Chapter 5

Duo

The Shinigor forest looked as though there was no possible way for anyone to ever inhabit it, forests so thick that you could barley see the light shining down on the dark soggy moss covered ground. Most of the forests were named after the towns and villages that were near or in the forests, unlike the Shinigor forest. The forest was isolated from all the nearby towns and villages. Few people went anywhere near the forest, and only a few villages and a couple of single houses were scattered around in the medium size clearing inside. The Shinigor forest was a haven for children and people of different ages that lost their families in the war. There were multiple churches and villages that would open their homes for the survivors. Many children from nearby towns that had been attacked were told buy their parents to go to father Maxwell's church in the center of the forest in the largest clearing. Father Maxwell and his daughter Helen changed the church into an orphanage, and offering jobs to and houses to the run always families. Since the Shinigor forest was so secluded and lush, there was never an attack on the people living in peace.

Father Maxwell loved all the children that came trough the large doors of the church. It always amazed him even after the children had lost their parents, toys, and homes they were still running around, playing and giggling. Duo the newest addition to the orphanage was no exception; he would laugh and play with everyone always a smile on his face. Despite the fact that his village was totaled and he came here at the age of four in the arms of his battered and bloody mother, witch latter died that night. Duo was sad after that like any child would, but he took it in stride. Duo used his own experience to help comfort the other orphans and smaller children that had also lost their parents.

Duo was an average height boy about the age of fifteen, yet looked to be years younger. A long braid down past his waist was one of the children's favorite things to play with. Duo had blue eyes but when he was mad they turned a dark violet color.

Because of Duo's eyes he was chosen to be the forth warrior. The people of the forest were very superstitious of similar colors and because Duo's eyes would turn violet when angry, they linked it to the warriors pendant was also the same violet color. When Duo started his training with his master Glinash, his master realized that just like the other three warriors Duo also had a special power, speaking in different languages.

Duo could speak and language in the whole world without even trying or knowing it. Also he could speak to animals. (It was a weird and rare power). The only languages that Duo could not speak were or understand were Drarshina and Algena the languages of demons and angels.

Glinash, when he first began to see Duo talking to birds he thought Duo had lost it. He would sit in his house and watch Duo talk to the bird on his finger and after a wile he decided to test his theory.

. Flashback .

Glinash was walking through the forest surrounding the small village. The forest around the village was thinner so Glinash was taking a leisurely stroll through it, marveling at its beauty. Buy a small clump of trees that was infested with birds nests was Duo sitting on the ground with a small yellow chickadee on his finger. Glinash was amazed that a bird would sit on his finger, but was even more shocked when he walked closer and heard Dou talking to it.

'Duo are you talking to that bird?" Glinash asked standing a good distance away as to not scare the bird.

"Ya" He said with a huge smile on his face, not even slightly thinking that it was abnormal to have a bird sitting on your finger or to talk to it like it understood.

"Duo, you know that, that bird can't understand you?"

"Yes it can"

"Duo birds can't understand us and we cant understand them!"

"Well maybe you can but I can!" Duo said, bringing the bird closer to his face and talking to it like someone would to a small child.

"Duo!" Glinash groaned that boy was so stubborn, and had a one track mined.

"Look master" Duo said putting the bird down on the ground and telling it to go pick up the small pebble at his masters feet.

To Glinash it seamed crazy, but he was surprised when the when the small bird hoped over to him and took the pebble in its beak and hoped over to Duo dropping it in his hand. Despite the proof Glinash was still not fully convinced.

"Duo if you can really "talk" to that bird then why don't you ask it they don't eat the seeds we give them in the morning?"

Duo still with a big smile on his face asked the bird and after a series of chirps and flutter of its wings Duo proudly said "The birds don't like it when the seeds aren't roasted and slightly salted".

. End Flashback .

