Chapter 14
Quick-Trail
"Peril, danger, logic, determination, courage, heart, judgment, compassion, justice, and mind. All are interconnected, and all are required of the Dragonmaster. These are the traits that will be tested in The Trial."
-The Book Of Trials
September 4th Water Temple: Medical Facility 11:02 AM
"Jamie if you keep pacing back and forth you're going to give me motion sickness."
If looks could kill, Nall would've been dead several times over in a second from the one Jamie sent him. Nall sunk back into the chair as Ruby leaned over to him.
"Hun, you really shouldn't try and be smart with her right now. After all, Sion isn't in the best shape."
"Yeah; you're right," he sighed, looking over at the emergency room door. The complex was outfitted with some of the best medical equipment and staff in the world. After all, with all the different nations that they helped, they were more than willing to send people over to help them out; doctors were no exception.
"Jamie, he's getting the best treatment he can right now. He's going to be fine."
"How can you be sure!?"
Nall frowned. "We're not helping him by chewing each other's heads off. Just come and sit down with us."
Sighing, Jamie knew she was defeated. Slowly, she walked over to the row of chairs and sat beside Nall. He put his arm around her and she laid her head on his shoulder.
"Don't worry there," he told her softly. "He's going to pull through; I promise."
Nall looked up at the lights in the waiting room. They had been so lucky to randomly get warped out of the mess they were in, but he couldn't figure it out. How had they gotten warped back to the Water Temple? When Nall had called to inform the Pope, he was equally surprised. The Reversal of Pandora device had, had nothing to do with their return.
"Nall, there's something you really need to attend to in the command center."
Nall blinked, looking up; an aid had snuck up on them while they were waiting on Sion's status.
"I'm sorta busy right now..." Nall wasn't about to move, and if he tried, the young blonde on his shoulder would cut his legs out from beneath him before he took a step.
"Nall. You need to hear this. I was going to tell you earlier, but I let Sion's situation take priority. This is an urgent matter."
"Jamie, Lucia needs me to go over to the command center to check this out. I'll be back as soon as I can."
Jamie silently nodded and watched Nall walk off with the aid. Ruby moved over and took Nall's place as she tried to comfort Jamie.
September 3rd North County: Turner Household 11:12 PM
Jeff's explorer pulled into Caitlin's driveway. The girls insisted that they stay with Caitlin until Kyle was safely away. Personally, Jeff didn't like the guy. He claimed to be Sion's friend, and Jeff had heard of him a few times from Sion, but it was never in a positive light. Usually he only talked about Kyle when he pissed him off about something. The biggest thing had been Kyle winning over the affections of a girl that worked at the airport they trained at. Jeff couldn't help but wonder just what Kyle's intentions were for Caitlin.
Speaking of Caitlin, she had decided to be a little friendlier with Kyle than before. She allowed Christy to ride up front while Amy sat between her and Kyle. It wasn't side by side, but it was a step up. The two had been talking a little, and had danced at the club some. When the car came to a stop in the driveway, Kyle quickly got out and opened Caitlin's door for her. Before Amy could protest, Kyle closed the door on her.
"Come on; hurry, before they can catch up." Kyle took Caitlin by the hand and led her to the door. They stopped as they reached it.
"Caitlin, I had a really good time. I'm sorry that we couldn't go alone, but I'm glad they we're around to keep you more comfortable."
Now Caitlin felt a little guilty about the whole situation. She had told Kyle she would give him a shot, and this shouldn't really count. "Listen, Kyle, I'm sorry for what happened, I promise, I didn't call them."
"I believe you."
"I uh…well…" Before Caitlin could say anything, however, Kyle had lifted her chin and pressed his lips to hers. As much as Caitlin wanted to protest she found her self returning the kiss. Luckily, Kyle didn't let it last to long and after a few kisses he broke it off and smiled.
"So I guess I'll be seeing you again."
"I can't talk to you right now, get out!"
Kyle was surprised by Caitlin's reaction after the kissing session that had just taken place, but he knew better to argue; especially in front of her friends.
"Alright; goodnight Caitlin."
Caitlin nodded and then walked into the house. Kyle was finding her very hard to read. When he turned around he came face to face with an Amy Brinkstone.
"Just what the hell are you trying to pull?"
"I like her, and I'm trying to get together with her. Period."
"Humph." Amy stomped off back to Jeff's Explorer.
Kyle pressed the unlock button on his Mustang. Climbing inside, he started the engine and left the neighborhood. After following Jeff a little ways he turned off onto I-440 and headed towards downtown, where he lived. While driving, his cell phone went off; quickly, he put it on speaker phone.
"How did it go?"
"Weird; I got her to kiss me at the end – even in front of her friends - but then she told me not to talk to her and stomped into her house. Didn't even really say goodnight."
The man on the other end thought for a second before responding. "She must be conflicted over the boy's death. This isn't entirely important, the boss just wants it watched; the way the boy died was odd."
"Does he believe he is the one?"
"He is the only one in the past year that has completely disappeared; no traces of him have been found. Perhaps the one hasn't appeared yet. However, the boss still wants you to get closer to this girl; it's a strong lead. Remember, if this boy is the one…"
"Yea, yea, I know, he'll still be alive."
