(A/N) *cringes* Sorry people! I know this took forever, but don't hate me! I've been stuck on this chapter, but finally worked through it. For your long and patient wait (in which I hope no one's forgotten what is going on...) you get an extra long chapter!

Disclaimer: If I owned ToS, I'd go there every summer for vacation. I don't.

Chapter 17

Kratos and Yuan were nearing Triet, and something was terribly wrong. After spending a relatively relaxed day beforehand traveling and hoisting up tents to spend the night, they immediately regretted not putting haste in the journey. Unrest caught through the ranks as the city came into view.

Kratos imagined that a normal version of Triet would look cavernous and cave-like, held up with thick struts of columns. What he could see was a travesty of that picture. Smoke was billowing up from the inside and pouring into the sky, puffing into an enormous spindly structure that stretched upwards seemingly without end. The 'ceiling' as he had previously dubbed the city's awnings looked collapsed in areas and broken as pillars lay in heaps. Worst of all was the fire. As far as Kratos knew, few things were flammable this deep into the desert, but something must have caught because the raging flames danced in shadows as if attempting to rival the daylight in brightness and heat.

"What happened?" Yuan shouted desperately as his hometown lay in ruins. Everyone broke into a run to save what they could of Triet. Upon nearing, Yuan recognized some of the damage as irreparable. The flawless polycarbonate was fractured in many places, where previously not even a seam had existed. He felt numbed and confused. Triet should've been safe. There was no way the Tethe'allans could've made it so far inland without him knowing. But how could it not have been the Tethe'allans? A quick glance at Kratos revealed that the boy was just as lost as he was. In fact, he looked so bent out of shape that Yuan wondered how he could feel for a city he had never seen.

The grand entrance somehow lay untouched, in a grotesque contrast with the rest of the city. Without any hesitation, Kratos, Yuan and several others barreled straight inside. Their vision was clouded by thick layers of smoke. The shaded area was at first cooler than the unforgiving sun, but the fire had a different kind of heat. This heat did not weight upon the shoulders like that of the desert, but instead it burned and scorched and singed the skin. It was intense, and passed over them in waves.

Yuan's eyes searched fleetingly for any survivors, his feet moving of their own accord throughout the wreckage. Depending on how fast the blaze had caught, people might still be trapped within. The flames licked at the sides of the pillars that blocked their way forward, and a dull roaring sounded as they consumed anything flammable- and maybe what wasn't. Kratos did a double take when his eyes fell upon a cracked and desolate piece of polycarbonate that was apparently burning. Engulfed by fire, the rock was slowly eaten away, and Kratos was taken in by the impossibility of it.

"Yuan!" He yanked the half-elf's sleeve to draw his attention. "Is it supposed to burn?" The yell was accompanied by a frantic gesture to the withering stone. Yuan's eyes, watery from the smoke, widened in surprise.

"No." What was the source of such a strange fire that burned everything in its path? There would be no stopping it until all of Triet lay in waste. They needed to find the starting place- the underlying cause, before the very last remnants of the ceiling came crashing down. It was as if his thoughts were answered by a resounding boom, followed by a very deep, animalistic roar that vibrated through the soles of their boots.

"Beneath." Kratos yelled to be heard over the flames, his arm covering his mouth in a weak attempt to protect his lungs from the stifling smoke. Yuan nodded. There was only one place under ground. He began to wonder if some deity had it out for him. The gods must be angry, because there was something massive residing in the holy temple.

"This way!" Yuan called back, pushing the Tethe'allan forward to circumvent the collapsed pillars. He guided them to the main entrance of the temple, all the while questioning if it was such a good idea to approach whatever being caused this holocaust. Kratos had the same precautionary instincts.

"How the hell are we supposed to beat it?" The snide remark was roughened by the racking cough that followed. Where they were headed was subject to much denser smog, and Kratos had taken to ducking down to see their path. The smoke layered thickly, yet somehow the densities worked out so that a thin layer of relatively clear air lay close to the floor. Yuan deftly lead them through unobstructed corridors, and only had a little difficulty when they had to navigate debris. It seemed he knew Triet as well as Kratos knew Meltokio.

"Still working on that." Yuan's indifferent shrug was at odds with the raw determination in his stance. He was doing a very good job of hiding his emotional distress, in Kratos' opinion. That, however, did not make running head on into this mess a good idea. Yuan's judgment was probably impaired, so Kratos would have to be the one to think it all through.

