I don't own TOS, or Namco, or just about anything to do with this story... if I did, you'd know it. maniacal laughter Chance is the only one that is mine and mine alone.

And no, those are not my pistachios.

Er... oh yeah. At first glance, I know this probably looks like one of those re-tellings of the basic TOS story with an OC character, but I promise you, just let me get started and you can watch the plot twist to your heart's content. I might even poke some holes in it.

Holes big enough to fly a Rheiard through...

Enough of my insane rambling.

I was dreaming.

Usually an obvious thing, but this dream felt almost real. The one thing that tipped me off was that I was looking at myself.

The girl I was facing appeared to be sixteen or seventeen. I presumed her to be the latter age, because that's how old I thought I was.

Not like I was sure or anything.

Her eyes were the same pale gray as mine. They should have been warm, sparkling with laughter, but hers were cold, like marble. Like me, she had straight black hair; unlike me, her hair was cropped short, just brushing her shoulders. Mine hit mid-thigh when loose.

I lifted my right hand, as though to touch her, and she raised her left hand, mirroring me. "Who are you?" I asked, and she spoke at the same time, the same words.

A shiver ran down my spine. This was me. Not an imitation, not a twin, but me, as though I was looking in a mirror.

But this one was twisted, somehow. A dark mirror.

I reached my hand out further, and our fingers met. There was a flash of light, silver and black, and I was blown backwards, into darkness...

...and back into wakefulness.

I woke with a gasp. What was that?

Sitting up, I looked around me. It was the small, familiar room I'd lived in for just about as long as I could remember, since the day Frank Brunel took a walk in the woods and tripped over a squalling infant clutching an Exsphere and a red ribbon.

Reminded of the first, I put my hand to my throat. The blood-red crystal rested just below the hollow of my throat, mounted on a well-crafted Key Crest. One of my best friends' adopted father, a dwarf named Dirk, had made it for me when I'd started my combat training.

Both mes, in my dream, had had that Exsphere.

My fingers wandered over the familiar carvings on the inhibitor ore, then encountered something unfamiliar. I craned my neck to get a glimpse of it and frowned.

There was a minute crack in my Key Crest.

That was not supposed to happen.

But there was nothing I could do about it now. I'd have to talk to Lloyd, later.

I looked out the window. Morning. I woke up at precisely the same time every day; I had been for a while. Cracking my jaws in a wide yawn, I rolled out of bed.

I didn't wear much when I slept; made it easier to get dressed in the morning. I padded across the floor on bare feet, welcoming the solid feel of the wood under my feet. I needed something real, right now. It might have been a dream, but it had shaken me.

From a chest in the corner of the room, I pulled my usual outfit. I had several just like it. Made things predictable. I didn't like to have to think very much in the morning, and I was grateful for my prior planning as I slid into my garments. Typically, I wore long, black pants that were wide but not baggy. When I stood with my legs together, it looked as though I was wearing a skirt. My usual top was also black, a sleeveless, wide-strapped, scoop-necked shirt.

I glanced out the window again, gauging the weather. It was springtime now, so the weather wasn't too cold, or too hot, but the wind was often a right pain. On went the long-sleeved jacket-type thing that wrapped around my waist, or not, as I chose. It was a shimmering, sheer silver that was a lot warmer than it looked.

As I headed out of my room, I swooped up a five-foot-long red ribbon from the trunk, securing it around my neck with the ease of long practice. It hung down my back from the bow in two even lengths. I flipped my hair over it and clattered down the stairs.

Everyone else was already at breakfast. Phaidra, my adopted grandmother, a woman with a kind disposition and a will of iron, was seated at the head of the table, like normal, already eating. To her right was my adopted father, Frank, a nice but bland man who was still inwardly grieving over the death of his wife.

I say 'adopted' because that's what they were. Dirk was Lloyd's real father, regardless of blood, as far as I was concerned. Frank would never be my real father. There was a gap between me and him, between me and Phaidra, and, at the risk of being cliché, it just kept filling up.

The last person at the table was my sister. She was not my sister by blood, but she was closer to me than anyone else. People said she wasn't even Frank's daughter, but the daughter of some angel or other.

Colette turned to me as I slid into the chair beside her. She had blond hair and blue eyes, wore white, and was nearly my opposite in looks. In temperament we were somewhat more similar, though that wasn't saying much. "Morning, Chance," she greeted me.

"Morning Colette, Frank, Phaidra." I nodded at them each in turn. Frank got a warm smile from me.