"Correct."
"Over and out."
The line went dead.
Kyle smiled. "I hope your still alive out there buddy, I'll look after your girl till ya get back."
September 4th Water Temple: Command Center 11:15 AM
"Ok Lucia, what's so important?"
"I have the answer on how you got back to the Water Temple."
"Ok, you definitely have my attention. Shoot."
September 4th Water Temple: Medical Facility 11:19 AM
"Ok, you two you can come see him now."
That simple sentence seemed to fill Jamie full of life again. She jumped up and grabbed Ruby by the hand, dragging her over to the nurse. "Take us to him, please!"
The nurse smiled; she knew the relationship these two had, and how special Sion was. She just hoped he pulled through, and that Jamie wasn't too saddened when she saw him hooked up to all the machines in his room.
Her fear was realized when Jamie stopped at the entryway to Sion's room. The thing that really got her was the blood drip Sion was hooked up too. With his blood loss, Sion had to be immediately hooked up to a blood drip to replace what was lost. The nurse had also explained that a brief surgery was required to repair damaged major blood veins in his upper arm, as well as stitch the wound up and clean it of infection. Even with the nurse's explanation, however, Jamie still couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Looking at her boyfriend, she noticed how pale he was. When she got enough courage up to walk over to him and touch his hand she found that he did have a pulse, and was warm; despite this, however, he looked almost dead.
"Is he really going to be alright?"
The nurse walked over to Jamie and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "He should be fine. He's just resting right now."
Jamie nodded and Ruby ushered the nurse out. Then she walked over to Jamie, who was now sitting next to her boyfriend's bed in a chair.
"You want me to leave?"
Jamie just shook her head. Ruby smiled and took a seat on the other side of the room. The two sat in silence for about 10 minutes before anything happened.
Jamie jumped when she felt Sion's hand finally move in hers. She quickly got out of the chair and stood up next to Sion's bed. The wave of relief overtook her as he opened his eyes and locked onto her.
"Woah; are we under the ocean?"
Jamie smiled. "No, silly. Somehow we got warped straight back to the Water Temple. You've been out for about two hours."
Sion looked around the room, and then tried to sit up. The pain overtook him and he had to lie back down.
"Heh; guess I'm not ready for action yet, huh?"
Jamie smiled at him, but before she could say anything, Nall burst into the room.
"Don't have time, Sion, I'm really sorry for doing this." Nall placed the Lucian pendent on Sion's chest.
The pendent glowed and Sion roared in pain. Horrified, Jamie turned and grabbed Nall's shirt. "What the hell are you doing?"
Jamie didn't notice Sion had stopped screaming until she felt him touch her shoulder. "It's ok Jamie." His voice was gentle. "Nall would never try to hurt me intentionally."
Jamie turned around and was shocked to see Sion – not only standing - but completely unscathed. Disbelieving, Jamie looked him up and down, only to find no trace of his previous injuries. Sion took the pendent and handed it back to Nall. Ruby rose out of her chair and joined the group.
"So, Nall: what's so important that my recovery had to be painfully accelerated?"
Nall smiled. "Yea; sorry about that. Lucia just told me about how we were able to instantly warp back to the Water Temple, without the aid of the Reversal of Pandora device."
"This should be interesting."
"Very. You remember that blue haired girl we we're trying to rescue in North Korea, Dr. Konishi's daughter?"
The vivid images of Kaname dying played through Sion's mind. The scene had been extremely gory. "Yes; I remember her."
"Well, she's alive."
Sion nearly fell flat on his face.
"Oh but that's not all; brace yourself, because this is a lot. Those two books you saw in the trail room the Book of the Dragon and the Book of Trails? Kaname is another one of the girls embedded with the power of a dragon - in her case, the blue dragon. The girl embedded with the power of the blue dragon is known as the Oracle. The Oracle has embedded in her mind the knowledge of both books in case they were destroyed, and also has the power to make one wish upon the Dragon Heart – with some limitations. When she interacts with the Dragon Heart, she's able to see everything and know everything for that brief amount of time. When she was forced to interact with the Dragon Heart, she was even able to see our dilemma on the Titanic; so she used her wish to bring us back here."
After Nall's explanation Sion took a second to process everything; it just seemed like way too much.
"So, what do we need to do?"
"We need to start your Trial, immediately. Once you're done, we're going to launch a rescue operation to retrieve Kaname. You and Jamie need to head towards the Trial starting grounds immediately."
Giving him a nod, Jamie and Sion left the room quickly and followed an aid to the place Nall had directed them to go to.
September 4th Pyongyang Presidential Palace 12:12 PM
Kaname's eyes felt like they were made out of lead when she tried to open them. Everything had gone black the moment she had made her wish.
"…my wish…"
It was a bitter sweet memory for her. Even though she knew she had saved Nall's group and gotten them back safely, she had also made it possible for the enemy to resurrect Virgo. The things she had seen of the past when Virgo was alive made her blood run cold. If that were to happen again, there was no way this world would last.
"Ah, so you've awakened."
Kaname stiffened upon hearing the familiar voice.
"I'd tell you what's going on, but the professor assured me you'd know already."
"I can't believe your even doing this; why?"