"Do you know any water magic?" he wasn't really looking forward to being fried to a crisp. Yuan's face lit up as if he'd forgotten.

"Some. That'll come in handy." Kratos was now seriously worried. He hadn't even thought about a strategy. They were royally screwed. However, Kratos was just as interested in discovering what was at fault for the destruction of the city. There couldn't be too much harm in at least trying to stop this train wreck.

Who was he kidding? This was stupid.

Yuan was quietly adamant about their direction, and Kratos would never be one to chicken out. He could only hope that his sword wasn't useless and that the heat didn't kill them both. Already the sweat poured off of him in rivulets and he quite literally felt like he was melting. Yuan was no better to his left. Rather, it seemed that the Sylvaranti was much worse off in the elevating temperature. He was panting heavily and his skin shimmered with perspiration.

Quickly, they came upon a wall of ten-foot flames blocking their way. The golden tendrils flicked and swayed dangerously and erratically as they combed outwards. There was a near vertical pile of rubble to their left, and a polycarbonate wall to their right. They could either backtrack and find another way, or brave a way through the new barrier. Kratos was beginning to feel lightheaded, the smoke was getting to him and overlaying a fuzzy blanket to his senses. Everything was slurring and dripping together, but he had the logic to stay focused. He could hold out until they got to the underground chamber Yuan was talking about.

Yuan pressed his hands together and shut his eyes, the reddish tint to his skin gone with a flash of blue light. An intricate spell circle had manifested itself at his feet, glowing mutely and dilating from the pivot point that was his body. Kratos watched intently as his companion muttered a few choice words under his breath and his eyes flashed open. It may have only been for a moment, but Kratos was sure that Yuan's eyes had shifted to an even brighter blue as the mana was expelled from his body.

A blade of energy-infused water materialized as his casting circle faded and shot towards the obtrusive wall of fire, sizzling in contact as it was forced through. The dousing thoroughly cleared the scorched floor ahead, while a few lingering embers mingled weakly on the periphery. The hissing that resulted as the cool liquid evaporated produced a filmy white fog that already began to mix with the darker smoke, heightening their visibility yet also making the harsh lines softer. The cooling effect was minimal, but now the entire setting looked surreal and somewhat magical with the hazy vapor and flickering light. Yuan rushed forward, with Kratos hard on his heels.

Yuan's brow creased. He knew the entrance had to be somewhere around here. His uncertainty lasted only for a brief moment though, as the deeply set stair case descended to their right. The stones were dark, and in relatively good shape despite the blackened evidence of flame. The power flowing below them was tangible here, even thicker and more suffocating than before. He shot a look at Kratos.

"Our best chance is magic. If you can hold whatever-it-is' attention, then I can cast. If not, then we'll have to come up with another plan." Yuan summoned his butterfly blade in case he needed to use it, while Kratos drew his sword and tentatively set off into the holy chamber. The damage had to be stopped. If the fire was magic-based as it appeared, then the only way was to destroy the source. Kratos nodded sharply as they descended. The fresh silence was deceptive and ominous, but they didn't let their guard down nevertheless. Power was surging within the cavern.

Yuan realized that he didn't have the faintest clue of what had taken place. But he'd gone had gotten them stuck dead center in the whole ordeal. Another reassuring look from Kratos, though, revealed the redhead as grim and rearing to go. Yuan had neglected to notice Kratos' mana growing more and more intimidating as it somehow managed to emerge cold to the point of ice, even in the blistering heat. Now, that strangeness was anchoring. Kratos was fairly stable in comparison to their dilapidated surroundings. Yuan was obdurate. He had to salvage what he could of his hometown before there was nothing left.

Martel scratched copiously on the papers flung across her work station, occasionally checking upon her machine for anything notable. So much data to back up her hypotheses, she was genuinely optimistic about her results. Mithos hung quietly at her side. If she wasn't so into her studies, then she would have asked him why he was so reserved. Instead, though, his bright gaze trained on each item. He eagerly soaked up the information with a silent enthusiasm Martel found admirable. He was remarkably intelligent for his age, and Martel knew his lack of speaking was due to the human woman's presence. Whenever they were alone, the boy's vocabulary was very advanced and he talked her ear off.

Watching the mana sensor, his azure eyes widened.

"Sis." The first word spoken in several hours, softly urgent.

