DISCLAIMER: All the characters and half of the plot are taken from Gundam SEED and GS Destiny, which means they are not mine.

WARNINGS:

1. This story, unlike my other fanfictions, is an AU (Alternate Universe) – fantasy RPG story, which has no relation whatsoever to Gundamnian world. I, however, do take the characters, places, some relationships, and parts of the plot from Gundam SEED (and later, probably, Destiny). Please note that a fantasy story tends to contain many unexplainable and incomprehensible things.

2. About the characters, I take my liberty to determine how old they are in this story and the relationships they have with each other. There is also a huge possibility of OOC-ness.

3. As I have mentioned, the main pairings of this story will be Athrun/Cagalli and Kira/Lacus. However, the twists and turns I will put in here may enable other pairings (such as Athrun/Lacus or Kira/Cagalli) to develop along the way. For those who cannot withstand this (or the thought of their favorite pairing being split), I advise you to leave, or read at your own risk.

4. As the genre states, this is an Action/Adventure/Drama story. There will be romance ahead, but if you are looking for a pure romance story, this is not your cup of tea.

5. I was a shounen-ai fangirl and still am. I will admit that writing straight story is still a new thing for me, and Gundam SEED is one of the few series which can force me to rephrase my opinion about anime girls in general. The female characters here are simply fabulous. What I need to say is that I may – deliberately or not – insert several hints of male/male interaction here. I will remind myself limit these as hints, but if it displeases you, please remember that you have been warned.

6. My chronic disease: I am a late updater. A very late one, as a matter of fact.

Fields of Feuds

Author: Jusrecht

Chapter One

There was a flare of blinding light twisting the dark evening sky.

Miriallia Haww was not quick enough to prevent the thunder that followed soon after from violently pounding her eardrums. From under her hood, she sent an annoyed look to the rumbling clouds and pulled the old soaking cloth tighter around her face. No point though, she thought bitterly, there was no part of her that had not been drenched by the fierce raindrops. The thin material also did close to nothing to keep her body heat. Milli ground her teeth together in desperation, wishing that she had waited at the bread store she worked at until the downpour subsided a little. Heliopolis during the spring was purely intolerable, despite the beauty she often enjoyed at the meadow full of flowers.

After another few minutes trudging in the rain, she arrived before a door of a small two-story house, sidestepping a large puddle of mud in process. A glance to the edge of her dress told her that she would have a pain of a laundry to do. Mud was not particularly easy to be washed down.

Her hand reached up to a small alcove at the top-right side of the door, fingers fumbling in the dark until they found a row of chains. With a light tug, Milli pulled the one in the middle first, then the left one, and to finish, the right one. Even amidst the rain beating the earth, her ears caught a familiar clacking sound and she quickly pushed the wooden door open, making her way in.

The house was dark and almost as cold inside. She frowned; Kuzzey had forgotten to light the fire again. There was a faint repetitive sound of metal meeting metal above the drumming rain from his small workshop. Of course, if he were there working, the red heat from his open hearth would be enough to let him forget that the temperature beyond his forge had dropped considerably due to the monsoon.

Quietly Milli slipped out of her mud-caked shoes and paced across the house to a door below the stairs. Raising her hand, she placed a train of knocks on its rough surface.

"Master?"

No answer came. Slightly anxious, Milli opened the door and had a look inside. Her coldness was momentarily forgotten as she let out a relieved sigh at the sight that greeted her. Inside the room, fire was crackling merrily in a small hearth and on the solitary bed at the far end of the room, a man of the age of fifty was sleeping soundly. Apparently Kuzzey was not as irresponsible as she had originally thought.

But it was completely understandable to worry, she found herself arguing internally. The alchemist Yulen Hibiki was a man who had taken care of her since she had been twelve, a lonely child orphaned by the war. Milli remembered perfectly the girl she once had been – vacant eyes, dirty tear-streaked cheeks, bony hands, aching stomach – and how she had sat for days at the remaining of her burned house after the great war. The city of Jachin Due fell into OMNI's hand but they soon left the town in ruins to hurry to the next one, eager to taste more wine of victory from the Kingdom of ZAFT.

