Here I am again at last! I bet you all missed me.

Crickets chirping.

I see no one is here. Can't say I'm surprised; I haven't updated in …let's see, how long? checks paper OMG! Halloween! I'm sooo… still no one here. Ah well. You'll all show up. I hope.

Don't own S.O. But I do own what little is left of my sanity so that's cause for celebration. woo

Chapter Four: The Path of Pain

"I don't know where to begin," Rei said. She was walking by the side of Dias, who was waiting patiently for her to explain. He was eyeing her as if taking his gaze from her would result in the world ending.

"Try the beginning," he commented, a little less dryly than usual.

"Hmm," she mumbled through her closed lips. "Good idea."

Flashback

Rei concentrated as hard as she could. She imagined the spell forming in her hands and obeying her will. The powers that be would lend the necessary powers involved in forcing nature to do her will. They would, she knew they would, they always did.

The wind whipped around her and screamed. Powerful energy formed in her hands; feeling like lighting, lava and other dangerous forces of nature all at the same time.

No, it was too much, she could tell. The spell had acquired the energy needed but she had pulled forth too much… again. She tried to force the energy back were it belonged in nature but it wouldn't do so. Getting the right amount of energy was difficult for even for those with years of practice, it was nearly impossible for Rei who for some reason always made a mistake and could never fix it.

It was too late though. She had shoved too much power in the simple little Thunderbolt spell and now she'd have to deal with it. The lighting she was magically holding was beginning to burn her hands; she'd have to let it go quickly.

'Here goes nothing,' she thought. "THUNDER!"

The tree she had been aiming for was gone, but not from the small lightning bolt she had wished to unleash. It had been torn away from the wind of the tornado she had accidentally unleashed. Lightning flashed from the sky and winds howled in her ears as she looked up in shock at the mess she had made. It wasn't the fact that she had just torn out a good acre of trees from the Heraldry Forest that upset her, it was the fact that she was bound to get in trouble for screwing up yet again.

She had good reason to worry.

"Do you know what that could have caused!" Rei's father screamed at her. She looked at the ground, wishing she were still with the tornado. "You were lucky it was so far from the town. What if some one had gotten hurt?"

"Well, no one did, did they?" she snapped back. She was so sick of this. She hadn't done anything wrong: she simply was practicing. Couldn't ANYONE see that?

"Be that as it may," the Elder of Mars said. Rei rolled her eyes. Oh boy, she was gonna get talked down now. Who had even invited the stupid old man to her house anyway? "You've been told about practicing alone before. It was arranged years ago that you would only practice when you were being giving lessons."

"Which almost never happens anymore. No one is willing to practice with me. What am I suppose to do?" she snarled angrily. "Just give up and let my powers go to waste."

Her father and the Elder both sighed at the same time. Rei could tell that they were getting sick of this argument. She would be talked to, she'd defend herself, they'd get all angry with her, offer a solution, and then nothing would work out and she'd be forced to practice by herself and start the whole situation over again. It was an endless cycle.

"I may have a solution," the Elder said as if on cue. "If no one is teaching you than I may be able to offer some help."

"You'll teach me?" Rei was both excited and disappointed. She would be finally be able to make some progress with the Elder teaching her but on the other hand, she didn't know how much lecturing she could take from the man.

"Well, not exactly. There are many things to take care of. I can't just make you my personal business all the time," he replied as he tugged at his beard lightly. His other hand pulled out a small golden circlet only wide enough to fit on Rei's wrist. "No, what I have planned is a little different. I have an artifact that is called The Ring of Binding. You're to wear it all times."

"What does it do?" she asked as she eyed the bracelet in suspicion.

"It will control your magic for you. It's very powerful," he said.

"Why didn't you mention this years ago?" she almost snapped.

"Because it takes power from you in a constant flow. So when you do a spell, even if you put everything into it, the Ring will only allow the needed amount. This will allow you to get a feel for the right amount of needed energy and in a while you'll no longer need the handicap," he told her. "But because of it always draining your energy, anyone with little power would be helpless to its effects. I did not know until you formed that storm that you had enough potential to resist the wear it would bring unto a normal person."

