The first thing Takuya felt as sleep cleared from his mind was a heaviness on his chest, making it harder to breathe. The second thing was a gentle warmth about him, and that, combined with what he remembered of his last conscious moments made him jerk to full wakefulness, afraid that his magic was out of control again. His first instinct was to sit up, but the motion was hampered by what felt like boards strapped to him, making him unable to bend his back. Takuya rolled onto his hands and knees, and was rewarded by the feeling of his head spinning. He closed his eyes until the feeling went away, then opened his eyes cautiously, looking about for fire.

There was none.

Slowly, as this fact registered in his mind, Takuya also noticed that the weight from his chest had shifted, and now seemed to be pushing against his back. Confused, Takuya sat up, and looked at himself.

Instead of the familiar flax tunic he expected to see, a garment made of red-dyed leather patched to cloth met his gaze, and at the edges, Takuya could see the hems of golden-washed chain-mail glinting in the dappled sunlight, before the end of another garment underneath, that was protecting him from the metal of the chain-mail. Remembering the stiffness at his back, he reached around, and traced out a curved sheet of what felt like wood strapped to his back. He rose shakily, and was surprised by a light tap against his leg, caused by a sheathed sword that now hung at his waist. The pommel and hand guard of the sword were hauntingly familiar.

The place he stood seemed familiar too, although he couldn't recall ever being in woodland like it before. The summer sun through the trees was warm, but not as hot as Takuya thought it should be with his heavy armour, or at least, what he thought he was wearing was armour. But strangely, he couldn't remember where he had received it.

"Kouji? Kouichi?" Takuya looked about, hoping that his two companions were asleep near by as was often the case when they were on the road together. Neither of them answered him, and Takuya couldn't see either twin anywhere.

He looked at the sword again, trying to remember what had happened after he had picked it up. He could remember the feeling of fire, and pain, and the inhuman howls he had heard, but could think of no reason as to why he was stood in a forest, dressed in armour, with a sword and shield. It seemed a strange idea that someone had moved him here while he was asleep. It also worried him that if he had been moved, maybe that neither Kouichi nor Kouji would be nearby. Finally he decided to start walking in a circle about the clearing, looking for his friends. He found them soon enough, dressed equally strangely.

Kouichi held the bow Takuya remembered from the alter, quiver on his back, instead of at his waist as was usual for him. His green tunic, and brown britches had been replaced with what seemed to be a black set of clothes, with a heavy leather vest protecting his chest. Kouji wore a light coloured tunic, almost white, and Takuya could see mail underneath, glinting silver in the dappled light. In his hand he held the staff, its caps glinting like the mail.

"Kouji? Kouichi?" Takuya moved close, grateful for familiar company in a strange place. "Where are we? How did we get here?"

Kouichi looked worried. "This place… There are no animals, no birds that I can hear. It's like it's a dead place, but the wind rustles the leaves, so there's no silence."

Takuya shivered. "But where would be a forest without animals and birds?"

"The realm of the dead," said Kouji hollowly. "The afterlife of the elves is a great forest. We must be dead from touching those weapons."

Takuya shook his head. "I don't think so. I don't feel dead." He started walking. "Lets look around. At the very least, we need food and water, plus a path back to a village would be useful."

The twins followed him hesitantly, making their way silently through the forest until they found another clearing, with people.

Takuya grinned at Kouji. "Told you we'd find people." He moved towards the group, then stopped as his magic started to buzz again. The five figures all turned to face him and Takuya let out a gasp.

He'd already met two of them.

The figure of the Goddess was just as beautiful as he remembered from his dreams, tall and willowy, with white-blonde hair. She stood arm in arm with the figure of his nightmares, Mithrir, the God of the dead and demons, her husband in the path of life. A second woman dressed in green stood nearby, her hair a deep brown and her eyes a kind looking hazel. The last two figures were male, one dressed as a woodsman, armed for a hunt, and the last was an old man, his eyes the milky white of blindness that some of the elderly Takuya had met had.

The twins both fell to their knees and bowed low, muttering so rapidly in their language that Takuya couldn't follow what they were saying.

The woman in green laughed. "Stand, children of both people, and be glad. You are only visitors to this realm, not here to prepare to rejoin your father."

Takuya cast a worried glance at the twins as they stood again. It was a fair guess that if two of the company were gods, then the other three surely were as well. He considered which gods they would be, and came to the conclusion that they were the greatest of the lesser gods, The Green Lady, Ossna the Hunter, and Selk the Wise. None of them were known for their kindness towards the elves.

The Goddess spoke again. "You've travelled far, my child, since I saw you last. You've faced your home and family, the home and family of your companions, and you've faced the fears of your own heart, winning through. You've even found love."

Takuya blushed. "My Goddess, I thought you would disapprove that I love a boy of the tree-folk."

