Chapter 1 - Deep Stirrings

A pair of eyes watched the daily business of the city taking place from a high perch in Saint Morning Hall. There was the usual scattering of private shops selling surplus items, a few people running around, some that appeared to be waiting for a fighting partner, and others engaged in casual chatting. Nevertheless, there was a tense undertone to the air in the city. It had been there for years now, and few could remember the days when the people were truly happy.

Now noticing something out of the ordinary, the owner of the eyes secured his Saint Guarder Stick, and jumped on his board, quickly reaching ground level. He stopped a few seconds to cast his buffs, in case he needed them, then ran to catch up to an old man who was moving from shadow to shadow. He snuck up from behind, and hissed in his ear, "Long time no see, Jester."

The old one froze up, then relaxed when he saw who was talking. "Ah, Wolf, nice of you to join me! How is life treating you? Well, I'd like to hear all about it, but I'm in a hurry. So, I'll just go and drop by when I have some time, yes?" He tried taking a few steps away, but the one called Wolf blocked his path.

"Not so fast, rat. You need to answer me some questions, remember?" He meaningfully took out his special-made Yakadain Knuckle, which fit perfectly over his muscled arm. "Now, if you'll follow me?" He gestured towards the south, and gave the Jester a slight 'encouragement'.

They walked past the Public Office, and most people took no notice of them. Wolf's doings were his own, and no one else had any business messing with them. Past the Great Hall and out the city walls, the pair were seen walking, one confidently and with the strength of youth, the other more shaken and slightly stooped.

They finally arrived at the old Arena, no longer used because of the period of calm years ago. The Jester looked around nervously, and Wolf only smiled more. He had taken the hint, it seemed. Now all that was left was for the Jester to open up and talk.

"Well?"

"Well what?" retorted the Jester.

"What did you find out on your expedition to the fortress?" Wolf knew the Jester was not willing to talk, but he had invested enough in the expedition that he would force it out of the Jester's mouth if he needed to. The information he would deliver was vital to his future plans, and failure to gather every bit could result in a catastrophic ending for Wolf.

"There are a lot of tall towers and walls, and guards and monsters. And guarding the entrance is the most humongous dragon I have seen in my life. It was ferocious and sniffed the air like he had caught my scent, so I ran away..." He looked around like he expected to be struck down by lightning. Then he leaned in close and whispered, "I can still draw you a map of the fortress and the surrounding area. That is, for a small additional fee," he added, smiling innocently.

Wolf immediately took out a bag of coins. "I knew you wouldn't disappoint me, so I took the liberty of bringing this. You start your map right now, in the Hall. You will not be disturbed by anyone else, so you can be assured you will have an adequate working environment." The schock on the Jester's face was well worth the fee he had just paid. He signaled to a guard standing behind them, and he helped the Jester to his feet.

"Oh, and before I forget, remember that I have many sources and will check your map for accuracy. If you dare to deceive me, I will hunt you down. Just keep that in mind as you draw." The Jester faltered and had to lean on the guard to stop himself from falling.

Wolf watched them walk away, then took out a necklace and lost himself in his thoughts...

Sky was setting out her goods for the day, when a stranger approached. He kept glancing at her out of the corner of her eyes, and strode about like he owned the place. "Great," she thought to herself. "Here comes another experienced jerk who thinks he can make fun of my goods."

The stranger ambled closer to the stall, and Sky knew for sure he was heading to her shop. He looked at the items, turned over a few of them, and looked at price tags with an interested air. Then he turned to look at Sky and asked, "How much for the glue?"

"Huh?!"

"Yeah, the glue, because you just broke my heart..."

She chased him away with her stick. It was enough to try to sell her measly items to survive, but to have to put up with this...

Then a figure said from behind her, "Shameful. Just shameful. At least they could have come up with something better than that..."

Oh no. Another one. She whirled around to whack this one away and was met by a calm blue gaze. This stranger very well dressed. He had a full recorn set, probably upgraded around nine or ten times from the glow around his dreamy face, and had a pet, a big black tiger. His brown hair reached down to his ears, and stray bangs kept falling into his face. He had fixed an amazingly deep blue gaze on Sky, and seemed to be completely serious.

"How much are the rings?" he asked, taking a couple from her store. He moved them around a bit, making the light reflect off the inside of the blood-red stone.

She sighed. They were the last of her family's business. She had been given those to start a future for herself when times had turned sour. Now, she could not sell them for their true worth.

"Just offer, anything really... around 75K for both?" she answered, hoping for the impossible.

"No way... they're not worth that. I'll give you 150K for both and a name". Having said this, he gently took both her hands, put the money in, and waited for the name.

"My name's... Sky" she said, not believing her luck. She looked up at the face once again, and something struck her about it. It was a memory, faint but still there. This stranger didn't seem so strange somehow...

