AUTHOR'S NOTE: So chapter 2 didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it to.
There were a lot of other things I wanted to put into it, but I guess being
sick makes miss some things you usually catch right off. I had spell check
and I still made errors. Anyways, this chapter should make up for the
mistakes of the last one, I hope. And once again, I don't own any of these
characters from the TV series.
And here it is,
ORPHEN: THE NEW BEGINNING
CHAPTER 03:
HISTORIES REVEALED
Now on the race to find out where Azalie is before Zain can, Orphen, Hartia, Majic, and Cleao are heading back to the Tower of Fang to see if Lai can divine her location. Now only a day away from the Tower, Cleao and Majic are getting curious about how Orphen knows about Zain.
They were all walking in a clearing in the forests when Cleao couldn't help but ask. "You know, Orphen, you've been pretty quiet about this Zain guy" said Cleao," What exactly does he have to do with you?" But knowing Orphen, Cleao didn't exactly expect a straight answer from him.
Orphen's expression went from calm to sad the second the name was mentioned. Hartia, know back in his Master's cloak instead of the Black Tiger costume, looked at his old friend, knowing exactly how he felt. "You really want to know Cleao? Are you sure?" Orphen replied, returning to his usual carefree look.
"Yeah! /Yes Master!" Majic and Cleao shouted anxiously, shaking their heads in agreement.
Orphen shook his head and laughed a little at how childish they seemed. Like children, about to hear a story about a brave knight who risks his life to slay a dragon and save the damsel in distress. "All right then" he pointed at a small cluster of trees in the clearing," Why don't we sit over there? It's a long story." They immediately obliged to his request and sat down.
All except Hartia," If you'll excuse me, I think I'll go on ahead", he said, "I think it best if we find out about Azalie as soon as possible." He left them with a smile, hiding the fact that he really didn't want to be reminded of what happened 10 years ago.
Orphen sat back against a tree, closing his eyes to remember exactly what had happened. Majic and Cleao sat across from him, cross-legged, waiting to here the story. Orphen re-opened his eyes, feeling ready to tell his story. The afternoon sun began to set, lengthening the shadows of the trees around them, as if setting the tone for the story.
"All right, it was 12 years ago" Orphen began," Me and Azalie had only been at the Tower for a few months. We were beginning to get used to everything thanks to Hartia and Lai, and it wasn't long until they told us about an older sorcerer named Zain."
***
Not to far from the Tower of Fang's northern wall, there was a hidden cavern in a small area of forest where Zain is now hiding himself. He looks over the Sword of Baltanders and the Bracelet of Nomafrozis, set on a low lying shelf.
A candle flickered as Zain wondered over a puzzling dilemma. Hand in chin, he kept thinking to himself, 'The Sword of Baltanders and the Bracelet of Nomafrozis are here, but where is the Jewel of Gigabrios? Surely it would have been somewhere near its other talismans?'
But while he pondered, he noticed something about his hand. It had wrinkled into the look of raisins; he felt the lines of his face with his hand and noticed they had grown much deeper. His silver hair had gone to pure gray. "Trust the Elder's power to run out so quickly" he said to himself with a sneer. Just then, he heard the sound of rustling outside, and the sound of young voices outside.
He looked up from his thinking position, and smiled. "It seems I can regain my youth quicker than I thought" he said with a chuckle. The candle flicked out for a second, and when its light illuminated the cavern again, Zain was gone.
***
Kyra and Shane was a couple from the Tower that everyone knew about. Kyra was a fiery red-head with lime green eyes. She's been at the Tower for 9 years and had the prospect to be a great sorceress, always a step ahead of the class.
Shane was almost the exact opposite. Both his hair and eyes were coal- black, and he too had been at the Tower for 9 years but was held back his third year because he never learned to control his magic properly. They were both 18 years old. Unfortunately it seemed they chose the wrong time to 'explore' the forest.
"Come on, Kyra!" Shane said," That cavern I told you about is right over here!" Shane was the risky type that liked to do things that could easily get him expelled, so he didn't think twice about going outside the Tower walls without permission. But Kyra had always been the cautious type and kept staying behind Shane and looking over her shoulder. "I don't know about this Shane, shouldn't we back at the Tower?" asked Kyra. "Our next class isn't for another hour" he said moving a low branch out of the way "No one will even know we were gone."