The Goddess smiled kindly. "I would not dream of that. Love is a precious thing, and should not be destroyed when it is found. I have no quarrel when two of my children find love in each other, against the wishes of those who would claim to speak for us."

The Green Lady laughed again. "The fools believe that they alone carry our favour, and that their desires are ours. They truly believe that we chose only their people, forsaking the other." She turned to the twins. "Sons of Kousei and Tomoko, who share the blood of tree and earth, who am I?"

The twins looked at each other, before Kouichi replied. "I would have said that you were Lady Elsa, but you are one of the human gods, not of our people."

She shook her head. "Why is it that you believe that the gods of humans and elves must be separate? To you I am Elsa, to the Warrior I'm nameless, just the Green Lady. In a land neither of your kin have heard of, I am called Sharherebreth. All of us have many names, and answer to them all."

Ossna bowed his head. "But there is one who is nameless to all except the Greater Gods." He looked at Mithrir and the Goddess. "It used to hunt our people, using their fears and faults against them. It was sealed away long ago, when the tree-folk were still young, and its people, the Shadow-folk were returned to us."

Selk nodded and turned his blind eyes towards Takuya. "It would take our people, make them his own with promises of their hearts desire, turn their hearts to darkness. The only way we could protect against his return was by creating a fire to burn the darkness away, but it is too difficult a gift for most to bare." He looked at Kouji. "Both you and the warrior have the power to burn the blackness away. Our gifts to you are a channel that will allow your magic to do what it was created for. You must journey to the heart of the darkness and strike it back once more, back into the confines of its prison."

Kouichi moved forwards slightly. "What about me? My magic is in darkness, I cannot help them, but I feel I must."

Mithrir smiled. "You know me as Tolmey, god of sleep and death and darkness. While you cannot burn away the darkness from the hearts of people, you can bring the gift of sleep through your gift. Those you strike will sleep until the darkness is released from them."

The Goddess moved forwards, and knelt in front of Takuya. "Child, the darkness is what you were chosen to fight, but as one of our people, you have the right to choose your own path. We can ask you to fight, but we cannot force you to. Say you wish for a normal life, to return to your home, and we will release you from your destiny, and from our interference, and you can return to who you were without repercussions or revenge."

Takuya looked at her, thinking. The offer to return home and be free was something that a part of him did wish for, but his path had changed him in such a way that when he did return, he found he no longer fit. He turned slightly to look at Kouji and Kouichi, realising how much they had given up to just follow him, and how even with the promise that the Goddess had made to him, they could not go back to their people any more than he could. He turned back to her.

"I accept, Goddess. I'll fight the darkness in defence of your people, to protect them, my family and friends from the darkness. I'll seal it back in its prison in the mountains, and free the people its already taken. You created me for this task, and I'll carry it out. It may be too late for you to find another to take my place."

The Goddess smiled. "We chose well." She stood. "You should know that the darkness may have power over you. My lord Mithrir is ruler over demons only because of the darkness's absence from the world. That speck in you may well belong to it, even though it was created by us."

Mithrir nodded slowly. "You must fight against the darkness, ignoring its call."

"It cannot be destroyed," cautioned Selk. "Light cannot exist without darkness, as the twins of both blood show. To destroy the darkness would be to destroy us, and by extension, yourselves. Do not loose yourself in hate."

Takuya looked puzzled. "Is that a warning?"

Selk smiled. "I am not allowed to warn mortals of what is to come beyond what I already have. Even the tree-folk are given guidance as to their paths only once in their lives."

Kouichi looked worried. "So it is true?"

Selk turned his sightless gaze on him. "It may be, it may not. That is up to you. But you are still forbidden to speak of it by the ancient magic that created you."

Ossna frowned. "We must hurry. If we continue this much longer the darkness will learn of our meeting and move too quickly for the warrior to stop."

The Goddess looked sad. "There is much we could tell them that could help."

"And much that would harm them," said Selk. "We must leave the mortals be to find their own path."

Mithrir moved forwards. "Lie down and sleep," he commanded. "You will awaken back in yourselves at the temple."

Takuya started to do as he was told, then stopped as the shield on his back interfered with his movement. "Um… Why are we dressed like this?" he asked.

The Green Lady laughed. "Because this is who you are inside. Warriors carry their weapons firstly in their hearts, not on their backs or sides. Here, you appear as the very essence of you, free of your mortal shell and mortal restrictions."

"Now sleep," cautioned Selk. "This meeting was rough on the mortal shell with mortal restrictions that my sister talks about. She will aid you in your sleep to heal, as you have much to do when you wake."

Takuya settled on his back, looking at the sky. "Goddess… before I go, please tell me again. I have your blessing on whom I love?"

"If you did not have my blessing, I would not have given you the gift of their speech."

Takuya smiled, and let his eyes drift shut, falling into sleep.