Author's Note: Hello everyone! Just wanted to say a big thanks to everyone who have read and reviewed my story so far : ) And thanks to the following people: Evergreen Friendship- TheAnime Angel, Milia Alexandros, fzelda, RayxJade, GilShalos, Madam Spooky and Devon Masterson-Bond. Hope you guys like this chapter too! Don'tforget to read and review:p

Chapter 9: Reflection

"Is he ok?" Mariabella asked in concern. The news about Cleao and Orphen's second confrontation was upsetting for the mother and daughter to hear, but Orphen was affected the most.

"It's been hours and he still hasn't left the tree," Majic sighed sadly.

"Should someone go and talk to him?" Tistiny asked.

"No," Hartia replied.

"He'll come back inside in his own time," Azalie added softly. She was really worried about Orphen, but she knew better than to interrupt his thinking time.

"I just wish we could do something…" Mariabella trailed off.

"He'll be ok," Azalie said, more to convince herself than anything else. She pulled the velvet curtain back, soft beneath her fingers, and she stared at Orphen. He was a distance away, sitting in the tree. A dark silence enveloped the room.

Orphen had healed his wounds slowly, but it drained a great deal of his energy. If only healing his heart would be as easy. He was ready to collapse, ready to give in, but his mind wouldn't let him move from the tree.

Orphen had been sitting at the tree for hours and all he could think about was Cleao. He really thought that he had gotten her back, that he had saved her. What a fool he was. How could I think that it would be that easy? He thought. But then again, Cleao's never made it easy.

It was a sunny day with a clear, blue sky and the trio were walking along a crystal, clear riverside.

Cleao sighed. Orphen kept walking, but Majic turned to face her, "What's the matter now? You don't have to go to the bathroom again do you?"

"I wish there was a bathroom to go to. What I wouldn't give for a great, big bathtub filled with 98 degreewater," Cleao's eyes lit up, "Oh my god, that's it! How about we take a little detour and stop by the hot springs at Kulna?"

Now Orphen glanced at Cleao, then towards a mountain face before him. "The hot springs at Kulna, huh?" he looked back at Cleao, "No way. Kulna Springs are on the other side of that mountain. We'd lose three days."

Cleao crouched on the ground, "You're impossible. Every time I come up with a perfectly good idea, you just have to go and shoot it down. Either you start listening to me, or I'm going home."

Orphen pointed back to the way that they had come, "Well you have a safe trip. C'mon Majic, we have a lot of ground to cover." Majic looked at Orphen.

"We're going to the springs!" Cleao exploded. Majic turned to Cleao.

"We're going to keep walking," Orphen retorted.

Majic spoke up, "Aren't you forgetting? Kulna's supposed to be haunted." Cleao was in his face in a heartbeat. Majic looked frightened.

"How about you zip it?" she advised sweetly.

"Yeah, I remember hearing a legend about the monster," Majic continued.

"If I want your opinion, I'll tell it to you! Are we clear!" Cleao screamed.

Orphen interjected, "He's right, you know. I've heard it too." Majic and Cleao faced Orphen. "The monster of Kulna. That's why no one goes there anymore."

"That's what I heard!" Majic sounded excited, "And it has metal skin and big sharp pinchers!"

"And one glowing eyeball so it can hunt in the dark," Orphen added.

"That is so cool," Majic replied. Both master and apprentice began walking, leaving Cleao behind.

"Oh man, they totally used to scare us with that story when we were little," Orphen laughed.

They continued talking, but Cleao would have none of it. "I'm not falling for that! What kind of moron do you think I am!" The other two kept ignoring her. Cleao's blood began to boil, "Hey!" She ran forward, but her foot got caught on an uneven surface. Orphen and Majic looked back in time to see her fall… face first in a puddle. She looked up with tears in her eyes.

"Oh c'mon," Orphen sighed exasperatedly.

Because of Cleao's whining and complaining, their traveling had been delayed. And Cleao took a bath in the nearest lake.

"Since when did I become Her Majesty's dressing boy?" Majic sighed as he hung Cleao's yellow dress on a tree branch. "Besides, someone could see her," after a moment, Majic's eyes widened as an idea came to mind.

