Disclaimer: I do not own own Beyblade, nor any of its characters.
Summary: In this fic, Tala is sent to a magical world where he meets a girl he falls in love with. After spending a weeks worth of time with her, he then has to face the true nature of this magical world, and then must suffer a terrible pain of loss as the girl writhers away from him. When he comes back to reality, he finds out it was all a dream. Or was it?
Prologue
"...I'm waiting for you, ...save me...save , my beloved Tala...."
"TALA!"
Tala shot up. He looked around. Apparently he had fallen asleep. No matter, her didn't care. He had been having that same dream for days now, ever since the World Championships. It was always the same dream. He'd be in a mystical world full of beautiful landscapes, and under the shade of an oak tree would be a girl. The dream was hard to remember once he woke up, but he could remember the desdictintive description of the dream.
"Tala, hello, anybody home?" Bryan's voice came in through his ears.
"Why don't you try ringing the doorbell, you idiot," Tala said in an annoyed tone. Bryan backed away.
Apparently no one knew about these strange dreams Tala has bee having. He has told no one, and didn't wish to.
At lunch, the boys were eager to eat. When Tala got his lunch, he had no idea that it was something that would knock him out. He wasn't allergic to anything, but soon he would be.
"So, what do you think will happen to us now?" Ian asked them concerningly.
Tala took a bite of his lunch, but it tasted nasty. Suddenly, his vision became blurry, his head began to spin, and his whole body began to ache. He fell to his knees, his stomach hurting, as if he was about to vomit. He did so, and soon his head hurted so much that he stumbled over chairs and collapsed onto the ground. The room was spinning, a white fog emerged before his eyes, his head began to spin, and soon he fell into total unconsciousness.
Something tickled Tala's nose. He opened his eyes, and stared up into the top canopy of a couple of trees. He looked around and saw that he was in a grassy plain, but the question was... Where was he?
Chapter I: The Magical World of Dreams
"I've been waiting a long time for you, ...come, Tala...heaven awaits us...."
The same voice Tala has heard in his dreams seemed to be louder even now. He looked around, and saw that the flowers in the field he was in were really paper flowers. He looked up and saw the clouds above, but they looked sort of like cotton candy puffs. What was this place? Where was he? Looking around, he saw a white mystical horse with a horn disappear into the dark shadows of the trees. Now he knew. He was losing it.
"No, you're not losing it," said a familiar voice. Tala looked around and saw a girl standing over him. She had long black hair that went to her elbows, and murderous, malevolent gray eyes. She had the same voice, though, as the voice in Tala's dreams.
"How'd you know what I was thinking?" he asked.
"Simple, Tala, it's how you look at things, and the expression that is shown upon your face. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Arina," she said. Suddenly, her whole figure changed. Her hair became shorter, her outfit became a white, knee-length, mystical dress, and her lips became full and red. The only thing that didn't change was her eyes.
"How did you do that?" Tala asked with great amazement.
"It's a special talent of mine. I can change the way I look in any way I want. I can change any part of me, just not my gender, of course, and my eyes," Arina said.
"Why not your eyes?" Tala asked.
"Hey, Tala, stand up. I want to show you around," Arina said, grabbing his arm. It was as if she was trying to change the subject, as if she didn't want to talk about why she couldn't change her eyes. She dragged him to an open field of where there were no trees, and Tala gazed around with great awe. There were so many animals roaming the land, and so many mystical creatures Tala only read about in legends and stories. These creatures didn't exist...did they?
"Where the hell am I?" Tala asked Arina. She smiled at him in a pleasant way.
"Don't you know? This is the world created by dreams, imaginations, and wishes. This world is created by the dreams, imaginations, and wishes that young children have. From when a child is born to when it becomes an adult, all of the things it dreams of, wishes for, and creates from its imagination come here to exist forever under the protection of a guardian," Arina said.
I knew there was something funny about this place, Tala thought. Suddenly, something caught his eye that made him turn. It was a huge blue dragon with red eyes. Tala smiled as he looked at it, and it gave a huge roar.
Arina probably had noticed it, because she was looking at it as well. "Ah, yes, Rendora. I do believe you created him, Tala. When you were young, you liked dragons, and so you created one through your imagination. You drew him and everything. Then you soon forgot about him," Arina said.
"What do you mean?" Tala asked.
"When something is forgotten, it comes to this world. The girl that created a pink unicorn, she loved that unicorn so much that she drew it, created it, and soon began to think it was real. But then, she became thirteen, and forgot about it. The unicorn came here, because there was no one to care for it, to love it," Arina said sadly.
Tala looked at her, and saw a sad expression on her face. "Is that how you got here?" he asked.
"What? Oh, yeah. You see, I was created several times by many kids, all giving me special powers, special abilities. The first one to create me, though, she, I will never forget," Arina said happily.
"Why? Who was she?"