Glinash at first shrugged it off and decided to let Duo pretend he could talk to birds, he was only seven at the time so there wasn't that much harm in humoring him. But one day Glinash decided to try feeding the birds roasted and slightly salted seeds, just to see what would happen. Glinash began to believe Duo after a whole flock of birds came flying out of the trees and started pecking the seeds off the ground like never before.

Glinash was certain Duo could speak different languages when a new boy came to the orphanage and all he could speak was Ralzer. No one could believe that Duo was speaking with him because as far as anyone knew Duo hadn't even left the country let alone set foot on Ralzert. That's when they knew.

At the age of fifteen Duo was well liked at the orphanage, eleven years he had been there and all the children loved him. Everyone was happy with the way things were going and were totally oblivious to the things that were going on outside the forest...until one day.

A raid was made buy the enemies. When they came all the children were put in the in the crawl spaces under the wooden church floors. Duos job, told buy father Maxwell was to make sure the kids were safe and then, because their was not enough room for Duo under the floors, he was to run and hide out in the forest.

Duo listened to Father Maxwell and made his way into the forest. Duo didn't know how long he waited in the forest, the slight sound of swords clashing in the distance. He blocked it out and had no sense of time during that time he was huddled in the forest. Duo didn't know how long he waited but what he did know was that the battle was over.

Duo reluctantly made his way back to the Village, seeing all the adults scattered around the clearing were the village one stood. The houses were burnt to the ground charred and smoldering in lumps randomly placed around the clearing. Scattered bodies were lying on the ground many staked on one another their blood running together into tiny rivers of red. The mossy ground made a sloshing sound as Duo walked closer due to the blood that was absorbed into the moss like a sponge. The bodies of the fallen villagers he could recognize perfectly, Harv the smith, Jerngh the baker, and may others. Duo didn't want to see this; all the people that were like his family dead on the ground were he once played.

Duo walked/stumbled across the field almost as if he was drunk. Trying to avert his eyes away from the dead bodies but horrified that his eyes would never stray. Duo's horror grew even more when he saw the slumped over form of his master sitting with his head bowed and the tip of a arrow poking out of the back of his dark cloak. Duo tried to call out to his master but he felt as if his body and mined were separated from each other, Duo was white faced and slightly shaking as he approached his master and sunk to his knees in front of his face.

"M...Mm..Master?" Duo said in a shaky voice barley aware that a voice even came out of his lips.

"Duo" his master's voice was strained and duo had to leave forward to hear what he was saying.

"I'm glad your safe, here" he placed his bloody hand on duo's and when he pulled it back a beautiful violet pendant was in its place.

"W..what em I suppose to do with this?"

"Its my guardian pendant, soon your going to be the new guardian and your going to need it".

"NO!"

"Yes Duo, I have a fatal injury, no one, no even I can survive this"

Tears started to silently slip from Duo's face as his sadness quickly turned to anger "If only Father Maxwell would have let me fight this wouldn't have happened!"

"Duo don't blame yourself for this, even if you were here nothing would have changed"

"But I could have..."

"Done nothing, we were out numbered and the villages were not trained warriors as you and I we didn't have a chance"

"Then why!"

"You couldn't have been found, they believe all are dead"

Duo quickly looked up onto the small hill in the clearing, more tears flooding to his eyes and his body crumpling down, shoulders falling forwards and tears mixing with the blood on the ground. The church they burnt the church down to the ground, the place were he grew up, the children all dead...

"Duo go to Misnta, tell them what happened, and when the king calls, go. This is what you have to do, its you fate, you have to stop this war Duo.."

"Master! MASTER, NO DONT LEAVE ME!" Duo screamed shaking the dead mans shoulders hoping against all odds that he wasn't dead. But after a few moments of useless shaking nothing happened and Duo realized he was gone.

Duo did the only thing he knew how, he ran, ran to Misnta like his master told him promising that when he got there he would do everything his master wanted him too. Tell, Go, and Stop the war that had killed so many.

Duo arrived at Misnta and told his story, a nice family taking him in, and their he live until the king's messenger came to get him...

I run, hide, but never tell a lie Duo Maxwell