Zech moved to a window on the far side of the bedroom she had been staying in. "Because when Master Virgo finally returns, he will destroy this world and rebuild it. I and the others will serve as rulers of the new wonderful planet he creates."
"Hmph; what's going to stop him from killing you too, huh?"
"Shut up you little bitch!" Zech snarled, moving over to the side of Kaname's bed with inhuman speed, "We don't really need you anymore;, I could kill you right now if I wanted, but the doctor wants to make sure everything goes smoothly. If you behave, you might be allowed to live here."
"Whatever."
Zech's face turned red as he stormed out of the room. He hated keeping that girl alive she really knew how to get under his skin. Then again, he did have a short temper; he was just used to killing people before they got as annoying as she was.
September 4th Water Temple: Trial Starting Area 12:32 PM
"First, you must understand what this trial will dictate. Since the time of Althena is over becoming a Dragonmaster has become a much more difficult task. The trial was a way of proving one was worthy to start the journey to become the Dragonmaster. Sion, if you successfully complete the trial, the Objects of Being will be reenergized with the power of their dragon, and their dragons awaken. You must complete this trial in order for you to start the journey to become the Dragonmaster; do you understand?"
"Yes."
Sion stood with Jamie by his side. Both wore a rucksack with about a day's worth of supplies. The temple sat near the costal area of the complex and had a huge door behind the master of ceremonies, who was explaining the situation. Ruby and Nall stood off to the side along, with the other members of the complex, watching.
"Do you accept this task?"
Sion walked up to the podium with Jamie. Four pillars held the four different objects: the armor, helmet, sword, and shield. Sion took the armor and shield, while Jamie took the sword and helmet. "I do."
"Then may the Trial begin."
The doors behind the master of ceremonies opened, and Jamie and Sion entered. The doors closed behind them. The area had a glow about it, giving the appearance that it was just after dark with a full moon. Jamie put the rucksack down and pulled out the map Nall had given them.
"I really wish we had had more time for an explanation before we had to do this," she sighed.
"Well, Kaname's alive, but she might not be for long, now that they have what they want. Her life is at risk."
"Well, excuse me Sion, but last I checked, this Trial carried a life-threatening risk from all these monsters and crap that are supposed to try and keep us from completing it, not to mention all those traps Nall talked about."
Sion sighed. He then walked over to Jamie and wrapped his arms around her waist. "We're going to be fine. As far as I can see, I was destined to save the world or something. That's my challenge, but I will pass this trial, and you were destined to help me through it. This is just something to boost our confidence, nothing more. Now let's get started, shall we?"
Jamie looked up at Sion; then she stood up, kissed him, and continued to the place they were supposed to take the White Dragon object: the sword of Althena.
The brush made it extremely hard to navigate, but Jamie said she knew they were dead on target, direction wise.
"Must be something that goes with the whole Protectorate thing, huh Lucia?"
However, Lucia never responded. Nonplussed, Sion shrugged. "Guess she can't help me out with this Trial at all..., Ah well."
They continued through the forest until they arrived at the entrance of a cave. Ice hung from the walls, and the entryway was lined with icicles.
"This doesn't look like the most fun place to be...," Sion remarked.
Jamie continued inward. "Yeah, well, all we have to do is place the object on the pedestal at the place this map says. It's supposed to be in some inner sanctum inside the cave - shouldn't be too hard to find."
"Alright then, let's do this."
The two entered the cave. Oddly enough, the moonlight-type glow that was outside followed them into the cave. The walls we're basically just sheets of ice that had formed.
Jamie and Sion continued to venture into the cave, met with no opposition. Sion found this very odd, but Jamie, fixed on getting them to the inner sanctum to place the sword, wasn't watching as closely as Sion was to her surroundings.
Soon they were outside a large door.
"Alright; this is the doorway into the inner sanctum of the White Dragon Cave. We just place the item and get out. Heck, at this rate we'll be done before the day's out; I don't know why they even gave us all these supplies."
Sion was starting to feel nervous. This had been way too easy.
"Jamie, don't get too overconfident. We didn't meet a single enemy on the way here, and you were the one who mentioned this being life threatening. Surely there's some kind of monster we're supposed to get attacked by?"
Jamie thought for a second and then shook it off. "Maybe since this is marked as the first stop, they decided to give us an easy one just to get us warmed up."
"This is a trial, not a stockcar race. There aren't any warm up laps; something's wrong."
"Whatever," said Jamie; "let's just get inside."
Jamie walked over to the door and attempted to open it, but the door wouldn't bulge. Not even with Sion's help or the dragon soul could the door be opened.
"Well, looks like this is a puzzle. Let's look at that other sheet Nall gave us."
-White Dragon Cave.
"The doors not going to open on its own. This task will test your wisdom. Jamie, you must stand on a pressure pad to open the door. However, once you step on it you can't leave it. If you do, the ceiling in your area in front of the entryway will collapse. Sion, you can't let her leave that spot once she stands on it."
Looking around, Jamie spotted a tile that looked like it had been cut out of the floor. She walked over to it to examine it closer. Certain that she had found the pressure pad Nall had mentioned, she looked back at Sion.
"Found it, All I've gotta do is step on it, right?"