"A young girl by the name of Mariah. You probably know her. She's on that Beyblade team in China, the White Tigers. Well, anyways, she needed a friend when she was little, very little, and so she created an imaginary friend, me. I was her friend, even when she made friends herself. But when her friend, Ray, left the White Tigers team, she slowly began to forget me. Soon, I faded away from her, but was created again by many other kids, giving me special abilities, different looks, but no matter what, they always gave me gray eyes. Then, each child began to forget me, and I finally stopped being created by children and rested here in this place, where I became the guardian of this world," Arina said.
"Why did you become the guardian?" Tala wanted to know more, for some reason.
"Because I was created by more than one kid. Plus, one kid that created me wished for me to be real to him. I couldn't become real because I was created through imaginations and dreams, but that kid's wish made me the most powerful creature of this world, which, of course, made me its guardian. I wish like his hardly ever is made to a creature," Arina said.
Finally, the question that has been antagonizing Tala all this time finally blurted out. "Arina, do you ever enter dreams?"
"Sometimes, when I really need help. Tala, do you now know who I am?" she asked.
"I think so-"
"I am the one you've been seeing in your dreams. I'm the one who has been waiting for you. I need your help," Arina said.
"With what? What's wrong?"
"This world is soon going to be destroyed because the children of the world are giving up their imaginations, giving up their dreams, giving up on their wishes. Even the most innocent children don't believe in their dreams anymore. If they all give up and no longer believe in their dreams, if all the children of the world give up, this world will be destroyed along with all of us imaginary creatures. Tala, this world is supported by the dreams of children. If they give up on their dreams, this world will be engulfed into pure darkness," Arina said.
Chapter II : The Beginning of the Darkness
Night quickly fell, and yet Tala couldn't stop thinking of what Arina told him earlier today. If this world was supported by the dreams and Imaginations of all the kids of the world, then he, Tala, Ian, Bryan, Spencer, and all the kids who went to the abbey, and Kai, were mainly the cause of all the horrible stuff that's been happening to this world. They all were forced to forget about their dreams, their imagination was wiped out of them, but at night Tala makes wishes, wishes that would never come true. He would wish to leave the abbey forever, he would wish to forget everything about it. But yet the wishes never came true.
"Everything all right, Tala?" asked a voice that broke Tala out of his thoughts. He looked up and saw Arina standing over him, holding a small ball with wings.
"Yeah. What's that?" Tala asked.
The ball squirmed in her arms. She held it out to him. It was one of the cutest things ever. It was a pink ball with small white wings. It had small black eyes, a small mouth, small pink feet, but on its head was a big hot pink heart. It was so cute.
"What is it?" Tala asked.
"Tenderness. There are more of these little creatures at night. They are called Emoballs. Little creatures that are as small as balls with the ability to create any emotion they represent within anything. In fact, I think I see more coming out," Arina pointed out.
Tala looked around, and smiled. She was right. More small little ball-like creatures were coming out from behind dark trees in the forest. One looked like a small angel, another looked like a little devil, one looked like a fox. Soon, over twenty of the little Emoballs had crowded around Tala and Arina. A small red ball that looked exactly like the one in Arina's arms, except red, had hopped onto Tala's lap and was cooing and rubbing its furry head under his chin. Arina giggled.
"It looks like that Love Emoball likes you, Tala," she giggled.
"Love? You mean this little guy is the emotion of love?" Tala asked, picking up the small Emoball in his arms.
"Yep. Just be careful. If it hits you with its heart arrow of love, you'll be strucked with love. Same with Tenderness, only it will be a temporary crush. Love is the real deal," Arina said.
Love? Tala has never loved anyone in his life since he was little. Now he saw that something may actually make him love someone. This little small heart shaped Emoball. He looked up at Arina, and smiled. She was playing with a small fox-like Emoball, who was trying to tackle her. Small little arrows were flying out of another Emoball's head. Before Tala could see which one it was, one of the arrows hit him directly and hard in the chest, right where his heart was.
"Tala! Tala, are you okay?! Tala!" Arina's voice cried. Tala opened his eyes as a delightful sensation ran through him. He looked up into Arina's gray eyes, and smiled.
"Yeah, I'm fine. What just hit me, though?" Tala asked as he staggered to his feet.
"Shining Friendship, uh, the angel Emoball. Are you sure you're alright. An arrow from an Emoball to the chest of a mortal can actually be sever damage," Arina said.
"Yeah, actually, I feel great. Amazing. I feel like I can go jump off the roof of the abbey and live," Tala said. He was happy, which he hadn't been for awhile.
"Yes, it's the condition of an arrow from an Emoball. You act so happily you'll do anything, but then the emotion kicks in. Tala, I just worry for you," Arina said. Tala looked at her and saw that she was really blushing, and a tear formed in her eyes.
"Did you get struck by an Emoball?" Tala asked.
"What? No, I didn't. But I do worry. A mortal can easily die here in this world, and I don't want anything bad to happen to you," Arina said.
Tala grabbed her hands in his, and smiled at her. "Nothing bad will happen to me. I promise," he said. She smiled at him. She knew he was trying to make her happy. The small Emoballs danced around their feet. Arina leaned forward and kissed Tala. Tala blushed, he was both shocked and surprised. If this girl wasn't real, but imaginary, then how come her lips felt so real, her kiss so loving? This girl couldn't possibly be imaginary.