As I dug into breakfast -- pancakes -- I once again allowed my mind to wander over our relationships.

Frank had gone for a walk in the forest about a year after his wife and Colette's mother, Delia, had died. He was still struggling with grief at that point, not strong enough to let it go.

Then, predictably, he'd heard something wailing in the bushes. Being a curious human, he'd gone to investigate, and found a child, one or two years old. She was screaming for all she was worth, and holding very tightly to a red ribbon and an Exsphere. The ribbon was the same one I was wearing now. It never frayed, never dirtied, and never tore.

You guessed it: the child was me.

Frank brought me home. I think I'd always been more of a daughter to him than Colette was. He loved us both, but... it was strange. Frank had two children, but neither of them were his. According to all religious teachings, Colette, the Chosen of Regeneration, the one who was to save the dying world of Sylvarant, was not in fact his.

It had been Phaidra that insisted on giving me a 'proper' name. If proper means unpronounceable and bedratted annoying, then sure, it was proper. My given name was Eurydice. Frank had helped me choose my nickname: Chance. It stuck.

I don't even remember how we got there any more. It was something to do with gambling, I think.

While I had been mulling over my strange relations, my body had been eating, and by now, I was done. I came back to myself in time to say, "Come on, Colette. Schooltime."

I got to my feet, and my younger sister followed suit. "I'll see you all... later, I guess," Colette said, not sounding very sure of herself.

"Colette, you all right?" I asked from my position at the door. I turned back to face her. "Or am I just missing something?"

"Chance, you forgot?" Frank chuckled. "It's the Day of Prophecy."

"Huh? Oh yeah..." I trailed off. "Are we following through with the decoy plan, then?"

"Yes," Phaidra answered, almost curtly.

The decoy plan was something we'd come up with when I was about thirteen and Colette was twelve. She was the Chosen, and I had reasonably pointed out that the journey to regenerate the world was full of danger. Therefore, for the journey's length, I could travel with her, pretending to be the Chosen and taking care of any assassination or kidnapping attempts. To that end, I was much more extensively combat trained than she was. I could use a bow and arrows, a staff, a short or long sword, daggers, and/or my fists, if need be. I'd also worked with Professor Raine a bit, and I was at the point where I could imbue my arrows with magic. Normally, only those with elven blood could use magic, but Raine had had an idea, and had finally found a willing subject. And the answer was yes: with an infusion of elven blood, I could indeed use magic, albeit a bit weaker than an elf's. The Exsphere did seem to focus the elven blood's strength, at least.

"Hn. Come on then, Colette." I held the door for her as I went out. She caught it behind me, slipping out before letting it slam shut.

The school wasn't that far from our house. We walked in a companionable silence, breaking it only the one time she tripped and I had to help her up.

One of my friends was waiting outside the school. He was short, and no surprises there; Genis Sage, younger brother to Professor Raine Sage, was only twelve. And yet, somehow, he was the smartest person in the school save his sister.

He wasn't human; no one had any illusions about that. Like Raine, Genis was an elf.

An obscenely cheerful elf for this early in the morning. He was waving to us and grinning like the idiot my other best friend was. "Hurry it up, you two!" he called to us.

I couldn't help smiling. "Aw, shaddup, runt!" I shouted back, a teasing note in my over-loud voice. Genis took no offense, as none was intended.

Colette and I reached him, and I reached out to ruffle his hair affectionately. Having encountered this ploy before, Genis ducked out of the way. "Good morning, guys."

"Morning," I yawned, and headed past him, into the school. Colette stayed behind to chat.

I took my usual seat, at the middle of the front row, and rested my elbows on the desk and my head in my hands. I felt strange today. Not nervous, per se; not scared, not excited, not impatient. There was something odd in the air. It was like an itch that you can't reach, like the sunlight that's always just out of reach.

I was jumpy, twitchy, for lack of a better word.

Other students arrived, and then Genis wandered in, plopping himself down in a seat at the far left of the middle row. I turned and smiled. "Colette stayed?"

"Yeah. Waiting for you-know-who," Genis replied, a note of laughter faintly audible in his voice. "Honestly, he's so dense."

"Lloyd Irving, what are we going to do with you?" I sighed. "Poor boy, you can't even see what's right under your own nose."

I was talking about the fact that my sister had a very large and very obvious crush on my other best friend. Lloyd was stubborn, idealistic, idiotically noble, and somewhat lazy, but there was something about him that Colette was drawn to.

Finally, after everyone else, even the tall elf Raine, was present, Colette came in, following a brown-haired boy dressed in red. The admiration that shone in her blue eyes would have felled a Desian at fifty paces.

