Hope

Chapter 2: A Reason to Live

I cried. I don't know how long I did. It must have been a very long time; at least a day. So much sorrow overcame me that I became oblivious to my surroundings. The last thing I could recall was losing sight of Felix when the red-eyed Slate grabbed me.

Felix, the only one in my family who had not been killed in the war, was now lost forever. In the same day I had lost my home, planet, and future. There was nothing to look forward to. My brother no longer walked on this universe, but he was more alive than I was. I could think of no reason to live.

No doubt I could have cried forever, but soon enough something else interrupted my mourning. I had neither eaten nor drank since the day before Felix fought against Karst. Oddly enough I wasn't hungry, but my mouth was parched. My throat burned from the lack of water and my constant sobs.

I was forced to raise my eyes to the world around me. I was in a prison, or so it seemed. The dingy stone walls, ceiling, and floor where exactly the same length. A lighted torch rested on a holster near the prison's barred door, which created visibility towards the front end of the room, but left the back wall almost completely dark. There were other humans with me, although most seemed to be elderly.

My eyes made contact with one of the older men, who was sitting not far from me. He was in better shape than what most other people were. He wore loose yellow clothes, and a long brown cape that seemed to act as a blanket. He had dull, light blue eyes, which were surrounded by small spectacles. The man's head was crowned with white hair.

Noticing my persistent gaze, the man looked me straight in the eye. "Hm?" His voice was low. "Looks like you've finally snapped out of your stupor." He edged towards me, but I could find no words to say to him. "Now look, young lady, things certainly look down now, but that doesn't mean we have to go and loose all hope. We can be grateful that we still have our lives. It's important to mourn, but there comes a time when we must continue on. Are you listening to me?"

I didn't break my gaze. This man; I knew who he was. However my sorrow was so great that I could feel no surprise. "Kraden…" My voice was so hoarse and cracked that I didn't recognize it myself.

"Hm?" Kraden's glasses dropped from his nose onto the ground. He blinked a few times at me, before fitting his eyeglasses on again and peering at me with intense curiosity. "Have we met before?"

I nodded my head slowly. "Biology… sixth grade." It was painful to talk. This man only brought me more sorrow. He reminded me of the times in Weyard before war. That was when I had gone to Vale Elementary; when we weren't fighting for our lives and had the time to learn of other things.

Kraden just continued to stare, before a little light bulb went on. "Ah… my dear. You wouldn't happen to have been one of my pupils?" I nodded my head again. "Can it really be? Jenna?"

I closed my eyes and continued to nod.

"What!" My old teacher exclaimed. "What a coincidence! This is most amazing! The odds of this happening are very slim, indeed!" His shouting made me wince. I wanted him to go away, and leave me alone.

"Jenna, you are in terrible condition," he said, this time his voice lower. I opened my eyes to watch him dully. "If you continue to treat yourself so, you will die." At the time I thought that didn't seem so bad. "Now listen here. The first thing you need to do is get the proper supplements. The next time food and water are brought here, I want you to take them, pronto! And…" He took off his cloak and wrapped it around me. "You haven't been sleeping, have you?"

I choked on his words. The last true conversation I had had with my brother was about sleeping, and Felix had said almost the exact same line as Kraden. I began to cry again.

My teacher shook his head. "Jenna…" He said, and I could tell he was very confused. "You mustn't cry so. It is bad for your health." So let me die! I almost screamed, but didn't.

After another few minutes I stopped crying, only because I could taste blood in my mouth. I dried my tears with Kraden's cloak, and looked up to see the old man still beside me. He looked as though he was about to say something, but the prison's door suddenly opened with a small creak. Immediately, any conversation that prisoners had with each other was stopped. Everyone watched the door open, and the one who came through it.

He was… human. His eyes did not carry the demonic glow of Slates. Instead they were a cold ice blue, although they did not return the gazes of us prisoners. His hair was dirty blond; fuzzy and spiked, and yet without hair gel. He was fit and trim, unlike us pale and gaunt captives. He wore light blue leather, but also had a strong breastplate equipped. Brown leather gloves were around his hands, which carried a plate full of food and water. There was also a sword on around the belt he wore. The young man looked as though he was no older than I…

Without a word or acknowledgment to anyone, the man placed the tray down on the ground with his left hand. Although his yellow cloak slightly covered his right hand, I could still see that it gripped his sword. My eyes never left him until he exited the prison, and the bars locked.

