Chapter 5

A/N: Well, I'm pretty much sure that by this point i've lost all and any potential revewiers. Still, if there is anyone who can wait for like, 3 or 4 weeks for a chappie, Reveiw please!

Arion sat by the fire, deep in thought. After Eragon and Saphira had rescued him, he tried to tell them about what happened. He left out the part about going unconsciense after shooting the gaurd, because he felt it was unimportant.

Eragon had listened intently, but had kept to his own oppinion about the "God" thing. He'd only smiled slightly as Airon had spoken with enthusiasm, which eventually turned to dull acceptence of knowing that he sounded a little crazy.

Eragon had given a small dinner while Roran and Arion spoke quietly about what had happened. Arion mostly kept to himself though, for it was all a bit rushed.

The soldiers, the man who turned out to be a shade, the Light, (which he still thought was God) and most of all, the finding of a new Rider. After cleaning his dish, he moved a small log by the fire to think.

Arion looked at his gash. As with all his injuries, it was already sealed and healing quickly. His thoughts turned to the Shade.

"Your Seventeenth birthday will bring you more control than ever... but first you must kill Eragon.

Whatever the problem, he knew he didn't want to kill Eragon. It went against everything in him, even if he didn't beleive in God, he still wouldn't do it. He knew that much. But he also knew that sometime in the next few hours was his birthday.

His Seventeenth.

3 hours later, it happened. Arion was resting on the log, with his neck cradled on it.

The dark night seemed to loom over him, watching the troubled teen. The first thing he would have noticed if he was awake was power. Just...power in his limbs, power in his mind, so much power it threatened to overwhelm him. His hands glowed first, then the glowing spread up his body, until he was a beakon of light. Eragon thrust open the tent door to find where this was coming from, and he saw Arion floating above the ground, still asleep.

Eragon stood stunned, as his mind flowed with questions. "Arion! Wake up!" He wouldn't even respond. Saphira lumbered over and sat next to Eragon.

"Eragon, what happens to Arion cannot be stopped. We can only watch to see what happens."

The morning came and left, and still Arion did not stop floating with light. By this time Eragon, Roran, and Saphira only waited to see.

The afternoon sun came to bake them, and still he did not wake.

Finally, when night lengthened the shadows and chilled the night air, Arion flashed with a burst of light, and his body went rigid.

Ice flew from his body, freezing trees and patches of ground alike, while Eragon and Roran ducked behind boulders to escape the deadly projectiles. Finally a huge sphere of Ice exploded from him in a blast of sound. CRRIIINNNKKKK! Arion fell to the ground, his head slamming alarmingly on the ground, unconsciense. The ground around him was slick with ice, making it seem like he layed on a mirror.

Arion woke slowly from his mirror. He looked around and saw not a soul. "Hello? Eragon? Roran?" He shakily stood from his patch of ice, then looked at the ice. He yelled in alarm. For on the ice's slick mirror like quality, he could see Eragon and Roran on it. It was as if he had fallen through the ice, and landed in a world that looked the same, but was not the real world.

"ERAGON! CAN YOU HEAR ME," he yelled, but to no avail. He pounded on the ice, but he still would not look up.

"No..." he said weakly. He was gone.

He stood there for hours, days maybe, he didn't know. The only interesting thing he found was that when he thought hard about his life, he could see those instances. He tried to think of his house. He could see it, but there were soldiers in and around it. He didn't remember ever seeing that.

Eragon ran to Arions side as fast as the ice would allow him, and slid to a stop near the teens limp body.

"Arion?"

Arion stirred, then stood slowly. Eragon was releived then concerned. Arions eyes were glowing an unholy red.

Arion seemed to shake it off, for the light left and he spoke. "Of course Eragon, it's just...um...I feel different. I'm...just going to go sit for a while...if thats okay."

Arion shakily stood, then slowly walked to his tent. Eragon started back for his tent, but something made him stop, and look back. Arion was standing in front of his tent, then calmly raised an arm and silently brushed his fingers against the tree. It froze all along it's length, then seemed to die. Everything drooped. Arion seemed to chuckle, but it could have been his imagination, for even his elven ears didn't catch that.

Eragon reached out to the tree with his mind, and found that it died the second Arion's ice hit it. There was something wrong about that...

Arion pounded on the glassy ice, knowing that it was melting and so was his window out of there.

A day later, he saw himself on the other side. It was the first time he had tried to invision himself in his mirror/ice.

"Oh my God...that's me...but...i'm ME!"

Arion cried out, but again, no one heard him.

Except for himself.

"It's no use Arion..." his imposter spoke.

Arion's head snapped up. "Wha...?" The thing on the other side shook it's head. "Well Arion, after you denied my generous offer, I had no choice but to take advantage of you while you were changing."

"You...you-you...your the Shade?"

It laughed, shaking its head. "No, no...Eragon killed him, remember? No, I am the one who actually gave you the offer...I am Galbatorix."

It was then that Arion began to be afraid.

No...I won't be afraid of this monster..."

Arion grimaced, then thought of his only weapon that he thinks is still there. God.

God...i'm going to need some help...

Gods answer came as it always did. As a feeling.

use your body

It came without and end, a period, or a beginning. It was just what it was-instruction.

Arion concentrated on the feeling he had with the soldier. The power was not something he had to reach for, it just came. It was in his body.

"No!"

His hand glowed, and it shot an ice beam strait at the imposter.

The ice smashed him in the chest, knocking him back.

The imposter stumbled back, obviously surprised.

"But...you're in the void! You can't use magic there!"

Arion actually smiled.

"That's because it's not magic. And i'll tell you one thing Galbatorix. You can't keep me here. I'm not dead."