"No Jamie, wait, we-"
Jamie moved to step on the tile. When she did, it sunk in a little bit.
"…Ah crap."
Sion's fears were realized when the doors to the inner sanctum opened. The eyes of what looked like an endless amount of monsters we're behind the door. After a moment, it seemed like the noise of the doors opening had attracted all the other monsters in the cavern to their location.
When Sion turned to look back into the inner sanctum, he saw a podium that glowed with a brilliant white hue.
"Guess that's where we have to place the sword."
"Sion!"
Sion turned and saw a monster approaching Jamie very quickly. Leaping into action, he drew the Dragon Soul Edge and proceeded to attack it. But, oddly enough, the monsters seemed to only want to attack Jamie.
Sion quickly started to get frustrated.
"There's too damn many of them things, Jamie; I can't hold them all off by myself!"
"I'd help, but if I move the whole wall's gonna come down on us!"
"Great; so I've gotta protect you and kill them at the same time."
The killer bugs continued to swarm in. Piles of snakes and other harmful looking creatures continued to fill the area as well. The Dragon Soul just wasn't cutting it - literally. Sion tried just spinning in circles holding the blade out, but it wouldn't kill enough of them.
"If I don't do something soon, Jamie is gone for, and then the wall would cave in and crush us all."
"…wait a second, crush us all, that's it!" Sion looked over at Jamie; all the monsters had left the inner sanctum and were now in the open area. Sion started to concentrate to slow everything down. He hoped there would be a small delay in the ceiling falling. After he was sure he slowed down everything as much as possible, he ran towards Jamie, grabbed her, and ran into the inner sanctum.
Just as he got in he lost his concentration and, 'whoop…bam!' the whole ceiling in the room they had been in collapsed and crushed every monster in the area. Sion, panting slightly, wiped some of the sweat off his brow.
"Well that worked, but y'know, you could'a warned me next time."
"Sorry Jamie; let's just get this over with."
"Amen to that." Jamie took the sword out of her pack and walked towards the podium, but something stopped her.
"Um, Sion, they want you to place it."
"'They'?"
"Yeah... some weird voice in my head... Just take the sword and put it in the pedestal will ya?"
"Sure." Sion walked over to Jamie and gently took the sword from her. He walked over to the pedestal. It had a small area cut out of it where it looked like the sword would fit. He took the sword and stabbed it into the hole.
Sion stepped back as the white hue glowed brighter. A door behind the pedestal appeared with a white outline. Jamie and Sion took the door out, and they were back out in the jungle area.
"So... that was it?"
"Yeah, I guess. Let me see that map real quick." Jamie handed the map to Sion, who studied it intently; however he couldn't make heads or tails of it.
"I don't get this at all; is this really what you used to get us here?"
"Yep."
"Guess it's just your job, forcing us to work as a team."
"Well, at least you know. Anyway, the next stop is the Red Dragon Cavern. It's supposed to be like some type of volcano."
"Great. Lava. There's bound to be some puzzle with that stuff in there. I really don't feel like being burned alive."
They continued to dredge through the forest, Jamie in the lead with Sion following behind. Hours went by with neither saying anything. Then Sion couldn't take it anymore.
"Jamie, what's been bothering you lately? You've been like this ever since we found out Kaname was alive."
Jamie didn't respond; she didn't feel like talking about this now.
"...Jamie?"
Ignoring him, Jamie continued to walk in the direction she felt they needed to be traveling. It was amazing how she just felt they needed to make a turn, or knew exactly what path was the one that led them to the next cavern. Her train of thought was interrupted once again, however when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Jamie, please; talk to me."
She was inclined not to answer, but reluctantly decided to open up some. She owed it to her boyfriend; he had confessed his problems with Caitlin on the Titanic, she should tell him what was bothering her as well.
"With Kaname being the girl of the Blue Dragon, we have all four, right?"
"Yeah, so what? I thought that was a good thing?"
"Of course; but me and her both have specific tasks. We found out I was the protectorate, and Kaname was the Oracle... but does that mean that's all were supposed to be? Does that mean one of the other girls is the one embedded with Lucia's powers? What if I'm not her, huh? I want to be by your side through all of this, not just a small part."
"I'll always need you by my side - no matter what."
Jamie wanted to stop and face him, but the urge to continue on was too much. "But why?"
"Because you are one of the biggest reasons I'm doing this - to protect you."
That simple sentence filled Jamie with pride. The guy who was going to save the world was fighting... for her.
September 4th North County: Turner Home 5:32 AM
Caitlin awoke for the 3rd time that morning. She had yet another nightmare with Sion returning only to find her in Kyle's arms. That was her biggest fear. What if her boyfriend was still alive...? It had already been half a year, but still - wasn't she moving too far, too fast? Sure, the relationship had not even really lasted long, but the way it had ended was dramatic, not a break up. Just how long was she supposed to morn over Sion's death? She wished there was some chart or something that would tell her how long to wait.
"Still though, I did have a good time, and I did kiss him back... but why?"
Caitlin was in a moral battle with herself over the kiss. She had enjoyed the evening with Kyle up until the kiss. Shouldn't he have known that was moving too fast for someone who hadn't completely gotten over her boyfriend yet? He had seen how she had reacted when he flew her over the crash site.