Rei's eyes narrowed at the implication that she wasn't 'normal' but reached out her hand for the circlet anyway. It was handed to her but not without a warning from the Elder.

"Do not remove it until I say so, do you understand?"

"Yeah fine," she muttered and took it.

She and her father watched the Elder leave after promising to be back for a practice run in the morning and her father turned to her. He had a glare in his eyes that could have rivaled her own at the moment. It said clearly that she was still in trouble with him. However, he turned away also and left the room to prepare the evening meal for the both of them. He had been doing so for years now, she couldn't remember how many. She had no memory of her mother in her deathbed, leaving this world and her family to it. Her father had tried to make life as normal as possible for the girl with no mother but it was anything but easy.

Rei eyed the bracelet slipped it into her pocket. She would put it on in the morning when the Elder would come to fetch her. It was so dumb, for a man who claimed to be so busy he certainly had a lot of time to bother her.

End Flashback

"And I guess I can tell you the rest latter," remarked Rei as she noticed the band of bandits hiding behind the small hills and rocks.

Dias sighed irritably. Truth be told, he was interested in this young woman's past more than when she had begun the tale. But he said nothing and let her assume it was more of fatigue from a day of traveling on top of attacks instead of his own curiosity.

The bandits noticed they had been spotted and jumped from their hiding places. Dias quickly drew his sword and Rei assumed a fighting position. The criminals leapt upon them and Dias slashed through them as if they were butter. Blood flowed as if water from a faucet as he taught them their last and fatal mistake. The sound of bones crushing met his ears and he turned his head slightly to see Rei crushing the bones of the arm of the bandit in front of her before tossing him roughly to the side and begin on another one. Her moves were silky and precise. She knew how to put some one out of a fight in the least amount of time or effort. So much control.

And he was too busy watching that control to notice the thief who had snuck up to him as he ended the life of his last enemy and slice at his back. The flashing of the pain was only evident for a second before he turned to the small bandit and tore his blade through the soft flesh of the man. Dias hadn't uttered a sound from the sharp steel that had raked his back and still remained mute as he fell to his knees.

Rei made sound though. She screamed after her last opponent dropped to the grassy floor and she had spun around to face him. Her cheery demeanor was torn away as grief filled her eyes and threatened to spill. Her feet brought her to him in a second and she dropped to his side.

"Are you okay Dias?" she asked him. After her initial shock she had calmed a bit but she still looked frightened.

"I'm fine," he grunted but almost bit back his words the second he spoke them. A simply knife wound wouldn't feel like it had set his body on fire and drained his energy so fast it was dizzying.

She pried the blade that had hit him out of the dead man's hand and examined it. "It's been poisoned. I can't tell which one it is though. I don't think we have any antidotes left. We only had a few to begin with. We need to get you to Salva… now."

Dias nodded his head but not for long as the pain it caused made his skull feel as if it would split open. He couldn't keep conscience. He grabbed one of Rei's hands with his own and tugged slightly.

"What is it? What's wrong?" she asked him immediately.

"I can't m… can't make i-it," he gasped. "It hurts t…much."

She shook her head vigorously. "You make it sound like your gonna die. Don't worry, I'll … I'll carry you. No problem."

And the next thing he knew was the pressure under him as she slung his closest arm over her shoulder and lifted him up. She staggered at first but after a moment made the steady pace toward the town began.

End of Chapter Four

For the people who read this, please review. I can ask for no more. cough… cough

Tandy (my sister): Why'd you cough?

Me: To show dramatic effect. Now get away from my fanfic. You'll contaminate it.

Tandy: Like anyone would care. They gave up on you before Christmas.

Me: ()() Where were you! Behind a bush watching them?

Tandy: I can neither confirm nor deny that I can con firm nor deny that accusation.

GO AWAY! No, not my fans. I didn't mean you. NOOO! Drat… there gone.