Colette came to sit next to me, and Lloyd sat beside Genis.

Three minutes into the lesson, Lloyd was asleep. That was a record, even for him.

I tuned out. I was almost as smart as Genis, so I could afford to miss one lesson, and I didn't feel up to concentrating today.

Shortly, Raine woke Lloyd, and sent him to stand at the back of the room.

Fifteen minutes later, the boy was asleep. Again. Raine didn't notice until she tried to ask him a question. With a gusty sigh, the woman shook the boy awake, then filled his hands with two buckets of water.

She'd need more than that to keep Lloyd awake.

I tuned back in about an hour later. Lloyd was sleeping again. Raine was fed up.

"Lloyd Irving, wake up!" she snapped.

He kept sleeping. Thoroughly ticked off at this point, Raine hurled a chalkboard eraser at the boy.

He woke with a start. "Oh! Professor Raine. Eh... uh... is class over?" He sounded very, very hopeful.

Raine's shoulders slumped as she walked away and let out her breath in a wordless hiss. "Never mind. Let's have someone else answer the question."

And back out. Today's lesson wasn't very interesting. Besides, I knew most of what was going on already. I knew just about everything Colette would ever have to know.

I heard Raine say something about today being the Day of Prophecy.

No, really?

Colette stood, to answer a question. I watched her glance back at Lloyd in the midst of her answer, and inwardly laughed. Was it so un-obvious to the boy?

Apparently.

I didn't get a chance to think anything more, though, as a bright flash of white light seared through the classroom.

The feeling that had been nagging at me all day jumped in one direction. A thrill of excitement ran through me, and my heart began to race. In... anticipation?

My heart pounded in my chest. I knew, without doubting, that something was going to happen today. Something big. Something huge, something important, something that would change not just my life, but also those of hundreds, thousands of other people.

And I also knew, in that split second of light, that something was terribly, terribly wrong.

I sat in my chair, stunned, as everyone else began to clamor.

"Settle down!" Raine shouted. As they began to quiet, she repeated, "Settle down. It would seem that the time for the oracle has come. I will go and check on the chapel. Everyone, stay here and study on your own. Understood?"

Without waiting for a response, Raine walked quickly for the door.

Colette stopped her, crying out, "Professor, wait! I'll go with you!"

I felt compelled to put in my two Gald's worth. "Don't you mean we?"

Regardless, Raine didn't appear to mean to let us come. "No, Colette. Chance. If it is the oracle, the priests will come here for you. Wait here with everyone else."

"Yes, ma'am..." Colette agreed, though she didn't sound happy. She plunked herself back into her seat, and Raine walked out the door.

Shortly, Lloyd put his buckets down, looked around, and headed for the door. Well, wasn't that predictable.

Genis, on the end of his row, simply got up and moved to head Lloyd off. Me, being me and stuck behind other people, hopped up on the desk, dashed across it, and flipped over Lloyd's head to land in front of him, blocking the way.

"Lloyd, where are you going?" Genis inquired, flashing me a look of thanks.

"Don't tell me you're sneaking out," I added, narrowing my eyes.

Lloyd put up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Hey, hey, don't hurt me. I'm just curious. I want to find out what really happens to Colette when she receives the oracle. I always hear talk about the Chosen of Regeneration and the Day of Prophecy, but no one ever says what actually takes place."

"Have you ever heard the saying, 'curiosity killed the cat?'" I asked thoughtfully.

He shook his head. "Nope, sorry."

"Uh, Lloyd." Genis cleared his throat. "I must point out that Raine said to stay and study by ourselves. And trust me, the Wrath of Raine is never pretty."

"Aw, she's not that bad," Lloyd protested.

"You've never seen her really angry, Lloyd. I have. Please. Trust me on this."

Lloyd appeared to think for a moment, which was scary in and of itself. Then he said, "How about this: It's research."

I paused. "Research? Oh, okay, then." I turned to walk out the door. Lloyd, grinning foolishly, went to follow.

"Argh... you two," Genis muttered. Louder, he added, "Colette, you wanna help me keep these idiots out of trouble?"

"Huh? Oh, sure, I guess." Smiling almost vacantly, Colette made her way towards us. Lloyd and I had stopped, and watched the Chosen come towards us.

I didn't really have any objections. We were headed to the chapel, and that's where Colette needed to be eventually, anyway. What would it matter if she went on her own instead of without the priests?

That question will never get an answer, I'm afraid.

