Chapter nineteen is heeeeerrrrreeee!!!!!! Finally! And this time, the delay wasn't due to Fire Emblem (and no I haven't stopped playing it!). I actually have been working on this story, just not this chapter. If you look closely at the past chapters you may see something different. Well, that's because I revised all of the past chapters. They were just bugging me, so I fixed them. That, and I got a job. So...sorry everyone!

Thank Yous:

Wolfy129- Don't worry, I've been very lax in updating. I feel so ashamed!

Karst-Blazen- For the record Alex is not dead. But I shall not say what happened to him.

Deth Star Apocolypse- I'm glad it's an easier read for you. I'm a scatter brain by nature so skipping around didn't confuse me much. Sorry about that.

Magical-flyingdragon- Isaac/Mia is t3h cute (yet sadly overly done) couple. But I'm glad you liked it anyway.

Eternal Outcast- Has it really been since Valentine's Day! Ye gods, I'm scared.

Suh- You will be so proud of me! All the chapters flow a little better now, and I'm putting your advice to good use (finally). The last chapter is the only revised version I haven't put up yet. It's done though. I really hope you like this one!

O.K., time for the chapter.

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Chapter Nineteen: The Wind Cleric

It was late at night when Feizhi finally gave up her vigil by Ivan's side. Shortly after beginning the journey to Hesperia, both Garet and Ivan fell ill. Mia, being the resident healer, noticed that the sickness attacked in stages. First there would be a general loss of energy and appetite. The second stage would involve a slight fever and possibly stomach problems. The third stage included extremely high fevers coupled with severe convulsions from time to time. Ivan, because of a weaker constitution, succumbed to the sickness much quicker than the older dragon-boy.

"I'll fight this thing down to my last heartbeat!" Garet declared. By the time he had said that, Ivan could barely keep any of his food down. Feizhi took to Ivan's side immediately. She had spent the past week hovering over Ivan without much sleep and it was beginning to take a toll on her. Jenna grew very worried about the purple haired girl and volunteered to take over for a few days. Feizhi tiredly trudged down the halls and into her own room, which she used to share with Sheba. Nowadays, the blonde seemed more comfortable with Felix in his room. The angel-girl could have cared less right about then, she was so drowsy that she could barely stand. She crawled into her bunk and fell asleep almost instantly.

At the same time, Sheba had a few concerns of her own. The acquisition of the Cloud Brand had begun to give her strange dreams. Most were hardly decipherable, and she had ignored them for the most part. But lately, the imagery become more and more precise and clear. But how was this going to affect their future? Right now she had no way of knowing. This feeling of not knowing was still a fairly new experience for her. Her thoughts were interrupted by Felix coming in rubbing his eyes sleepily. He paused briefly at the door, surprised that Sheba was still awake.

"You're still up, huh?" he said as he removed his green scarf from about his neck. The blonde nodded.

"I'm just a little worried," she answered as she watched him carefully through the light of the candle. Felix sat down on a bench and began to remove his boots and he chuckled a little.

"You're only a little worried?" the prince said in a questioning tone.

"I'm more scared than worried," the oracle replied, "Felix, what is it like to never know what will happen next?"

Felix gazed at her intently. Despite his fatigue, he was willing to answer such a difficult question, but he was having trouble finding the right words. There was a long pause. To explain this to Sheba was like explaining to a blind person what it was like to see colors. Sheba had always known everything. Or did she? There was one thing she was not sure of...

"It's kind of like they way you don't know where you came from exactly," the Venusian prince said finally, "No matter how far back you try to remember, you can't figure out where you're from. You can imagine what happened all you want, but you'll never know for sure until you find someone who knows. I'll never know what will happen in my future unless I ask you or Feizhi or I experience it myself."

The oracle nodded and stared reflectively at the floor as she drew her knees toward her chest.

"I see," she said softly, "Thank you."

Felix smiled, "Anytime. Now it'd be best if you got some rest."

The girl crawled beneath the sheets of her bunk, but sleep did not come easy.