"Hm?" Her attention drawn temporarily, she twisted her head to view what had caught her brother's eyes.

The mana sensor had spiked. She could feel it too- the content of the air shifting like a wave, washing over the land with frenetic energy.

The readings surged briefly before collapsing again. The jump was dramatic, several times the usual mana composition, but now there was no evidence it had even happened aside from a few numbers over the span of a few seconds.

"What's going on?" Xilia asked beside her, curious and oblivious to what only those with elven blood could feel.

"I'm not sure." Her brow furrowed in confusion. What kind of power source could emit so much mana?

Kratos' eyes quickly adjusted to the dimness, illuminated only by a strong reddish glow that appeared to be stemming from the deep recesses beyond the catwalks. The effect given by the entire cavernous room was one of volcanic power. Though he knew they had only transversed a short distance down, he never would have been able to fathom what lay underneath the desert city without seeing it as he was now. He peered into the faintly lit area. It felt much bigger, though it was hard to see deep ahead. The stiflingly still air began to flow as they reached the end of a sand stone pathway and it was as if the walls had opened up to either side like an arena. The same sense of an entity lay static but broiling with force somewhere ahead. He hated the feeling of unpredictability he associated with not knowing.

Kratos was thankful that Yuan's scatter-brained expression had shifted to a more aware and focused one. Considering their imminent battle, Kratos needed him to be at attention. The strength of the aura was pulling to the right, and Kratos followed the mana emanating from whichever monster awaited them. The paths and staircases wound around one another, but it was simple enough to find their way. Despite scarcely making a sound, Kratos felt the presence become even more unsettled by their proximity. It was so near, he should be able to see it. Feeling the signature shift quickly, Kratos knew they'd been found out.

"Ready yourself!" He called to Yuan, tightly grasping his hilt before plunging in the direction he felt the mana surge. An earsplitting roar cracked through the air, rough and ancient in timbre, but menacing all the same. Kratos zeroed in on his target after rounding the final corner leading onto a raised platform. Given proper time to react, he might've stopped and remained rooted to the spot to examine the beast. Considering the impending attack, however, his reflexes prevented him from doing so. Slipping to the side nimbly, he was narrowly able to avoid a burst of flames. The heat radiated in waves off of the fire, and even without being hit, Kratos still had the feeling of being scorched. Glancing back to reassure himself that Yuan hadn't rounded the corner yet, Kratos then allowed himself a better look at their opponent.

A massive four-legged beast resided in the center of the cavern, adorned with coarse plates and spiky horns that looked fit to impale anyone that dared to encroach. Easily twice as tall as himself, and twice as long as it was tall, Kratos was having a hard time believing he could keep the creature busy. A heavily armored tail swung itself around as if it was a mace, and Kratos swiftly dodged once again.

"Yuan! I hope you've started already!" He found himself calling out while he had his hands more than filled with his current task. A few seconds later, however, Kratos was relieved to hear the final words to his companion's chant.

"Aqua Edge!" A crescent of water shot across the stone floors and collided harshly with the head of the monster, sizzling on impact. Using the opening Yuan had given him, Kratos jumped as close to the face as he dared and landed a heavy blow on the neck. He expelled a bit of mana with the strike, but his sword clattered off of the thick shell without doing anything more than collateral damage. He swore profusely as he was forced to slide under another spurt of fire. His sword was near useless for anything but distraction unless he could find a weak spot in the impenetrable armor.

All of a sudden, the body of the beast coiled and sprung for him. The fact that it was surprisingly agile likened the creature to a fierce hunting cat. Kratos caught himself between steps somewhat off-balance, but managed to narrowly avoid the tough looking claws. He was immediately faced with the club-like tail, and leapt deftly over to land on the balls of his feet. If he was going to focus on dodging attacks, then he'd have to be careful and not paint himself into a corner. Meanwhile, Yuan was able to get land another water-based attack.

Kratos was certain that the magic was taking its toll on the monster, for each blast of high-pressure liquid was accompanied by a roar more infuriated than the last. Unfortunately the beast was quickly losing interest in him, despite his best efforts to garner attention. The dull yellow eyes had locked onto Yuan as the biggest threat, and Kratos could do little to keep it away.