And there, amidst the dying flames of Jachin, the alchemist found her and took her with him. He was traveling across the country to seek out the truth of a legend in the world of alchemy with his apprentice, Kira Yamato, an orphan from the city of PLANT. It was then when their journey together was begun.

Everywhere they went, traces of war could be felt and seen. She knew very little of politics, but when she saw children with the same fate as hers and people dying in her arms, soaked with blood, despising both OMNI and ZAFT was not difficult. The master tried hard to save lives with his extensive knowledge of potions and medicine, but he often met those beyond his help and she could only weep when they took their last breath with a strangled gasp. It was fortunate that two years ago, when both of she and Kira were fifteen, the alchemist eventually decided to settle at Heliopolis, a small quiet town ruled by OMNI, where they later met Tolle Koenig, Ssigh Argyle, and Kuzzey Buskirk.

With the six of them living together there in the small house, Milli finally could recall her younger happier times.

Once she wondered why Hibiki-san had bothered to take in the homeless boys since their meeting actually occurred when the tree were attempting to rob her. It was a good thing that Alchemy was not the only art she and Kira had learned from their master. Now she thought she understood.

She had known for while that the alchemist's health was not as prime as he often displayed in public, and that he regularly took some potions to keep his strength. However, his condition had steadily worsened since a year ago despite his attempt to appear normal in front of his foster children. And it was last week when he no longer could carry out his act, obviously not with blood dripping from his mouth. The physician at Heliopolis found nothing he could do to help, but then Kira found out in their master's book the existence of a remedy called Itzamna that might be able to cure the illness.

It had been five days since Kira set out to the city of Banadia. Seeing as the city was one ruled under Kingdom of ZAFT, he had insisted to journey alone. The others finally concurred after a long argument for he was simply the most-suited person to go among them, given his many abilities. Still, Milli could not help but worry about him. Crossing the border would only be the beginning.

As quiet as possible, she closed the door and went to her own room. A pile of wet clothing was noticeable on the cold wooden floor as soon as she had finished changing. Feeling much warmer than she had been earlier, the brown-haired girl put the smudged clothes into a large bucket at the kitchen, wondering how muddy the others' clothes would be. Ssigh worked at the Alster household, practically at the other side of the town, while Tolle was notorious for his talent to get himself dirty even on the finest days.

Then, suddenly she realized that cicadas were singing and the rain had stopped.

With a lighter heart, Milli lit up several candles and lanterns to give the main room a soft glow, and frowned when she noticed there was no firewood left next to the main room's hearth. Quickly she hurried to the kitchen, finding that all she had was a small stack by the cookstove. That explained a lot. Burn the last ones and they would be eating cold bread only for the night.

She was halfway in preparing dinner when a loud sound told her that someone was trying to get into the house without knowing the lock combination. Milli left her semi-boiling stew and found out that her hearing was right. A large heavy lump of wood was now blocking the door from being opened. It was a simple mechanism developed by Hibiki-san to prevent any breaking and entering, given how many valuable scrolls of information he had regarding the legend he was pursuing. A similar mechanism had been applied to every door that led outside, including the one to Kuzzey's workshop.

For a moment, Milli eyed the door apprehensively. She was debating with herself whether to open it or ask Kuzzey to take a peek who it was when a well-known voice came from behind said door.

"Milli, it's me! Open up!"

A relieved sigh escaped her lips and she proceeded to unbolt the door. It was Tolle's grinning face that greeted her, his slightly drenched dark-brown hair almost black in the night air.

"Oops."

Milli raised her eyebrows. "Not good enough."

"I thought the combination was right-middle-left," he defended himself under her pointed look.

