Chapter 4

Kai had made it to Raine's house as Lloyd, Genis and Collette left the village through the north gate. He had grabbed his bag and threw supplies and extra clothes in it. He tossed it over his shoulders, along with his shield and sword. He wrote a note to Raine and placed it on her pillow, then left the house with Fenir.

They traveled the main path that headed to Triet, on the way he ran into some travelers that were lost.

Kai stopped and asked, "You need any help?"

They looked at him and said, "Yes can you tell us how to get to Triet? Were on a missionary trip and we got lost." Replied the female priest.

Kai looked at the group; it consisted of two priests, a swordsman and a healer. The swordsmen looked like he was no older then 22, he was tall, had short black hair, his skin was tan, and he had a long steel sword that needed two hands to wield, he was wearing a travelers cloak. The healer looked like she was 19, her hair was blond and in a ponytail. She looked no taller then Kai, she wore a beautiful white robe, and carried a staff.

"Well I'm headed for the Triet ruins, so I could take you to Triet and rest there for the day, before going to the ruins." Said Kai as he caught a glimpse of the girl looking at him, she quickly turned her head and blushed.

"You can! That's great, we could always use another bodyguard, and I will see that you are paid for your services." Said the male priest.

Kai shook his head and replied, "No that's okay, give the money to people that need it."

"Alright, thanks for helping us." Replied the female priest as she smiled.

They walked along the path protecting the priests from monsters. As it became nightfall they stopped and setup camp. The swordsman was in charge of cooking as Kai and the healer checked the area for wood for the fire. They were near the forest when the healer asked, "So what's your name?"

"Kai, Kai Konosuke." He replied as he picked up a couple of sticks.

"Tria Maxwell, so why are you on the way to the Triet ruins?" she asked him as she got a few sticks herself.

"I'm on my own little quest that I cannot say right now...It might jeopardize my quest."

Tria looked at him and saw his right hand, "You have an exsphere! Are you a Desian?" she asked him.

"No way, I can't stand them. They are nothing but bad news." Kai replied almost at once.

"This was my mother's she gave it to me before I left."

"I see I'm sorry I yelled like tha-!" said Tria as she slipped on a slippery rock and landed on the ground with her robe a skew. Kai seen this and quickly adverted his eyes as she fixed her robes.

"I'm sorry I did not mean to look at you like that." Yelled Kai quickly, hoping that he would not get hit.

"It's okay it was my fault for not watching where I was going." She replied as she brushed off the dirt, and got the sticks she dropped.

They walked back to the campsite and everyone was waiting for them. They sat and had dinner and talked. After dinner Kai volunteered to be the night watch while everyone slept. During the night Kai heard a splash of water and went to check it out, when he got to the lake, Kai had seen more then he bargained for. Tria was taking a bath in the lake and Kai had seen her. Kai quickly ducked out of site and hid behind a bush, before getting up.

"You saw something you weren't supposed to eh Kai?" said Fenir as he looked at Kai.

"Shut up!" Replied Kai as he tried to stop his nosebleed, Fenir laughed.

Kai got back up and called out to Tria, "Is everything okay Tria?"

Tria heard Kai's voice and replied, "Yes I am, how did you know I was here, did you peek?"

"No, I did not I just saw that you were not at the campsite, and I heard a splash of water, so I guessed it was you." He replied blushing a shade of crimson.

"What I'm not peek worthy?" she said playfully

Kai's nose begun to bleed again, "I-I-I-I-I..." he stuttered

"I was kidding." She said as she got out of the water and begun to dry herself off, "So could you help me dry off?"

That was the last straw as Kai fell to the ground bleeding from his nose.

"Kai? I was kidding again...Kai?" She walked over to where she heard him talking and saw him out cold. "Ah man...I over did it again."

The morning came and they left for Triet, on the way Kai asked the swordsman his name.

"My name is Shirro Kana." He replied as they walked into the desert.

As they neared Triet they were ambushed by a group of bandits who Kai recognized from the ones he left on the tree, almost a year ago.

"Hand over your money and women!" said Bandit 1

Kai stepped out from behind the priest and said, "Well if it isn't the same guys from a year ago."

The bandits took a step back and said, "Not you again!"

"Kai, you know these people?" asked Shirro

"Yeah I know them, they attacked me once before." He replied in a whisper "Well you going to attack me again or you going to run off before you get stuck in the tree again?" he asked the Bandits.

They looked at him and ran off without saying another word. Then the group once again headed for Triet. Once in Triet the priests left the group and Kai and the others went into the inn. They got two rooms and they rested, during the night Kai heard two familiar voices and one new one.

'Colette and Raine? They are here too? Oh man I wasn't hoping to run into them this soon!' thought Kai as he lay in his bed, while Shirro snored.

The next day Kai and his group got up early and left before Colette's group woke up. Kai then asked Shirro and Tria what they were going to do.

"I was thinking of following you, Kai. Since all I was doing was protecting the priest." Replied Shirro as they walk towards the gate.

"I want to find out more about you Kaiiiii." Replied Tria as she was next to Kai.

'I'm glad they are coming with me but Tria just scares me, I don't know if she is serious or toying with me.' He thought as they got outside the gates.

As Kai's group was leaving the town, Colette group came out of the inn and Raine had spotted Kai and Fenir. "Kai, Kaiiii!" she yelled as a group of people went by and blocked her vision, when they left he was gone.

"Professor is something wrong?" asked Colette as she looked at Raine.

"No nothing, I'm sorry." Replied Raine as she looked disappointed.

Kai's group arrived at the Triet ruins when the desert started to get hot; they had no trouble getting to the ruins as they were able to put down monsters without problems.

"Well here we are, so what's here?" asked Tria, as she looked around in the shade.

"This is the shrine to Effet, the summon sprit of fire." Replied Kai as he looked at the shrine door. "I just need to figure out how to get in here."

Kai looked at the stone that blocked the way, "Hmmm...that's looks familiar?"

"What does?" asked Shirro as he stood next to Kai.

"That symbol, it looks like it has something to do with me." Kai leaned over and his pendent fell out of his pocket and opened up.

Tria picked up the pendent, and looked at it. "Kai what's this?"

"Huh?" Kai looked at her and saw the pendent. "That's my mother's." Kai grabbed it and looked at it. "That's it!"

"What is?" they both asked.

"That symbol is the same as the one on that stone." Kai said as he went and put his hand on the stone, nothing happened. Kai then put his hand on the stone tablet next to the big stone, and nothing happened.

"Well that sucks!" yelled Kai as he shut the pendent.

"Well try other means to get in." teased Tria as Kai looked at the stone.

Minutes later Kai retuned with a sledgehammer and hit it with all his force. The hammer snapped and hit Kai in the head. He tried to force it open with his sword, but only managed to fly into the sand. Then he tried magic and explosives, but failed. Shirro and Tria sat on the sidelines and watched Kai fail time and time again.

Kai gave up when night came around they setup camp and had dinner. "Man I could not get into that shrine." Said Kai as they sat around the fire.

"You sure, it's even your crest?" asked Shirro

"Yes, it's my mother she is from the mana clan, or at least that's what my adopted mother told me." Replied Kai as he looked at Shirro

They were both stunned as they looked at him. "You're related to the chosen?" Said Tria

"Keep it down; if word got out that I'm related to her I'll be in danger." Replied Kai as he looked at her. "Let's get some sleep, were getting into that shrine tomorrow."

They put out the fire and went to sleep.