Lightning-Dono: I really can't wait to write the rest of this! I have so many things in mind and I think I broke out of Writers Block! :D

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Volatile's eyes ran over the once prosperous land. When he had been frozen, he had only been fifteen. Hazy memories played over and over inside his head like he was witnessing a very badly made light show.

Kneeling down to touch the ground, he felt the solidly built ground that had been pounded on for years by the feet of his people. The people of whom he had trusted to survive long enough to see him again. Instead, he had awoken to find the land bare and a few burnt logs rolling aimlessly across the ground. It was a sign that someone had recently been burning logs to cook and do other various things.

He turned to cite out the source of the logs, but stopped. Something beneath his boot felt fleshy. Averting his gaze to the ground, he saw a girl of no older than fourteen lying on the ground in a helpless position, her hair spread out around her. It glistened with particles of ice stuck in it. Removing his foot from her gloved hand, he waited to see whether she would revive or not.

What is this? A thought ran through Annulus's numb mind. So cold...So much pain...

Volatile thought he saw the girl twitch.

Must get up, she willed herself, trying to move her muscles enough to get a decent stretch and get the blood flowing. I have to. With a surge of energy her eyes snapped open and she wiggled her fingers as though running a test to see if they could move at all. Trying to adjust her eyes to the light, Annulus thought she saw a shadow dancing about infront of her.

"Just another trick of light," she muttered to herself, lifting herself shakily from the ground using her arms. Running her slender fingers through her thick hair, she felt her elbow brush against the shadow. Apparently, it was solid. Blinking experimentally and rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, she made sure she was seeing things right.

Had she gone mad?

At last, Volatile found the courage to give his vocal cords a rattle. "Are you okay?" He asked in a voice of someone that had just woken up. Annulus bolted up in surprise, got to her feet, and withdrew her staff from its place in her belt.

"Who are you?" She demanded, pointing it at Volatile's chest. Normally, he would've just taken his sword and stabbed her in the chest, but he judged against it. Common sense didn't work that way – he could tell that she had just woken up and was clearly confused.

Coughing and pounding his chest to be able to speak properly, he regained himself. "My name is Volatile," he told her sensibly, holding out his hand for the traditional handshake. Slapping his hand and grasping it hard, Annulus jerked his arm up and down.

"Nice to meet you," she said sweetly, sticking her staff back in it's place and staring languidly at the ground. "So much has happened over these past fifty years."

Volatile was surprised. "You were also preserved?"

Annulus nodded. Not with pride, but with shame. "I abandoned my family as they disapproved of my ability to freeze things. They had wished for me to gain a proper education. But that was not even close to what I wanted." She laughed. "I wanted to run off to Northern Weyard where ice was rare. I wanted my talents to be appreciated."

Volatile nodded for her to continue. He felt that it was rude to interrupt and wanted to hear this story. After all, his memories weren't clear and maybe some of the images in his head could be defined by this girl's firm words.

"But instead I got myself caught. The night before I ran away, guards were standing at their posts and word of invasion got out. I thought this was complete bull because back then we were so strong. In a flurry of misguiding belief, I packed up and headed to the pier where I was to catch the boat out. What I didn't know was that they'd blocked incoming and outgoing boats so northern spies couldn't get here. When I arrived they took one look at me and hauled me off."

"Why?" Volatile cut in. "Why haul you off?"

Annulus squeezed her eyes shut in remorse. "I was wearing the rebel color. I was wearing a red shirt and a blood-red pair of pants."

The young male Adept gasped. He had seen this girl as wild, but not anything like that. In Southern Weyard, red was the color of war and death. It was a sin to wear the color of blood as the people of Southern Weyard longed for eternal life.

"They took me to the prison where I was to be looked after and guarded every second of the day. I lived in there for a few days before the Freezing Ceremony began. A guard that was off-duty spread the information that I was an Adept. The Freezers, as they were called, said that it was a far worse punishment than being jailed. So they told me atleast I was doing this for the best of Weyard and stuck me in freezing chamber where I was to lie on one of the shelves and become frozen. It was torturous. I knew I would die eventually, but instead I was somehow preserved and here I am." Annulus took a deep breath. "I suppose that place was destroyed and that's how we ended up out here."

Volatile shrugged and continued to search for civilization. "Do you think anyone is even here anymore?"

"I'm hoping so because frankly, I'm starving." Annulus sighed.

Volatile rounded on her. "I don't know your name, but we need to find a way to get off this continent! The Freezers told me that when I woke up to the light of the Golden Sun that I was to save this land by destroying Northern Weyard." His face reddened. "I want to save this place! I don't want to see it like this anymore."

"My name is Annulus," Annulus informed him. "And hunger will hinder us in our little journey to destroy the north of Weyard."

"I'm going alone," Volatile burst.

Annulus, of course, was ready to argue. "Look, do you think you're some kind of chain reactor? How are you expecting to destroy all of Northern Weyard by yourself?"

"Well, the north can't appreciate your talents if it's lying in ruins, can it?"

Annulus reduced her voice to a small murmuring. "I want to go so I can get my family back."

"Your family, as well as mine, is dead. They're all gone." The male Adept turned, his hair shadowing his face as he spoke.

"Then I can avenge them," Annulus replied calmly. "We both will. I don't know how you can stand here and look at all this and think of going on your own."

Volatile thought of this for a bit. "Fine," he said shortly.

A gray ball of what looked like rock and ice cast a shadow upon the ground, right above where the duo were standing.