Orphen walked back to the spot they had chosen to camp at for the night. He had a bundle of firewood in his arms, "Ok. She's gone, he's gone. Not good."

"Oh yeah. Now we're talkin'," he suddenly heard Majic's voice somewhere nearby. Majic had conjured an image of Cleao bathing in the lake. He sat there, his eyes fixated on Cleao. He was so caught up in the moment that he screamed when Orphen put a hand on his shoulder. "Oh, Master!"

"So, you see something you like there, Majic?" Orphen smirked.

Majic began to wave his arms frantically and he turned red. "It's not what you think, Master. I was just practicing my spell casting," he defended himself and shut his mouth quickly.

Orphen was staring at him sternly, but his eyes softened, "Light refraction's not an easy spell, Majic. Good job."

Majic looked relieved, "Well thanks, Master. I thought it was-"

A blow to the head cut off Majic's sentence. Orphen hit him hard, " These aren't the kind of spells I wanted you to master!"

The two boys were interrupted by Cleao, "Since when did my bath time… become a spectators sport!" she asked. Her anger evident by the shaking in her voice and body. She was dripping, but was covered in a fluffy, pink towel.

Majic hid behind Orphen, "Please don't hurt me, Cleao."

"Oh I won't, Majic," Cleao replied as she cracked her knuckles menacingly. Cleao gave chase and Majic ran for his life, "At least not fatally!"

Orphen watched as Cleao ran after Majic and he exhaled in dismay, "I cannot believe it's come to this. The greatest sorcerer the Tower of Fang has ever had, reduced to a simple baby-sitting job. I should've stayed in school!"

After all the commotion and after Majic and Cleao had settled down, they all sat around a glowing fire and ate dinner. As usual, Cleao complained about the food and after a lot of yelling she smiled at Orphen, " I have a fabulous idea. How about we take a little detour and get some real food from the resort at Kulna?"

"How about this, you sit down and open your mouth only to put food in it," Orphen suggested. Orphen went to sleep after Cleao had finished yelling at him.

The following morning, Orphen woke up to a note:

Good morning,

You looked so cute snoring and drooling. Couldn't bear to wake you. Be back soon.

Majic and Cleao

Orphen grit his teeth and crumpled the note in his hands. "That girl," he said as he looked towards Kulna. "Cleao!" he yelled.

"Orphen!" a voice called.

Orphen snapped out of his trip down memory lane and looked down to see Hartia.

"I kept calling you, but you were in some kind of trance," Hartia said from below the tree.

"I was just thinking about the time Cleao had disobeyed my orders, yet again, and went to Kulna with Majic. I woke up to a note saying the she couldn't bear to wake me. I was so annoyed. Then I had to go and save them from the Guardians. Cleao never did make things easy for me," Orphen sighed in remembrance.

Hartia smiled," Can you imagine her any other way?"

"No, "Orphen smiled in return.

"I bet that's what she's doing," Hartia said.

"What's she doing?" Orphen asked in a puzzled tone.

" Making it hard. I bet Cleao's subconscious is making it hard for you to save her," Hartia joked.

Orphen laughed, "Yeah. That'd be her." He smiled at the thought of the spirited young blonde that he had grown to love, without even realizing it, over the years. In that moment, it was as if the cloud in his mind had disappeared and he could finally think clearly. His mind began to work furiously.

"Krylancelo? What's going on in that head of yours?"

"Wait," he said quickly to Hartia. There was a long silence. "I'm having a thought… no… I think I've got an idea… no wait, now I think I have a plan."

"Thought? Idea? Plan?" Hartia inquired, "Care to share?"

Orphen jumped down from the tree and he felt his legs buckle beneath him. He fell to his knees.

"On second thought, share it later. I think you need a decent meal in you and at least eight hours of proper sleep. You've become weak."

"Hunger and fatigue. It can do that to you sometimes," Orphen laughed weakly at his own sarcasm.

"Shortcut?" Hartia asked.

"Yes please."

Without another word, Hartia placed a hand on Orphen's shoulder and teleported them inside.

"Now you just go and get some rest, young man," Tistiny ordered sternly. "We can discuss your plans tomorrow."