"Yeah, but what if-what if something-bad happens to us?" Kyra replied, voice quivering. Shane turned back around to see his love, as nervous as she usually is when he talks her into these things, and smiled. He walked up to her and gave her a long embrace to comfort her.
"It's all right Kyra" he whispered in her ear soothingly," You don't need to worry so much, I'll never let anything bad happen to you." Kyra blushed emotionally, trusting that Shane would live up to his word. But it ended quickly, when Shane heard Kyra gasp with shock. He turned around to see the reason for the surprise, and old man in a fine tunic was standing above the mouth of the cavern, watching them.
"Who are you!? And what are you doing here?" Shane yelled. The old man smiled at Shane, "I could ask you the same question." he said, "If I remember right you're supposed to be back at the Tower at this time." The old man started at them hard, scaring both of the young adults.
Shane pulled Kyra behind him to protect her. "You still didn't answer my question, who are you!?" Shane asked, now scared of this old man, not sure if he was dangerous or just trying to scare them.
"Of course, maybe you heard of me, I am known as Zain!" he said intimidating. That was all Shane needed to hear, he immediately told Zain to go back to the Tower and get away. But Kyra didn't go as far as the nearest bush to hide, not wanting to leave him behind.
The old Zain jumped down from the top of the cave mouth. Shane couldn't believe that an old man had that kind of agility, but knew what Zain was capable of. Zain smirked at the Shane as if he was foolish for trying to take him on. Zain spoke,"Oh, I see, you'll protect from anything right? Well let's see what you can do!" Shane was not scared; he would do anything for Kyra.
Shane stood straight up, hands in a cupped position at his chest, trying to remember how to control a spell the right way, the whole time staring hatefully at Zain, knowing what damage he had done. Shane put his hands over his head, ready to launch the spell, the red glow of it all around him. He put his hands in front of him and said the words, "O, Fire" and fired the spell with perfect control.
That did not help him, though. Zain stood there, waiting for the spell. He simply held one hand out and stopped the spell in mid-air. He then threw it back to Shane, barely missing him and cutting his cheek. "If that is all you can do you might as well quit now" mocked Zain. Shane was shocked, that was the most powerful spell he had ever cast and Zain had blocked it so easily.
"Should I expect that you still want to go on?" asked Zain. Fire burned in Shane's eyes, he was not going to quit no matter what. "All right then" said Zain, "Powers of Darkness That I Call Forth!" A giant wave of power rushed toward Shane. He was able to put a shield up, but it only held for a few seconds. Shane fell in agony to the ground, shaking all over trying to move. All Kyra could do was watch while Zain tortured him.
"I think it's time now." Zain said quietly, "Sands of Time, I give to you thy life!" And with that, Shane's body turned to dust and absorbed just as the Elders had been, and Zain returned to his younger body. He looked at his body to make sure the spell was complete and walked slowly back to the cave. But before he did, he heard the sounds of sobs in a nearby bush. He went back into the cave like it wasn't there, but unknown to even himself; a tear escaped his right eye and rolled down his face.
***
Orphen now continues with his story of 10 years old. Majic and Cleao listen attentively while Leki lay quietly in Cleao's lap, kept silent by her gentle petting.
ORPHEN: Zain was the most powerful sorcerer at the Tower of Fang at that time, but he never got cocky about it once, he was the most humble sorcerer you could ever find. The only problem with his great power was that nothing ever challenged him for very long.
Zain and a Master stood in the middle of the courtyard, where Zain was being trained. Zain looked much different then though, his hair was cut short and his eyes were more carefree and gentle rather than evil. And he did not bear the scar that made him distinguishable. "Now Zain, all you have to do is try to hit this pebble," the hooded Master opened his palm to indicate the small rock "when I throw it into the air, this will help your accuracy."
"Yes Master." said the young Zain. A much younger Orphen and Azalie where watching by sitting on the top battlements. The Master used is power to levitate the pebble, and then launched it into the air. The pebble went so high up not even Orphen or Azalie could see it. But Zain kept his focus and raised both his hands in the air. A blue glow showed he was about to cast his spell.