I, along with others, scrambled to the tray of life. We each grabbed something; there was a soup and water bowl for each person. I practically choked as I lifted the bowl of water to my lips and let it slide down. It helped a great deal, and I was immediately feeling better. With the help of the water, my hunger had returned. After the terrible hardtack I had eaten as ration food on Weyard, the strange yet flavorful soup was heavenly.

Once I had finished my meal, I turned to Kraden. This time, I was more willing to talk. "Who was that?" I asked him.

Kraden cocked an eyebrow at me. "Who was who? You mean the young boy who entered and left a little while ago?" Young boy? He had been my age! He was not a young boy to me, but I suppose to Kraden…

I nodded my head.

"He's already been in here a few times. Seven, I believe. My dear, you must have been dreadfully out of it. Would you care for me to start at the beginning? The beginning is always a good place to start. What was the last thing you remember before speaking to me?"

"I…" I thought about it for a second. "I just remember… A slate with red eyes grabbing me. He took me away from the arena…"

"Then that's not too far from where I came in," Kraden smiled. I wondered how he could smile at a time like this… "You see, the Slates began to grab random people. Each Slate wanted to have as many humans as they could for slaves. However due to the short amount of time, they couldn't tell who was an Adept and who wasn't. They figured they'd sort out the regular humans from Adepts later.

The man… excuse me, the Slate who captured you is the same one who also caught everyone in this room. The Slate was picking up many people, putting them in his… hm, space ship, if that is what you wish to call it. We flew from Weyard to the Slates' planet. It seems that we humans cannot speak the Slates' language, so I have no idea what this place is called.

I was there with you in the space ship. Everyone was pretty sad so I figured that I would give you some time. When we reached here –wherever here is- everyone had pretty much finished mourning, save you. I tried talking to you, but you never responded so I gave up in time."

I blinked at Kraden. Why had he tried to comfort me, when he thought I was no one but a complete stranger?

"Then that young boy, the one who came not long ago, entered the prison," Kraden continued. "He gave us food and water, but when we tried to leave he stopped us. When we tried speaking to him, he would not respond. I assume that he cannot speak our own language. Anyway, some tried to force their way through, and there was a bit of a scuffle. The boy is an earth Adept, and was too powerful for us to handle.

A different time he came, but this time without food or water. He ushered one of the younger girls out of the prison. I don't know what became of her. Later he came in again, this time to escort a man that was in his thirties. The boy only comes in to give us food and water or to bring someone back with him. He is definitely our guard, set up by a Slate. This is merely pure conjecture, but I believe that he takes one of us to be set for auction. He also probably tests who is an Adept and who isn't."

"How do they do that?" I interrupted.

"Er, I'm afraid I have no idea. They probably have some system or another."

I shook my head incredulously. I could not believe that that young man would do such a thing. He was human, like us! He was a traitor to our own kin. I vowed that I would never work for Slates, no matter what. Anger, if not only a little bit, began to make a small hole through my sorrow.

"My dear," Kraden said. His voice brought me back to reality. "I must ask you something."

I had a bad feeling about this. My eyes went down to the floor. I thought that Kraden would ask something in retribution for everything he had done. "What's that?" I asked.

Kraden continued to stare at me, but when he spoke his voice was just a whisper. "Are you an Adept?"

I hesitated for a second. Many people despised Adepts, probably for a just reason. If not for us, there would have been no war or slavery. Our very existence meant that others had to suffer. We were a curse to Weyard. Now, regular humans were likely to be killed, just because they weren't Adepts. Yet if I told Kraden I was not an Adept, I would be lying.

It was all or nothing. Kraden probably already knew that I was an Adept due to my extended silence. I rose my eyes to meet Kraden's. "Yes," I whispered back. "I'm of the Mars element. That's fire."

"Then you have a better chance of living," Kraden said softly. "I am old and no Adept. When they find out they will probably kill me. They would have no use for a scholar. But since I am a scholar, I will continue to learn as much as I can until I die. Jenna, would you share some of the knowledge imparted to you in Vale? I know that there was a large population of Adepts in our town. They would tell me very little. I know about alchemy and the four elements: Venus for earth, Mars for fire, Jupiter for wind, and Mercury for water."

"But… but what should I tell you? What do you want to know?" I wondered.

"What are the four elemental stars?" Kraden asked bluntly.

I had heard of the four elemental stars, but not much else other than their name. "I have no idea. I'm sorry, Kraden. Is there anything else?"

"Oh… hm… disappointing!" Kraden's face fell. He thought about my answer for a second, before finding another question. "One more thing. This has to do mainly with one of your friends, and you might be offended if I am wrong."

