The Pralontúr

by wingedliver

1,000 years before the Time of Zelda, Arion, one of the last Atlantians, must face the other last people of Atlantis, the Last Zeron, who have taken over Earth. Arion must now face the destiny that's been waiting for him for a millenium...

5. A Nightmare of Hope and the Pralontúr

C5: A Nightmare of Hope; the Pralontúr

It was a gloomy looking cell. It was dark, with only a bit of light shining in through a window, protected by iron bars, and a few wax candles in the room. The cell was large, and an iron door with many screws in it was on the opposite side of the window. It was dirty, with the air very moist, and a fowl smell swept everywhere. The cell was a very bad place to be. Spider webs were on the ceiling, with thick cobwebs reflecting some light. Rats and cockroaches would come out across the floor every now and again, making noises that would be scary. Every corner was dark except for one. But in one of the dark corners, by the window and far from the iron door, was a girl.

She was about sixteen years old, and was covered in filth. She looked like she hadn't been cleaned in years. That was mostly all that could be shown about her appearance. Even though, it looked like that once in her life she could fight. Her dirty gown and her legs could easily be shown in the light, but all else was lost in the darkness of the cell.

The girl made weeping noises and cried a little, but then she put her arm in front of her face like she didn't want anyone to see her. See stopped crying, and it went quiet except for the wind that swept through the barred window and the rats that squeaked as they went by. Then she started to mumble to herself as though there was someone else there with her. But there wasn't. She started to slide her fingers along with dusty wall, leaving marks against the wall. She started to hum instead of mumble, and her humming was an okay rhythm.

Then the girl started to sing in a wet and beautiful voice: 'THEY LOOKED… TO THE WEST AND… SAW A WORLD. DESTROYED… BY THE WATER BUT SURVIVED A GIRL. AND THE REST TOOK OVER – EVIL THEIR HEARTS. I REMAIN FAITHFUL… UNTIL THE DAY… THAT I PART.' She ended the song, even though not many would understand what her words meant. And even though her face could not be seen, anyone could tell that a small tear had run down her cheeks.

Just then footsteps came towards the iron door and words outside of it were being spoken. A rattling of metal hitting each other echoed outside – people were trying to find the key to unlock the door. The girl tried to sit back farther, even though the wall touched her back and she could go no further. Just then there was a click and the door was swung open. It banged against the wall as four people stood against the door. They were servants to the ruler of the kingdom.

"No, get away from me!" the girl cried. She stood up and her face was still hidden. She tried to sound threatening, but she knew there was no point. The servants – who dressed in armor – walked towards her. The girl tried to claw and hit them, but that did nothing.

"The Last Zeron," a guard with a red feather on his head said, "has said that since you aren't going to become them,…–" he was having trouble grabbing her by the arm – "that you killed the seven dead Atlantians of the Last Zeron making only fifteen left, and that for the past millennium you have made yourself the only last living Atlantian to not be part of the Last Zeron, you will be hung soon. First, you will have trial."

The girl tried hard not to move and struggled hard to get free, but that didn't work. "I never wanted to be part!" the girl exclaimed loudly. "The old people of Atlantis would be very disappointed." And with that, the girl managed to set her right arm free from one of the guards hold and then punched him hard in the face. That was a brave mistake. Another guard took his sword out and used the hilt to hit at the back of the girl's neck, knocking her on the ground hard. She was unconscious.

The guard that got hit in his jaw picked up the girl. Her face was still not visible. "Thank goodness she is the only Atlantian not faithful to the Last Zeron and that she does not know her power!" The lifted her up – she was very light – and dragged her out of the room. Far away, though, there was one last Atlantian against the Last Zeron. His name was Arion.

Arion shot up out of his nightmare. He sat up, sweating, exhausted, heart thumping loudly. His pillow was wet from sweat, and his chest, arms, armpits, neck, and hair were sweating like mad. It took Arion a moment to realize it was just a nightmare, but when he realized it, he rested his forehead on his hand, and thought of the nightmare. At first he thought it was just a dream of his own fantasy, but slowly he realized that he was right- there was something Baleiar did not mention in their meeting about what has been happening the past millennium. He kept all thought, though, on his nightmare. A woman, also a prisoner, who was the last Atlantian in the world never to be a companion for the Last Zeron, always an enemy; was the cause of the death of the seven Atlantians of the Last Zeron, and might be sentenced. Who was she? Was she real? Did he know her? The questions burst through his mind nonstop.

