Millenia paced in her hut. Back and forth, back and forth. It was enough to make anyone dizzy.
"What's going on? I need to figure this out…" she groaned, running a hand through her long red hair.
"Millenia?" asked a voice from the entrance.
Millenia turned around. Tio was standing in the door way looking concerned.
"What's wrong?" asked Millenia.
"I was about to ask you the same thing," said Tio, looking down at the floor.
"Nothing's wrong with me…I…I don't know what you're talking about," said Millenia, shaking her head, sending her hair swaying through the air.
"You do not have to lie to me," said Tio.
"I'm not!" snapped Millenia.
"Then why are you angry at me?" asked Tio.
"I…it's…there's nothing…" Millenia was lost for words.
"Please…tell me what is wrong…" said Tio quietly, looking into Millenia's green eyes.
Millenia sighed and turned away, trying to think of an excuse. She turned back to Tio and blinked slowly.
"I'm going to bed," she said, "And there's nothing wrong…just mind your own business."
Millenia walked out of the room. Tio watched her, a whirl of emotions trying to get out. She was angry, but sad at the same time and at the same time she was trying to convince herself that Millenia was telling the truth, but it wasn't that easy…
"I have to trust in my heart." Said Tio, holding a hand to her chest, "It will lead me the right way. Isn't that you always taught me Mareg? But what do I do when I can not tell what my heart is telling me?"
Tio walked away from the hut and looked around the village. The scene was now familiar, but it still seemed strange. The last time she had been here, Mareg had been at her side and now not only had she lost the closet friend she had, but she felt like she was losing another…
It was several hours later, and still Millenia was lying in bed, trying to fall asleep. She could hear the occasional snore come from Ryudo through the wall and she could hear the animals in the surrounding forest rustling in the fallen leaves, but apart from that it was more or less silent. She was trying to think, but at the same time she was trying to sleep and combined, these two actions contradicted each other.
"What's wrong with me?" she whispered, "Why did I go on at Tio like that? She's probably confused now."
She groaned and rolled over, staring at the wall. This made Ryudo's grunts sound even louder. She didn't envy Elena one bit right now. She closed her eyes, trying to block out all distractions. When she opened her eyes again, it was like she was opening them for the first time.
She was in a small room and she could see the glow of Valmar's moon out the window. That's what she wanted to see. That warm glow…it filled her with new life. She walked over to her mirror, she looked better than she could ever remember. She must be in a pretty one this time.
She dashed out of the window and looked around. She suddenly gasped and spat. She had just woken up inside a church of Granas. How insulting!
She flew up to the top of an archway and turned around to see a stone angel in the middle of a fountain gazing back at her. She raised a hand sent a stream of lightening down, smashing the statue into a thousand pieces. She turned around to see a priest and a guy standing there. The guy immediately caught her intention. He was tall, with sticking-up brown hair. He was holding a great sword and was dressed as a…a Geohound huh? Damn, no wonder he looked so cool.
He was yelling something, but she couldn't make it out. She yelled something back and then she raised a hand again and destroyed the church. He shouted at her again. She suddenly leaped out of herself and attacked him.
The Millenia standing on the arch stared as they fought.
"That's…me…and Ryudo…" she gasped, "That was the first time I spoke to him…"
"Return to me, become yourself again. Remember your destructive nature…"
A voice was hissing in her ear. She knew that voice…but who…no it couldn't be…
"Leave me alone!" she shouted, "I'm staying here!"
"You can't resist. You belong with the rest of you. You have a place and this isn't it. Return to me…"
"You're dead! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Millenia shouted with all her strength.
When she opened her eyes she was still in her room. She sighed and sat up, relieved to be back. Her door suddenly flung open.
"Millenia are you okay?" asked Ryudo, looking around wildly.
"I'm fine! What do you think you're doing? Barging into my room like that!" she said angrily, sitting sideways and getting off her bed.
"Millenia?" asked Ryudo.
"What?" asked Millenia.