Arina pulled away, and then she blushed. She stepped back away from Tala. Aparently the same thought was going through her mind, because she was looking around and touching her lips. "How did I do that?" she kept murmering. Tala watched as she walked over to group of Emoballs, and picked up the one of Tenderness. Her cheeks were growing red, her eyes were becoming less malevolent. Her hair suddenly changed. It became a fiery orange.
Suddenly, one of the Emoballs gave out a horrible screeching noise. All of the others look around and then scattered away into the shadows. "What's up?" Tala asked Arina. She wasn't looking at him. She was looking away from him, into the shadows. Suddenly, several voice emerged from the shadows, all singing, one beautiful one singing Tala's favorite Christmas song, Silent Night.
"What are those voices?" Tala asked.
"The voices of mothers singing to their children good night. I remember those voices well," Arina said. "The Emoballs flee from those voices, because they were created by childrens' imaginations. The voices of their mothers would destroy them because they are not meant to hear them. Those voices put children to sleep, and they can put Emoballs to sleep, which they cannot do, so they die."
Tala looked around. He saw an Emoball as dark as the night sky fall to the ground. It didn't have wings, it didn't have anything. Arina walked over to it and picked it up. "Which Emoball is that?" Tala asked.
"The Emoball of darkness. This Emoball was going to die anyway. The Emoballs of darkness don't last very long. They only live for a few months, and then they die if they don't strike someone with their arrows of darkness," Arina cooned as she stroked the fur of the Emoball.
"What do their arrows do?" Tala asked.
"If they hit the heart of someone, their heart turns dark, black, emotionless, and no Emoball can fix it. The Emoballs of darkness penetrate the heart to be emotionless, nothing they can feel, and their powers are so strong that they can make the heart so dark, no Emoball can possibly fix it," Arina lowered the small Emoball to the ground. It rolled onto its back and stayed still. It was dead.
Suddenly, the voices stopped singing. There was a horrible silence, and then three horse voices spoke through the darkness of the trees.
"Come on, Firenze, there's a weird energy signal over this way. I think a mortal has entered our world!"
"Impossible, Bronzo, no mortal can enter this world! It is strictly impossible!"
"Firenze, nothing is impossible! I think the mortal is being escorted by that horrible guardian, that horrible kitsune, Arina!
"But I thought Arina was supposed to be preventing mortals from entering, not helping them, Archen?"
"She's a jumbolanie kitsune, what do you expect from something that's a demon!"
"Watch your tongue, Bronzo! No such word is to be spoken by our league!"
"The only reason she's the guardian of this world is because she's a shape shifter and was imagined by more than one child! She is a demon!"
Arina looked into the forest. She looked at Tala, and then she ran toward him, pushing him behind a huge dark tree. "Stay there! Don't come out until I say so!" then she ran toward the fire that was burnig and put it out. Tala felt something fuzzy down by his leg. He looked down and saw a silver Emoball that looked like a fox. It was glowing, looking up at Tala with glowing gold eyes. Tala hoped to high heaven that the glow around it wouldn't give out his position.
Tala looked behind the tree, and saw Arina standing alone in the darkness. She had changed herself once again, but he couldn't see due to the darkness. Then, the sound of hooves became louder. Tala then saw three strong, huge figures approach Arina. They were a lot taller than her, but they trembled at the sight of her. They, too, were glowing, so Tala could see them, but he could not see Arina. They all had the torso of a man, but it was joined with the palomino body of a horse. Centuars!
"Where is he, A-Arina?" one of them asked, his voice stammering. Apparently, they feared Arina, but why?
"I have no idea of who you speak of, Archen," came Arina's voice from the shadows, but it had a different tone. A deadly, cold, murderous tone.
One of the centuars raised his bow and arrow, but did not point it at Arina. The bow was trembling in his hands. The other two looked at Arina, and Tala quickly hid behind the tree so they would not see him. He listened, though, trying hard not to give his position away.
"You know very damn well where the jumbolanie mortal is, you demon!" said one of the horse voice.
"Bronzo, such language should not be tallerated with your kind of centuars!" Arina's voice came.
"Quiet, kitsune! You know nothing of our kind!" came the voice of Archen.
"Oh, I don't, do I? Sorry, I don't quite understand these words from within your league. I don't understand why such powerful, strong, mystical creatures such as yourselves would so idiotic to challenge me to a battle. Do you three not know who I am?" Arina voice seemed to deadly that it scared Tala. This voice he had not heard when he first came to this world. Instead of sweet and caring, this voice was cold and deadly.
"Of course we know who you are. A kitsune. But soon you will be a dead kitsune!" yelled another voice from the centuars, Firenze.
Tala held his breath as the cold voice spoke again. "You kill me, and soon you will have nothing to protect this world. Admit it, centuars, you tremble before me because you fear that if you kill me, this world would be engulfed within darkness. Face it, this world is turing into a dark world where the nightmares of children become reality for us. The children of Earth are giving up in a lot of things. A girl in San Diego, Elizabeth Lucas, has just turned fourteen, and already, each night when she sleeps, her nightmares consume her. She has given up in everything. Now all that she is is a vessel, a hoste, of darkness."
