disclaimer: you can't miss what you never had, but you can kill the people who have what you want

I don't own anything that doesn't belong to me, and most of what belongs to me doesn't really belong to me anyway

end forethought

Everything was right here.

Everything she had been waiting for, everything she had been dreaming of, lay just beyond these doors.

She wasn't quite sure how she knew, but she was positive that very thing she had been searching for so long had finally been found.

As she pushed open the large, ornately decorated doors, she spared a glance back to make sure her companion was alright. He was currently engaged in combat with four creatures that had been protecting this temple from intruders. The creatures had a distinctly human shape, but they all glowed an unearthly and rather foreboding color. It seemed that her companion was handling them rather well, and that if she got what she came for and returned quickly, there shouldn't be any problem.

As she entered the room, her eyes were immediately drawn to the beautiful gems that seemed to cover every inch of the walls and ceiling. The gems glowed in a plethora of unearthly colors, and each had its own sparkle, giving her the eerie feeling that each gem had a life of its own, and she couldn't help but shake the feeling that she was being watched.

change in pov

As much as he hated to admit it, he was losing. The creatures were not all that difficult to destroy, but the problem was they wouldn't stay dead. Every time he slew one of them, a creepy green glow would encompass its corpse, and before he knew it the creature was back. He had tried every trick and strategy he knew of, but there seemed to be no way to get rid of these creatures for good. It wasn't that he didn't have any stamina or was weak or anything like that, but he was becoming tired and his movements were beginning to become sluggish, and his hits were landing less and less often.

His opponents, however, were faring far better. They did not seem to tire, and they seemed to be adapting to his style of fighting, exploiting his weaknesses more and more, especially now that he was becoming fatigued. His body was covered with burns, both from extreme heat and cold, his sword was unusually heavy, and seemed to be emitting sparks of some sort that were pulling it into the ground. And his vision wasn't the best either, as the area seemed to be covered in a hazy fog that was continuously growing thicker. Each creature, blue, red, purple, and yellow, seemed to have its own effect. The red's and blue's punches burned from fire and ice, every time the yellow beast struck his sword, it seemed to grow heavier, as if some kind of magnet were pulling it down, and the purple creature seemed to be exuding the thick, murky haze.

He really tried, he really had, but his body was being pushed to its limits, and he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. Despite his mind's protests, his body seemed to insist upon a hasty retreat. So, much to his regret, he left his companion behind the doors and fled to the safety of the outer sanctum of the temple. As soon as he passed through the doors separating the two areas, the creatures halted their pursuit, but waited just inside their domain, waiting to see if he would dare trespass on the land they had been entrusted to guard again. He sat down, tired and weary from the endless and victor less battle. He had hoped that his companion would have returned from behind the doors before he was forced to retreat, but it seemed that fate was not on his side.

It seemed the best he could do was sit here and wait for her return. Hopefully, the creatures would be too distracted with him to notice her until she had left their territory. And if not, if one of the creatures left their post from guarding against him, he hoped he could hold them of long enough for her to escape. With a sigh, he fell into an uneasy and restless sleep, making sure to keep a vigil on the power the creatures exuded, so that even in his sleep he could feel if one left.

His dreams were filled with nightmares in which he was always too late, always too late for

something ... something he didn't quite understand ... something he couldn't quite put his finger

on ...

... something, someone wanted to help him ... someone wanted to help him get there in time...

...he was too late, yet again.

change in pov

Large, piercing eyes watched the two intruders, and the boy he at once held an admiration for, which surprised him to no end. He did not quite understand the intentions of the two intruders, and had been trying to help the boy accomplish what needed to be done. However, he had a hard time reaching him, for the boy was protected by very powerful magic, and despite his good intentions the magic that was guarding the boy's mind from intrusion had only barely allowed him to convey his message. The boy needed to know what he knew, and at this point, he hoped that if he went and told the boy himself, he hope the boy would feel gracious enough to return the favor and set him free from the bonds that had trapped him in this place. So, for the first time in nearly a millennium, he left the cold and unforgiving room he had occupied behind, and stepped out into the corridor, quickly heading in the direction of the boy, a urgency in his step which had never existed before

change in pov

She trudged along the long corridors, admiring every inch of the decorated archways, the way that gems sparkled and glowed in their own light. The sense of urgency she had before had long been forgotten, and she occasionally stopped to admire a particularly large or bright stone, before continuing on to wherever it was this corridor lead to. As she progressed deeper and deeper into the building, the feeling that she was being watched fled her, and she was content with the slow pace she had set for herself. All of a sudden, it seemed as if she had passed through some kind of barrier. The air was devoid of any sound except for those she made, and they seemed to die as soon as she made them. Her footsteps had a hollow, muted sound to them, and her breathing sounded more like air rushing through a pipe. The colors of the world around her no longer bled together, but each held a stark contrast to the other.