"Yuan! It's coming!" He called out while hacking a few times at the stomach before swiftly slipping to the other side to avoid any repercussions. The most he was doing was irritating the thing. He'd never felt more useless. A look at his companion revealed soft blue light radiating from the caster's circle and rapt concentration. The temperatures were broiling and Kratos could feel Yuan's mana struggling to compose itself into an attack. Maybe if he mimicked Yuan's mana transformation he could produce the same outcome without words? Doubtful. But he could be a more effective distraction than he was. If the creature's movements were anything to go by, they were winning marginally. It had slowed down substantially after repeated magic attacks, yet the heat had intensified tenfold. Whatever it was, it was desperate.

Heaving a deep breath, Kratos decided his next course of action. His father had always said decisiveness was one of the most important qualities a leader could have, but above all else was the unwavering will to back up the decision. However stupid it was, he was going to follow through.

"God, I'm an idiot." He muttered as he sprung onto the monster's plated back, landing steadily right behind the neck joint. Mustering mana into his strike, he plunged the blade as hard as he could downward. The tip crashed into the armor, emitting a cracking noise as it did so, but refused to go further. The strike educed a howl from the monster and a harried attempt to throw him off. The beast rippled beneath him, and as it pushed itself onto its hind legs, he was violently thrown into the air. His hand slipped off of the hilt of his blade, which remained firmly lodged in the creature's back.

Somehow, he twisted and bent his knees upon impact to minimize the damage done. It was by no means gentle, but he could handle being a little roughed up. The monster whipped around and trained its eerily predatory gaze on him. Aside from being a bit out of breath, he was no worse for wear. Except for the fact that he had lost his damn sword.

Yuan had been watching with his heart in his throat. He couldn't break concentration, or else the spell would nullify and he'd have to start over. Focus. Sweat dripped down his brow, but the heat wasn't the most pressing problem. He was running out of mana, and if the monster didn't kick the bucket soon, they'd both be both figurative and literal toast. In fact, this spell would probably be his last one.

Summoning the last of his strength into a single Aqua Edge, Yuan watched as Kratos sidestepped another jet of sweltering inferno. The ferocity in which the creature was lunging at him had picked up. Yuan might just be too late. He tripled his efforts, feeling the strain as the magical energy intensified.

Kratos was running out of platform. He knew that he had to work around the animal's flanks, but the tail and spiky head barred either side effectively. Nearing one of the trench-like fissures, he was aware of Yuan's attack forming. He only had to hold out a bit longer before the magic served as another diversion for him to slip away. The life-force of the creature was damaged; power aside, the organic container it was in was crumbling.

Kratos ducked another swipe of knife-like claws as he neared the platform's edge. It was bent on his demise, apparently. He was in the exact situation that he intended to avoid. Why did that always end up happening?

"Anytime now, Yuan!" He called out, still managing to put an arrogant edge into the plea. He was too near to the edge now, and the spiny head viciously twisted across his right hand side while spewing flame. The ancient beast was forcing him to his left, where the tail arced menacingly in wait. He had no weapons but his own arms, which were useless against such a foe, - and, and he had mana.

Yuan thought he'd taken too long, and as the beast made what looked like a desperate final lunge across the platform, he finally released his pent up magic at its exposed side.

"Aqua Edge!" It wouldn't make it in time, he knew it- the beast was already mid-lunge. Yuan staggered a half-step forward, breath caught in his throat as Kratos was obscured by the body of the beast and- enormous purple sparks cracked in contact with the creature. The monster was repelled briefly enough for his slice of water magic to cover the distance between them and crash as a small wave of power.

It was the final blow.

The mythical beast collapsed under the impact of the water magic, its entire being hissing and crumbling as if it were made up of molten rock. In a blinding flash of reddish light, the monster dissolved into dust as it returned to the demon realm of Niflheim. Yuan's eyes widened as Kratos stood precariously near to the end of the platform relatively unharmed.

The heat had dissipated almost as quick as it had come, and the cooling sensation was bliss to his feverish skin. A grin spread across his worn out expression, but as Yuan leaned forward to go meet his red-haired companion, his steps stalled weakly and he nearly fell to his knees. His mana was so near to depleted that it was surprising he was still conscious after the last attack. Kratos recognized that quickly and broke into a quick run to check on the half-elf.

"Hey, are you okay?" Kratos steadied him, sensing his diminutive mana supply.

"I think so." Yuan muttered, grateful for the support. Sizing up the teenager in front of him, Yuan could only see a few shallow scratches. They had both scraped up a victory out of the ashes in Triet.

