Chapter two is up. Yeah, it's boring, but it's a necessary part of the story. Get over it.

Chapter 2.

Shinta awoke with a start. Looking around wildly, he recognized where he was and quickly calmed down.

"Is there a problem, my friend?" Ushcahar's light voice called from near the fire. The smell of frying meat filled the entire structure.

Sniffing appreciatively, Shinta went to sit next to his strange new friend. Glancing outside, he noticed a small deer, its head shorn cleanly from its shoulders. He glanced at the cooking meat and shrugged mentally. "Hmm? Oh, I simply had a disturbing dream. It was nothing."

Ushcahar looked up from his cooking and stared at Shinta gravely. "My friend, dreams rarely mean nothing, if my experiences have taught me anything." He poked the meat lightly, testing it. "Dreams are shades of the past, troubles of the present, or preludes of things that the sun has yet to shine upon. What did you dream of?" He stared at Shinta levelly.

Shinta stared at the wall, as if seeing past it and beyond. "I dreamed of war, bloodshed, and men doing horrible things to other men." He sighed and looked at his feet. The meat sizzled slightly. "I dreamed of other horrors and of things I cannot explain."

Ushcahar sighed and pulled the meat away from the fire. "You seem very disturbed by this. Obviously, your blade has never tasted man's flesh. Unfortunately, it will, if your dreams are to be believed." He blew out a long breath. "Your life has not and will not be an easy one."

Shinta scowled at the boy. "I do not believe in war and I shall never join one. You assume much because of a simple dream."

Ushcahar sighed and changed the subject quickly. "Shinta, I have grown very weary of life. I have seen more, read more, thought more, and loved more than any single man on this vibrant world. I do not wish to travel anymore." He paused, looking at the swordsman next to him. "Shinta, what would you do with eternal life?"

Shinta smiled lightly. "Why, I would learn all there is to learn. I would see all there is to see. I would sail the seas. I would eat foods from every country of the world. I would climb the highest mountain and swim through the lowest ocean. I would better the world with my knowledge and make sure what my dreams portrayed would never come to pass." He grinned at these thoughts.

Ushcahar nodded. "Admirable. Now, what would you do if I said that I can offer you this chance?"

Shinta grinned at the tan boy. "I would name you a brother."

Ushcahar nodded again. "Ah, I have not had a brother for nearly two thousand years." He pulled the meat from the pan, now sufficiently cool and handed it to Shinta. "Come my friend, eat."

Shinta accepted the meat. "I cannot say I believe you, but you make a wonderful story teller."

Ushcahar ignored the comment. "Last night, in my dreams, I heard a tolling bell. It called out to me, telling me that my time in the earthly realm has expired. I felt as if I should have a successor, and you are possibly the most worthy of all I have met. To think, here in a distant land, hundreds of days of travel away from my native land, that I would find you. The only problem is, you need to willingly accept." He looked at Shinta expectantly.

Shinta's eyes twinkled in amusement. "If it were true, I would accept with all my heart. Man would indeed benefit from me."

Suddenly, the small boy began to convulsed as blue light ruptured from his body. Slowly, a sapphire liquid began to bleed from his pores as his body continued to buck. The liquid formed a small puddle around the boy. Shinta looked on in fascinated horror until Ushcahar's form flopped back to the ground. The liquid had solidified into a large gem as both men watched.

Ushcahar grinned weakly and lifted himself up. "Now, Shinta, you have promised to take the jewel. My body will not accept it any longer." Ushcahar's hair seemed slightly longer, his voice a little deeper. Shinta carefully grasped the jewel. Immediately, it began to dissolve into his skin. He looked up at the Arabian man, who seemed to become older and older.

"Ushcahar, you are dying," Shinta managed to gasp.

"We all die." He patted Shinta on the back and turned to walk out the door. "It was nice meeting you, Shinta." He bowed and stepped out into the sunlight.

Shinta watched him walk away. His vision suddenly wavered. His consciousness fled from him quickly as his body seemed to tingle.

Ushcahar sighed as he heard the soft thud. Shinta would awaken in a few hours. Then his life would truly begin. Ushcahar pulled out his scimitar. "Well, old friend, it was quite a journey, no? Come, I want to see the sun set over the ocean one last time. I always loved the sea." In the back of his mind, a bell tolled loudly.

This is actually based on a book by Brian Jacques. It's about a kid who's forced to work on the Flying Dutchman. God cursed the Dutchman and her crew, but gave the boy eternal life and the ability to relay thoughts with his dog. Very well written.

-Razvanor