One week later our intrepid heroes finally reached the shores of Hesperia. Much to their surprise there was no one present near the shore. Because even Garet had begun to take on the more serious symptoms of the illness, the group ventured further into the island by means of the river in search of people. They had no such luck, the only thing they found was a cave, and they were unsure of what lay inside. Isaac, Piers and Jenna volunteered to explore the cave and report any findings. The group's only hope was that they find the healer and fast.

"We should be back in a timely fashion," Isaac said confidently before the three embarked on their mission, "I just hope those two hold out that long."

"I'm sure they will," Felix replied. Isaac saluted his prince and with that the three disappeared into the darkness of the cave. The Venusian prince sighed and went back aboard the ship to check on Mia and Feizhi and their charges. Feizhi had worked herself into exhaustion and was taking a rest while Sheba took care of the ailing prince. Ivan showed little signs of life; his body was not strong enough to do little more than breathe. Felix at this point prayed to Sol that the younger boy held on long enough to be healed. Garet was fairing better, but not by much. It seems even his body was deteriorating with the advance of the virus. The dragon prince slipped slowly between two planes of consciousness; one where he could feel Mia's gentle hands and softly spoken words coaxing him back to reality, and one that made him feel alone, numb and powerless. Garet hated feeling powerless. Mia on the other hand, while she was used to caring for the sick, was finding this particular illness one of the most taxing she had ever had to treat. She herself was barely awake, the princess often felt as though the virus sapped the energy of those who were in close contact with the one it infected. With the way Feizhi was going, and the way she was starting to feel, it wouldn't have surprised her. Mia laid her head on Garet's chest as she contemplated these things. She shouldn't worry too much. Piers and the others would be back and everything would be okay. She could go back to discussing politics with Ivan and talking about life in general with Garet. Garet's view of life was interesting if not funny. Mia smiled weakly as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Garet..." the cerulean haired girl whispered, "Hold out just a little longer."

She could hear his heart beating steadily in his chest. Vaguely she remembered his statement from a few weeks back. 'He says he'll fight this illness down to his last heartbeat...' she thought, 'I just hope his last one doesn't come too soon.'

There was no doubt about it; Isaac was lost. The three adepts were lying on the ground in the bowls of the cavern with no idea of where they were or how to get out. Isaac was vaguely aware of Jenna clinging to his waist like a child would a cherished toy and Piers' steady breathing not far off. Things didn't start off this horrible, in fact, things actually started out pretty well. However, after wandering for about a week in the cave, the three adepts were getting tired and hopeless. Jenna was having an especially hard time. She didn't like the dark and dampness of the cave. But the red head didn't complain much, and they continued on at a steady pace. Piers never said much throughout the expedition, he always seemed to be preoccupied.

Isaac hoped, and still did as he lay there in semi consciousness, that he could make it back in time to save his friends. 'Friends...' Isaac mused, 'Who would have guessed, we'd all become friends?' Over the past few months he had learned many things about the customs and policies of the clans he'd been fighting his whole life. He learned that many of the fierce and often ruthless customs of the Mars clan stemmed from the ancient customs of their ancestors who were much larger and more beastly than their descendents could ever be. Some people of the Jupiter clan had the power of foresight, but it was rarely consistent, which was why Sheba was so idolized by the people of her clan. The people of the Mercury clan were known for their particularly potent healing abilities. They once had a king who was such a skilled healer that he healed an entire city suffering from a plague. Entire worlds of knowledge would open up to each other if this "world peace" thing Sheba persisted in talking about all the time really worked out.