He then said, "O, Light" and the whole sky illuminated with a bright light of the spell, and the pebble had been completely vaporized by the spell. The Master stood in shock and Orphen and Azalie were in wonder at how Zain could have actually hit the pebble that high up. Knowing where Orphen and Azalie were, Zain made a peace sign toward his friends and winked one eye.
ORPHEN: He would always go from Master to Master, never taking long to learn everything the Master could teach. He seemed to gain more power each day. The Elders decided to send him to Childman to see if maybe he could stay under his tutelage without such little effort. Me, Azalie, Lai, and Hartia were just happy we could see him more, with all of us becoming close friends.
Childman and all of his students, including Zain, were gathered together in a special training room. Childman, standing in the middle of the room, looked over his students in thought. "All right Zain" said Childman in his usual gentle voice," Since you are the new student to my class, let's see what you can do." He indicated a spot across from him to stand in.
Zain quickly obliged to his new Master, anxious to see what new challenge he could take on. He stood straight in front of Childman at attention with a salute. "Master, what do you want me to do?" Zain asked.
Childman chuckled at how obedient Zain was acting. "At ease." Chilman said jokingly, "I'm going to throw a spell at you and we'll see how well you can defend against it." Zain went back to his attentive position and said, "Yes sir! Ready when you are sir!" Childman again chuckled; he was enjoying this new pupil.
"Okay then." Childman said. He positioned himself to cast the spell. He decided to use a stronger spell than what he used on his other students, after hearing the rumors of Zain. Zain put himself into a defensive position for the oncoming assault. "Sphere of Luminescence!" Childman yelled. The spell came at Zain so fast most didn't think Zain would be able to stop it, even Childman.
But at the last second, Zain chanted, "Wall of Reflection!" And as soon as Childman's spell hit Zain's counter-spell, it redirected back to Childman, knocking him flat on his back. Childman's whole class gasped in surprise at what happened.
"Oh, I'm sorry Master." Zain said while helping Childman up, "I didn't know the spell would be that powerful!" Childman was still a little dizzy from the match. But he recovered himself and said softly, "Where did you learn that spell?"
Zain stood back up looking proud of himself and Childman sitting down looking up at the young prodigy. "I made a few of my own changes to a spell I was taught a few years ago, you like it?" he explained like it was nothing. Childman couldn't believe what Zain had done. He did nothing but shake his head and smile.
ORPHEN: Childman knew that Zain was far too advanced to be trained with the Masters at the Tower, so he went to the Elders to ask them if Zain could be released to a new school or perhaps be trained by Childman's Master Rox Row. But the Elders did not agree with Childman's proposal.
The floated in there usual places in there room, staring down at Childman with Zain at his side. "We cannot allow Zain to leave the Tower." said one of the Elders. Childman was beginning to grow impatient with the Elders, but hid it from them. "But why?" asked Childman, "Zain can no longer be challenged with our teachings; he may already have exceeded most of the Masters." Childman's voice began to grow louder, angering the Elders.
"Childman," another female Elder said, "if you do not agree with our decision, we will have to consider you a traitor and will have to have you banished." Childman remained silent but did not look scared of the Elders.
"Please, if you are to banish anyone, banish me" Zain pleaded. "You will be silent!" the same Elder shouted. "Zain will continue to study at the Tower until he has completed his full 10 years of the teachings" the first Elder replied.
Childman knew he could not convince them to change their minds, all he could say was, "Yes sir." The Elder smiled triumphantly, knowing that Childman would always remain loyal. "The Elders have spoken, you may leave." Childman and Zain left the Elders, Zain wearing a mask of hate at how the Elders had dismissed them like that.
ORPHEN: I'm not to clear on what happened after that. All I know is that after that, Zain began to study every book he could from the Archives. He never spoke to anyone, and if he did it was never in courteousness, he was always in an impatient and angered voice. But I don't understand how the Elders could have made him that angry.
About 6 months after that, Zain was banned from the Tower, but why nobody knew. Anyone who did know must have kept quiet.
All of the Masters and students were lined up at the gates of the Tower. Zain and his last Master, Childman, walked between the lines of people toward the gates. Zain walked with a cloak on so no one could see his face, as traditional of banishments. Orphen was the only one not standing still in the lines; he was following the two figures toward the gates, calling Zain's name in vain.