There was an eerie silence, and then the sounds of the centuars quickly disappeared. There was a moment where Tala stayed behind the tree, taking in slow breaths. Elizabeth Lucas? He had heard about her. It was all over the news. After that horrible weeks of fires down in southern California, America, had ended, a fourteen year old girl had vanished off of the face of the Earth. She had been sleeping one night, when her parents came in to check on her, she was gone. No one had broken in, her parents were right outside the door, she just vanished. That girl hasn't appeared for six years.
"Tala, you can come out," came the sweet caring voice of Arina. Tala walked out from behind the tree into the warm light of the fire that was burning once more.
"Arina, how do you know of that Elizabeth girl in San Diego? She's been gone for six years, vanished completely," Tala asked.
Arina was on the ground, brushing through her now black hair, straight, long, but tangly. Once she was done, she looked up at Tala, tears forming in her eyes.
"Everyone knows of her, Tala, everyone in this world, that is," Arina said.
"How? Why?" Tala asked. A few Emoballs were following him from behind the tree.
Arina's eyes filled with tears once more. "Tala, she created most of this world. Tala, everyone knows her because... because... because Elizabeth Nicole Lucas... is me."
Chapter III : The Truth is Revealed
"What do you mean you're that girl?! She's disappeared for six years!" Tala yelled. Arina was looking away from him.
"It's true, Tala. It's been six years that I've been the guardian of this world," Arina said sadly.
"But I thought you said that children all over the world have imagined you as their friend!?" Tala yelled.
"Yeah, they did. It was news all over the world about my disappearance that children actually began to think of me, but they made me their imaginary friend. It was just a few months ago that people stopped thinking of me," Arina said.
"But... but..." Tala couldn't bring himself to say anything.
"Let me tell you everything, the whole story, alright?" Arina said. "It all started eight years ago. I was a just a little girl that lived in a convalescent center, and one year I came home to visit my family for six months before I disappeared. You can just imagine how lonely I was. I didn't have any friends, I was seperated by people outside the hospital. So, I began to create my own little world out of my imagination. Soon, that world became real. My imagination ran wild in this world, and so did the imaginations of all the children around the world.
"Soon, the creatures that were imagined in the real world came here to the world I created once forgotten, so they could never be lonely. The creatures that inhabited originally in this world, like the Emoballs and other stuff, were increased surprisingly, because I created them to be happy. But... then that day came when I became so well, I had to go home.
"I spent six months at home before that fateful day. My parents didn't know how to cope with me, they always left me behind, always gone. They failed to notice that I was getting more sick by the day. But no matter how lonely I got, there was always my imaginary world to escape to for happiness. Then one night, someone was calling me to my world, and then I woke up here. News spread out all over the world about my disappearance, and soon children began to imagine what I was like, and what I looked like that I was able to communicate to them and escape to the real world through their imagination. But since the children are now giving up in everything, their dreams, their wishes, hope, and their imagination, this world is becoming darker and more evil."
Tala looked at her and then around. He now finally understood. This world was guarded by her because she created it. But there were still things that he did not understand.
"Why did those centaurs call you a kitsune?" he asked.
"Do you know what a kitsune is?" Arina asked him.
"Yeah. A fox demon."
"More than that. A fox demon shape shifter. Do you know the reason why I lived in a convalescent center? My parents would always enter my room, and I would be pale, trembling, and my eyes would be spilling out blood. Because at night I changed forms, though not knowing it. It was only last year that I found out I was a kitsune," Arina said angrily.
Tala backed away. He could sense danger. He looked down at the Emoballs, but they were backing away as well.Then, Arina stood up and walked away from Tala. It was only until now that Tala realized that he had pissed her off.
"Wait! Arina, listen, I'm sorry! Really, I am!" Tala chased after her, but crashed into someone. He fell ontop of it, and it was a moment when he realized it was Arina. Blushing, he crawled off of her. But now he didn't know where she was.
"Arina? Where are you?" he asked.
"Right here. Don't worry, I'm not mad at you," he felt Arina's warm hand clench his, and then felt her other hand wrap around his mouth. She whispered into his ear. "Don't make a sound, don't say a word."
Her hand moved away. There was a rustle right next to him, then he felt something like a giant leaf hover over them. He could feel Arina move closer. "Don't move," she hissed. He felt her knees be brought up under the leaf. Then silence filled the dark air around them, then he felt a horrible cold breeze fly through the air, all around them. It was so cold it felt like water as cold as ice was pouring down Tala's back. It was so cold he was about to cry out.
Then Arina wrapped her hand tightly around his mouth. Silence and the horrible cold air was all around them. Then a horrible, scrathy, rattling noise filled the air of the forest. It sounded like something was trying to suck in the air. There were the sounds of rustling and twigs cracking in a eerie rhythm. Then the noises became louder and horrible. It felt like there were five creatures right in front of them. Tala felt Arina lean close to him.