As he sat there thinking of what he just dreamt, he started to realize something else that made him fell better and a little worse. If this dream was not a dream, but a vision, and the girl was an Atlantian, then that meant Arion wasn't the last Atlantian left to battle the Last Zeron. There was another. Then a thought hit Arion. If there was another Atlantian still alive, then could there be more? And why didn't Baleiar tell Arion there was another Atlantian still alive?

Arion was starting to cool down, and he was less tense then before. Then he looked up at the ceiling, and after a few seconds of being empty minded, he stared out the window by his bed to the daylight of the outside. Then, as he looked at the stairway that leaded up to Baleiar's hut, he saw Baleiar walking down the stairway very slowly.

So Arion got out of his bed and grabbed a folded shirt from within a dresser. He ran out as he put it on, but he didn't button it up and kept it open. Baleiar was walking towards a bar, and Arion ran after him. Arion was half way there when Baleiar walked into the bar, called the Princess Majestic. Arion ran into the Princess Majestic, and saw Baleiar sitting on a stool against the bar. He was drinking tea, because any alcohol could ruin the powers of an Adept. So Arion ran to Baleiar, and took a seat on the stool next to Baleiar.

"I'd like the same as he's getting," Arion told the bartender quickly.

"Well," Baleiar stated, "you're up early. Its 8:00- you're usually up by ten."

Arion took a deep breath and said, "Yeah, but I usually don't have dreams that tell me there's a twenty-fourth Atlantian you never told me about."

Baleiar stopped sipping his tea out of the mug, and then set it down slowly. The bartender asked Baleiar if he wanted anymore, but Baleiar shook his head slowly as he turned his head towards Arion. The bartender took the mug and started to clean it.

"You had a vision?" he asked. Arion nodded his head softly. "It happens to magical people now and then. I should have expected this. Well, can you tell me about this dream?"

"Yes!" Arion exclaimed. "Starts off with a girl in her cell – her face are hidden in shadows the whole time – and then knights or something take her away because she was the last of the known Atlantians to not be part of the Last Zeron and the one who killed the seven dead Last Zeron members." Baleiar nodded his head in understanding.

Baleiar said, "Well, I won't give you her name. But this is what I will tell you – everything you heard was defiantly true."

"Thanks," stated Arion. "Why didn't you tell me there was another Atlantian still alive, still good in heart? Do I some how know who she is? And are there more-?"

"Stop with the questions," Baleiar interrupted. "I will answer those. But you will find out who she is on your quest that should begin in one week.

"Anyways," he added, "I didn't tell you who she was because… you do know her. I won't tell you who she was, and I didn't tell you because of this. I found out about her five years ago when I left to the Ryu Kingdom. Dia – I mean, the Black – I almost said his name – kept her there."

"What's his name?" snapped Arion.

"I will not tell you that. You will find out soon enough. Anyway, the Black has kept her there for ten years. She was captured when she was traveling, and found out that she was the Atlantian that killed seven of the Last Zeron. They have been trying to sentence her for ten years, but now they will be holding trials. She is to be executed in about two months. She is also our hope just as you are. But you were the only one I had been waiting for. You had your nightmare of hope, but she can do nothing for us."

"Well," Arion stated, "I'm willing to save her. You said your visions have been blurred from the future, she could be important as well. And if each Atlantian has a certain power, what's hers?"

Baleiar looked at Arion hard and said, "She's an Elemental – a Salamander, one of the intelligences that can inhabit one of the four elements – fire, water, wind, and stone. The Salamander is the one of fire. That is her…. But for now, I want you to start getting ready. One week you will leave. In two days, Zeya will arrive. You should start preparing."