"We changed it this morning to middle-left-right, remember?" she sighed and made a way for him. Only and only because it would be troublesome for her, she had decided to spare Tolle from the detail that it was him who had suggested changing the combination due to Kira's absence. The next thing that caught her attention was the fine state of his clothes apart from their usual dirt. Obviously Tolle had waited for the rain to subside before returning home. Smart of him.

"Don't forget to lock the door. I have to continue cooking now if we want to have dinner on time," Milli said and turned back to the kitchen. Silently Tolle followed her with his eyes, admiring the graceful way she moved across the room. She had fascinated him since the day they had met. Never once he had met a girl who was brave enough to draw a dagger against her robber. Ssigh and Kuzzey also had not had much luck in threatening Kira. They clearly had chosen the wrong victim, but for several reasons, Tolle was glad they had.

Miriallia herself had yet to give any clear sign of her opinion of him. That and the fact that Kira had a dangerous protective streak toward her. It was to be expected since they had been living and growing up together for as long as five years now, but luckily for him, they did not seem to develop any feeling beyond loyal friendship, close to siblings care. Kira's face on that day when he put his knife on Milli's neck would be forever engraved to his memory and would always counsel him to handle this attraction matter more delicately. It was probable that the slightly younger boy had not forgotten his previous choice of career.

The three of them had not had many choices back then. They had been stealing since they had been able to remember and change of occupation had seemed too troublesome. Tolle had always prided his speed, which truly had allowed for no rival in Heliopolis until Hibiki's party arrived. Sometimes he did wonder if there was anything Kira was not good at.

Not that it was important right now, he admonished himself at the thought of their resting guardian. Hibiki was not only the person who offered him a place to come home to, but also the man who gave him a meaning to the word 'father'. And his 'father' was now ailing, his illness unknown. Definitely not the time to think about petty crushes.

After locking the door and hoisting the block of wood to its waiting place, Tolle marched to Kuzzey's workshop. A gust of scorching wind assailed him as he opened the connecting door.

"Hey, Kuz," he called, raising his voice to rival the sound of hammer shaping half-molten iron. "It's past dusk already, you know. The blade won't kill you if you finish it tomorrow."

"No, it won't, but its master will!" the black-haired boy hissed in panic, not bothering to look up from his hammer.

Tolle leant back to the wall, leaving the door to stay ajar – the temperature inside a forge was not something he was used to regardless the fact that he had practically grown up with a blacksmithing craze. He crossed his arm in front of his chest, muttering distastefully, "The OMNI Guards again, eh?"

"They suddenly stormed in here this evening and demanded for their swords to be sharpened," Kuzzey complained to no one in particular, his hand turning the sword to work on its other side. Suddenly he raised his head, shooting the other boy with horrified looks, and howled, "They want me to do eight swords for tomorrow! How in earth can I do that, Tolle?"

Unfortunately, the brown-haired boy knew even less about forging than he did concerning hygiene and could only answer with a blank look. He still remembered the other day when his friend had postponed his job on an OMNI soldier's sword and the beating he had received the day after. Nothing had gone well since the town had been swarmed by soldiers anxiously waiting to be called for duty at the Castle of Panama, a nearby stronghold which guarded the area from the Kingdom of ZAFT.

The problem was, he thought angrily, soldiers generally did not care for villagers and peasants. Heliopolis obviously was not a big town, nothing like Panama, but it didn't mean they could trample the town's people as they pleased. With an upset look, he watched how his friend repeatedly wrought the blade, eye fixed on his anvil, unbothered by beads of sweat that were dripping from his temple. Still dedicated despite the long queue of his work – it was why the blades he made were very good. Kuzzey's hands however, red with heat and excessive pressure, began to warn him of what might happen to the muscles below the flushing skin if his friend did not stop soon.

"Anything I can help with?" he decided to ask sympathetically.

"No," the other boy's answer was quick and sharp. "You destroyed my six-hours-worth-of-hard-work masterpiece the last time you tried to help and I'll be sure to die if you ruin this."