"You just performed high level magic." Yuan added, clearly impressed. It had saved his skin, too. Kratos nodded briefly, before his eyes caught the flash of silver in the swirling dust. The mighty beast had been reduced to no more than sand, yet his sword lay battered and gleaming in the pile. He trotted over to pick it up and examine the damage. He found scorch marks and a few nicks, but those could easily be taken care of. He sheathed it before both he and Yuan began to work their way back out of the temple.

"Next time, you can be the distraction." Kratos had one of Yuan's arms slung over his shoulders. Yuan sighed dramatically.

"No argument there."

Mithos watched the human with well concealed distaste. The thing's interaction with his sister had been constant- a never ending buzz that grated on his nerves. Since the energy apexed, they'd been speaking in a sort of technical language he had a tough time following. From what he could tell, the mana was released from a location to the west.

Even he knew that it likely had come from Sylvarant.

What he couldn't fathom was why his sister and the human cared so much about what was happening in Sylvarant. Wasn't that their problem? Aside from his sister, he was pretty sure that that was how the world worked. Everyone was on their own and had to deal with their own concerns. People were callous and insignificant individually, and that was the intrinsic issue with them. If they just cared a little bit more about others, then they would realize that fighting was stupid.

But humans were stupid.

Many treated him and his sister like some pest worse than garbage, and even those that might have a heart would just watch silently. No one ever dared to help, and Mithos fumed internally. They were all the same. He fixed another hard look on his sister. She was so bright and kind, she probably didn't realize humanity's flaw- or she was just so far above them that it was beneath her to recognize it. Nevertheless Mithos was no such person. He would fight it until they changed, for everyone's sake.

"What happened?" Kratos was sunk into the sand as comfortably as he could manage, a little ways away from the ruins that used to be Triet. All the fire had gone out, but so much of the damage was irreparable and close to two-thirds of the city was completely destroyed. The reality was sinking in for Yuan, and he pinched the bridge of his nose as a headache came on.

"I have no idea." He spared a glance at his hometown and found he couldn't tear his gaze away from it. "It couldn't have been the Tethe'allans. It was that monster." It was the largest and most powerful monster he'd ever faced by far.

"Obviously." Kratos deadpanned, "but how did it get there? Things like that don't just appear out of thin air. Especially not for no reason." Frustration was evident in his voice. It didn't make sense. Other troops were assisting survivors and sifting through the wreckage for salvageable supplies. The destruction had been sudden and swift. And apparently sourced from the temple. "I need more information." Kratos finally admitted. Yuan grunted in agreement.

"Why do you care so much?" Yuan found himself asking, to his own horror. Something felt like it lay closer to the prince's heart than he was letting on. Yuan was too tired to mask his interrogation any better.

"There would be something wrong with me if I didn't care." Kratos breezily avoided the question altogether. Yuan had met plenty of humans who were kind, and plenty who were cruel- but Kratos knew that wasn't what he had meant with the question. A narrowed glance evinced another response.

"Do you know if-" Kratos was having difficulty approaching the subject, and Yuan knew he'd been correct in his initial assumption, "if your family is okay?" Kratos only allowed the smallest stammer, yet that spoke volumes for him. Yuan's composed expression shattered into one of touched surprise.

"You were worried for my family?" Yuan was dumbfounded. Giving it further thought, though, the boy had his own share of familial tragedy. Death had plagued his childhood and now he was left with only one surviving sibling. He understood what loss on such a scale could do, and on many an occasion Yuan could see it in his eyes. A mourning solemnity that never really left him despite his best efforts to hide it. Yuan knew what that felt like, too.

"Well, you said Triet was your hometown." Kratos averted his gaze, awkwardly- uncomfortable with expressing concern.

"Yes, but my elven mother lives in a small village not too far from Asgard. My father has long been dead, and I have no brothers or sisters." Yuan had come to terms with his father's passing years ago, and it was no secret of his.

"Oh. I apologize." Kratos sunk back into silence, restful and pondering, as he leaned back into the sand.

"Don't." Yuan chided lightly, "and thanks." The word felt light and insignificant to compensate for everything that had happened. "I've dragged you into a mess you had no part in."

"I'm part of most messes anyway." Kratos shrugged, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Yuan felt his own grin blossoming in return.

"And here I thought I was the only one with that problem." Softly humming in reply, Kratos made to stand up.