That's what Arion did for the rest of the day. Keeping his mind focused on the girl and what the name of the Black almost sounded like kept Arion fully awake and energized that whole day. He never stopped training that day. Even at night, his thoughts kept him awake and training. He was starting to learn Spiriality better. But it would take a lot longer before he could fuse with an actual living creature- even an insect. The next day he remained awake. He was tired just a bit. Baleiar sat in his hut, smoking his pipe, and now and then looked out his window and looked out into the forest and caught glimpses of movements. Baleiar was a bit worried for Arion, but he didn't care. Arion was a Warlock, able to take care of himself. So Arion continued training. He had used one of his harder powers to make his sword heavier for a while. Arion trained with the sword, striking at trees, striking at the ground, at stone, and eventually fighting with a heavy sword was like using a regular one. Arion was getting stronger and wiser, but he remained loyal to who and what he was. (Read the prologue again and it will say about the Atlantians having an oath stating they will not take power or greed- Arion is loyal to those words). Thin in the afternoon he meditated for a few hours, keeping to himself, and letting all of his surroundings fade from his thoughts.

Then, for the first time in a millennium, Arion's thoughts came back to his home in Atlantis. He wondered if any of his friends had survived and were in hiding- Diander, Phorin, and Aylia. He looked back on the times they had together- they started a food fight in the school cafeteria once and weren't blamed for it. How another time for the Talent Show they stood up stage doing hilarious skits from movies. How once they put graffiti on the school wall once saying 'Our Ass-ignment is Ass-ociated to any Ass-phalts in Ass-isting. Of course, they weren't caught on that either. But he principal thought he knew it was them. And finally, once they interrupted a play by barging through the doors dressing like male strippers. It was a good time back then. Now the only friends Arion had was a lion and a three-thousand year old magician who knew his dead father. Arion wished that he could have some how stopped that wave from killing most of the Atlantians. Then Arion opened his eyes and realized he had been meditating for ten hours. Baleiar stood in front of him leaning on his oak-wood staff.

"You should get rest," Baleiar told Arion. "I know knowing you that there might be a chance one more Atlantian could still exist to fight against your side, and it has kept you up for two days now. But you need rest. Zeya is arriving tomorrow afternoon and you need to keep enough strength for your adventure." Arion almost forgot- Zeya was coming tomorrow. Arion stood up and whispered, "Yes." Then they walked back to their huts on the half hour walk. Arion realized how tired he was and how much he smelt.

When they got back to their huts, Arion left into his hut and Baleiar left to his own. Then Arion took off his shirt and plopped himself up on his bed. He didn't bother on taking the blankets made out of animal-hide over him. He just laid back and before he knew it, Arion drifted into sleep once again.

He woke with a start late in the afternoon. He hadn't noticed that he had slept for so long. It was about 5:00 in the daytime- Arion slept for almost a day. He sat up straight and placed his feet on the floor. He brushed his hand through his wavy hair like he was trying to find something. Then he shook his hair and scratched it. He did need a bath. And that's exactly what he did. Arion left the hut to the lake that was where some people took a bath at. He washed up, and ten minutes later he headed back to his hut after drying off and then put his clothe back on. He left back to his hut and he got something to eat- buffalo meat. When he was done, he realized that if it was this late then Zeya was probably here.

He got up and took off out of his small hut into the outside again. He ran up the spiral staircase and up the tree. He ran on to the deck and he said that inside one of Baleiar's window were two shadows being casted by the chimney-fire within his hut. Zeya was inside. He ran into the hut and he saw Baleiar sitting in one of his comfortable chairs, Forion resting by the fire looking from Baleiar to Arion as he entered, and there was a young woman sitting in front of Baleiar who looked up at Arion.

Arion noticed immediately what she was. She was very beautiful – like most of her kind. She had long fiery red hair with white skin that was a bit dark, thin and could tell she had small abs and was powerful, emerald green eyes, and long pointy ears. She wore green Elven clothes – green clothe made entirely of fabric. A sleeveless shirt was worn, with a black leather gauntlet in her right arm. She wore a green slanted scabbard with a golden buckle on the front, and a bastard-sword that curved several times looking real deadly. Her shirt hung out a bit underneath her scabbard. Her thin, green pants that went down to her ankles, but her dark green boots went up to her knees, making her look better. And she wore a thin golden necklace with a ruby in the center. Arion stared at her for a few seconds at her, Zeya, as he realized she was an Elf.