Zain and Childman made it to the gates, and Childman stopped while Zain continued walking through the gates. The gates began to close when Zain stopped and looked behind him to take one last look at his home. Orphen peered through the gate to see Zain, eyes now pale and a new scar that could be seen on the left side of his face. And the gates finally closed, sealing Zain from returning.
As Orphen was walking away he remembered something. 'Wait a minute; did he have wrinkles on his face?' And so ends Zain's story.
***
It was late at the Tower of Fang. The full moon gave an eerie glow through the stain glass of the windows. Lai was walking through the halls, studying a book he had gotten from the library.
The halls were silent, most everyone in the Tower were asleep. The only sounds were the clacking of Lai's feet on the stone floors. 'Zain's spell absorbed the Elders power' Lai thought, 'but why does he have this increased aging?' He walked into his own room and dropped the book he was reading at who was in there. Zain was sitting at a desk in the far corner of the room, throwing a crystal ball from each of his hands.
"It's about time you showed up, I was beginning to get bored" said Zain. He slammed the crystal back onto the desk and stood in front of Lai, a half- a-head higher than him. He crossed his arms and smiled at Lai, all while Lai stood scared to make any move.
"How have you been Lai?" said Zain. Lai just stood there, dumb-struck. "I guess you're not going to talk, huh?" asked Zain calmly, like he was just a friend who stopped by for a visit. Still Lai did not talk. "Oh well" he continued, "I didn't just stop for a chat anyways. Now, tell me where Azalie can be found."
Lai snapped back to reality saying, "No, I won't tell you that Zain." Zain shrugged his shoulders and turned around. "And here I was thinking that you would help an old friend out" replied Zain. Lai's nervous feeling began to come back to him.
"I no longer consider you a friend Zain" said Lai, "Not after what you did." Zain turned back around, evil now on his face. Lai began to backup, Zain's cold gaze staring him down. He began to raise his hands as if to attack. Lai felt his heart sink at what might happen.
Zain then quickly put his hands behind his head and turned on one leg like some ditzy teenager. His face now changed to the very definition of friendship. "That's okay I understand Lai" Zain began to walk back to the desk, hands now on his sides. He picked up the crystal ball again and started to study it.
Lai was confused, all he could say was, "It is?" Zain stopped his study of the crystal and directed his attention back to Lai. "Sure it is" he started to toss the ball in his right hand and walking back toward Lai. "I'm sure I can find out another way" he still had his friendly face.
Besides being relaxed, Lai was scared even more from Zain's friendly act. "Yeah, I guess you can can't you?" Lai replied. Lai kept his body and mind alert for anything. Zain was again right in Lai's face.
"Like besides 'asking' you-" Zain grabbed Lai's head before Lai could even react. "-I could simply read your own mind!" he said through gritted teeth. Lai grabbed at Zain's hands to try and free himself from the grip, but to no avail.
"By the way, sorry if my mind-reading technique is a little more painful than yours is!" Zain began his excruciating mind-reading process. Lai screamed in agony as electricity seemed to dance off his head. As Lai screamed in pain, Zain saw everything that had been happening while he was gone.
Pictures of what happened with his old friends flashed in his mind. What they had done and where they had gone, including Azalie's whereabouts. Zain then released Lai and used his power to teleport outside the walls and escape into the forest. When bystanders who heard the screams got to the room, they found Lai on the floor unconscious with his crystal ball shattered right next to him. Also, a book entitled, "The Sands of Time".
***
The night would have been pitch black had it not been for the light from the moon. Orphen stretched out after telling the long story. His face looked like he had just seen a ghost. Majic and Cleao were still sitting to process all they had just heard. Leki was now fast asleep and snoring softly.
"All right you guys, get some sleep" said Orphen quietly, beginning to lay down against a tree, "We'll have to start early tomorrow to make up for lost time." Orphen closed his eyes while Majic and Cleao began to lie down. But before Cleao went to sleep, she went over to Orphen and whispered into his ear, "Don't worry, everything will be all right."
END CHAPTER 03
FOOTNOTE: Phew! It definitely wasn't easy to finish this one, but I think it turned out just how I wanted it to. By the way, I, for lack of a better word, tweaked chapter 2. Not because I'm a perfectionist, but because I was bored. Unfortunately, I'm going to be out of town for Christmas, and I probably won't have a lot of time to finish the fourth chapter. So unless it's up before next Monday, it probably won't be up until sometime in January.