"But-"

"No 'buts', Master," Majic smiled, glad that Orphen was inside. Orphen looked indignant. "You heard Mrs. Everlasting's orders."

"That's right. Now off to bed," Azalie added.

"What's with you guys? I'm fine ," Orphen said to the group who were urging him up the stairs.

Hartia rolled his eyes, " You nearly fell asleep in your soup. You call that fine?"

He had to admit, he was really tired. But he really wanted to get to the plan. He considered his options. Five against one, plus I'm not at my best… These are odds I don't like, he contemplated.

"Ok, Ok," Orphen held up his hands in defeat. "I'm going to bed." He turned and headed to his room.

"I thought we'd never get him to his room," Mariabella said once he was out of earshot. They all headed back into the kitchen where Tistiny began to pour them all some herbal tea. They all sat in silence while they sipped at their drinks.

"The more rest he gets, the better," Hartia said, finally breaking the silence. There was a murmured agreement.

"It's not like Cleao's going anywhere…" Azalie said and her eyes widened when she saw everyone staring at her. "Did I say that out loud?"

"You kinda did," Majic answered a bit angrily.

"I didn't mean it that way… in a bad way. I just meant-"

"It's ok. We know what you meant," Tistiny assured the younger woman.

"No harm done," Mariabella added kindly.

"Hmm… yeah. I think I'll be going to bed now," Majic said and put his cup in the sink. "C'mon, Leki." The Wolven headed upstairs while Majic bid goodnight to the others.

"He didn't mean anything… you know… with his tone of voice," Mariabella said after Majic had left. "He's taking it very hard. Cleao's… change is hard on all of us."

"I know. I'm sorry about what I said," Azalie said sincerely.

"Don't worry about it, ok?" Mariabella replied as she and Tistiny placed the remaining cups inn the sink.

"Well," Hartia yawned, " I think we should all get some rest. We may have a big day tomorrow with this new plan that Orphen has."

"Agreed," Azalie said just before they all went to their own rooms.

Jeremy stood behind Cleao. "I knew I'd find you here." Cleao walked back to shore and sat at the edge of the lake. " Long time, no see."

"Could he really have been lying to me? All the things he said… were all lies?" Cleao whispered just as Jeremy sat next to her.

"Orphen," Jeremy said, but he didn't need any confirmation from Cleao. If I play my cards right, I could have her eating out of the palm of my hand, Jeremy pondered. Cleao had changed her attitude towards him again, but he would take this chance to manipulate her. He gently put his arm around Cleao's shoulders and was relieved when Cleao didn't protest or burn him with her flames.

"To think I almost fell for him…"

"It's ok, Cleao."

She ran a slender hand through her ebony tresses and exhaled, " Attacking Orphen was a real drain on my energy." Cleao put her head on Jeremy's shoulder as fatigue got the best of her.

"Need a power boost, 'cause I'd be happy to help," Jeremy offered and smiled down at her.

"I think rest will do just fine," she whispered.

"Ah, luckily I brought some blankets."

"You did?"

"Yeah. I had a feeling we'd need them." Jeremy disentangled himself from Cleao and retrieved two blankets from the black backpack next to him. Cleao didn't even notice that it was there. "One to sleep on and one to cover us up with." He laid the blanket on the ground.

"Us?" Cleao asked as she sat on the blanket.

"Well, I'm not leaving you alone. Plus, these are my blankets."

Cleao looked at him suspiciously when he sat next to her, "You try anything on me and you're dead."

"Wouldn't even dream of it," Jeremy smiled. When they lay down beside each other, the looked up at the twinkling stars above and Cleao fell asleep in his arms.

Cleao was walking down a long hallway. It was dark, but at the end of the hall, Cleao could see a bright light. It seemed to take forever until she reached the end. The closer she got, the brighter the light became. Cleao shielded her eyes as she entered the room. The room was spacious with white walls and a dome ceiling made of glass overhead. The sun gleamed brilliantly above her and she felt warm inside, a feeling that had been lost to her for some time now. Cleao found herself standing in front of a mirror. She saw her reflection, but she knew that it wasn't her. Reflected in the mirror was the blonde that she once was. The blonde was wearing a long white dress and her beauty was as luminescent as the sun. She just glowed. It was such a contrast to what Cleao looked like now. Cleao felt confused, but was intrigued at the same time.