So away the four of us went, in silence, as seemed appropriate. I've never been too talkative, except when I'm trying to annoy people, and no one else really had anything to talk about.

We made it out into the clearing between several buildings and what I was fairly sure was the north gate, but I wasn't quite positive. I get my directions messed up sometimes.

"There's no one here," Colette observed.

"Chance!" Frank called out, and I saw the man coming out of one of the buildings. "Colette!"

"Frank!" I called back, as Colette cried, "Father!"

He came to us. "The Desians attacked," he said, sounding puzzled and alarmed at the same time. "Thankfully, no one was hurt, but... they passed through the village and headed for the temple."

My mind jumped to conclusions. "Frank, where's Phaidra?"

"Phaidra's in the temple, preparing for the ritual," he replied.

He was calmer than he had a right to be.

"The... temple?" Lloyd stuttered. "But that's where the Desians--"

"The priests are there with her." Frank was obviously trying to be reassuring, but he wasn't doing a great job. I mean, Colette could beat up one of the priests single-handedly. "Now... Colette..."

She shook her head slightly. "I know. I promise. I will fulfill my duty as the Chosen."

Frank smiled at her, and it was a father's love I saw. He went to her, kissing her forehead gently. "Good luck, Colette."

Me he embraced. "Keep her safe, Chance," he murmured, for my ears alone.

"I will," I whispered.

He released me and stepped back. "Lloyd, Genis, you two should go home."

"I'm worried about letting Colette go by herself," Lloyd said hurriedly.

I raised an eyebrow. Well. Maybe she wasn't the only one with a crush.

"So'm I. Good thing she isn't," Genis put in, almost gently.

Lloyd coughed. "Uhm. I'm going with he-- them to the temple."

The young elf shook his head despairingly. "I'm going, too."

"But..." Frank began to protest, then thought better of it. "All right. Thank you. I'll wait at the house. Come back immediately if anything happens."

True to his word, Frank headed off, leaving the four of us alone. Just about as soon as he was out of earshot, I spoke up. "If there are Desians at the temple, we'll need our weapons. Lloyd, you carry those swords with you all the time, so you can go with Genis while he gets his kendama. Colette and I will stop by our house and get weapons, and we'll meet back here." I pointed down at the ground below my feet.

Taking my instructions to heart, Genis grabbed the trailing white ribbons of Lloyd's costume and dragged him off, in the direction of the house he and Raine shared. Colette and I headed in the opposite direction.

When we got into the house, Frank was sitting at the table, trying very hard not to be agitated. He started up out of his seat as soon as he saw us, but I waved a hand at him. "It's okay, we just needed to get weapons."

He sank back into the chair, and I followed Colette up the stairs. She went to the left, and I went right, back into the room I'd left only hours ago.

My favorite weapon, a longbow, was leaning against the wall behind my bed, unstrung. I retrieved it, grabbed one of the coiled strings on the bedside table, bent the bow and strung it. I tested the pull of it experimentally, then tucked a spare string in one of the deep pockets of my pants. From under the bed, I produced a standard quiver. I ran my fingers over it fondly. It was one of the finest pieces of magic I'd ever seen. Raine and Genis had provided the spell's framework, and I'd put in most of the energy and the specs for the arrows.

Okay, so I had slept for nearly a week after, due to exhausting most of my mana, but it had been worth it. The quiver was empty now, but at a word from me it would fill with arrows. It did different kinds, too: normal, barbed, and, my personal favorite, a type of arrow I'd titled 'bladed.' That was because the heads were essentially miniature daggers.

Smiling, I slung the quiver over my shoulder, letting it settle on its own into its accustomed place. I wouldn't fill it yet. Next came the leather guards I wore to protect my wrists from the string's backlash.

I didn't bother slinging the bow across my shoulders, though I would if I was going to be carrying it for too long. Instead, I just held it beside me as I went down the stairs two at a time.

Colette was waiting for me outside the house, a telltale spot of dirt on her knees and a pair of chakrams in her hands. Of course she'd taken less time. She didn't spend a while fawning over her weapons, she just grabbed them and got out. Me, on the other hand, I liked weapons. Someday they were going to save my life, and for that alone, they could have as much of my time as I wanted.

Together, we jogged back to where we were to meet the boys. Lloyd and Genis were already waiting. "Sorry we took so long!" Colette cried.

"Colette, enough with the apologizing. It's my fault," I put in, throwing her an 'oh please' look. "Lloyd, will those wooden things actually cut?"

