RCM- While Link and Tetra head off to investigate that dream, I think that we should check in on our other heroes. Let the legends unfold.

Chapter 3

The Legends of Old

" 'I need to speak with the Counsel' he says. 'Oh, I won't be long, wait inside' he says. What a joke!" Hugh ranted on, though by that time Lance had completely blocked out his old friend's complaining. It had been over an hour since Baldwin had left them to talk with the Counsel of Elders, and it was growing ever clearer that Hugh was not the patient type. "If he's not back in five minutes, I'm going home!"

"Hugh, get a hold of yourself." As Lance hopped of the table he was sitting on, a weary Graham Baldwin walked through the door. "Master, what happened? You look terrible."

The eyes that looked back at the boy were virtually devoid of life, but the old swordsman found his voice and stated simply, "It is worse than I feared…"

Hugh could not escape feeling interested in what the old man was saying for once. "What is?"

"The Seal of Infinite Gate has been weakened…"

The boys both recoiled. "Infinite Gate?! But I thought that was only a legend!"

Graham took an old book from the back room and slumped heavily into a chair. "No, Lance. It is true… After speaking with the town elders, it has been decided that now is the time for you both to learn of your heritage… and your destiny."

Opening the book, Graham read the faded passages aloud. "It began several millennia ago, before the world knew order. Forces of Light and Dark battled each other for control of the universe. At times, the Light drove the Darkness out of the lands and prosperity ruled. Other times Darkness reigned, leaving both death and ruin in its wake.

"For centuries, wars continued to erupt between the two forces, and the evolutions of power divided the creatures of the land into many different forms. Of the bringers of Light came four races: The Elves, guardians of the woodlands; The Snow Nymphs, keepers of the winter snows; The Forest Clanners, hunters of the plains; And we, the Humans, unifying them in courage against the Dark. Of the Shadow came three races: The Fire Dwarves, warriors of the barren wastes; The Weirdlings, unpredictable swamp dwellers; And the Darkmen, evil to the core, and leaders against the Light. And between these two powers came a pair of neutral races, aligning with neither force: The Dwarves, miners who care little for the outcome of the conflict; And the Hillfolk, craftsmen who wish only to be left alone to their work.

"However, fate would have the struggle end in an ironic way. As the battles intensified, an entity emerged that fed on the destruction both sides caused. At first, it went unnoticed, a mere annoyance at worst in their eyes. However, this would prove to be a near catastrophic mistake. As the entity gained power, it threatened the very existence of life itself, Light and Dark alike. It became known as the one thing that increased its power by the day: Chaos.

"As Chaos grew stronger, the Gods saw only one way to stop it from consuming the world they had created. Turning to the races below, they selected a small group of warriors from both sides to stand up to the evil entity. However, their efforts seemed to be in vain, as their actions did not stop Chaos's growth. Growing desperate, the Gods bestowed upon them what has since been called the Seven Elements of Chaos. When all seemed lost, a lone Hero rose from the ashes of the chosen ones and struck down the evil with the seven elements. Though the entity could not be killed, the Hero succeeded in banishing it to a Forbidden Realm.

"In order to ensure that Chaos would not escape its confines, the seven chaos elements were combined to form the Chaos Crystal Seal. This seal has also been called the Infinite Gate. Should that crystalline barrier ever be broken, the entity Chaos would be released unto this world and rain destruction from the heavens. These events happened exactly five millennia ago."

Hugh and Lance looked at each other, one with a look of skepticism, the other with a look of concern. "How does the creature relate to this, Master Baldwin?" Hugh asked, clearly doubting how any of this could be true.

"It says here that should any of the temples where the essences of the elements sleep be disturbed, evil monsters will begin to arise to bring chaos into this world, making the entity stronger while still imprisoned. The Spiked Lizard was but one of these creatures… I imagine it represented the element of Fire."

"What are the elements?"

"There is a cycle of six, and a ruling seventh. The cycle includes Fire, Water, Thunder, Earth, Wind and Wood. The seventh is Shadow, which encompasses aspects of each of the others. The essences of the elements have been dispersed among the races in order to prevent another outbreak of Chaos. From what the elders have told me, it is your destiny to gather these elements and restore the seal."

Hugh scoffed at this. "Us? You're kidding, right?"