And with that I finish with a Merry Christmas (Or whatever you celebrate.) and a Happy New Year!
Master Kayne
And here it is,
ORPHEN: THE NEW BEGINNING
CHAPTER 03:
HISTORIES REVEALED
Now on the race to find out where Azalie is before Zain can, Orphen, Hartia, Majic, and Cleao are heading back to the Tower of Fang to see if Lai can divine her location. Now only a day away from the Tower, Cleao and Majic are getting curious about how Orphen knows about Zain.
They were all walking in a clearing in the forests when Cleao couldn't help but ask. "You know, Orphen, you've been pretty quiet about this Zain guy" said Cleao," What exactly does he have to do with you?" But knowing Orphen, Cleao didn't exactly expect a straight answer from him.
Orphen's expression went from calm to sad the second the name was mentioned. Hartia, know back in his Master's cloak instead of the Black Tiger costume, looked at his old friend, knowing exactly how he felt. "You really want to know Cleao? Are you sure?" Orphen replied, returning to his usual carefree look.
"Yeah! /Yes Master!" Majic and Cleao shouted anxiously, shaking their heads in agreement.
Orphen shook his head and laughed a little at how childish they seemed. Like children, about to hear a story about a brave knight who risks his life to slay a dragon and save the damsel in distress. "All right then" he pointed at a small cluster of trees in the clearing," Why don't we sit over there? It's a long story." They immediately obliged to his request and sat down.
All except Hartia," If you'll excuse me, I think I'll go on ahead", he said, "I think it best if we find out about Azalie as soon as possible." He left them with a smile, hiding the fact that he really didn't want to be reminded of what happened 10 years ago.
Orphen sat back against a tree, closing his eyes to remember exactly what had happened. Majic and Cleao sat across from him, cross-legged, waiting to here the story. Orphen re-opened his eyes, feeling ready to tell his story. The afternoon sun began to set, lengthening the shadows of the trees around them, as if setting the tone for the story.
"All right, it was 12 years ago" Orphen began," Me and Azalie had only been at the Tower for a few months. We were beginning to get used to everything thanks to Hartia and Lai, and it wasn't long until they told us about an older sorcerer named Zain."
***
Not to far from the Tower of Fang's northern wall, there was a hidden cavern in a small area of forest where Zain is now hiding himself. He looks over the Sword of Baltanders and the Bracelet of Nomafrozis, set on a low lying shelf.
A candle flickered as Zain wondered over a puzzling dilemma. Hand in chin, he kept thinking to himself, 'The Sword of Baltanders and the Bracelet of Nomafrozis are here, but where is the Jewel of Gigabrios? Surely it would have been somewhere near its other talismans?'
But while he pondered, he noticed something about his hand. It had wrinkled into the look of raisins; he felt the lines of his face with his hand and noticed they had grown much deeper. His silver hair had gone to pure gray. "Trust the Elder's power to run out so quickly" he said to himself with a sneer. Just then, he heard the sound of rustling outside, and the sound of young voices outside.
He looked up from his thinking position, and smiled. "It seems I can regain my youth quicker than I thought" he said with a chuckle. The candle flicked out for a second, and when its light illuminated the cavern again, Zain was gone.
***
Kyra and Shane was a couple from the Tower that everyone knew about. Kyra was a fiery red-head with lime green eyes. She's been at the Tower for 9 years and had the prospect to be a great sorceress, always a step ahead of the class.
Shane was almost the exact opposite. Both his hair and eyes were coal- black, and he too had been at the Tower for 9 years but was held back his third year because he never learned to control his magic properly. They were both 18 years old. Unfortunately it seemed they chose the wrong time to 'explore' the forest.
"Come on, Kyra!" Shane said," That cavern I told you about is right over here!" Shane was the risky type that liked to do things that could easily get him expelled, so he didn't think twice about going outside the Tower walls without permission. But Kyra had always been the cautious type and kept staying behind Shane and looking over her shoulder. "I don't know about this Shane, shouldn't we back at the Tower?" asked Kyra. "Our next class isn't for another hour" he said moving a low branch out of the way "No one will even know we were gone."