Smiling almost vindictively, Lloyd drew one, brandishing it. Sunlight glinted off metal.

"Oh... Dirk finally made you real swords, huh?"

The thin smile widened into a real grin, and Lloyd sheathed the blade. "Yeah. Just yesterday, in fact."

I was reminded of something. "Lloyd, I need to talk to you later, when we have time. Can somebody remind me in case I forget?"

"Lloyd'll forget, too," Genis stated. "I'll remind you."

"Thanks." I almost reached for his hair, but resisted the urge, and instead took a few paces toward the gate. I reached it and turned back toward them. "So, you guys coming?"

Everyone's eyes widened simultaneously. "Chance, get down!" Lloyd shouted, springing forward as he unsheathed both swords. I gulped and threw myself to one side.

Lloyd lashed out with one sword at the thing that had come up behind me. It looked like a zombie, and I had no doubt that it had been about to try to kill me.

Genis helped me up, and I thanked him as Lloyd made quick work of the undead thing. I watched it collapse into a pile of dust and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I thought the northern region where the temple is located was a sanctuary," Genis muttered, half to himself. Lloyd looked clueless, while Colette's face clouded, as though she were trying to remember something.

I, on the other hand, saw fit to offer useful information. "It must be part of the trial."

Colette's face cleared suddenly. "Oh, that's right! Martel's trial involves battling monsters!" The confusion drained out of Lloyd's expression, and Colette changed the subject. "Lloyd, you're amazing!"

He looked somewhat sheepish. "Ah... ehm... I owe it to this thing, really." He moved his right hand slightly, and we all caught the telltale gleam of his Exsphere.

"Ah, that's right." Genis tipped his head slightly. "The Exsphere."

"Yeah," Lloyd agreed. "It's designed for combat. It brings out a person's maximum strength. Without this thing, I'd be nothing." Wow, humility from this guy... that was amazing.

"But you're still strong, Lloyd!" Colette enthused.

Genis looked away, but I could see him struggling not to burst out in laughter. I myself could feel a smile pulling at the corners of my mouth. "Yeah..." I managed to say without cracking up. Still with the straight face, I added, "At least your sword skills are good."

Touchy Lloyd flared up. "What do you mean, at least?"

He was too busy to notice the monster creeping up behind him. As fast as I could, I put one hand on the quiver's strap and ordered, "Normal." I felt the weight of it increase, and I put my hand back to retrieve one of the black-fletched arrows, putting it to the bow. I drew the string back in one smooth motion, my fingers trembling against it.

Lloyd went pale. "Chance, what...?"

"Move," I hissed.

He did.

The ghost behind him looked startled to suddenly be faced with a teenaged girl pointing an arrow at it. I didn't give it a chance to move; I cried, "Light!" and released the string.

As I cried out, a white nimbus of light appeared around the head of the arrow. As it plunged into the ghost, it flared up in a blinding flash of light.

The ghost disappeared. So did the arrow.

It was a little while before anyone spoke. When they did, it was Lloyd who broke the silence. "Wow. Uh. Thanks, Chance."

"I knew you'd been working with my sister to add magic to your arrows, but I've never seen it in practice before. That was very... good," Genis finished, for lack of a better word.

"Good job, Chance!" Colette put in, sounding altogether too happy.

Why was my life full of people like that?

I looked around. No more monsters in sight, but...

Drawing a deep breath, I pulled another arrow out and set it to the bow, though I didn't pull it. "We should go, before anything else happens. Desians at the temple, remember."

"Right."

We made it out the gate and to the field. The well-trodden path that lead to the temple lay just to the north, and we followed it. More often than not, monsters didn't come onto the path. We had one narrow brush with a rabid rabbit, but Lloyd speared it before anyone could come to harm.

Halting at the bottom of the steps which tracked up the hill, I looked up. Behind me, so did everyone else. There was a bright white light shining from the top of the building at the peak of the hill. "Whoa, that light really is coming from the temple!" Lloyd exclaimed, sounding awestruck.

"Then... an oracle is going to be conveyed," Genis concluded. "Colette's going to be the Chosen of Regeneration."

"Knock, knock, boys. Haven't we known that for forever?" I wondered, only half in jest.

"Yeah, but it's never seemed so... I don't know..." The younger one was fumbling for words. "So close, so... imminent."

I mulled that over for a minute. "Yeah... I think I get what you mean."

Colette was still looking up at the light. Now she covered her eyes. "It's really, really bright," she said finally.

I put one hand to my forehead, almost despairingly. "Colette..."

