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So this is the second chapter! I really hope you like it!

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The Dark Land Of Light

Chapter Two
The Sadness Of Old

Kai groaned as his eyes slowly opened; he squinted as pain jarred through his head, his vision swam and he had to shut his eyes again to stop the spinning dizziness in his head. Thankful for the temporary darkness Kai began to use his other senses in order to discover the ground on which he was sprawled; his hands reached out and, with his fingertips, he touched the land. It felt rough and gritty like stone and it grazed against his skin.

Again Kai tried to open his eyes and this time he managed to survive the swaying of his sight; the world around him wobbled once more but Kai grit his teeth and placed his hands flat on the ground. With a groan of effort and pain he pushed his head from the ground and succeeded in sitting slowly up.

Reaching round his hand came in to contact with warm blood that stuck his hair together; hissing at the pain still throbbing he sucked in breath before slowly looking round. If he could discover when in hell he was then maybe he could find his way back; he tried to recall what had happened to him, but all that would return was the memory of fall a great long distance. It made his head hurt and he had to stop to prevent his eyes closing heavily.

Instead, he took a careful look around; he seemed to be in a dark alley, he was sitting in between two sheer walls, but whether they were buildings or walls he couldn't tell. From somewhere off he could hear the hustle and bustle of some kind of street; he could hear horses, their hooves crashing on the stone ground, racing down leading their carriages which clattered behind them. He could smell smoke and coal burning fiercely; from somewhere to his left there was the clashing of glass and other sounds that indicated a place of eating.

Slowly he staggered to his feet and leant against the wall for support; his legs felt heavy and his knees buckled almost collapsing him, but he managed to stay upright and for a few steps he kept the right way up. But then he was falling again, stumbling down hard on to his knees as his vision wobbled and blurred.

Gasping he winced as pain jolted through his knees and up his legs; reaching out a hand he grabbed for the wall, forcing his fingers in to the cracks for leverage as he once more dragged himself to the standing position. He leant against the wall clutching his head with his free hand; it throbbed still and he felt the sliminess of blood, he must have hit his head pretty hard on the way down, it was lucky he was conscious at all.

He tried to think, tried to recall what had happened; he'd been by the lake, taking a drink. Something…or someone had reached for him. He'd been pulled in to the lake as if he weighed no more than a feather. Now he was in a world he'd never seen or even contemplated.

How could he even breathe?

The world he'd seen had been hundreds of feet below the surface of the lake, by rights his body should have caved in under the pressure of the water. Yet here he stood, breathing normally, he wasn't wet or even damp; there was a cool breeze that gently blew down the small alleyway in which he was. There were buildings, smells of cooking, horses and the sounds of an everyday town.

In fact, if Kai hadn't seen the land beneath the lake he would have not believed it to be true; but he had seen the lake, he had seen the land beneath the lake and he'd been pulled in to that same lake. He'd fallen in to that world, he'd hit his head against the solid stone surface of the concrete ground under his feet. He had to believe it was true, that or he was dreaming; but that he could not accept, the world around him was so real. He could hear things, feel, smell, see…he could even taste the tang of blood on his lips as the gash on his temple oozed and dribbled down his face.

Wherever he was, he knew he wasn't the place he'd wanted to go to. He knew he was somewhere strange, somewhere unreal. The problem was he didn't know where that was. This place, this land, was it dangerous? What weapons did they have? Did they kill their strangers? Did they know they were the land beneath the lake? What dangers led ahead of him?

He should keep on his guard, trust no one, and see everything. All he had to do was-

"Who are you?"

The voice was sharp, the edge of authority ringing loud; Kai almost slipped as he swirled round to see who had addressed him.

A man stood there, his body clad in metal and a sword grasped in both hands as he towered over Kai his face suspicious and his stance at the ready to attack.

"I shall ask you again: who are you?"

Kai said nothing. He didn't know what to say; should he lie? Tell the truth? Ask questions? Or stay silent? What would happen to him?

The man's eyes narrowed "I shall not ask you again, boy! Tell me who you are or I'll take you before the King and he can decide your fate!"

"King?" asked Kai "what King is that?"

"Insolence!" the man's hand struck Kai across the face spattering Kai's blood on the wall "how could you not know the King!? We all know and love the King! He is our idol!"

"I don't know the King" Kai said, wiping the blood from his face. He spat saliva to the ground "take me to your King, maybe he can explain to me where I am"

The man stayed for a moment, unsure how to react to this stranger who appeared to have no fear; around here people feared the soldiers, anyone who stepped out of line was punished. But this young man simply stood there, blood trickling down his cheek, staring at the solider with his red eyes emotionless yet wary. Should he take this stranger to the King? All strangers should be reported, he knew that, but was this stranger important enough to warrant a meeting with the King? If he decided not and then discovered later that this stranger was of great value then he would suffer much pain. He couldn't risk that.

"Very well, I shall take you to our King"

There we are!

I hope liked it, please review!

AngelVan