"Alright, you have to listen to me and do exactly what I say," she whispered into his ear. "The tree behind us has a hallow hole that you can lean into and slide down tube into an underground visinity. There you will find a boy named Hanukah who you must ask to give you a violet crystal. Then go down the hall to an empty room. You must hide in there until someone comes up and knocks four times. You must answer it. On the count of three, you have to go to the tree, alright?"
Tala nodded in a slight way for her to tell. He had many questions he would like to ask, but he knew if he spoke, he would draw attention to them. "One," whispered Arina's voice. Tala was trembling all over. He felt with his back for the hallow hole, and found it, bigger than him. "Two."
Tala felt Arina's grip tighten. She moved slightly, and the leaf was pushed away. "THREE!" She yelled as she pushed Tala through the hallow hole, and the last thing Tala saw of her as he slid down the dark tube was he pulling the leaf away to battle five hooded figures. Now, he felt nervous. Will she be alright? What were those things? And where was this tube leading him as he slid down it at the speed of light.
Chapter IV: Hanukah, the Dragon
Tala fell through a hole at the end of the slide and landed on his back in something soft. He sat up and felt around at what it was. He looked down and saw that it was feathers. A huge pile of colorful feathers. He smiled as the feathers reminded him of the colorful Emoballs. Standing up, he brushed off the feathers and walked down the hall. It was dim litted here, and it looked like an underground tunnel. There was a door at the end. Tala ran to it. He had to find someone named Hanukah. Grabbing the handle of the door, he tried to turn, but it was stuck completely. He pulled on it, but it would not budge. He pulled with all his might, but once he let go, he flew back into the pile of feathers.
How am I supposed to meet someone named Hanukah, if I can't even get through the first door? He approached the door again, and grabbed the handle. He then found himself thinking of Arina. He thought of her fighting all those hooded figures. He imagined finding her in the grass, dead. He imagined her being decapitated. He imagined many things happening to her. No. No! no, she won't get hurt! I won't let anything bad happen to her.
Suddenly, the knob turned and swung open. Tala looked into a large room, bright like the hallow of an angel, and in the center were two kids his age talking. One was a boy with short turquoise hair and flashing diamond blue eyes. Talking to him was a girl with long fiery hair and blood red eyes. She stopped talking and looked at Tala. Their eyes met and Tala could have suspected she was the daughter of the devil or the Goddess of Hell from the way she looked. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a gold whistle, but the boy kept her hand down.
"State your name, human!" he yelled. His voice was strong and powerful. It was so powerful that it blew Tala down by surprise. Tala had to stumble back up in order to speak.
"I-I'm Tala. I'm here because Arina told me to come down," Tala said.
The two kids exchanged looks and then the girl spoke. Her voice was misty, like it was coming through a cloud of dark mist. "Is Arina alright? Wait, hold on," she reached into her other pocket and pulled out a crystal. The boy took it and approached Tala. Tala stared into the crystal and gasped. It was a pearl white crystal, filled with a white sparkly mist. Tala let his hand reach out to it, just to feel the mist inside. The moment he placed his fingertip on it, a strange, secure, delicate, warm wind blew into his body, like the warm breeze of the sun. Was he seeing things, or did he just see a nine-tail white fox run into a dark, black forest, its lightful tails vanishing into the dark trees.
"ARINA!!" Tala jumped back, his hand soar and he fell to his knees. Arina, she was hurt, but there was nothing he could do. He wished to only be there for her, to protect her. He felt the piercing tears line against his eyes, but it took all his strength to keep them in.
He looked up and saw that the crystal had turned colors. Now it was a solid, dark, beautiful violet. So beautiful, it reminded Tala of Arina.
"His heart is pure, he has true love inside him. He created the Violet Crystal, something no one has ever been able to do.He is the one who is meant to help us,"the boy said. "I am Hannukah, the Dragon of water."
"And I am Chrisima, Goddess of Hell. You are the one destined to help us free our dear Arina from this spell," the girl said. Tala was right, she was from Hell.
"So, what do you want me to do?" Tala asked, standing up. Hannikah grabbed his hand and jabbed the crystal into it. It felt warm, like the heat of the sun.
"Come with me!" Hannukah pulled Tala across the room pass Chisima, and a door threw open and they were plunged into complete darkness.
"What's going on!?" Tala yelled.
"Uh-oh. It's the nightmares. They have found their way into this part of the world. We must hurry. Hold on, Tala," came Hannukah's voice, but Tala could not feel his hand anylonger. Hannukah was gone, and he was alone in this darkness. Tala was going to be all alone, again.
It's no big deal. I've always been alone. Ever since I was a kid. There was never someone who cared for me, to watch over me.
Wait, there was someone. A group of boys. His friends, his teammates, the other Demolition Boys. Bryan always had his back. Ian was always there when Tala least suspected it. Spencer always came through. Could Tala have never been alone? A face drifted into his mind. Murderous, malevolent gray eyes. Long dark hair. Arina... .
A light shown through the darkness. So warm. The darkness faded, but Tala closed his eyes and felt light vanish from his body. Darkness was now all he could see. A strong voice spoke out to him.
"Tala, wake up! C'mon, Tala, wake up!"