"I should probably see what I can do to help." He dusted himself off with just the slightest of discomforts from their earlier battle. When Yuan shuffled to mimic him, Kratos gave him a pointed glare. "You're in no condition to do anything but rest." Any protest Yuan could come up with died in his throat at the stern look of poorly cloaked anxiety.

"Aah- okay." Yuan conceded with dignity (because half-elves did not pout). He let himself settle again in the fine sands. It seemed that most of the people were clueless, shell-shocked and dazedly slumped alongside the edge of the crumbled city. The grandeur was reduced to nothing in a mere matter of hours. The air reeked of smoke and death, and Yuan's fingers curled into a fist. Sorrow had stricken his hometown down in a freak natural disaster. It made no sense for such a powerful fire-elemental monster to spawn below the town and wreak havoc.

The world was going to war with its inhabitants.

At the end of the day tents were set up just as they were the night before, but now there weren't nearly enough. In favor of sleeping outside, Yuan had given up his own to a small family. Kratos had joined him after meals were rationed out, and they lay out under the stars as the last of the smoke cleared. Yuan noted the boy's unfaltering stare upwards, lips slightly forming mute words.

"Are you counting them?" He asked incredulously, "There are billions. You'll never finish." Kratos' head tilted a bit in acknowledgement.

"It keeps me busy. I don't intend to finish." Yuan sighed slightly to his right, noting only how the red-head had never torn his gaze, or apparently stopped counting while talking to him.

"You're peculiar." Yuan let out as he took a look at the dark, yet brilliantly lit sky. Being out in the desert, away from any light source aside from the occasional fire, made star-gazing surreal. The vastness of the space engulfed them, and dwarfed the trivialness that was mortality. Yuan figured only someone like Kratos would find solace in such a thing. One of the unbidden, yet unappreciated beauties that the world offered up every night.

"Do you know the constellations?" Kratos asked him, after pausing in his count. Yuan took the quiet conversation as Kratos letting him in. After all they'd been through maybe he could crack the monotonous exterior.

"Some, but I'd bet that you wouldn't know them. They're all Sylvaranti." Kratos' eyes searched the sky for something, but he couldn't seem to find whatever he'd been looking for after a drawn out silence.

"I know nearly all of the Tethe'allan ones. See the three small ones to the left of the moon?" Yuan nodded as he pinpointed the glistening cluster of stars. Now that he looked closer at them, they made a perfect dewdrop with the surrounding stars. "That's the Tear of Celsius. In the summer, the tip always points north." Yuan remained quiet as the boy pointed out constellation after constellation. He knew he wouldn't remember them all, but there was a hidden wonder in Kratos' unending knowledge on astronomy. A flashing streak cut across the perfect sky and they both paused to admire it.

"A shooting star." Yuan muttered. "Doesn't that have something to do with fate?"

"Hn. Something of the sort. In past history it's been used as both an omen for terrible tragedy and great fortune. I suppose that just means that it doesn't mean anything." Kratos shrugged it off.

"No, I think it just means that destiny has picked our lives to be memorable. Important somehow." Yuan let his eyes drift shut. He was tired. He did have the feeling that something big had hold of their lives, intertwining the strings of providence around each other. He just hoped that they would stay on the same side.

"Great." Kratos replied sardonically, "you'd be better off killing me now. The last thing I need is a curse on top of my bad luck." He scoffed lightly.

"You know, I have excellent luck." Yuan cautiously prodded, "we should stick together, and maybe it'll balance out." He was only halfway joking. There was no tension in the air, but Yuan had already noticed what the Tethe'allan was starting to mean to him.

"That's not a half-bad idea, Kaafei." Kratos considered. The Sylvaranti was the closest anyone had been to him in a long time, and Kratos didn't take those bonds lightly. What could he say? He didn't participate in banter with many people. As the teenager to his side drifted off to sleep and his breathing evened out, Kratos resumed his watching of the heavens.

He didn't know where his life was headed, but perhaps Yuan was right. The growing sensation of action loomed before them, something he knew he had no control over. Whatever came upon them, he realized he didn't want to face alone.

-End Part 1-

(A/N) A note to all: The next chapter will take place 5 years later. This is a big jump, I know, but its necessary. And maybe when I'm done, I'll do an accompaniment piece that covers some of the adventures that take place those five years. Everyone will become the proper age (ballparking) for the two groups to meet and save the world etc. I need time for the problems to fester xD. Any ways, hope you liked it, review?