"Well I'm sorry for that, but no need for you to be so sarcastic," Tolle snapped back, his own temper rising. "Saying only 'no' shouldn't be too hard."

He was about to leave the workshop when Kuzzey's hammer stopped pounding and its owner's voice rose, brimmed with guilt and embarrassment. "I'm sorry too, Tolle. I was just– I don't meant to be that rude."

It was probably the high temperature, Tolle found himself contemplating his vanishing anger. Heat and pressure tended to lessen one's patience and he himself had not been having a good time working at the farm today. They absolutely did not need more conflicts among themselves. Glancing back across his shoulders, he accepted the peace offering with a grin and said, "I'll let you know if dinner is ready."

Once the door was closed, his attention was averted to the delicious aroma floating in the air inside the house. He strode to the source and peeked from the kitchen threshold. "What is that delightful smell?"

"Tolle, good that you come," Milli turned around from her cookstove, smiling, a bowl of steaming broth on her hand. "Can you bring the pot and the bread to the table? Oh, and help me setting up the table too. I have to give this stew to Hibiki-san first."

"Yes, Ma'am," he answered sincerely with a mock gesture of bowing. She only snorted at that and trotted past him, but there was an amused smile on her lips that he could not possibly miss. Heart leaping with a new surge of bliss, Tolle quickly did as she said, carefully lifting the pot with an unused rag. Milli made the best stews and gods only know how long she had been practicing to make them, given how often she did not have the ingredients to prepare a fancier meal. They were not living a luxurious life, but they were happy. Not to mention Milli had an impressive knowledge regarding spices, which made it possible for her to cook stews with various tastes, each always enjoyably delicious.

He was placing a candle in the middle of the table when Milli came out from Hibiki-san's room with an upset look on her face. He immediately noticed the half-finished stew, and then said soothingly, "Don't worry too much. It's an improvement compared to yesterday."

She held his gaze for a moment and sighed, a little smile emerging. "I guess you're right. And Kira is bound to return these days, right?"

All he could offer was an encouraging nod, not having the heart to point out that the younger boy might not return so soon – if not at all. Crossing the border was a crime and even though Kira's wide-ranging abilities were nothing to be taken lightly, the conflicts between OMNI and ZAFT had already been so severe that borders and coasts were heavily guarded to prevent any infiltration. He merely hoped that Kira would have the common sense to go back before he was involved in a situation he could not escape from, like getting captured and accused as a spy.

Prying off the grim thought from his head, Tolle looked away and found a distraction in an unlit hearth. "You're not lighting the fire?"

"We've run out of firewood," Milli replied apologetically and resumed her walk to the kitchen. "The last ones were for cooking. Sorry that I forgot to ask any of you to look for more yesterday."

"We got a lot of things in our mind," he mumbled to himself and continued to stare at the empty hearth. It was not that one of them would really mind the cold after eating the hot stew, but Hibiki-san was quite prone to it because of the illness. He tapped a finger on the table. Should he search for more after dinner? If he did not stray too far into the forest, nothing could possibly happen. Or maybe Kuzzey had coals to be spared.

Immersed too deep in his thought, he practically jumped when a voice came from the outside. "Hey guys, open the door."

It was Ssigh. Tolle was entertaining the idea that he was not the only one who had accidentally forgotten the lock combination when he noticed that it wasn't his friend's face that he was looking at but a pile of woods. He blinked and stared at it for a moment before articulating tentatively, "Uh, Ssigh?"

"Well, give me a hand, Tolle," the blonde boy's face appeared beside the towering heap with a scowl.

"Sure," the other boy quickly responded and took half of the pile. "Nice timing you have there. We've totally run out of these."

"I thought so," Ssigh shrugged, closing the door with his foot. "Good thing that I noticed this pile lying around before returning home. Don't worry, I'll replace it tomorrow."