Now Kraden had my curiosity. I wondered what he was talking about.

"You knew Piers very well, correct?"

Oh, I knew what he was talking about now. I had known Piers very well, although my brother knew him better. Actually, I had met Piers through Felix. Before we were at war, a new student arrived and entered eight grade at Vale Elementary. I was in sixth at the time.

Piers was unlike anyone we had ever known. His clothes were… odd. Perhaps even stranger due to the fact that he always wore the same thing. They were a light blue and fitted over all of his body, and yet seemed otherworldly. He always wore what seemed to be a headband at first glance, but then it actually expanded and became almost half of a cloak. But most striking were Piers's blue hair and glowing gold eyes.

No one would speak to Piers, for everyone thought he was just some freaky kid. And he did seem to do perfectly fine by himself. Oftentimes he would just stare out into the sky, as though he could see something that we could not.

Our school was private, and therefore very small. Grades sixth to eighth shared the same lunch period. Sometimes I would sit next to my brother, but most of the time he'd get mad and sent me packing. "You have your own friends and I leave you alone with them. So I have my friends and I want you to leave us alone!" Put simply, 'no girls allowed.'

One day I saw Felix move from the table he normally sat at to the empty one where only Piers sat. Wondering what my brother was up to, I had left my own 'girls'' table and sat with Piers and Felix. My best friend, Sheba, followed me.

We talked with Piers the entire lunch period. He was not shy, like we had thought he was. He was just so independent, that he seemed much older than an eight grader. Mind you, he did not think he was better than us.

"I'm different than all of you and I know it. But that's ok. I probably won't be staying in Vale very long. Maybe just a few years."

The more we talked to Piers the more the three of us liked him. We found out that Piers's home was not far from my own and Felix's house. Felix asked if he wanted to walk home with us. Piers agreed.

After school we bid Sheba goodbye, before walking back home. On the way we took a shortcut through an ally. Piers told us his house was not far from where we were. However two strange looking young men, probably from highschool, blocked our path. They advanced towards us. I had no idea what their motives were, but I did know that they meant us harm. Felix savagely fought back and sent the two packing. Even I managed to get a kick or two in.

"Why didn't you fight back?" Felix turned to Piers. My brother had a bruised cheek from where he had been punched, but it was nothing serious.

And to our utter amazement, Piers shook his head. "This happens everyday."

"Then why don't you fight back?" Felix demanded. "And if this happens everyday, why don't you tell someone? Do something? If you let them beat you up, then why don't you have bruises?"

"I am never hurt because…" Piers walked towards Felix. My friend's body began to glow blue. The blue energy traveled to Felix, and mended my brother's wounds. "…I use Ply to heal my wounds," Piers smiled at us. "And I do not fight back because I am a pacifist," he said proudly.

This was before Adepts had been discovered. My brother and I joyfully exclaimed, "Piers is an Adept, too!" Which, of course, lead Piers to ask what Adepts were.

We explained everything to him, and told him that he must be a Mercury Adept. "No," he disagreed with us. "It is true that I wield the element of water, but I am no Adept."

Felix, Sheba, and I continued to get to know Piers. Soon enough we became nearly inseparable; just the four of us. One day, after Adepts had been discovered in Weyard, Piers told us a secret.

"I am not human. I am something called a Slate, which looks very similar to humans."

Of course that raised a whole ton of questions for us. What was a Slate, why was he telling us now, why did any of this matter, he was still Piers after all. He answered our questions as best as he could, but there was still lightheartedness in our conversation.

"The truth is I am much older than what I appear," Piers explained to us.

"How many years?" I wondered.

"Come now! There is no reason to know that!" Piers exclaimed.

"But I'm afraid we haven't been treating you with the proper respect if you are much older than us," Sheba said silkily.

"Worry not about it. Treat me as you have within the time we've known each other."

"No! I want to know your age! Tell us, Piers!" Sheba pouted.

"Yes, tell us your age!" I chimed.

"You say you want to treat me with proper respect, and yet you make demands of me? This has nothing to do with respect! You merely wish to know my age!" Piers laughed. "Felix, won't you help me get them off my back?"

Felix just grinned.

"Not you, too? You were in on this the entire time, weren't you?" There was mock fury in Piers's voice. "I cannot believe this!"

Later, when we had finished laughing, Piers told us that he would no longer live in Weyard. He was moving back to his home planet. Of course we bombarded him with the question: why?