"Yeah, but what if-what if something-bad happens to us?" Kyra replied, voice quivering. Shane turned back around to see his love, as nervous as she usually is when he talks her into these things, and smiled. He walked up to her and gave her a long embrace to comfort her.
"It's all right Kyra" he whispered in her ear soothingly," You don't need to worry so much, I'll never let anything bad happen to you." Kyra blushed emotionally, trusting that Shane would live up to his word. But it ended quickly, when Shane heard Kyra gasp with shock. He turned around to see the reason for the surprise, and old man in a fine tunic was standing above the mouth of the cavern, watching them.
"Who are you!? And what are you doing here?" Shane yelled. The old man smiled at Shane, "I could ask you the same question." he said, "If I remember right you're supposed to be back at the Tower at this time." The old man started at them hard, scaring both of the young adults.
Shane pulled Kyra behind him to protect her. "You still didn't answer my question, who are you!?" Shane asked, now scared of this old man, not sure if he was dangerous or just trying to scare them.
"Of course, maybe you heard of me, I am known as Zain!" he said intimidating. That was all Shane needed to hear, he immediately told Zain to go back to the Tower and get away. But Kyra didn't go as far as the nearest bush to hide, not wanting to leave him behind.
The old Zain jumped down from the top of the cave mouth. Shane couldn't believe that an old man had that kind of agility, but knew what Zain was capable of. Zain smirked at the Shane as if he was foolish for trying to take him on. Zain spoke,"Oh, I see, you'll protect from anything right? Well let's see what you can do!" Shane was not scared; he would do anything for Kyra.
Shane stood straight up, hands in a cupped position at his chest, trying to remember how to control a spell the right way, the whole time staring hatefully at Zain, knowing what damage he had done. Shane put his hands over his head, ready to launch the spell, the red glow of it all around him. He put his hands in front of him and said the words, "O, Fire" and fired the spell with perfect control.
That did not help him, though. Zain stood there, waiting for the spell. He simply held one hand out and stopped the spell in mid-air. He then threw it back to Shane, barely missing him and cutting his cheek. "If that is all you can do you might as well quit now" mocked Zain. Shane was shocked, that was the most powerful spell he had ever cast and Zain had blocked it so easily.
"Should I expect that you still want to go on?" asked Zain. Fire burned in Shane's eyes, he was not going to quit no matter what. "All right then" said Zain, "Powers of Darkness That I Call Forth!" A giant wave of power rushed toward Shane. He was able to put a shield up, but it only held for a few seconds. Shane fell in agony to the ground, shaking all over trying to move. All Kyra could do was watch while Zain tortured him.
"I think it's time now." Zain said quietly, "Sands of Time, I give to you thy life!" And with that, Shane's body turned to dust and absorbed just as the Elders had been, and Zain returned to his younger body. He looked at his body to make sure the spell was complete and walked slowly back to the cave. But before he did, he heard the sounds of sobs in a nearby bush. He went back into the cave like it wasn't there, but unknown to even himself; a tear escaped his right eye and rolled down his face.
***
Orphen now continues with his story of 10 years old. Majic and Cleao listen attentively while Leki lay quietly in Cleao's lap, kept silent by her gentle petting.
ORPHEN: Zain was the most powerful sorcerer at the Tower of Fang at that time, but he never got cocky about it once, he was the most humble sorcerer you could ever find. The only problem with his great power was that nothing ever challenged him for very long.
Zain and a Master stood in the middle of the courtyard, where Zain was being trained. Zain looked much different then though, his hair was cut short and his eyes were more carefree and gentle rather than evil. And he did not bear the scar that made him distinguishable. "Now Zain, all you have to do is try to hit this pebble," the hooded Master opened his palm to indicate the small rock "when I throw it into the air, this will help your accuracy."
"Yes Master." said the young Zain. A much younger Orphen and Azalie where watching by sitting on the top battlements. The Master used is power to levitate the pebble, and then launched it into the air. The pebble went so high up not even Orphen or Azalie could see it. But Zain kept his focus and raised both his hands in the air. A blue glow showed he was about to cast his spell.
He then said, "O, Light" and the whole sky illuminated with a bright light of the spell, and the pebble had been completely vaporized by the spell. The Master stood in shock and Orphen and Azalie were in wonder at how Zain could have actually hit the pebble that high up. Knowing where Orphen and Azalie were, Zain made a peace sign toward his friends and winked one eye.
