his strength.
"Stop struggling boy." He hissed at me, "You and all your little friends are surrounded with all my strongest men. There is no hope for you now."
And with that, my vision blurred, and all I saw was a swirl of dark colors followed by black.
~*~*~*~
Author- Oh boy, this is bad. Sorry for not only the sorta late chapter, but also for the short one. I've been having bad writer's block lately, and I just don't know how to cope with it properly! :-P
Ah well, it's going to be a while for the next chapter to come up I'm afraid. I'm going on a vacation to Virginia this time, and although I'm leaving Oct. 9th, I won't be back until Oct. 21st or something like that. *sigh* Yes, faithful reviewers, that means you won't know what happens to poor Ryou until then.
The good part about that, is I'll hopefully have at least a few chapters done by then to post. ^^ Sorry to leave you hanging at such an inconvenient time. Boy, I'm going to get flamed to this one...Anyway, buh-byness for now! SUNC!
Oh yes, on more thing. I thought I'd leave you with a few kewl anime pictures I found on the internet!
This sorta looks like Caitlin, if it gives you a better idea-
http:// animecrisis. net/ pics/ wall3. gif
And another one I found on the same site. It's amazing how well it fits with this one chapter in particular, and you'll better understand it later, but you can still appreciate how pretty it is right now!
http:// animecrisis. net/ pics/ stars. jpg
Isn't that person a great artist? Hats off to them!
Note- The idea for the Tupok monsters I have been using in this chapter came from a Graphic Novel called 'Inu-Yasha, Volume 1' by Rumiko Takasashi. I just spiced it up a little! ^__^ Don't ask how on earth I got the idea for these monsters from that book, just believe me.