Disclaimer: ...

Chapter 2

(A.N) I want to thank those of you reviewers who answered my question about how to spell Scheris and the rest of you who reviewed, of course. Also, someone asked how Mimori escaped HOLY; Straight Cougar broke her out. As to the latent alter thing... yes, that is exactly what it means.

Mimori's P.O.V...

My bare feet made almost no sound on the mossy forest floor, that's how thick the growth was. The trees were tall, as tall as some skyscrapers, their leaves an emerald that would make the highest quality gem cry with envy. Scant shafts of sunlight pierced the canopy, casting shadows and making some things glow.

I followed my aunt blindly through the Alter Forest, my eyes dazzled by nature's brilliance. Ria wove between the trees with the ease of long practice. My movements were a bit less fluid, from less practice or from bedazzlement, I couldn't tell.

Small sounds reached my ears as we made our way: bird calls, tiny animals scurrying through the undergrowth, a stream... All these things made a music all their own.

Such simple things were wonderful to a city girl like me.

"We're almost there," my aunt told me as we paused by a small spring, "The cave is about another ten minutes from this spot." She knelt down by the water, cupping her hands and drawing a deep drink.

I dropped down beside her, also to drink, but paused to admire, again, such a natural beauty that you just couldn't find in a city. The water was a clear turquoise, if that made any sense. It tasted fresh and was as cold as glacier run-off.

"Ready?" Ria asked, smiling. I think she knew how amazed I was with the forest.

I smiled in return. "Let's get going." I stood, and we were again on the move.

True to my aunt's word, we arrived at the cave after ten minutes of walking. The stone was deep gray granite with hundreds of fissures. It looked oddly imperfect surrounded by the rest of the forest, but it still belonged there.

Ria stopped abruptly at the entrance, a small brown statue against all that gray stone. I stood at her shoulder, not sure if I really wanted to go into the total darkness that lay before us.

"I can't go with you, Mori," she said quietly, "This is something that must be done by you alone."

"I know. Don't worry about me, I'm not about to let a cave kill me." I tried to sound light, but failed. My voice sounded a bit strained, as if I didn't believe my own words. One foot in front of another, I began to move forward into the cave's mouth. I crossed the threshold, froze, expecting something to bite me.

I did not expect the cave to close up behind me.

The walls had glowed with Alter power, then there was a wall where there hadn't been. I spun quickly, but the exit was already gone.

Darkness was absolute now, darker than night, darker than just black. No light reached me now, leaving me night-blind from the sudden transition. I blinked rapidly, trying to make my eyes adjust faster.

Something struck me in the stomach, causing me to fly backwards into the cave wall. Dazed as I was, I wasn't stupid enough to stay in one place after that. I rolled to the side, hearing a crash as whatever had hit me smashed into the wall.

I got my feet under me, assured now that there was no damage from the blow. I ran quickly forward, zigzagging.

Light flashed, and I was again thrown by an object, this time by being hit in the back. I went down, rolling as I did so, got up, and kept running. More flashes surrounded me, the green color dominant in my vision. I felt smaller objects assault me, smacking into my arms, legs, and face. One rock caught me above the eye, opening a long gash. Blood seeped down into my right eye, and down the rest of my face. Blinded by the crimson flow, I didn't even see the sharp stone that flew towards me.

Sudden pain in my shoulder brought me down to my knees.

I didn't get back up.

I waited, listening. My hearing was going to be my only asset in detecting movement now. Strangely, everything had gone still, as if the damn cave hadn't just tried to kill me. I slowly rose to my feet, stumbling forward. Stopping, I tore off a strip of cloth from my shirt and wrapped it tightly around my bleeding shoulder. I kept listening intently.

Nothing.

I took one step forward, then two, and another. My hand maintained contact with the wall, holding myself up and guiding me at the same time. Blood dripped from my chin, making an eerie plopping sound. My limbs were growing heavy from blood loss. I reached up and touched the wound above my eye; the bleeding was slowing, I didn't have to worry about it.

Some sort of light waited at the end of the tunnel. Wow, what a fucking cliché... I made my way towards it.