"Other than me you probably have never seen a Slate before," Piers murmured sadly. "In a few days there shall be a war; a war of Slates against humans. If I remain here, my kin would brand me as a traitor. I cannot bring myself to fight against my own family, so I shall return… my visit here has been most enjoyable. Please, in the oncoming war, remember that Slates are not evil. We are not demons. I will pray that you can defend against my kin's attack. The Slates have been seized by selfishness, and cannot see beyond their own lands. But not all of us are like that. I ask that you will not hate us, and keep me in your memory… I don't know if I shall see you again."

The next day Piers was gone. There was no goodbye or anything. A week went by. A war erupted within all of Weyard. Terrible, demonic creatures took the form of humans, before turning into their dragon form and annihilating all that stood before them. Slates… just as Piers had said. For Piers's sake, I never hated the entire Slate race. Though, sometimes, the Slates were still demons in my mind.

"Jenna?" Kraden interrupted my musings, no doubt wondering at the incredible lack of silence. "Was Piers a Slate?"

I nodded my head. "Yea, but he was a good person, Kraden! Not… not all Slates are… evil…" I trailed off. I felt tired; emotionally drained. I walked to the darkest corner of the prison and slouched down.

Kraden looked as though he was about to follow me, but froze when the prison's door opened. Everyone present watched the blond-haired young man enter the room. There was no food tray with him, and he was headed straight towards Kraden.

"Ah… my dear," Kraden called out to me, and he was… smiling? "I am happy to know that you think that not all of them are evil. I know I will die, and as your teacher… I do not give you permission to die also! You must live; do you understand me? And…" He chuckled. "If you die I will give you detention for a full week!"

I stared. The man guided Kraden out the door. Then the doors shut with a terrible bang. Gone. Just like that. I never thanked Kraden for everything he had done for me, and I knew I would regret it the rest of my life. That man had killed my teacher! I choked. More tears. Gone. Someone I had just been talking to!

It was that man's entire fault. He betrayed us! He was human, too! Yet, he was more of a demon than Slates could ever be!

My thoughts raced and I could not catch them. The man came in again, and I stared at him. I could think of no reason why he was back so soon, and yet… he began to take more people! He kept coming back, until no one was left in the accursed cell besides me.

I resolved that if he did come back to get me, I would tell him how much I hated him. And he did come back. He came back, took one look at me, and turned to leave.

"You traitor," my voice was so low and full of malice that I didn't even recognize it. "You traitor. How dare you. How dare you betray your own people." The man froze dead in his tracks. He turned and looked at me.

I didn't realize it at the time, but I now know that I must have been quite an unnerving sight. Remember that I was sitting in the darkest corner of the prison. My eyes were red from tears and lack of sleep. My body was thin and gaunt due to a lack of nutrition. My hair hadn't been combed in a month. Felix's blood was still on my hands and face, except for where my tears had washed them away.

"No," the blond shook his head. "You're wrong."

I was mildly surprised by the fact that he could understand me and actually spoke back. However my anger was much greater than any other feeling.

"Wrong?" I spat back. "Wrong?" I was beginning to sound like a broken record. "You did betray your people! And I swear that someday I shall kill you. Whether I strangle you to death with my bare hands or take your treasured sword and stick it through your gut."

He didn't say anything in response, just sort of glared at me as though he was trying to size me up. Yea, I wouldn't have known what to say in response to my words, either. The man began to walk towards the prison's exit, although he never turned his back or left his gaze from me.

"Too afraid to take me back with you like everyone else?" I demanded as his hand reached the door.

He shook his head again, and opened the door.

"Answer me!" I shrieked. "Why aren't you taking me, too?"

"…That's none of your concern," he said after some time. None of my concern? I was very concerned about it.

The man left and locked the door behind him. I heard his footsteps fade. I wanted to rest; to become as strong as I possibly could to defeat the traitor. Instead of pure sorrow I felt only burning resentment.

I now had a reason to live. I hated that man.

A/N: Hello again. A'ight, so, I'm gonna wager that I fooled some of you with this chapter's title, hee hee. This IS a love story, believe it or not. Ok, and also, to answer a common reviewer question… Felix really died, people. Yea, sorry. No insane resurrections here. ((points to angst category)) Um… yea. And keep in mind that angst comes before romance for this story.

Acknowledgments: Camelot and Nintendo own Golden Sun! Razorsoft and Sega own Slates. So there.

New: since I am editing chapters, I am just getting rid of the reviewer acknowledgements, as ff has banned them.