Tala opened his eyes and found himself in the forest with Hannukah.
"What in the world-?"
"We've got no time for that now, Tala! Arina is in danger!"
"What do you mean?"
"The nightmares have grown stronger. Arina is caught in their darkness. This keeps up, she'll be lost forever. The only way to save her is to use a new kind of crystal. The Yume Imperium Crystal, the crystal of this world."
Yume Imperium? Dream! The Dream crystal. Tala remembered seeing something like a hazey blue crystal in his dreams. It was in a dark tunnel.
"Hannukah, where is the temple of Illusions?"
Hannukah's mouth dropped as he stared at Tala. Apparently something was wrong.
Chapter V : The Goddess Of Silence
"Hannukah, what's up?" Tala asked.
"It's just... the Temple of Illusions... is where she is sealed," Hannukah explained.
"Who?" Tala asked.
"A... demon, from the outside world. Created by the darkness of these nightmares... . She came, just like Arina, but is the complete opposite. She's... she's... ." Hannukah shuddered.
"Hannukah, just spit it out!" Tala was growing impatient, and Arina was in danger.
"The gemini twin of Arina, Haruka, the Goddess of Silence," Hannukah said. "Around the time Arina came into this world, so did Haruka. Haruka was formed by Arina's nightmares, the darkest ones. At first Haruka formed inside of her, then she split apart, and caused this world to be engulfed in silence. Arina created a crystal that would seal Haruka up in a temple of Illusions, and she did. But if we remove the crystal, Haruka would be free."
Tala imagined a girl looking exactly like Arina causing chaos and destruction in the world she and children created. That wasn't like Arina.
"Hannukah, please, if you're a dragon, you have to take me to that temple. I have to save Arina!" Tala said. Hannukah looked at him and smiled.
"Your heart... now I understand... it is all because of your heart... your soul... ." Hannukah said.
"What are you talking about?" Tala asked.
"How you have been transported here, how you knew Arina, how you were able to create the Violet Crystal, it all makes sense now! It isn't because of your imagination, it's because of your heart, your soul, your imagination!" Hannukah said.
"What?" Tala asked.
"Your heart, Tala! Your heart is pure, your soul, it's all based on one thing! The person you love!" Hannukah said. Tala's face was growing red. The person he loved. He never loved anyone in his life. Arina's face drifted into his head. Her. It was her he loved. Elizabeth Nicole Lucas, Arina, it was her. Tears formed in Tala's eyes. If anything bad happened to her, he would just die!
"Hannukah, is it possible you could transform into a dragon and give me a ride to the Temple of Illusions?" Tala asked.
Darkness fell over Tala for a moment, then something became clear in the darkness. A bright blue dragon. Tala stared. It was Hannukah! Tala ran forward and climbed onto his back. Suddenly, wind rushed into his face as the dragon lifted him into the air over the trees. The wind was so cold Tala shivered. Everything was falling under him as Hannukah flew into the sky. Everything seemed so different. The sky was a lot darker, but the stars were so brighter. The moon was full and pure bright silver. The trees and forests beneath him were a lot darker, but was all so beautiful, and calm. Was this the purity of this world? Or was it... Tala's imagination?
"Tala, we are almost there," came a voice from the dragon. Under him Tala saw an ancient Chinese temple. The dragon landed on the temples stairs and Tala jumped off. "I must leave Tala. Haruka is a goddess that I do not wish to be near." With that the dragon flew away into the night.
Tala turned back to the temple and began to climb up the stairs. The tepmle was old and looked rickety. Tala felt a cold shudder arouse inside him. He approached the temple's front doors, and a shock of lightning hit his hand. He yelled and pulled his hand away. It was a barrier, keeping him out, and whatever was in sealed.
Please, Arina, give me strength. I need to help you. Tala cautiously grasped the door and pulled it open. His head became cold, his whole body, everything, so cold. He was brought to his knees in the cold, dark abiss. But a voice kept speaking in his ear. Telling him to be strong. Telling him not to give up. Not to give in. And he wouldn't.
Tala stood up and looked into the temple. On the other side of it was a girl in fancy, lace, black dress. She was unconcious, her black hair flowing over her elegant face. She was gorgeous, though quite pale and gaunt, like she hadn't awaken from her deep sleep in years. Tala approached the unconscious girl and stroked her hair. She looked so much like Arina. What bound to her were silver strands of thick web. It was like a spiderweb, and she was the spider's next dinner.
Suddenly the girl began to stir. She opened her eyes to reveal cold, hazey dark eyes, like Arina's. She looked up at Tala.
"Who... are you?" she asked.
"I'm Tala. You must be Haruka. I'm here to look for the Yume Imperium Crystal," Tala said.
"The... Yume Imperium...?" The girl looked down at the floor, her eyes grazing over detail. "I... have seen it before... . A beautiful crystal... hidden inside a pure heart of a mortal... . The crystal is not here... ."
"Then... where is it?!" Tala asked. He was growing impatient. The girl looked up with a smile.
"Untie me... and I will tell you all I know about the Yume Imperium Crystral," she said.