The air suddenly had no texture, it was neither warm no cold, and she couldn't even feel it against her skin. Even the air itself tasted and smelled completely sterile, as if the room had never had anything in it except for its original contents, and she herself felt like some kind of intruder. However, this fear and the fear that she had forgotten something or left something important behind were dwarfed by the feeling that whatever the reason she had come here for lay very close. Whatever it was that she was looking for called to her, pleading with her to come and find it. As she neared her destination, her footsteps began to echo forlornly, and she began to hear a muted whispering. She paused under the last archway, standing before a set of doors identical to the ones she had come in through. The feeling that she had forgotten something was almost strong enough to make her leave, but she stayed, and proceeded to walk through the doorway, while a momentary feeling of dread settled on her shoulders, as she asked herself the simple question, 'who am I and why am I here?', to it she could find no answer, but she quickly forgot about it, shoving the feeling dread into the back of her mind as she approached the alter in the center of the large, circular room.

change in pov

He felt it before anything else. The creatures, despite their emotionless faces, were afraid. No, not afraid, but terrified. He felt it too. It was huge. Whatever, or whoever it was, was powerful. He had always had a sound faith in his abilities to protect him and his friends, but his confidence was on the verge of being broken. Whoever this was, was emitting enough power, that he could physically see and feel the waves of energy colliding with his own. Fortunately for him, whatever it was did not seem hostile, and his instinct told him to stay put. Above everything he had learned on his travels, his instinct should be trusted above all else when he has no idea what he was dealing with. He was also pretty sure if he tried to run, if it really wanted to it would kill him anyway. And, referring to the old saying, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend', and seeing the creatures cower in fear, all he could hope for was an ally in this dark hour.

To say he was surprised was an understatement. When the creature turned the corner, he almost bolted. For it was easily one of the most fantastic things he had ever seen. After all his travels, he thought he was ready for anything. In short, he was wrong. It appeared to be a boy, not much older then himself. The odd thing was, he was definitely not human. He had two large wings protruding from his back, a long, lithe tail extending from his spine, and his skin was smoothed, tinted green, and almost seemed to have a scaly texture to it. His mind snapped, and he was pretty sure what was standing in front of him was either some type of illusion, or more than likely a half-dragon half-human creature.

As the dragonic being approached, he gave a reassuring smile, which he took to mean that the dragon - thing - meant no harm. As the dragon-human approached, he voiced a single word Eitain. Must have been his name, he though. As Eitain neared, he gave him a critical look, as if trying tell whether not he was worthy of - something. Eitain slowly reached out his hand, and place two fingers own his forehead. A rush of images suddenly assaulted his mind, and all of a sudden his strange dreams made a lot more sense. As he rushed back into the inner sanctum with Eitain following, one word was prominent in his mind.

'shit'

change in pov

Eitain almost laughed at the single thought in the boys mind. Almost. This situation was far too serious, especially for the boy. He was glad to help though, he only hoped that his plans would work out like he hoped they would. Unfortunately for both of them, time, fate, nor luck was on their side, and if anyone were to make it out of here alive, it would be a miracle. Of course, the simple fact anybody was here in the first place was a miracle, and he hoped that whatever gods there were watching over them right now were particularly merciful. Otherwise, they would all be dead within the hour, if not sooner.

Once again, the boy was something to be admired. His determination was definitely not something to get in the way of, and he hoped to help the boy hone and focus his power enough to complete both their tasks.

Unfortunately, all he could do, all anyone could do, was hope for the best.

afterthought

soo, how does everyone like it so far?
I know it's a little ... something, but reviews are welcome and appreciated flames are also welcome (as they as they are constructive and not destructive)

tell me if I should write more, and depending on the reviews, I hope to get the next installment in soon well, I gotta go feed my siblings and take them out for a walk, until my next thoughtburst

(if any of you read this before, sorry it took so long to get back up, it was taken off for lack of spelling and grammar (i got a spelling and grammar checker this weekend, and i only had a few things wrong, oh well its back))

later-