"Maybe I'm just the odd one for taking so long to get over this." Caitlin sighed as she laid her head back on the pillow to try and get to sleep again. Soon enough, sleep came, and the brown haired teenager slept through the night.
September 4th Water Temple: Trial Grounds 6:30 PM
The journey had been rough to the Red Dragon cavern. Indeed it was a volcano; unfortunately, they weren't as lucky as they had been in the White Dragon cave. This time they had had to battle their way through to the inner sanctum entryway: Not as many enemies as there had been in the entry in the White Dragon cave, but enough to have given Jamie and Sion a work out. The worst part, however, was that Sion had been right about the puzzle involving lava.
"Lava," Sion groaned. "Why did it have to be lava?"
"Oh shut up, Indy; let's just figure out what to do here. Pull out the sheet."
Sion obeyed and retrieved the item.
-Red Dragon Cave
A moat of lava surrounds the entryway to the inner sanctum of this cavern. Stepping stones are in the lake that you may use to cross. However, you can only step on them once before they will sink into the bottom and you must both make it across.
Sion looked ahead. There was a single line of stones just big enough for one person to stand on and they weren't very spaced out; however, he did notice it wouldn't be possible to make the jump if they did every other one.
"Well, I'm stumped; you got anything?"
Jamie looked at the lava pit, thinking. It just wasn't possible. Both of them had to cross, because this was the only way out. The bridge they had crossed a half hour back to get over a pit had to be cut to prevent the monsters that had pursued them.
Jamie sat on the ground and continued to study the puzzle.
"What item goes here?"
"Helmet."
"You can't fly, can you Mr. Dragonmaster?"
"I'm not Superman."
"Freezing ice breath?"
"Still not Superman, hun."
Jaime sighed as she lay back on the ground, her view shifting upwards. However, upon looking at the ceiling she got an idea.
"But you can shoot energy out of your hands, right?"
"That I've got."
"Awesome; then look up."
Sion turned his gaze upwards and understood what Jamie was talking about. Hanging from the ceiling were rock formations that he could easily break off and send into the lava lake, making it simple for him to stand on, as well as Jamie.
"Well I guess those stepping stones are just to throw us off."
Sion concentrated on images of blowing the rocks off the ceiling, careful to control the power output to avoid blowing the rocks into little pebbles. Throwing his arm forward, the orange ball of energy shot upwards and blew off one of the rock formations. It hurdled to the ground as the two jumped back in fear of lave splashing outward.
Soon the rock formation was steady in the lava lake and made a perfect bridge to the inner sanctum gateway - with a little jump, anyways.
"Good job, hun. See? I told you I'd always need you around."
Jamie turned to him and gave him yet another kiss, "That's for acknowledging credit where it's due."
Sion blushed a little and the two made their way towards the inner sanctum. There Sion laid the Red Dragon Helmet. The pedestal's red hue glowed brightly and soon a red outline of a door appeared behind it. The couple made their way out and, after a blinding white light, they were once again outside. However, this time it was a field.
"This Trial place is huge. There's no way the island is this big."
Jamie looked around. "We're not on the island. That first door we went through transported us somewhere, but I'm not sure where exactly."
It was still dark outside, and Sion was starting to get hungry. After about a two hour walk, Jamie came to a halt.
"We set up camp here, and eat. Ready for a break?"
"You bet."
Sion started to set up the tent while Jamie started to heat up the MRE's Nall had packed for them.
"What do you want: Sloppy Joe's, or Cheese Tortellini?"
"Ladies choose first."
Jamie took the Cheese Tortellini while Sion got the Sloppy Joe's. The meals weren't the best in the world, but they would keep them going. They even had a small dessert and a drink powder that they easily turned into juice with a water bottle.
"So; what do you think happens after this?"
The two had decided to let the food settle and enjoy the stars for awhile.
"I really don't know. Nall told me this wasn't the journey I go on to become the Dragonmaster. This trial just proves I'm good enough for the items to be reenergized and sent back to the dragons. So I guess I'm just proving I'm worth the trouble to re-instate the Dragonmaster deal."
"I'm sure there's more to it than that."
"Well we'll go and rescue Kaname from those guys in Korea as soon as we're done here, from what Nall told me, and then we'll all head back to my home to explain to Amy and Caitlin what's going on and confirm if they're the two remaining girls. Then we go on a hunt for each dragon's cavern, complete the trial, I become the Dragonmaster, and we defeat the Virgo."
"Sounds easier than it is when you put it that way."
"Yeah, but I've got so much to learn about how to do this stuff, too. I mean, I can't even use my powers to their fullest extent yet. I was supposed to be in training for two years before I started going out doing stuff. Look now: it hasn't even been over half a year since I left."
The two went into the tent and retired for the night; even though it was only 8:30, the couple had been through a lot that day, from being on the Titanic, to Sion being hospitalized, and now straight to the Trial. Things were moving so fast...