"Arion," Baleiar looked Arion as he was talking to him, "this is Zeya. She is an Elf, as though you can tell. But not just an Elf- she is Princess Zeya of the Elves." Arion couldn't believe it. Even though, there were only about ten thousand Elves left in existence. Arion gulped as he stared from Zeya to Baleiar and said, "She's my companion?"

Baleiar nodded and told Arion to sit down on the chair right by Zeya. Arion stood there a few seconds, and then he slowly walked towards the chair. Then he took a seat on the chair for slowly. "What's wrong with you?" asked Zeya. "You're acting as though you've never seen an Elf before." Arion turned his head towards her, and slowly he was starting to feel less surprised.

He responded saying, "I haven't. Elves were only myths in Atlantis."

Zeya said, "Well there were civilizations one thousand years ago. Now most of us have been killed by the Last Zeron."

"I have told Zeya everything about you Arion," Baleiar stated. "So she knows about you being one of the last living Atlantians, about you being frozen, about how you trained under me, and how you, she, and Forion are new companions to fight the Last Zeron and stop them from opening the portals. She knows everything."

"So now what'll happen?" Arion asked Baleiar. "Are we having a tea-party?"

Baleiar shook his head and said, "No, we are going to discuss your journey." Zeya sat upright when Baleiar said 'journey' and Arion crouched when Baleiar said 'discuss'. Arion was getting tired of knowing that there's always more to this new home that has magic then his last home in Atlantis that had no magic. He was also getting to miss technology and this medieval world.

"But first, a name is in order," Baleiar said. "A group name, a name all three of you will have – the ones who are going to stop the Last Zeron."

Zeya said, "We could be the… the Blue League." Arion scratched his face hard with his fingers, leaving read marks, and he groaned.

"A league?" he croaked.

Zeya lowered her eyes and said as she looked at Arion disgusted, "You're always like this, aren't you?"

Arion looked up at her but he didn't move his head, and he mumbled, "No. Just started when I found out that last good one of my kin is to die soon and that I'm going from ordinary every-day guy to a Warlock."

Zeya bit her lip and stated, "And my kin is becoming extinct, okay."

Arion took in a deep breath and tried to look interested. He knew he wasn't going to be interested now that he knew everything. "The Last Zeron have discovered about the Halian Tree." Now he was interested. "A spy came this morning and I caught him trying to send a message by having a bird fly it to the Ryu Kingdom. The spy was trying to make sure we weren't doing any conspiracies. He never discovered Arion- thank heavens. He found out what the Halian Tree could do, and when I found out what he was doing he had already sent the message. The spy is dead; I disposed of him in a river that's two hours away. When I came back, Zeya was here. Now the Halian Tree is in danger of spreading the plague."

"Great!" Arion exclaimed. "So our quest will begin sooner?"

Baleiar nodded his head and said, "Two days from now."

"And what shall we do until that time comes?" asked Zeya respectfully. "Get to know each other?"

Baleiar said, "Yes, and you shall train a bit. You have already been acquainted to Forion, Zeya, now you must meet Arion."

Arion bowed his head to Zeya, and she did the same to him. Then they looked back to Baleiar, who looked to the fire. "This is the way you must go. That trail, Arion, which we used to go to train you- keep following the same direction that the trail goes. Eventually it will take you to the Golian River. That's the same river I disposed of the spy. So you should be there very soon. Then you must go north, follow the river, for sixty leagues. That should take you about six or seven days. Then you will come across a small town called Sayler Town. Make sure that Forion goes around and not into the town – the townspeople hate lions. Make sure Zeya's ears are covered. And make sure that no one knows Arion is an Atlantian. You will travel ten leagues and you should be out of the town by one day. After that, there will be a very large lake, called Lake Um'Laren. You will need a rowboat to get across the lake. So you must buy or trade for one in the town. And once you pass the lake, you will meet the Byorvin Kingdom. Go to the queen- not the king, who is the Immortal – because she is good and the Immortal makes her life miserable. She will be willing to help you on your journey. Tell her everything. She will tell you the way to the Ryu Kingdom from there. I will make sure to it that she is told beforehand about your arrival. That way she will know what is going to happen."