World peace, while interesting, was hard to concentrate on when the atmosphere around you seems to be slowly slipping into shadow. Granted, the shear darkness of the cave did little for the mood of the travelers. Jenna's usually confident and strong demeanor had diminished quite a bit and she was silent and clung tightly to Isaac in anyway that was comfortable and/or convienient to her. Piers seemed to only get quieter and even more worried the deeper they went into the cave. Isaac kept a strong face, but even that was façade began to fade quickly. The shadows in the cave only seemed to grip the adepts in silence and hopelessness. They had no idea how far this cave went, or if they'd find anything. What scared Isaac the most was that at this point, the caverns had gotten so dark, he couldn't tell when his eyes were open or when they were closed. He couldn't always figure out when he was dreaming, and when he was awake. Dreams could be so frighteningly real, and then he would wake up to find that they hadn't really happened at all. The blonde often wondered what would happen if one of his dreams would be reality. Would he one day really be trying to keep Jenna from falling down a ravine, or would he really be fighting an enemy that he couldn't see? Who knew? All he knew was that the world was getting darker and blacker and his two companions seemed to be drifting farther and farther away. Was it real? Was he dreaming again? Everything was just lost in shadow, everything was just so dark, until he saw the light...

Ivan opened his eyes to daylight for the first time in weeks. He was surprised to see a man standing over him rather than Feizhi. The prince blinked a few times, for this man was unlike any he'd ever seen. With tanned skin, a feathered headdress, he was a most interesting specimen. As the prince began to sit up, his body seemed to scream in protest.

'Try not to move too much' the man said telepathically. Ivan's eyes shot open in surprise.

'H-how did you—,' he began. The man raised his hand to silence him.

'As a fellow Jupiter adept, it's only natural I can talk to you telepathically,' the man replied, 'Before you ask, yes I am the healer you've been seeking. Now rest, child.'

Ivan did as he was told all too eagerly. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that someone was in the bed across from his. The cascade of purple that circled around her head was a dead give away as to who she was.

"Feizhi—" the prince began. The man shook his head.

'Don't you worry about her, she'll be all right,' he informed him. Ivan let his head hit the pillow, but he kept his eyes on the pale form of Feizhi until he fell asleep. The man sighed as he went down the hall toward Garet's room. Women are a most nurturing kind, especially toward those they love, but they give so much of themselves, they almost kill their bodies in the process of protecting the ones they nurture. If anyone knew this, it was the Chieftain of the Hesperia Settlement, and he was reminded of that now as he healed these young men. Upon opening the door, he saw Princess Mia, obviously exhausted, sleeping with her head on the dragon prince's chest. No doubt a similar story happened here as with Ivan and Feizhi. The Chieftain hadn't the heart to move the blue haired girl, he merely performed his healing act and waited until it began to take effect. Soon after, Garet's eyes shot open in alarm. When his eyes finally fell on the Chieftain, a look of angered confusion crossed his face, and he looked poised to yell, but the older man put his finger to his mouth to silence him. He then pointed to Mia's sleeping form. Garet's features softened and he almost unconsciously began to play with her hair. The Chieftain left the pair to check on his latest charges. Isaac, Jenna and Piers seemed to be in a fog after being rescued by the Hesperians. After a quick Hesperian healing psynergy, they definitely weren't as completely lost as they were when they found them. Jenna seemed to lessen her grip on Isaac's arm and Piers was finally talking. Isaac himself was at least responding somewhat to Felix. They needed a few days to get back to normal, very few people could navigate that cave without a guide and not go mad within a few days, so he gave the credit for lasting so long.

Now that that business was taken care of, he had a slightly more pressing matter at hand. That girl, the oracle, she was special, but she had no idea of how much so. He approached her as she watched Felix try to strike up a conversation with Isaac. She smiled at him good naturedly.

'Thank you very much, Chieftain, I'm sure they'll be better soon,' Sheba said to him telepathically. He seemed to prefer talking that way, so Sheba naturally accommodated him.

'Sheba, are you aware of your past? Of how you were born?' he asked directly. There was no time to be beating about the bush when so many lives were at stake. The younger girl was taken aback.

'N-no...' she answered. He nodded reflectively.

'It's time you knew,' the Chieftain replied. Sheba looked confused.

'The answer to so many of your questions, lie within the mystery of the night.'

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So…There it is…I'm done. Yay!

Next Chapter: The Mystery of the Night

I'm a bit redundant, aren't I?