Lucia watched the two, wondering. With the pace of events going as they were, she feared that things might not turn out well. Sion had to do what was supposed to take him two years in a quarter of that time. Virgo had already started the revival process, and Sion still had to travel the world to find the dragon caverns and pass their trials, which in itself was supposed to take almost a year. Luckily they had the four girls, but that was the only card they had up their sleeve so far. If Sion could pass the remainder of the trial they would be back on path - an extremely bumpy, torn up, hilly path, but the right path nonetheless.
September 4th Water Temple: Meditation Garden 8:43 PM
Dr. Konishi looked at Nall as he paced back and forth, wondering just why he had asked her to this place. Ruby sat on the fountain next to her, watching her husband with a concerned expression as well. The news these two had for her had to be extremely important to warrant such behavior. However brilliant Dr. Konishi was, there was no way she knew just how mind racked Nall was trying to word his message to the nuclear weapon specialist.
"Ami, Kaname is alive, she's been held captive in North Korea this whole time, forced to work for them…no, no that's too harsh. Maybe we just leave the forced to work part off. Ah, and then up play that we know exactly where she is. Yeah, yeah that's it, and Sion and Jamie have been working real hard…perfect!" Nall turned to his wife and smiled, signaling he was ready to tell Ami the news.
"Nall, what did you bring me out here for?"
"Before I tell you, Ami, you've got to promise me you won't get upset with me. I just found out about this earlier today and I've been putting a lot of things in motion to try and get your daughter back."
"...My daughter?"
"Yeah. I've got Sion and Jamie in the Trial right now, trying to get that done so we can have them try to retrieve her. She's in Pyongyang at the Presidential Palace. Once the Trial is over tomorrow we've prepared a stealth entry plan into the palace to sneak your daughter out."
"This means…"
"Yes Ami: your daughter, Kaname, is alive."
September 5th Trial: Unknown Area Approaching Blue Dragon Cavern 11:15 AM
Sion wasn't sure why his legs didn't ache, but he felt like he could walk like he was all day, and it might end up being like that if he wasn't careful, considering they had gotten such an early start, 5:30 in the morning to be exact. "I guess waking up early really is good for ya."
"There's the island." Jamie pointed ahead of them. The grass mounds seemed to go up a long ways.
As they trekked up the side and got to the top, Sion was shocked to find most of the island hollow. It looked as if a huge nuclear bomb had gone off in the middle of it. There was a lake separated by a dam, with a large sand pit in the middle.
"So, where's the entrance to this place? All I see is a swamp."
Jamie looked around, confused. "But this is it. This whole place is the Blue Dragon Trial Temple, but... where's the inner sanctum?"
"And after we spent all that time spent getting the shield. What's the hint say?"
-Blue Dragon Temple
The way across lies on the path you cannot see.
"Hmm... what do you think, Indy?"
"I told you not to call me that…wait, that's it!"
"Huh? What's it?"
"Didn't you ever watch Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade?"
"Umm, yeah?"
"Remember the path to get to the inner sanctum of the temple there? It looked like a pit fall drop but it was just hidden. We have to have faith. So just step out; the temple is right in front of our eyes."
Jamie was wary, but Sion grabbed her hand and walked right towards the side of the steep hill. Figuring his foot would find stable ground and they'd just eventually walk into the temple he stepped forward, only to find his guess wrong.
They tumbled forward over the side of the cliff and started to roll. Jamie couldn't say a word, otherwise she'd have a few choice ones for her boyfriend at the moment.
Luckily they landed on the sand dam that separated the two lakes. Sion looked at Jamie sheepishly.
"Heh; guess I was wrong. But hey; we got down here quick, right?"
"How about you DON'T say anything right now…huh?" Jamie suddenly started walking forward. "This way."
Sion followed and soon they we're at the sand pit. Jamie walked towards the middle of it and stopped, Sion beside her.
"Does this feel squishy to you?"
Suddenly the sand gave way. They slowly started to sink. Sion was about to jump out of the quicksand, but Jamie grabbed his arm.
"This is where they told me to come; don't worry about it."
"But the last time we tried that faith thing we almost ended up dead."
"That was when we followed you. I'm telling you, this is where we need to be; have faith!"
Sion gulped. He didn't like the idea of standing in quicksand until it surrounded his body and slowly suffocated him to death. But...
"...Alright."
They stood there slowly sinking. Sion had to calm himself as the sand reached his waist. He would no longer be able to pull himself out. He felt Jamie's hand as he continued to hold it.
Then he felt water at his toes. He wanted to yell something, but realized he needed to hold his breath as he couldn't breathe as well anymore. The sand was now up to his shoulders. The water passed his ankles, allowing him to wiggle his feat. As the sand reached his neck he looked at Jamie and mouthed the words 'I love you' to her. She nodded and mouthed 'I love you too' back to them as their faces disappeared beneath the sand.
Soon Sion felt his body drop through the water and before he knew it he dropped through and was on a solid floor.
"What the hell?"
Sion ran and caught Jamie as she fell through, her lighter body weight giving her a little extra time.
"Where are we? And how come we aren't covered in sand?"
Sion realized she was right. They we're both clean. Wet, but clean. Looking up, a pool of water was suspended above them.
"So that's the path we couldn't see."
Turning behind him Sion saw the blue glowing pedestal. Smiling he unpacked the shield from the backpack and gently laid it on it. The pedestal glowed a bright blue, the door behind it appeared with the blue outline. The couple walked through it and after a blinding white light appeared in - the desert.