"No, child. I speak the truth. The Human warriors chosen by the Gods were of the families Aran and Connor. Do you not find it odd that the Lizard stopped what it was doing when it caught sight of you? Or that it was the two of you working together that brought it defeat? You are descended from the Chosen, and your destiny couldn't be clearer." He looked into the eyes of his young apprentices, who have both begun to truly believe. "According to legend, each element essence has been encased in a crystal shard after the seal was created. If you are to protect the ancient seal, you must gather them and infuse their power onto the Infinite Gate itself."

Lance raised an eyebrow in confusion. "How are we supposed to do that? The Gate is protected by magic, isn't it?"

"Yes, but with the essences of the elements, you should be able to locate the seal and restore it. From what I have heard there are a total of seven temples housing the crystal shards."

Hugh nodded, gesturing towards where the Temple of the Elders would be. "The first being the temple right outside of town."

"Correct. The second is located in the Northern Reaches of Telonia, in the care of the Snow Nymphs. From what I understand, four of the remaining temples lie in the continents of Gohdan and Makai, and the final shard is hidden in one of the Towers of the Central Isle. Unfortunately, I know nothing of the details regarding them…"

Lance smiled. "You've told us so much, that won't be a problem. So all we have to do is get these shards and take them to the Seal?"

Graham nodded. "In the most simplest of terms, yes. Now, before you depart, I must give you boys one more thing." Reaching into his faded brown tunic, the old warrior threw a small satchel of coins into Hugh's hands. "There should be enough in there for each of you to buy some decent armor. Once you are equipped, meet me at the foot of the mountains." With a nod, the pair departed, leaving Graham to prepare himself.

It didn't take the boys long to buy what they needed. As Hugh handed over the coins, Lance secured the last piece of his new armor. "Thanks Paul."

"No problem, boys. Just stay outta trouble, ya hear?"

"Sure thing." Lance said happily. The blonde warrior proudly wore a lightweight leather breastplate over his favorite blue tunic, plain leather boots with matching gloves, and his normal green pants. Looking at what Hugh selected, he couldn't help but snicker "Dark enough for ya, Hugh?"

Though wearing the same protective armor, Hugh elected to garb himself in a black tunic, midnight blue pants and a stunning red cloak. "It looks better than yours, blondie. Where's your cloak?"

Silently seething for the hair remark, Lance answered "It's at home. We can grab it on the way out of town." The pair walked toward the Aran house, unmindful of the chatter around them. They were completely oblivious to the fact that the chatter was about them.

"Is it true? Did they slay it? Which one saved us? What happens now? Where are they going? Are they the ones? Why did this happen?" Question upon question roamed the streets, each spawning new curiosity in the coming fate of the two boys. Sadly, word traveled faster than they did.

"Mom, I need my…" the sight before him stopped Lance in his tracks. "…cloak…" Coming down the stairs was his mother, carrying the treasure chest that usually slept in the attic above Lance's room. "Mom, what are you doing?"

Silently reaching into the chest, she lifted a golden medallion into view. In the center was inscribed a beautifully intricate dragon, and seven gem-shaped slots adorned the ring around it. "Lance… this medallion was passed down in our family for generations… Before your father died, he told me to give this to you when you had truly matured into a man of honor… I suppose that time is now, isn't it…"

Lance noticed the tears threatening to overtake his mother. "Mom…"

"This medallion was the way in which the Hero of Legends contained the seven powers of the Chaos Crystal Seal… the seven Elements of Chaos. Is it true that you are going to the Temple to collect the shard hidden there?" Silently, the boy nodded. "Then you must take this with you… It will aid you in your quest…" She gingerly placed the amulet around her son's neck, then wrapped him in the sky blue and yellow cloak he had come for. "Take care of yourself, my son."

With a solemn smile, Lance nodded again. "I promise I will."

As he left the house, Sandra Aran fell to her knees in tears. She had seen the amulet glow when it touched Lance, and that meant only one thing, a distinct possibility she had hoped against hope was not the case. "Woe betide us, Isaac… our Lance may be the Chosen One…"

End Chapter 3

RCM- It would appear that destiny is calling for these two youths as well… Unfortunately, due to a both a slight case of writer's block for Link's side and a lack of free time, the next update may take a little while longer… don't worry though, I'll get it to you as fast as I can… provided that you review. ;-P