Arion thought about what Baleiar said, and Arion responded with, "Well, what if she betrays us and tells the Immortal. We can't just knock on her front door saying 'We're here to kill your husband and save one of the last good Atlantians'? No way can she know!"

Baleiar nodded in response and said, "I know. But I trust her. She will never betray me. And anyways, she has my message sent to her already. She should already know you're coming. Besides, I never said you were going to kill Veron the Immortal."

Zeya shook her head and said, "Arion is right. You shouldn't have done that."

Baleiar nodded his head again and responded, "I will do what I think is right. And I will learn from my mistakes." Arion and Zeya, both didn't know each other, but they had the same thoughts of how they could only hope Baleiar was right.

"But for a name," Baleiar said. "Back to the names, we shall go." He thought as he slowly stroked his white beard with his index finger and thumb. "I've got it! From hence forth, you shall be known as the Pralontúr."

"The Pralontúr?" asked Zeya. "In Elven, though, that means-!"

"Hope," Baleiar interrupted. "I know. Pralontúr means 'hope'."

They all sat there for a while. They spoke, and Arion was learning more about the civilizations of Earth. They spoke until dusk, and Baleiar stood up off of his seat. "Zeya, I'm going to have you sleep in Arion's hut. Forion will be there too. You two can get to know each other tonight and tomorrow. Arion, you will pack your sack of only a pan, some clothe, a torch, and water. Make sure you have all of what you need. Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to go and rest for the night." Baleiar left into another room. Zeya, Arion, and Forion were left sitting there.

Arion looked at the sleeping Forion as he stood up, and Arion used telekinesis to wake up Forion. 'Forion lets go. Baleiar told us you were to sleep in my hut.' Forion's eyes flickered open and he stood up quickly. Then Forion made a loud yawn, and he used telekinesis and said, 'I'll make it first.' Then Forion ran towards the window as Arion and Zeya were heading to the door. Forion leaped out of the window and jumped twenty feet down and landed perfectly on the ground. Then he walked inside Arion's hut. "He's not an average lion, is he?" asked Zeya. "No, he's a Golden Lion." Arion grabbed the door knob and slowly twisted it open. "A Golden Lion?" she asked. "What's that?" Arion responded, "I'll tell you once we get inside my hut."

They walked out of the door, and Arion closed the door behind him. They walked down the spiral wooden staircase and then into Arion's hut. They spoke a little, and Arion found out that Zeya was actually smarter that Arion (Arion was smart only in the ways of magic, and a little in school), she was strong- Arion was stronger though. She was fun to be with, and someone that everyone could like. And she also had a son. He was five years old, and Zeya was actually thirty years old. But Elves always stopped aging once they reached twenty. Atlantians stopped aging once they're dead. They fell asleep that night at around ten after Arion taught Zeya to mind-read so she could communicate with Forion- Elves only taught themselves complicated spells. Elves also could learn magic a lot faster then Arion could. They fell asleep that night, and woke up quietly the next morning.

Zeya was the first to wake up that morning. It was early dawn, but Arion had always slept in. Forion was out hunting. Zeya put on her black robe made of animal fur and she walked out of the room. She stalked into another room, which looked mostly like the kitchen. She walked through as she slid her hand across the marble counters, and walked out through the other door. It took her to the living room, where she and Arion spoke together the night before. There was another door in that room, which led to Arion's room. She looked at that door for a second, and then she looked to the door that would take her outside. She stepped towards the door and opened it up. It took her to the outside, where the skies were dark blue with many stars still out and the sounds of crickets could be made in the distant. She looked above her and saw that Baleiar's hut was right above her head.