Nothing further attacked me.

As I stepped out of the tunnel, a great, glowing cavern opened in front of me. The walls shimmered with a strange green crystal that reminded me of Alter, but this shine was captured in stone. Stalagmites and stalactites decorated the floor and ceiling. A small lake was the centerpiece of the area and in the center of the lake, there was what looked like a platform of solid limestone.

Forcing my legs to move, I went towards the water, not sure what the hell I was supposed to do.

Go to the alter in the center.

I whipped around, looking for who had spoken. "Who's there!"

Go.

The whisper came from all around me. It was as if the very cavern had a voice...but that was impossible...right?

Go, child.

The voice had grown more insistent. Deciding to obey, I slipped one leg into the lake, then the other. The water was surprisingly warm, like it was fed by a hot spring, but I could see no source for the water. It was also clean, indicating that the water circulated somehow. Now submerged up to my waist, I waded to the limestone structure.

Again, nothing hindered me.

I was getting suspicious now. Granted, I was injured and all that, but... Was that all? Was it that easy? Still thinking, I pulled myself onto the island with my good arm.

Look.

The command echoed in my skull, reverberated along the walls. As if compelled by a witch's spell, I leaned forward, discovering a small pool in what looked like a naturally made bowl. The bowl was lined with the same glittering crystal as the walls, making the water an interesting shade of green.

I watched as the water began to glow...or maybe it was the quartz. Either way, something was emitting a light, an Alter light.

What is this? I have never seen an Alter behave like this...never even heard of it.

Touch.

My good arm seemed to move of its own accord, sinking my entire hand and wrist into the liquid.

First, nothing happened, but then my arm began to burn like hellfire.

The voice came again, harder, more like the stone it came from. We shall see if you are worthy.

The burning had spread from my arm to my entire body. Screaming, I tried to pull my arm back out of instinct. It didn't budge. I kept screaming, the burning causing such intense pain.

And then I began to see things. It was like my entire life was being picked apart, memories strewn in the water in front of my eyes.

My father, my mother's funeral, my aunt, Ryuhou, the others at HOLY, my friends from college and grad school... Everyone I had every known stared back at me at one time or another. The slide show finally slowed as Ryuhou's face appeared for the second time.

You wish to protect. The voice breathed. But to protect, you must destroy. Are you sure that is what you want, little healer?

Yes. Yes, it was. I had never had a desire so strong.

It will kill something in you. You will need to freeze you heart against emotions.

I don't care.

So be it.

The fire turned to ice. Frost traced its way up my arm in an intricate pattern, my body glowing with a green rainbow. I hadn't thought it meant to literally freeze... My arm seemed to be free from whatever power had held it in, and so I pulled it from the water. The frost had hardened, darkened until it made a faint patter on my right arm, stopping at my elbow. They faded into my flesh as I watched.

My vision swam as I raised my head. Never the less, I tried to stand.

I was out before I hit the ground.

Ryuhou's P.O.V...

We were running out of villages and towns to check. My team and I had canvassed all the others, and we were now in the outer territories of the Lost Ground. There wasn't much out here besides forest and cliffs.

"Ryuhou?" Scheris said, blue hair bouncing as she all but skipped up.

"What is it?"

"We're coming up on another town. This is the one that many believe is the most recent hideout for the native Alter users," she informed me.

I thought for a few seconds. "Proceed as normal; we are under orders to put that objective on the backburner. First priority is finding and capturing Mimori Kiryu."

"And if he's there?" the fifteen-year-old inquired.

My fists clenched. I knew who she meant. Kazuma... My enemy, my biggest enemy. I kept my face blank. "Not our problem unless he attacks."

Scheris looked as if she would say something but then thought better of it. "You got it, Ryuhou." She moved to the front of the vehicle, most likely passing on orders to stop at the town and to not fight unless attacked.

I sat in front of the computer console, staring blankly at the empty screen.

Where are you, Mimori?

(A.N.) A bit anti-climatic with the alter cave I'm told but... shrug And, no, Mimori is not going to be all-powerful or anything. That would ruin the point of the story... Anyways, please reveiw!