And he's back again! You ever get that feeling that you have to write whenever inspiration hits? I do. And it hit. We will return you to your regularly scheduled story after a few review responses.

Karst-Blazen: I'm liking all this enthusiasm I'm getting. Here's a new chapter, and I got it out soon, just like you asked!

The Rain Child: I don't know...I seem to have a previous review response from you about that review from Void, I think. But thanks for reading anyway!

"Don't try it, human. You can't defeat me, not with that cheap parlor trick," said Hausen, calmly.

"What the...? How could you know what I was going to do?!", asked a bewildered Picard.

"My power is absolute, human. I know all," Hausen smugly replied.

"But that's..."

"Impossible? Unfair? Or perhaps...evil? Forget it, I am not here to humour you, child. I take my leave."

As Hausen departed, a small whisper came of the second voice. Ever growing, yet barely audible, it cried as loudly as it could manage, "Help me...!"

Picard, enraged, drew his sword and charged headlong at the fiend, Hausen. Calling forth the mental energies of Hail Prism, he swung at Hausen with all of his strength. However, before the blade reached him, Hausen threw Picard backwards with sheer force of psynergy.

"You cannot hope to touch me, human. You are far too weak," explained Hausen, as he stepped backward calmly. A ray of light emerged from his body upward into the sky, as the body Hausen occupied transformed into a ball of light that flew away northbound.

"I could not...save either...one of them...Alex...or Dune...", said Picard, barely audible, as fatigue finally robbed his body of consciousness.

He awoke in a rather large room, surrounded by four people. Picard, he recognized, but he didn't know the other three. An armoured man with a large blade, likely a warrior. Another was a man dressed as an Acolyte, likely a scholar, or a mage of sorts. The last was a beautiful red-haired woman with a gentle smile, who was likely a healer. He looked at them inquisitively and asked them, "Who are you, and why am I here?"

The armoured man spoke first. "I am Sion, the man beside me is Surlent, and the woman by your bedside is Riza. We are the bearers of the Jades."

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm Alex."

"We are pleased to meet you as well, Alex. Now, in regards to your other question, you are here because we brought you here. We found you lying in the forest near where his most recent spike of energy had occured," said Surlent.

"I see...so what are these Jades you speak of?"

"Jewels of great power. When used for their intended purpose, they are the body of the Rudra. Hausen, the lunatic you encountered, wanted nothing more than to be the next Rudra in life. He quested for these Jades, and was killed on a search," replied Surlent.

"And who killed him?", asked Alex.

"The former Rudra. The one who destroyed the divine race."

"Divine race...?"

Surlent continued. "The Danans. They were too powerful for the liking of the gods, so a being of great destructive force was created, hereafter known as 'Rudra'. His only task in life was to destroy the Danans, then he would sleep for eternity, and guard his Jades. Over time, thieves and treasure hunters found the sleeping body of the Rudra, and were granted a Jade as measure of their courage, power, wisdom, and kindness. The Jades moved to another if the person they resided in encountered one of greater courage, or such as their trait was. Hausen, unaware of this, decided to steal the Jades from the body of the former Rudra. The Rudra awakened and killed him, but his soul lingered on the Earth."

"So he possesses people to find the Jades?"

"Yes and no, Alex," interjected Sion, "You see, he was searching for the Jades. When he encountered Dune, and found that he was carrying a Jade, he possessed the poor soul. The Jade split into many pieces, and we're searching for the shards. If we can gather enough of them, then we'll overpower Hausen, force him out of Dune's body, and take the remaining Jade shards to make the fourth Jade. Then, we have to become the Rudra. If one of us does it, surely the human race won't be destroyed."

"Your friend here woke up first, and told us everything about this Hausen fellow you encountered. You see, we're searching for him, and we'll need all the help we can get," said Riza.

"I'd love to help, Miss Riza, but I don't know if I'm allowed to abandon my training..."

A purple-haired woman emerged from the shadows and appeared directly behind Alex. "My dear friend," she said, "There will be no 'abandoning' of your training at all."

"Master Hama!", cried Alex.

"Yes. Now, this is entirely up to you, Alex, but I want you to choose wisely. You may stay with these people and continue your training here, or you may return to my dojo and continue your training with us. Just choose wisely," she replied.

"Master...this is no easy choice..."

"Do what your heart tells you, and I will support you."

"Then...I must stay here. That jerk, Hausen...I can not sit back and let the world be in danger. Sion, Surlent, Riza, I'll do everything I can to help. Just tell me how," said Alex, with fierce determination.

"Alex...you have made the right choice," said Master Hama, "And I believe you will go far. I had hoped you would choose to stay with them, and I am glad that was your choice. Picard and I have talked it over, and he will stay with you as well."

"Hey! Don't forget us, Master!", came a cry from across the room. Alex looked in the direction of the sound to see the approaching forms of Felix and Garet. "We're here too!"

"Alex, we've talked it over with them and decided to stay too. There is much you must learn in a short time, and We can't shoulder all the burden on Picard," said Felix.

"You understand, right?", said Garet.

"Of course," replied Alex.

"Good. 'Cause I'm starving and I'd rather us eat than stand around talking," said Garet.

"One track mind as always...don't you know anything else?", inquired Picard, accusingly.

"Not when I'm hungry," replied the Mars Adept, sheepishly.

"Well, good news, then. I brought back those moles Picard and Alex took down, and the meat's frying right now. Should be done in about five minutes," said Sion.

"Alright!", exclaimed Garet, as he ran into the kitchen.

"Please excuse him...he's an idiot," said Picard.

"Oh no, that's nothing. Dune was the same way...", said Riza, as a small tear rolled down her face.

"Don't cry, Riza. We'll find him," said a reassuring Picard.

"...I hope so..."

Okay. And there's the chapter. Sorry it's short, but it's entirely exposition, and they do tend to have a hard time with being long...

Anywho, now that chapter five is done, I'm closer to back on track with this story. I just need about seven more chapters to make up for my absence. Oh, and if you recognize the new characters, let me know. I wanna see if they're well-known characters. For now, take care, and I'll see you later!

"Toki no rizumu wo shireba, mo ichido torebu, darou..."

-Fukai Mori, Do As Infinity