She lowered her head and looked straight. She blew out air from her mouth, and whispered to herself, "I pray for you, Mirrow." Mirrow was her five year old son. After standing there for another minute, she decided to go to a pub for some coffee. She walked slowly, down the trail of cobblestone, and her frail legs made her almost fall a few times. She walked into the Princess Majestic and got herself a coffee like she wanted. She was thinking of Arion and Forion, and though Arion was pretty cool. When she finished her coffee, she tipped the bartender and walked out of the pub.

Arion woke up later on. He, Zeya, Baleiar, and Forion all spoke to each other. That whole day Arion could barely speak, he was shivering a lot – not by the coldness, but by the fear of his journey. He was always lost in thought. Zeya was not scared at all, which made Arion realize how brave she was. Forion was like himself always – sleeping and hunting. Now and then Arion didn't forget why Forion was so important – and then he would realize that Forion had these special powers that made him this unique Golden Lion. Baleiar was a strong man, and even though Arion defeated Baleiar, Baleiar was still more powerful then Arion by miles. It was mostly just luck Arion had wont that battle and became the Warlock. It would have been better if Baleiar didn't go around telling everyone Arion was more powerful and was a legendary Warlock now. It made Arion uncomfortable.

The day rolled by in a blur for Arion. But for Zeya, she couldn't see more clearly. Everyone knew she was an Elf, but no one said anything. Everyone there was trustworthy, and knew not to tell anyone of Zeya. Now and then Arion would see Zeya praying to a small wooden shrine she had built in the elvish tongue. It was for Mirrow. Unlike Arion, Zeya was always ready for an adventure. Arion was always ready to wake up from this deluded nightmare.

Forion – like was said before – was still himself. Zeya was ready and more energetic, Arion was nervous and afraid, but Forion was his old self. Now and then he would wake up and just yawn, look at the others, and fall to sleep. He always slept by the fireplace in Baleiar's hut. He would talk to Baleiar and the Pralontúr now and then, but then would fall asleep. It was only late at night or early in the morning when Forion would go out hunting. Sometimes Forion would not rest a whole day, which made Arion think that Forion was sick or had been somewhere the previous night. Baleiar said Forion was always like that. Forion had lived with Baleiar for years. Arion didn't meet Forion when Arion arrived because Forion was at a place called the Dragons Cross.

Then they had their last meeting that night. It wasn't much of a meeting, but more of a last time they would be together like this for a while. Arion wasn't much of talking, but then neither was Forion, which didn't bother anyone. He fell asleep right away.

Baleiar looked at the quiet Arion and asked, "Would you like a toffee?"

Arion looked up at Baleiar and say, "No thanks."

"Arion, this is your last night here for a while. Enjoy it."

Arion pressed his lips against each other and shook his head a bit. "Knowing my friends or family is alive will make me happy. But they're not. I have a new life, and it wasn't until today I've realized how much this new life just sucks." Then he looked at the fireplace. Baleiar and Zeya didn't bother him, and Zeya felt sorry him. Baleiar understood it him, but felt no grief. That's when Arion decided to ask a question after a few seconds, "What created the Midnight Clash?"

Baleiar smiled and stated, "Destiny did."

Arion rolled his eyes. Whoever Destiny was, he hated the person. He looked at the fire, thinking now and then that he was seeing his family or friends through the flickering flames.

They continued to talk that night. But it was over at ten o'clock. Baleiar wanted them to get a good rest for their journey. Arion never spoke. Zeya and Arion packed. Zeya spoke to Arion to calm him down and make him feel better, and it worked. They were talking in conversations and Arion was feeling better. When they were done packing after several minutes, they went to bed.

They woke up the next morning and were exhausted. They were going to leave earlier in the morning instead of the afternoon so no one could see them walk out of the Sapphire Village. The Pralontúr and Baleiar all got up at the same time and ate breakfast together. Baleiar kept trying to raise their spirits and he was glad to see Arion was a bit more cheerful. When breakfast was done, he said they were going to leave in a few minutes.