"Oh, this…this sucks."
September 6th North County: St. John's High School 3:00 PM
There was a mad rush to the parking lot as the final bell rang to let the students know they were finally free. It was now late enough into the year for the regulated school schedule to finally set in so things weren't quite as stressful as they had been in August. However, one student had more on her mind then just homework and social status amongst her peers, something that racked everyone else at the small private high school. No, this girl was racking her mind over the moral dilemma that was very unique for someone her age. This girl had lost her boyfriend in a tragic event that took his life some seven months prior, and was now considering dating his friend.
"…friend; that's up for debate, for sure"
True enough to her own thoughts, the boy's status with her deceased boyfriend was currently at center stage over her mind struggle. She wasn't sure exactly what would make a supposed friend go after his friend's girlfriend, especially after said friend dies unnaturally. Currently, she was torn: One side considered just contemplating dating the guy; sick given the circumstances. It was almost like he was benefiting from his friend's own death. On the other hand, she worried that if she used that very excuse, it would look like she was turning into some morbid woman who would be in mourning for the rest of her life.
To be honest, she didn't quite know where to start solving her problem. Figuring out just why Kyle decided to fall for her was definitely sitting in the top priority spot as far as Caitlin Turner was concerned. As soon as she knew that she could make her decision as to whether or not she should date him. That seemed rational enough.
Just as she was contemplating on how to find out what he saw in her, it seemed some higher power decided to solve that problem for her. Her cell phone went off and the caller ID clearly displayed the man in question's cell phone number.
"Hello?"
"Caitlin, it's Kyle. I think we need to talk."
"Yeah; you're right."
"Can you meet me over at the mall right now? I'm in the food court."
"Sure"
"…And Caitlin, we need to do this alone."
"Don't worry I'll make sure it's just us. I want to figure this out, too."
September 6th Trial Grounds: Black Dragon Cavern 4:35 PM
Out of all the caves, this had been the hardest one. Sion and Caitlin found themselves hiding in a corner of the maze they had been wandering around in for hours. Monsters lurked everywhere and Sion ached all over from fighting, Jamie as well.
"I don't know why they call me the protectorate; so far you've been doing all the protecting."
Sion turned to his girlfriend and smiled. "Well, you have basically been the map. I just follow you around, and never get lost. So there's something."
"Guess so."
Wrarr!
The roar of a monstor was heard close by. The two quickly stood and ran again.
"Quick, take a left!"
Sion obeyed and immediately took the next left in the maze. Nearly running into another monster Sion, quickly drew the Dragon Edge and sliced a nice tunnel through its flesh. It quickly fell to the ground.
"I don't get it: just where is the inner sanctum in this place?"
"It's close. Don't worry; I can feel it."
Sion continued to run. Soon they entered a room and a door slammed behind them. Looking ahead, Sion was able to make out the podium. A bright light suddenly filled the area, with a black smog-like glow coming from the pedestal.
"That's it? No real test?"
"I guess not."
Sion took the armor from Jamie and started to approach the pedestal. He was only a few steps away when a black glowing rod blocked his path. He followed the blade and his heart nearly stopped when he saw who held it.
"Hey Sion; so this is where you've been!"
September 6th Water Temple: Command Center 5:12 PM
Nall stood tapping his foot. He would occasionally steal a glance at his watch, waiting impatiently. Ruby noticed and quickly got annoyed. She approached her husband with her frustration plastered on her face.
"You know that Trial is supposed to take four days. I'm amazed you actually told them you needed them done by today."
Now Nall was getting a little irked. "It can be done in two if they make good time. Sion's more than ready. We just need to get the dragon power unsealed so he can start his journey. We'll be better off too once our powers are unsealed."
"I know that; you're right. We'll be able to help him."
In the background, people we're running around at a frantic pace. Getting into North Korea was no easy task, especially undetected. Ami Konishi was at the forefront, helping finalize plans and getting Sion and Jamie's gear together so they could leave as soon as the trial was completed.
Ruby looked onto the mayhem with concern. "Do you think we'll be able to pull this off?"
"I hope so. Kaname doesn't have much time. Once they're sure Virgo is being revived, they won't have much use for her.
September 6th Trial Grounds: Black Dragon Cavern Inner Sanctum 5:27 PM
"Caitlin?"
Jamie looked on and was completely surprised by her boyfriend's reaction. She had never met Caitlin before, but by Sion's reaction that had to be her.
"Caitlin, how did you get here?"
"Does that matter? You're not dead; you're alive! How could you do this to me, you bastard!"
She swung the black rod at Sion with amazing force. Worried the Dragon Edge would cut through it, he gently tried to block it. Oddly enough, they made contact and neither one broke.
"So she can make it, too?"
"And just who the hell is that girl huh? You got a girlfriend?"
Guilt started to pang Sion's heart as the battle raged on. He couldn't bring himself to actually attack Caitlin, even if she was attacking him as hard as she could. However, as she continued to bring up all the stuff that had tormented his heart, his guilt started to affect him and he was getting sloppy. If this kept up Caitlin would strike him down.