"Say, Colette," Lloyd said simultaneously, and I let him do the talking. He might have a better chance of convincing her. "When the oracle is conveyed, you'll become the Chosen who'll save the world, right? You're gonna be like the hero, Mithos. So maybe you should act a little more... you know, Chosen-like."

Colette thought about this for a few moments, then smiled winningly. "Yeah! No problem! None at all!"

I tapped a foot impatiently, and was about to say something, but sounds reached my ears. Combat-noises, I thought. "Anyone else hear that?" I questioned.

They hushed up. "You're right," Genis said. "There's a lot of commotion up there."

"We should see what's going on," I suggested, starting up the uneven stairs.

Various sounds of assent came from behind me, but I was four stairs up before Lloyd, Colette, and Genis caught up to me. Regardless of everyone's various speeds, we came to the top at the same time.

Phaidra was backed up against the temple door. The bodies of two of the priests lay slightly in front of her. Colette pressed her hands over her mouth.

The old woman was being menaced by a large, black-haired Desian commander, flanked by four smaller but no less menacing goons. "Where is the Chosen?" demanded the commander.

Then Phaidra caught sight of us over his shoulder. "Run, Colette!" she cried.

Great, Phaidra. Do you think you could not have pointed us out to them? Just maybe?

Maybe not.

One of the goons turned. His face was mostly obscured by a steel helmet.

I felt cold, detached. I could kill these men if I had to, I suddenly knew that.

And that alarmed me.

"Lord Botta! There she is!" the turned henchman exclaimed.

Everyone else followed suit and turned to face us. A grim grin spread across Botta's face. "Chosen One, your life is mine!" he snapped.

Colette made to step forward, but I held her back with my free hand. With the other, I dropped the currently nocked arrow and touched my fingers to the quiver. "Empty," I instructed, and as it did, I said, "Bladed."

The quiver filled again, and I turned my attention to Colette. "Colette, stay back."

She nodded mutely.

Lloyd had other plans. His swords appeared in his hands. "I won't let you Desians get away with anything!"

The talkative henchman laughed. "Desians?"

Genis didn't find it that funny. "What's so funny?"

The other just snorted. "Well, then, die at the hands of the Desians you so hate. Get them!"

Two of the soldiers came at us, and it was time to fight.

The swordsman on our side went for one of them, easily slipping under his guard to stab through his thin leather armor to his heart. I, on the other hand, set a bladed arrow to the bow, drew, and loosed. The arrow buried itself in the other's throat. Lloyd came back to us. "Wanna run that by me again?" I asked, almost cockily. Almost immediately after, I wondered what the heck was wrong with me. I felt somehow... happy. Satisfied. I'd just taken two lives, and I felt no semblance of remorse or regret.

Botta just looked thoughtful. "Vidarr, get them," he finally said.

From around the corner, where we hadn't seen him, a large Desian stomped up. He was brandishing an axe and a mace, and I figured this was the executioner type they kept around the place, to both scare and kill people.

Oh boy.

We got to fight him.

Lloyd charged in like Lloyd always does, swords swinging wildly. He narrowly ducked a swing of the mace, but it sent one of his slashes awry. At the same time, a chakram whizzed past me and looped around Vidarr, grazing his shoulder, and Genis' voice began to mumble an incantation.

As my friends attacked, so did I. I drew an arrow from the quiver and sent it flying at the hulking warrior. It thunked into his shoulder even as I nocked another, observing with some rational part of my mind that the un-magicked arrows didn't seem to affect him much. As I let this one go, I called out, "Fire!" A red glow shone around the arrow, bursting into flames as it thudded into place beside the other.

That one did faze him. He dropped the mace, giving Lloyd an opportunity to prick him with one sword.

However, it also made him mad. As Colette ran in close, Vidarr swept the wounded arm around him, throwing the two of them back. Colette slammed into me, knocking us both to the ground. I was winded, and she probably was.

Luckily, I'd had the thought to hold my bow out to the side so it didn't get broken. I croaked, "Empty," touching the quiver with my hand, and I fell all the way back, unsupported by the bundle of arrows.

Lloyd had similarly crashed into Genis. Vidarr had better aim than I'd thought.

Oh, we were so screwed. None of us was getting up in time, and Vidarr was looming over me and Colette, raising the axe over his head.

I closed my eyes and thought really, really hard about something else.

I'm not sure how much everyone's gonna hate me for ending it here... but I have the feeling it's a lot. Erk. It's not my fault I'm so long-winded!

But could you review? Pretty please? bats eyelashes