Tala had no choice. His heart was telling him to trust her. And so he did. He grabbed the threads and pulled hard. The strands crumbled gently in his hands, loosening, and releasing the girl onto her knees on the floor. Now she was on the floor of the temple, brushing off the threads that remained.
"Okay, tell me all you know about this crystal!" Tala demanded. The girl looked up at him calmly.
"The Yume Imperium Crystal," she began, "is a crystal I created when I was one with my twin, Arina. I am Haruka, Goddess of Silence and Chaos."
Chapter VI: Numbing the Past
"So, you're the one everyone is afraid of?" Tala asked.
"Not exactly. They fear me, but for the wrong reason. Just because I'm a goddess, and my twin is a kitsune, we could bring chaos to this world. What they don't understand is that we created this world, the world of the farthest star," Haruka said. "My twin was under a spell when the nightmares were coming into this place."
"A spell?" Tala asked.
"Let me start at the beginning. You already know that as one, we came to this world and created it through our lonesome dreams and hopes. You know we came here because of our dreams. Well, it was our fears and nightmares that split us apart. Being the original, Arina took must of the effect, as I was called the evil twin. I wanted to protect Arina, she was weakening. I created the Yume Imperium crystal so it would give her strength. But our own fear and our own nightmares placed a spell on Arina, so she sealed me using the crystal I created for her. The creatures of this world don't know the full story of us. They just believe me to be evil," Haruka said.
"The spell still controls Arina, and as her twin, I need to protect her. I mat be called the Goddess of Chaos, but truth is, I'm harmless. Please, Tala, you have to help me save her!" Haruka said. "You have to help me find it."
Tala felt uneasy. He couldn't believe any of this. But Arina's face drifted into mind, and then it faded and Tala closed his eyes. He saw her deep inside his mind, then he saw a crystal. A beautiful, white crystal that shined like the moon. If only he knew where to look for it. Then a wolf came into mind. A wolf with ice wings. Wolborg!
Tala stood up and looked around. This was a world where imaginary things came to life. So if thought and imagined his Wolborg being real... .
Sure enough, the moment he pictured Wolborg in his head, a wolf appeared before him, ice wings sprouting from its back. Haruka stepped back as she stared at the creature.
"Wolborg won't hurt you. He knows me, and he trusts me," Tala said, swinging one leg over the back of the giant wolf and climbing on.
"Are you sure that it's safe to trust him?" Haruka said.
Tala looked down at her with his steely blue eyes, a stern expression on his face. "I trust Wolborg with my life when I'm in battle, I trust him with my soul now to save arina," Tala said, but he noticed the unconvinced look on Haruka's face. "It's better to trust some than to not trust at all." He held his hand out to the goddess and helped her over the back of the wolf behind him.
Wolborg suddenly growled, but he ran at full speed out of the temple and into the night, the wind blowing against both their faces. Wolborg jumped into the air high in the sky, Tala looking down at the dark world beneath them. Why hadn't Wolborg landed yet? Of course, his wings! Thanks to them, he can fly!
"Haruka, do you have any idea where we may find Arina?" Tala asked, turning his head to her.
"Yes... . There's a fortress that has been formed by the nightmares, giving off the evil of them. She should be near there, because the spell still controlls her," Haruka said calmly.
"Look out!"
Wolborg suddenly flew to the ground like a jet and landed hard in the trees and fields. Tala fell off and rolled to a tree. His side hit the tree hard, and something hit his head, causing his vision to blur and darken. Soon, he blacked out.
"Tala. Tala? Oh, good, I think he's coming to," replied a familiar voice. Tala opened his eyes and saw a girl with ice, gray eyes and long black hair. She was gorgeous. Immediately Tala recognized her.
"Arina! Oh, my God, I thought I had lost you!" he cried as he wrapped his arms around her. Arina blushed, as a boy had never held her like this, so affectionate, so...
Arina pulled away. "Tala, how did you get here?" Arina asked as she stared into Tala's eyes.
"Haruka helped me. I believed Wolborg to be real and he brought us here," Tala said. Tears burned in his eyes. He brought Arina close and cried into her black hair. "Arina, I thought I was going to lose you. I don't ever want to see you go!"
"Tala, no, you're in danger. Wolborg told you to look out. The nightmares have created a warrior, a demon in this world. She attacked you! Her name is-aah!"
A darkness swept down on them, and Arina was sent across. Her body hit a tree, and Tala felt the exact same pain he felt when he was in the abbey. He tried to stand up. Wolborg, where was he? Tala flung his hands out in front of him, and a light appeared in the darkness. Tala approached the light. It was Wolborg, and standing next to him was a girl. She had long flowing silvery white hair and the darkest, saddest gray eyes. Her face was pale and her lips were dark. Was this a kitsune? But those eyes?
"Arina?" Tala asked.
"Yes, Tala, it's me. This is my true form, this is my kitsune form. I didn't want you to ever see me like this, but I guess, with my time coming, it'll be the last thing you'll ever see of me," she said, tears falling from her eyes. The tears began to shine, and the darkness faded from the forest. Tala adjusted his eyes to the trees, and saw a small girl kneeling in the darkness, her long black hair flowing over her. Tala approached her, but Arina grabbed his arm and held him back.