"Millenia?" asked Ryudo, still looking around.
"I'm right here stupid!" said Millenia, waving her hand in front of his face, but he couldn't see it. What was worse, was neither could she.
She stared down at he hands, clenching her fists and then opening them again. She could feel them, but she couldn't see them.
"What's going on? Millenia, where are you?" called Ryudo.
Elena, roan and Tio walked in.
Where is she?" asked Roan.
"I heard her scream, but when I came in here she was gone!" said Ryudo.
"Maybe she went out somewhere, you know how unpredictable she can be," said Elena.
"Bloody cheek!" Spat Millenia, waving her hand with the intention of slapping Elena around the back f the head, but her hand went straight through Elena without knocking a blonde hair out of place.
"She seemed upset when I spoke to her earlier," said Tio, "She told me to 'mind my own business', but I'm still not sure what was wrong."
"What?" asked Ryudo, "Tio, I told you not to bother her, she's probably stressed out now!"
Tio looked down at the floor, going very slightly pink on her cheeks.
"Ryudo!" said Elena sharply, wrapping an arm around Tio's shoulders, "It's not Tio's fault! You should have told us when Tio first noticed something!"
"This isn't my fault!" shouted Ryudo, "She's been acting weird ever since she arrived, knowing Millenia she's just trying to mess with us!"
"Whatever's going on, standing here isn't going to help anyone. Why don't we go out and look for Miss Millenia?" asked Roan.
"I'm not losing sleep because Millenia's decided to take a stroll!" said Ryudo.
Elena elbowed him.
"Roan's got a good point, we'd better split up, cover more ground." She said, turning away.
Tio and Roan left the room, leaving Ryudo standing there. Millenia was standing right in front of him.
"I'm sorry Millenia, this is all my fault…" he whispered, before walking straight through her.
"No!" called Millenia, "It's not!"
Outside the house, they all stood in a circle, deciding on the best course of action.
"How about Ryudo checks the stream, I'll check the surrounding forest and Tio and Roan look around the village. She can't have gone far!" said Elena.
"Why don't I check the surrounding forest? There's a lot of monsters out there." Said Ryudo.
Elena glared at him and gave a sharp movement with her head, flicking her fringe out of her eyes.
"I can handle myself," she said, "You don't have to look out for all the time."
"I know…just be careful," said Ryudo.
She smiled gently, unaware that Millenia was standing right behind her making the most unflattering comments. She sighed deeply and decided to follow Elena into the forest. Anything to get her out of this village and away from Ryudo. As much as she cared about him, she didn't get him sometimes.
Elena staggered through bushes and ducked under trees. Her graceful manner was suddenly down the drain. She groaned as she tripped on a branch and fell to the ground again. She had mud all up her legs and several scratches on her arms and a few on her face as well.
"Millenia?" she called, in her usual bossy tone.
"I'm right here!" said Millenia, "So it's no use shouting."
Millenia herself was walking through the branches without any difficulty. Not being solid had its advantages after all.
"Millenia?" she called again, "Come on! We need you to come back to the village!"
"I never left before you did!" laughed Millenia, tickling Elena under the chin.
A snarl made her jump. She span around to see another one of those tree monsters jump out of the brushes at them. She automatically jumped in front of Elena to face it first, but it jumped straight through her and hit Elena. She tumbled backwards through the bushes.
Millenia went to pick up her bow, but of course it wasn't there. She hadn't been holding it when she fell asleep, so it would've stayed solid.
"Elena!" she called, running forward.
She reached out a hand, knowing it wouldn't do anything. The monster was already about to strike Elena again, but Millenia grabbed it and wrapped her arm around its neck, holding it back.
Elena watched as the monster suddenly stopped and began clawing at something invisible around its neck. But something was shimmering into view. An arm appeared around the creature's skull, holding onto it tightly. There was a sickening 'crack' and the monster fell dead.
As it fell, Elena gasped at the person standing above it.
"Millenia?" she asked.
Millenia sighed and waved her head.
"Finally!"