"You know what I went through! You saw it in that dream! I hadn't even thought about dating someone else, but you go off and find someone in less than a month!"
That sentence sent a sting through Sion's heart. He didn't see Caitlin bring down her Dragon Edge before it was almost upon him. He rolled, but it struck the wound he had received from the Titanic.
Jamie looked on with concern. She could hear what Caitlin was saying, and she knew she'd kill Sion if she didn't think of something soon. Quickly she took out the piece of paper Nall had given them.
-Black Dragon Cavern
Jamie, I know you're reading this. The Black Dragon inner sanctum has a device that will take on Sion's worst fears and turn them against him. Whatever it turns into is not real, but Sion will believe it is. If you've been wondering why your title is protectorate instead of just map, now is when you find your answer!
Jamie smiled. It was a good thing Nall had made this hint more straight forward. With all that running around we were forced to do, he must have known we wouldn't have had time to read it before hand.
Jamie over looked the battle. "I can't just kill her; Sion would hate me for it, even if she is fake."
After a brief thought, Jamie remembered how Sion would comfort her and how she felt safe around him. Especially the other night when he had assured her she would always have a place in his heart and he would always need her. Standing up she took her gun and walked towards the battle.
"You never loved me!" Caitlin shrieked down at Sion, lying on the floor. "You proved it when you ran off with her right after you left me!"
"That's not true!" Shocked by the new voice, Sion looked around to see Jamie smiling at him. "Sion did that because he had to protect you. If he didn't Virgo would have ruled the world, and killed everyone!" She knelt down and wrapped her arms around Sion protectively.
"Sion, you know you abandoned me! You made me suffer so much and then you got her; you never suffered like I did!"
"That's not true; Sion made the ultimate sacrifice for you! What he did hurt him just as much as it did you!"
"How could you go to her!"
"Sion moved on so he could concentrate on his training. I am here to help him! If he didn't, he'd always be depressed about leaving you and would never be able to complete his training in time!"
"You let me think you were dead all this time; all you had to do was call!"
"If he did, you'd be in danger as well!"
The fake Caitlin had a look of pain on her face. It contorted into an angry expression as she decided to charge at Sion.
"You never cared at all!"
"Yes he did. You're not the real Caitlin Turner. Otherwise you'd understand why he had to do what he did; at the least, you wouldn't be trying to kill him!"
Jamie leveled the Glock pistol at the fake girl. Just as she was about to lunge down on the both of them Jamie fired two quick shots, one hitting Caitlin in the head the other in her heart. With a scream, the creature turned black and then into dust before it blew away.
Sion turned to look at Jamie. "Thanks; I guess we found out why you're called the Protectorate."
"No problem, hun."
Sion grabbed the armor that had been sitting on the floor and placed it on the podium. The same thing happened as with the others. The pedestal's black hue slowly overtook the room, and Sion suddenly realized he wouldn't be able to see the doors outline if it was black. Suddenly something happened. Images filled the area around him like thousands of TV sets showing world events.
"Sion. Jamie."
Suddenly, Lucia appeared in front of the two, just as real as any other person.
"Oh wow, Lucia." A little starstruck, Jamie approached Lucia.
"Hello, Jamie. Thank you for helping Sion. Thanks to both your efforts, you were able to complete the trial, and in half the time allocated for it, I might add. Look around you: you see the scenes unfolding before your eyes? These are the people depending on you. Some are being born as I speak; others will be dead once I finish this sentence. Life is a delicate process and balance. Virgo seeks to destroy that balance altogether and replace it with a system of his own evil design."
Lucia walked up to Sion. "Sion, I will always be with you, but never forget how important your task is. Failure is not an option. I wish we had the time for things to go according to plan, but with the skill, determination, and courage you've demonstrated since your departure from North County, I'm not worried."
Lucia then walked over to Jamie. "And you I've watched grow from that young little girl from so long ago to what you are now. Don't mistake that your role is a crucial one. We'll always need you, Jamie."
Lucia then walked to the middle of the now black abyss they were standing in. "With that, I declare the Trial completed. Items of Being, return to your dragon; Dragons' Souls, awaken!"
A brilliant white light surrounded them. When it dimmed, Sion and Jamie were back in the Trial temple. Nall and Ruby we're standing on a red carpet sat in front of them. The entire complex surrounded them. Nall slowly started to clap followed by Ruby, then the entire complex joined in
"Well Jamie…," said Sion, "it's all uphill from here."
Jamie looked over the crowd as Nall approached both with a folder in his hands. Jamie sighed as she realized they wouldn't be getting any rest.
"You can say that again, hun."
Preview of Chapter 15
Stealth?
Shots rang out from behind our heroes. Jamie still had Kaname on her back as they ran down the corridor.
"How on Earth did you manage to get us into this, hun?"
"Sorry, it's not like I did it on purpose. Run fast!"
They continued to run when Sion felt a prick on the back of his leg. Then things started to get sluggish.
GD: Wow writing is starting to get easier for me now.
Nall: For once…now he'll go on a dry streak
GD: My readers have faith in me!
…silence
Nall: Wow don't look like it
GD: …shut up
Special Thanks To Calistar Heir for BETA'n this chapter, you should ALL thank her I would have possibly never gotten around to this without her help.