"You're not me," she said finally.

Ah, but I am.

Cleao opened her mouth to say something, but was silenced by her reflection. There was a long pause.

Good and bad, that's what you are. Powerful and weak, that's what you are. Confident and scared, that's what you are. Choose one.

Cleao was confused, "That's what I am? What do you mean?"

You are lost, choose to be found. You feel unloved, choose to feel loved. You must choose. Either way.

"Choose…" Cleao echoed. What her reflection was telling her made no sense at all, but at the same time it did. The thought raced around in her head and Cleao did her best to wrap her mind around it. She was about to ask her other self a question, but before a word could escape her lips, a dark power awakened inside her.

Heed my word. Stay in Totokonta and choose.

Cleao's eyes darkened and her eyes flashed dangerously. "No!" she screamed. That one word echoed around the room as the mirror and the glass overhead shattered into a million pieces, showering Cleao in shard of glass. Each shard of glass that struck her body left her bleeding and in pain. She collapsed and darkness followed.

Cleao woke with a start. She glanced down at her arms to see red scratches all over her. She was dazed. Cleao sat up straight to see the sun rise over the Ruins of Kohan. "Choose…" she whispered.

Orphen was the first one up that morning. He headed straight to the kitchen to make coffee. He sat on a stool at the kitchen counter with a hot cup of coffee in his hands. The bittersweet taste waking him. He sat in silence as he ran the plan through his mind over and over again. He heard footsteps and looked towards the door. Tistiny came in.

"Good morning," Orphen greeted.

"Good morning, Orphen. You're up early today."

"Woke up early and I couldn't get back to sleep."

Then Mariabella came in, followed by Azalie, Hartia and finally Majic and Leki.

" Good. You're all here. Let's get started then," Orphen said to the group.

"How about after we get food in our stomachs," Hartia proposed.

"Fine," Orphen grumbled.

They ate bacon and eggs that morning. No one spoke during the meal. Once everyone was finished eating, Orphen stood up and cleared the plates.

"Someone's in a rush," Azalie noted.

"We've eaten. Now can we talk?" Orphen asked everyone, urgency in his voice. He took the silence as a 'yes'. "Ok then. I was thinking about things… a lot. And I had this feeling that the ancient runes that we copied at the ruins are somehow connected to this Jeremy thing. And my instincts have never been wrong."

"So what's the new plan?" Majic asked.

"I tried the whole 'talking to Cleao' thing and that didn't turn out so well. So we're going to Alenhatan to see Steph."

"But wasn't that already part of your plan to begin with?" Hartia asked. Orphen shot him a look. "But that sounds like a great plan," he added hastily.

"Once we get the writings translated, we'll think of what to do next," Orphen said.

"Well, it sounds like a good plan," Mariabella said encouragingly. Leki barked in agreement. Orphen smiled at them gratefully.

"We'll go by horse."

"When do we leave?" Azalie queried.

Orphen looked at them," We leave tomorrow."

Jeremy sat up. He saw Cleao wading through the water. "Beautiful," he whispered and smiled. Before he had turned her, he had gotten to know her and she wasn't so bad. She wasn't bad at all. And Jeremy actually felt bad for putting her through all of this... Or at least he thought he did...

I've spoken to her about The Gifted One.

It was a voice inside his head. He knew it wasn't his, but he didn't seem the least bit freaked out.

It's you. I heard. She told me that Orphen said he loved her, Jeremy thought as he communicated with the mysterious voice.

Does it matter what he said? Kill her.

Jeremy was taken aback Why? She's part of the plan.

Not anymore.

What do you mean?

You ask a lot of questions.

I have the right.

There was a pause in the conversation.

She's having dangerous thoughts that could jeopardize our plans.

Thoughts?

She isn't on our side.

She isn't on theirs either.

She has had a dream and She tells her to choose. She will not choose you.

Of course she will. She's starting to fall for me.

No. You're starting to fall for her.

Jeremy didn't say anything.

I can no longer talk to her… influence her. She has been blocked from me. Kill her or it will be the end of you.

That was the last thing said. Jeremy looked back at Cleao, the only girl that he had ever come close to loving.