Tolle put his share of pile next to the hearth and throw his friend a smirk across the shoulder while his hands were proficiently setting up nice warm fire. "Oh, so now you are privileged to do this kind of things because you're hitting on the young lady of the house? Way to go, Ssigh. Keep doing that and we will soon be loaded."

"I'm not hitting on her," the other boy glared reprovingly. "We like each other and I don't see why you should make a comment while you haven't made a move for yourself yet."

They were ready to have a glaring contest when Miriallia appeared from the kitchen, holding a plate of crushed yellowish spices. Her face brightened when she noticed the abundant heap of firewood and she smiled at the newly arrived boy. "You remember, Ssigh! Thank you for that. Now, shall we begin our meal? Tolle, please fetch Kuzzey."

The dinner was – if it were to be described in one word – peaceful, which was unsurprising for there were two empty chairs among them. Conversation was carefully maneuvered as to avoid several subjects, such as their guardian's poor health, and resulted in Kuzzey whining for most of the dinner about the work he had done and would still do after finishing his meal.

"I'm not too familiar with blacksmithing, but maybe I can help," Ssigh offered as he reached for more bread.

"Thanks, that will be a great help," Kuzzey gladly received, smiling brightly at his blonde friend. From across the table Tolle shot him an injured look but did not pursue the subject.

"But it's sort of odd for the guards to require sharpening their swords all at once," Ssigh commented and took a large bite of his bread thoughtfully.

"It's the war, what else?" Tolle answered with a sour tone. "Alda – you remember the guy? The one with big muscles at the farm – told me that war had broken at Gibraltar. Seems that OMNI is trying to take it away from ZAFT. Not much hope, I think, unless our leaders have come up with a good strategy. Rumors say that it's the strongest citadel ZAFT has ever built and because of its position, we can only attack it from water."

"A' phink youv faid," Kuzzey joined in, mouth still half full of bread. He swallowed it first under Milli's glare before repeating, "I think you're right. The soldiers were talking about it too when they came to the workshop, saying there was an urgent need for reinforcements there. They also mentioned that the one leading ZAFT Army at Gibraltar was a seventeen-year old guy! Can you believe it? I mean, he's at the same age with us!"

Ssigh finished his stew and frowned at his friends's information. "I've never thought ZAFT is lacking manpower. Why would they use a kid to lead such a huge army? And Gibraltar is far from here. Those soldiers should be a squad stationed at Panama. They don't have anything to do with the assault of Gibraltar."

"It's just a guess," Kuzzey mumbled defensively.

"Just another guess," Tolle spoke up again, "probably they are panicking because of the rebellion movement. The Archangel is getting bolder each time. I heard they managed to wreak quite a havoc at Alaska."

Silence descended among them as they finished their meal, each occupied by his or her own thought. No one dared to cut the taut quietness until Milli took the risk and asked, "Do any of you think that we need to move out?"

The boys were – fortunately – saved from any obligation to provide a reply by a train of loud knocks coming from the front door. Ssigh instantly jumped to his feet and grabbed a sword that was hung purposefully at the wall near the door, his face contorted in nervousness since they seldom had a visitor at night. His tense muscles visibly relaxed when a soft yet frantic voice floated from the other side of the door. "Ssigh! Are you in there?"

"It's Fllay," he mouthed to his friends and almost as immediate, puzzled over his own answer. Why would the young lady of Alster visit him? They probably had crossed the line of servant-and-master but they did the utmost to keep their relationship a secret all the way. Still perplexed by the unexpected visitor, he unlocked the door and almost fell backward when a young woman in hood flew across the threshold into his arms.

"Fllay? What hap–"

"You have to get out of here!" Panic was written all over her face as the hood gave way, revealing her flaming crimson hair. Ssigh was still eyeing her in bewilderment when she grabbed his shoulders, shaking him fiercely. "They are coming here, Ssigh! They only want your guardian and will kill the rest of you! You have to go now!"

"What do you mean kill the rest of us?" Tolle cut in from the table, an uneasy look on his face.