Arion and Zeya walked down the wooden steps of Baleiar's tree, and walked into Arion's – it also became Zeya's. They grabbed their sacks and put them over their shoulders. Arion was carrying a pot in his sack, along with his clothes, a dagger, some cans of oil, a few fishing rods, and a bow and arrow. Zeya kept the same things in her pack – except instead of having cans of oil; she had some food, such as fruits, meat, and vegetables for when they couldn't find food. They spoke only once. When they grabbed their sacks they walked outside. It was eight o'clock in the morning. Baleiar stood in front of their door and so did Forion, who looked well-rested.

"Well," Baleiar started, "It looks like it's time to go, if I should say so."

Arion and smile and asked, "Do you still have those toffees?"

Baleiar smiled as he said, "Why, yes I do." He dug in a pocket and pulled out a handful chocolates. Arion snatched two chocolates away from Baleiar instantly. Arion hadn't had a chocolate for one thousand years. He peeled the plastic off the chocolates and then crammed them in his mouth like he hadn't eaten in weeks.

"O," Arion said very pleasantly with his eyes closed and his shoulders shivering a bit. "It's so good."

"I'll just put them in both of your sacks," Baleiar told them with a smile as he looked at Arion. He put two handfuls into Arion's sack and was just about to put it in Zeya's sack when she put a hand out in front of her.

"I'm allergic," she told him. Baleiar scowled that instant she said that like she just said he was an awful person.

He shook his head slowly as he bit his tongue, and said, "You bring shame on the Pralontúr."

Zeya smirked at him. Then Baleiar took the two handfuls he was going to give to Zeya and gave it to Arion. He knew Arion would like that, seeing as it had been a long time since he had chocolate.

''I'm going to not give anything to the lion whose about to risk his life'!' Forion thought so everyone could hear, imitating Baleiar who never said or though that. Baleiar turned to him and smiled. Baleiar walked towards Forion and bent down so that he was eyelevel to Forion. Then Baleiar pulled out a golden arm brace and Forion looked at it as Baleiar put it around Forion's front right leg. 'What's that for?'

Baleiar smiled as he said, "When you have to go around Sayler Town you'll need this to keep in contact with Arion and Zeya so you know where you're going to Lake Um'Laren."

'I get a gift so they can mommy me? I know the way to Lake Um'Laren. I won't get lost.'

Baleiar stated, "You'll know if they'll be in trouble at least." Forion grinned loudly. No one cared. Forion liked being grumpy – he somehow thought it would make him stronger.

"Anyways," Baleiar started, "You've got your stuff, your food, your clothes, your health, your chocolates. –" he sneered at Zeya as a joke – "And it's time to go onto your adventure. You might need this." He handed Zeya a map. On it showed the Jadendell Region – Sapphire Village, the Atlantian Kingdom (where the Last Zeron lived except for the Immortal), Thogard, the Byorvin Kingdom, Sayler Town, and the Ryu Kingdom. In red was a line that was drawn by Baleiar to show the path they had to take from where they were to the Ryu Kingdom. "The map might be nifty if you know where you're going."

"Thank you," Zeya said, even though having a map wasn't really a surprise to her.

"Well, you didn't want chocolates. You needed something as a farewell gift." Then Baleiar looked at Arion, who had remained quiet most of the time, and had a bit of melted chocolate on the side of his lips. "Keep practicing Spiriality and the Green Fire. Spiriality will take less time, but if I should say so: after you save this good Atlantian go to the Dragons Cross. You should be able to use Green Fire."

Arion nodded his head respectively. Baleiar smiled and then, with a small tear running down his dark face, he said, "Well, get going. You have a journey ahead of both of you, and you have a destiny to fulfill. Good luck and good day." With that Baleiar walked up the spiral stairs to his home on the tree.

Arion and Zeya started walked now. But before they could get ten feet away from the huts, Baleiar yelled from on his deck, "I hope you like the chocolates – they were homemade."

Arion turned his head but kept walking. He smiled, and Zeya also smiled but never turned her head. Baleiar leaned against the railings of the deck and watched as Arion and Zeya walked southwards out of the Sapphire Village, and towards the first step of their journey.