"Tala, that's the demon," Arina said.
"No, that's Haruka! I know! Arina, she's your twin! You have to let me go!" Tala said.
"Twin? Tala, I have no twin. I sealed Haruka up, because she is a vessel to these nightmares. All that she's been telling you are lies! She is the demon, the warrior, the queen of nightmares. If you go near her, you'll die!" Arina said. Tala turned to her in a scared way. How'd did she know what Haruka told him? He pulled away, the pain building inside him.
"No, I have to help her!" Tala said. Suddenly, Haruka began laughing. She jerked her head up at them, her eyes shining malevolently like stars, the smile that crossed her face as evil as her eyes. She didn't look like a girl, anymore. She looked more like a demon.
"She's right, Tala. All I have said was nothing but a lie! She never had a twin, and I certaintly don't wish to protect her! I want to destroy her!" she spoke in a deep voice that definetly wasn't hers. That voice was being echoed by another deeper one. Shasdows wrapped around her Haruka and soon she looked nothing more than a scary shadowy figure. She laughed evilly.
"Tala, look out!" screamed Arina. Too late, a huge hand made from the shadows flew at Tala and struck itself right into Tala's heart. A pain unlike anything erupted in his chest and Tala yelled out in pain. He fell to his knees as the hand jerked itself out his chest, holding something bright in its hand. Tala looked up weakenly, and saw it was the most beautiful white crystal he ever saw. It shined like the moon and even though he could not touch it, it gave off an aura that made him feel warm and safe. He smiled, knowing that crystal was what was in his heart this whole time.
Haruka now held the crystal and she laughed evilly. Tala looked up at Arina and smiled. Somehow he found himself saying stuff he couldn't believe what was true. "This world is amazing, Elizabeth. I have never even imagined such a place like this could exist. Though dreams created this world, I believe dreams won't be able to defeat these nightmares. A dream is what a person feels inside, inside their own hearts. I have found my dreams, I hope you find yours. Promise me you'll make it back to the real world." Tala saw tears fall off her face. He closed his eyes and allowed the last tear to fall. As he fell to the ground, he heard her voice yell out his name as he drifted into the light... .
Chapter VII: Just A Dream
"Tala? I think he's coming to," whispered a familiar voice. Tala opened his eyes and found himself in a white room, surrounded by four boys.
"Tala, you jerk, you had us worried," Bryan said, his face smiling for the first time.
"Wh-what happened?" Tala asked.
"You idiot. You probably ate something bad, because you were unconscious for a total of five days. The new doctor that works here has been taking real good care of you," Ian said.
Was it all just a dream? Tala couldn't believe all that he had seen was just a dream. It sure does make a lot of sense now. "Well, can I leave, or what?" Tala asked.
"Yeah, they said the moment you wake up you can leave!" Bryan said. The boys ran out of the room, but Bryan poked his head out in the doorway.
"Coming, Tala?" he asked.
"Yeah, just give me a sec," Tala said sadly, and watched him disappear. So, it was all just a dream? None of it was real? But how? The girl he kissed? Arina! She was never real? But how? And what the hell was in his pocket, making his leg hurt so bad?
Tala dug his hand in his pocket and pulled whatever it was out. He gasped. There in his hand were two crystals. A beautiful white one that shined like the moon, and a violent violet crystal with spikes, making it look like a mine. He smiled. The Violet Crystal and the Yume Imperium Crystal. So, it wasn't completely a dream. It was real.
"Of course it was real," said a familiar voice. Tala looked up and saw her, Arina, standing before him, wearing a white coat. She looked a lot older than what she did in the imagined world.
"Arina? I can't believe it! It was all real!" Tala said. "What happened to the other world?"
Arina looked down sadly. "It got destroyed. I couldn't protect it. But you were right, and I have realized something else. It doesn't matter how you hold on to dreams, because either way, they'll fade. But you must keep them in your heart, then they may fade away, but you'll never forget them," she said. "I was able to come back because I let go of my dreams, but I held on to yours. You brought me back Tala."
Arina kneeled down and kissed him. Tala pulled away and smiled. He clenched the crystals. "No matter what, I'll never forget you, Elizabeth," he said. Arina nodded and exit the room. Tala looked down at the crystals in his hand, and smiled, a tear running off from his face. His dreams he let go of long ago, but this one he would keep within his heart forever. As he placed the crystals back into his pocket, he stood up and walked to the door. When he stepped onto the threshold, he stopped and turned back to the room. The room was empty, but bright white, like his dreams. He would remember the lesson he taught over this adventure, and he would remember how his future has changed.
He turned off the light and closed the door behind him as he stepped over two thresholds, one from the room of darkness, and the most important one, from his nightmares of the past. As the room was silent, his voice echoed in the distant, saying the very words he spoken to Arina, Elizabeth Nicole Lucas.
"A dream is what a person feels inside...inside their own heart....I have found my dream...I hope you find yours....Promise me you will make it back to the real world....To your own dreams...."
THE END