The young lady glanced at him, then returned her gaze back to her secret lover, distress still evident in her rushed explanation. "There was this man from the military coming to our house this evening. After you left, I was about to speak with my father and I accidentally heard this– this foul plan to abduct an alchemist named Yulen Hibiki and burn this place! He said that the rest of you were to be killed!" She clutched his worn-out tunic tightly. "Please, Ssigh, you must go!"

At the end of her words, Milli who had been listening suddenly sprang to her feet. "I have to take Master and flee," she said resolutely, her voice edgy but unwavering.

"We'll go with you," an immediate response came from Tolle. He grinned wryly when she gave him an uncertain look. "You didn't think we were going to abandon you alone with Hibiki-san, did you? We'll be killed if we stay behind anyway."

"Right," Ssigh agreed, determination steeling within him. "Kuzzey, you get any weapon we can use while Tolle and I are preparing other things. Milli, please wake Hibiki-san up. I know he's not well but we have to take the risk. It must be his research they're after." Then he turned back to the red-haired lady. "Shouldn't you be getting back now, Fllay? If your father knows you've been here–"

"I shall stay," she answered briskly, "at least until you leave."

Ssigh was about to argue when the door was pounded from the outside. "Open up! This is the Alliance Guard!"

The two youngsters could only looked at each other in horror at the riotous voices. Once the guards tried to force their way in, the lock was triggered and sealed the door with a large lumber. A moment later, there were heavy poundings and sounds of wood being crushed following.

"They're using a ram," Ssigh muttered in disbelief. "They know about the lock."

Kuzzey reappeared from his workshop, bows shouldered, swords and daggers gripped shakily. "What should we do now?"

"We'll get through the back door!" Tolle exclaimed, practically jumping down from the stairs with a small bag hung down from his shoulder. He snatched a middle-length sword from Kuzzey and ran to Hibiki's room. "Milli! We have to go now!"

Right at that moment, the door gave way and fell with a sickening crash. A number of armed guards rushed in, swords unsheathed and ready to assault as Tolle emerged from Hibiki's chamber, freezing at the doorway. A man at his late thirty stepped inside the house, his attire noble and proud, a haughty look painted across his stern face. He cast a glance around the room and its helpless occupants with a sort of self-satisfaction, hand set menacingly on the hilt of his sword.

"We are searching for Yulen Hibiki, formerly the royal alchemist of ZAFT," his voice was unpleasant, almost sinister. When none of his hostages reacted, he glared at his underlings. "Search for him! I want him here now!"

Thoughts rushing in and out his head, Ssigh felt numb. Hibiki-san; he had never known the man had been a royal alchemist, moreover ZAFT's. Kira and Milli had never mentioned it. Everything went as a blur for a moment before he felt a hand roughly yanking him, pushing him outside into the night. Somewhere behind him Fllay was screaming desperately.

"Fllay!"

The voice startled him and put the screaming to an end at once. The red-haired girl stared in horror at an aristocratic figure of a man, whom Ssigh recognized immediately as his employer. The lord was looking at her with a mix of shock and anger, obviously was not expecting his one and only daughter to be involved there in the mess, and then shifted his heated gaze to him, howling furiously, "I know there is something about you! You've been trying to seduce my–"

A red yellowish light flared and the noble lord was forced to cease his furious indictment to look in disbelief at his daughter. She was chanting faintly and tongue of flames in shape of arrowheads appeared from her palms, sprinting their way to a guard who was holding Ssigh immobile. She stared at him, begging with her eyes for him to flee when suddenly the blazing fire disappeared and he was still rooted to the ground, watching her falling to the damp soil with a thud. Looming next to her was the earlier man, his right hand still coiled into a fist which had made her unconscious.

"Quite a magic she has mastered there, Lord Alster," the man sneered, flicking a distasteful gaze at the half-burning guard who was running wildly into the town. "But I suppose we need not your little daughter's interference right now, do we?"