ORPHEN: He would always go from Master to Master, never taking long to learn everything the Master could teach. He seemed to gain more power each day. The Elders decided to send him to Childman to see if maybe he could stay under his tutelage without such little effort. Me, Azalie, Lai, and Hartia were just happy we could see him more, with all of us becoming close friends.
Childman and all of his students, including Zain, were gathered together in a special training room. Childman, standing in the middle of the room, looked over his students in thought. "All right Zain" said Childman in his usual gentle voice," Since you are the new student to my class, let's see what you can do." He indicated a spot across from him to stand in.
Zain quickly obliged to his new Master, anxious to see what new challenge he could take on. He stood straight in front of Childman at attention with a salute. "Master, what do you want me to do?" Zain asked.
Childman chuckled at how obedient Zain was acting. "At ease." Chilman said jokingly, "I'm going to throw a spell at you and we'll see how well you can defend against it." Zain went back to his attentive position and said, "Yes sir! Ready when you are sir!" Childman again chuckled; he was enjoying this new pupil.
"Okay then." Childman said. He positioned himself to cast the spell. He decided to use a stronger spell than what he used on his other students, after hearing the rumors of Zain. Zain put himself into a defensive position for the oncoming assault. "Sphere of Luminescence!" Childman yelled. The spell came at Zain so fast most didn't think Zain would be able to stop it, even Childman.
But at the last second, Zain chanted, "Wall of Reflection!" And as soon as Childman's spell hit Zain's counter-spell, it redirected back to Childman, knocking him flat on his back. Childman's whole class gasped in surprise at what happened.
"Oh, I'm sorry Master." Zain said while helping Childman up, "I didn't know the spell would be that powerful!" Childman was still a little dizzy from the match. But he recovered himself and said softly, "Where did you learn that spell?"
Zain stood back up looking proud of himself and Childman sitting down looking up at the young prodigy. "I made a few of my own changes to a spell I was taught a few years ago, you like it?" he explained like it was nothing. Childman couldn't believe what Zain had done. He did nothing but shake his head and smile.
ORPHEN: Childman knew that Zain was far too advanced to be trained with the Masters at the Tower, so he went to the Elders to ask them if Zain could be released to a new school or perhaps be trained by Childman's Master Rox Row. But the Elders did not agree with Childman's proposal.
The floated in there usual places in there room, staring down at Childman with Zain at his side. "We cannot allow Zain to leave the Tower." said one of the Elders. Childman was beginning to grow impatient with the Elders, but hid it from them. "But why?" asked Childman, "Zain can no longer be challenged with our teachings; he may already have exceeded most of the Masters." Childman's voice began to grow louder, angering the Elders.
"Childman," another female Elder said, "if you do not agree with our decision, we will have to consider you a traitor and will have to have you banished." Childman remained silent but did not look scared of the Elders.
"Please, if you are to banish anyone, banish me" Zain pleaded. "You will be silent!" the same Elder shouted. "Zain will continue to study at the Tower until he has completed his full 10 years of the teachings" the first Elder replied.
Childman knew he could not convince them to change their minds, all he could say was, "Yes sir." The Elder smiled triumphantly, knowing that Childman would always remain loyal. "The Elders have spoken, you may leave." Childman and Zain left the Elders, Zain wearing a mask of hate at how the Elders had dismissed them like that.
ORPHEN: I'm not to clear on what happened after that. All I know is that after that, Zain began to study every book he could from the Archives. He never spoke to anyone, and if he did it was never in courteousness, he was always in an impatient and angered voice. But I don't understand how the Elders could have made him that angry.
About 6 months after that, Zain was banned from the Tower, but why nobody knew. Anyone who did know must have kept quiet.
All of the Masters and students were lined up at the gates of the Tower. Zain and his last Master, Childman, walked between the lines of people toward the gates. Zain walked with a cloak on so no one could see his face, as traditional of banishments. Orphen was the only one not standing still in the lines; he was following the two figures toward the gates, calling Zain's name in vain.
Zain and Childman made it to the gates, and Childman stopped while Zain continued walking through the gates. The gates began to close when Zain stopped and looked behind him to take one last look at his home. Orphen peered through the gate to see Zain, eyes now pale and a new scar that could be seen on the left side of his face. And the gates finally closed, sealing Zain from returning.
