A/N: Thanks to all of my wonderful and patient reviewers! I hope you don't get confused by the means of telekinetic communication methods. If any of you are confused, let me know in your reviews and I put an explanation in my next Authors Note. Here's the next exciting installment of…


Chapter five, Into Eshkar

unknown area, 2:01 p.m. August 4th

A bird twittered in the treetops, first unaware of the strange new arrivals. The suns shined brilliantly on the serene landscape. Vegeta groaned, caressing his aching head.

Where…am I? his thoughts were scattered and ha felt at a severe disadvantage being unaware of his surroundings. Storm drew back her wings; a scene of peace enveloped her as a mother welcoming her child home from a long journey.

Could this be Eshkar? She thought, transforming and slowly flexing her hand.

Trunks carefully opened his eyes. Relief swam over him as he saw that no harm had befallen them just yet. He gazed at Storm with longing. Ever since her reawakening, he'd sensed some distance between them. That dream he'd had about her did not improve the matters at all either. He inwardly shuttered at the very thought of her appearance—that horrid creature he beheld. Storm turned to him curiously, feeling his emotions but not his thoughts.

And yet we share a bond still. This gladdened his heart. Storm raised an eyebrow at his sudden mood swing. Vegeta was glancing around wildly, trying to grasp an image of some invisible foe.

"Where are we anyway?" He grunted.

"I believe we are in Eshkar…" Storm replied dreamily. The bird fluttered onto her shoulder. Its brow feathery coat gleamed in the light of the two suns.

A mist began to creep towards them, tendrils of eerie vapor swirling before their feet. The bird twittered nervously and took off in fright. Vegeta and Trunks instinctively took a defense possession as the mist grew thicker. Storm gathered energy in the palm of her hand and dug her toes into the dirt. Faint chanting filled the air as a blonde female, dressed in a white toga assumed her position in the midst of the fog. The light emitting off of the being was intimidating as was her powerful aura.

"Who are you?" Storm demanded, shattering the sound of chanting in the air. The radiant being smiled sadly.

"Storm, you don't even know your own master?" The three lowered their guard immediately. Storm was unsure of what she should do. The goddess floated towards the group.

"My name is Ithar, thunder goddess and a guide to the good." She smiled warmly. "Welcome to Eshkar." Her face suddenly became grave. "Now, we have some important matters to attend to,' She beckoned them to follow down a path. "Something strange has been going on with the children of the village. They suddenly become enraged, beating their fists into the ground and scratching themselves with their nails. I cannot get a hold of them fast enough to determine what is wrong. They kill themselves far too quickly." They walked into a valley, houses built up in the center, surrounded on all sides by towers guarded by sentries. They hid their faces as the goddess approached. Storm was confused at what she had said.

"But…if you're a goddess…shouldn't you be able to look into their minds…'

"Actually," Ithar replied "I'm only half goddess. I only have certain magic abilities. They include telekinetic communications and spell casting. Whatever it is that is controlling them is dark and powerful; you have a stronger will than I do."

The village was empty, as the three walked by, curious onlookers peered out the window holes but quickly hid when spotted.

"But how can I if the children die before I can look into their minds?"

"We've ties one up." Ithar stopped before a storehouse, a wooden structure with various flora sprouting in the thatched roof. She opened the door to reveal a room lit only by torches. Two ropes that hung from the ceiling restrained the child's hands; while the two from the floor restrained her legs. The girl's face was twisted in agony as she struggled against the ropes which suspended her. The harsh binds cut into her raw skin and the blood ran down her arm. Every now and then she would flutter in and out of her normal self, a whimpering child with blue eyes full of fear and pain. A second after that, the blue would fill with red and her hair would be shaken into a wild flurry of brown. She bled from the mouth; apparently she had bitten clean through her own tongue. The child's clothes were covered in her own blood. She was screaming bloody murder in a fury of harsh, unfamiliar words.

Vegeta was shocked.

"What…the…hell?" was all he could manage. Trunks were equally as speechless. Ithar noticed how the child had bit through her own tongue and urged Storm to hurry.

"She will bleed to death soon, reach into her mind and sift through her thoughts and memories!"

Storm nodded, closing her eyes and surrounding herself in the emptiness of her mind. She reached out, creating crisp mental images of the people in the room. She focused her energy into the mind of the girl. What she saw shocked her.

A/N: CLIFF! MUHAHAHAHA! The more reviews I get, the quicker I update!