For a moment, the lord only stared angrily at his fellow nobleman, then moved to gather his unconscious daughter in his arms, answering curtly, "I understand, General."

Ssigh had barely registered the fact that another guard had taken hold of him in a significantly more violent manner when Milli's suppressed gasp made him look up. In mounting desperation, he noticed that his three friends had also been captured, and Hibiki-san was carried out by a guard, clearly unconscious. Another guard approached the general, reporting quickly, "They hurt six of our men inside, Sir. What should we do with them?"

The man eyed Milli's defiant stare for a moment and chuckled. "Women can always be of use at some other fields of work. Take her. Kill the boys."

The blonde boy was ready to lunge forward when he felt the grip of his guard weaken and the tip of a sword which had been aimed at him removed. Astonished, he spun backward and saw a blur of shadow moving fast to where Kuzzey was kneeling in terror next to his brown-haired friend. He recognized the speed and movement instantly.

Kira.

"Hold it right there!"

The warning paused the newly arrived boy – as Ssigh had guessed, it was Kira – from moving and he looked up at the source, his empty hand frozen on Tolle's mud-covered tunic. In shock marred with palpable disgust, he stared at the general holding a short blade against the side of Milli's neck.

"I also find this tremendously repulsive, young man, but I cannot lose another soldier in this minor raid," the man informed him flatly. "Put your sword down or I cannot promise you this young lady's wellbeing."

In silence, heart beating faster and faster in his chest, Ssigh watched this motionless picture and how Kira's eyes darkened under the dim spark of a torch held up by one of the guards. For some reasons, fear began to well up within him. The dread was similar to what he had undergone in his first acquaintance with the younger boy. For a moment, there was still no one making any move, then Kira's voice rang above the wind, low but clear.

"Hurt her if you dare."

Another flash of light, now a brilliant white, blinded his sight temporarily and when he regained his vision, Kira was nowhere to be seen. However, some of the guards, he noticed in extreme bewilderment, were crashing to the earth one by one, as if brought down by an unseen force. Ssigh was watching in awe when a sword was tossed into his direction, which he swiftly grasped and used to counteract a soldier who had come charging at him. The next thing he saw, Milli was no longer under the general's threat, safe in the circle of Kira's left arm.

He noticed the two hesitating for a moment then Tolle shouting, "Kira! We have to get out of here first!"

At the advice, Ssigh looked around and spotted Kuzzey scrambling to his feet not far from him, a few weapons clutched in his left arms. Quickly he grabbed the shorter boy's hand and began to run, following a dim green light soaring just ahead of him. Behind them, their friends' footsteps were audible and he could hear a low chant falling out of Kira's mouth. Suddenly, an earsplitting sound, like Mother Earth roaring in rage spoiled the night, but he didn't allow himself to risk a glance back. Blindly he kept running into the forest, his feet crushing the damp grass on his path, leaving the vanishing sound behind.

Run. Run. Run...

- To be continued -

Notes: First of all, I need a beta-reader. The chapters in this story will be quite long that I tend to make silly grammatical mistakes. If there is someone who is interested, I will be very grateful. Please leave your e-mail address in the review. Second, from now on in each chapter, I will present the stats of one character. For the first chapter, the honor goes to Miriallia. This is for my own fun, so don't take it seriously.

Miriallia Haww

Age: 17

Rank: None

Element: Water

Origin: Jachin Due

Statistics:

-- Strength: 81 (good)

-- Defense: 75 (average)

-- Magic: 115 (excellent)

-- Magic Defense: 105 (excellent)

-- Agility: 103 (excellent)

-- Accuracy: 117 (excellent)

-- Stamina: 88 (good)

Specialty: Healing

The stats (especially the specialty section) won't necessarily stay as it is. This is only to give you a general picture of how the character is in the story. However, the stats probably won't meet everyone's satisfaction and if that is the case, I apologize.

Thank you for reading! Please review!