Review from Beatrice : Look, I appreciate your right to say what you think, but bloody hell, if you're going to say it's crap then at least tell me why!

As to the reviews from School Boredom and Inda, they're very much appreciated, and this chapter is for you two.

Chapter 11

The entire room went silent as they digested this. Finally Dais broke in, saying:

"I assume this means you're the daughter of light?"

Karala nodded, not taking her eyes off the screen, as if hoping that there was more, some way to escape it.

"So who's the son of dark?" Cye inquired.

"I could probably make an educated guess." Dais said thoughtfully. "I would say it's Ryo."

"What! Why?" Mia exclaimed, immediately up in arms in his defense.

"When you were captured, Ayato didn't give you a reason, apart from wanting to know about Kal, which isn't possible, because he already knows everything. He must have wanted to be sure it was you."

"But that's not possible either." Ryo broke in. "I knew my father, and this prophecy says that I would be the son of... well, Ayato, presumably, since he's the Emperor at the moment. Surely my father would have known?"

A new voice entered their argument. "No, he didn't."

Everyone stared in amazement at the tiger who'd just spoken. Karala was the one that answered. "How do you know, Flame?"

"Because I do. I could feel who he was as soon as I met him, just as I knew who you are."

"And you don't think it might have been a good idea to tell me this before?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because you weren't ready to know."

Rowen interrupted their conversation. "It does make sense, though, you being Ayato's son. I mean, you've told us all that you didn't ever feel as if Mr. Sanada was your father, haven't you?"

"Yes, but I didn't really think he wasn't!"

"That's natural. Subconsciously, you knew this all along. Your mind was just keeping that fact out of the way, because it didn't want to have to confront it." Flame explained.

"Just who are you, exactly?" Sage interposed.

"I am a chameleon, which means I can take any shape I wish to. I am the servant of the bearer of the Ancient armour."

Ryo seemed at this point ready to kill. "Why me, though? Why, of all the people in the world, was it me?"

Karala smiled slightly. "Probably because the gods thought you the one most likely to make the right decision."

Ryo turned and stormed out of the room. After a short pause, Karala followed him. She found him down by the lake again, not moving, just standing there. She stood behind him for a few minutes, watching him.

The lake was completely still. Karala looked at her watch. It was four in the morning. They'd been so busy that they hadn't even noticed it was dark. She shook her head. Sage had gone out to meditate earlier that evening. He must have been well wrapped up in his thoughts!

"Are you going to stand there all night?" Ryo demanded brusquely.

"Might do. Depends on how bad a mood you're in."

"I'm fine."

Karala came to stand next to him. "It's not your fault, you know."

"Maybe, but somehow I find the idea that I'm the son of our worst enemy a little disturbing."

"Who wouldn't? You can't help who your parents are, however, and he doesn't have any power over you, not unless you're planning to apply to him for an allowance!"

Ryo grinned. "Guess not."

"Yeah, I don't suggest it either!"

"Very funny. Why does the prophecy say that you're the only one who can influence me?"

"I guess because..."

Karala was suddenly cut off by a movement behind them. They stood on guard for a minute, then a familiar armoured figure appeared out of thin air.

"Charaka..." Karala breathed.

Charaka grinned and bowed ironically to Ryo. "Prince..."