As Orphen was walking away he remembered something. 'Wait a minute; did he have wrinkles on his face?' And so ends Zain's story.
***
It was late at the Tower of Fang. The full moon gave an eerie glow through the stain glass of the windows. Lai was walking through the halls, studying a book he had gotten from the library.
The halls were silent, most everyone in the Tower were asleep. The only sounds were the clacking of Lai's feet on the stone floors. 'Zain's spell absorbed the Elders power' Lai thought, 'but why does he have this increased aging?' He walked into his own room and dropped the book he was reading at who was in there. Zain was sitting at a desk in the far corner of the room, throwing a crystal ball from each of his hands.
"It's about time you showed up, I was beginning to get bored" said Zain. He slammed the crystal back onto the desk and stood in front of Lai, a half- a-head higher than him. He crossed his arms and smiled at Lai, all while Lai stood scared to make any move.
"How have you been Lai?" said Zain. Lai just stood there, dumb-struck. "I guess you're not going to talk, huh?" asked Zain calmly, like he was just a friend who stopped by for a visit. Still Lai did not talk. "Oh well" he continued, "I didn't just stop for a chat anyways. Now, tell me where Azalie can be found."
Lai snapped back to reality saying, "No, I won't tell you that Zain." Zain shrugged his shoulders and turned around. "And here I was thinking that you would help an old friend out" replied Zain. Lai's nervous feeling began to come back to him.
"I no longer consider you a friend Zain" said Lai, "Not after what you did." Zain turned back around, evil now on his face. Lai began to backup, Zain's cold gaze staring him down. He began to raise his hands as if to attack. Lai felt his heart sink at what might happen.
Zain then quickly put his hands behind his head and turned on one leg like some ditzy teenager. His face now changed to the very definition of friendship. "That's okay I understand Lai" Zain began to walk back to the desk, hands now on his sides. He picked up the crystal ball again and started to study it.
Lai was confused, all he could say was, "It is?" Zain stopped his study of the crystal and directed his attention back to Lai. "Sure it is" he started to toss the ball in his right hand and walking back toward Lai. "I'm sure I can find out another way" he still had his friendly face.
Besides being relaxed, Lai was scared even more from Zain's friendly act. "Yeah, I guess you can can't you?" Lai replied. Lai kept his body and mind alert for anything. Zain was again right in Lai's face.
"Like besides 'asking' you-" Zain grabbed Lai's head before Lai could even react. "-I could simply read your own mind!" he said through gritted teeth. Lai grabbed at Zain's hands to try and free himself from the grip, but to no avail.
"By the way, sorry if my mind-reading technique is a little more painful than yours is!" Zain began his excruciating mind-reading process. Lai screamed in agony as electricity seemed to dance off his head. As Lai screamed in pain, Zain saw everything that had been happening while he was gone.
Pictures of what happened with his old friends flashed in his mind. What they had done and where they had gone, including Azalie's whereabouts. Zain then released Lai and used his power to teleport outside the walls and escape into the forest. When bystanders who heard the screams got to the room, they found Lai on the floor unconscious with his crystal ball shattered right next to him. Also, a book entitled, "The Sands of Time".
***
The night would have been pitch black had it not been for the light from the moon. Orphen stretched out after telling the long story. His face looked like he had just seen a ghost. Majic and Cleao were still sitting to process all they had just heard. Leki was now fast asleep and snoring softly.
"All right you guys, get some sleep" said Orphen quietly, beginning to lay down against a tree, "We'll have to start early tomorrow to make up for lost time." Orphen closed his eyes while Majic and Cleao began to lie down. But before Cleao went to sleep, she went over to Orphen and whispered into his ear, "Don't worry, everything will be all right."
END CHAPTER 03
FOOTNOTE: Phew! It definitely wasn't easy to finish this one, but I think it turned out just how I wanted it to. By the way, I, for lack of a better word, tweaked chapter 2. Not because I'm a perfectionist, but because I was bored. Unfortunately, I'm going to be out of town for Christmas, and I probably won't have a lot of time to finish the fourth chapter. So unless it's up before next Monday, it probably won't be up until sometime in January.
And with that I finish with a Merry Christmas (Or whatever you celebrate.) and a Happy New Year!
Master Kayne