"Well, Sky, have a nice day!" the stranger smiled warmly, then faded back into the crowds of Saint Morning's town square...

Wolf came to where her sister usually set up her store, and found her sitting down and staring at a bag of coins in her hands.

"Is everything all right, sis?" he asked tenderly. She was so young, so dependent on others, he always feared something bad would happen to her. Now, she just stared blankly into space, and seemed to be trying to remember something.

"Yes, just... I don't know, I'm trying to remember. Some stranger came and bought my last rings, and I thought... never mind, it's probably nothing. Anything new happen today?" she stood up and stretched, then started to pick up her shop. It was getting dark by now, and the last few rays of light were quickly disappearing to the west, leaving only the faintest trace of warmth and light behind.

"I saw the rat. He's working on a layout of the fortress now, and, when he's done, I will be leaving. Don't start up again, you know I have to do this!" She had rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to comment on his impossible mission. For a long time now, they had argued about this 'mission' of his. He wanted to explore the Dark Master's fortress and maybe wage war on it some day. She only thought he was being ridiculous and too impulsive. EVERYONE knew it was impossible to penetrate the many layers of hard, cold stone that surrounded the Dark Master's lair. Stone that was as cold as his dark, ambitious heart. She shivered involuntarily.

"You don't have to! You're just really obsessed with this. And what can you, some random billposter, do that the Heroes who tried before you couldn't? You're just walking into a trap, committing suicide! And then," she added dramatically, "what will become of me?"

Wolf looked away. She had hit on his biggest worry. "But... someone has to do it! We can't just live in fear all of our lives! Remember when we were kids and we used to dream about our future? What happened to that? I'm sick and tired of cowering and hiding, like a coward. Am I to spend the rest of my life like this? No," he said forcefully. "I made up my mind long ago, and I'm a man who honors his word. Don't stay out too late. You know the city's dangerous at night..." he walked away fast, making his way through the crowd by use of force and shoves. He wasn't in a very caring mood.

Sky watched him with tears in her eyes. "But what about your other promise? You said we'd keep each other safe, that you'd be here for me until the day you died..." she whispered.

Shadow's mind raced back to the events of the night before. He couldn't keep himself from it, it had been such a surprise...

He had seen the girl waiting patiently by her shop, and had decided to play a trick on her. He LOVED doing that to people. He knew it drove them nuts, but he couldn't hold back from it.

Now, he ambled back to his home, a magnificent manor on Darkon's northern mountain range. There, at the mountain's summit, he could easily look out and watch every going-on in Darkon's plain. He was attacked by a mob of volts, elderguards, and drillers, but they were like flies to him. Taking out his two Guardian Axes, he quickly made mince meat of the monsters, and, without faltering a single step, continued home. He unlocked the massive front door, and bolted it behind him. He could never have enough security… even in his custom-built, almost impenetrable mammoth of a house.

When he had barely kicked off his boots and walked to the main hall, his pet tiger ran out from behind him and almost knocked him over as he sped towards the comfortable, plush couch he always took up. He settled in smugly, and purred loudly as he watched his owner walk across to his chair. It was solid mahogany, with a deep red cushion. The armrests were set so that one could sit on it with his or her arms at a comfortable 90 degree angle with no effort. The chair was carved all over with deep markings, each one different from the others and yet somehow the same. Written in the language before the Great Peace, the symbols seemed almost to glow if one stared at them intently.

Shadow sat in the chair and lost himself in thought, watching the leaves fall outside his floor-to-ceiling window. He didn't know what had kept him from playing a cruel joke on that particular person. Perhaps he had been too tired. Or maybe he had been surprised by her. Was he just losing his touch, his edge? After all, he was who he was, there was no denying that. Also, he couldn't get her face off his mind. Could it be...?

He shook his head. It was very unlikely that she could be. After the Dark Master had come to power... many had paid in blood for their resistance. He knew that a rebellion in Flaris had been violently crushed and eliminated, and no survivors had escaped. He knew because he had been there that fateful day. It would haunt him for the rest of his life, and his dreams would forever be filled with the screams of the dying, the ring of metal on metal, the dull thunk of wood as it was pierced by a thousand arrows, the sizzling and crackling of flames as they consumed everything in their path of destruction, and the hissing of a projectile speeding through the air.

None had been spared. Neither children, nor women, nor the old. Not even those who had nothing to do with the rebellion. The river of the city ran red with the blood of the innocent and the guilty alike. To this day, one could still find traces and evidence of the slaughter along the shores and outskirts of the now-deserted city.

For all his courage and bravery, Shadow couldn't suppress a cold shiver running down his back. No matter what he did, that memory hung over his mind like a dark cloud, a could that had not left him for the last ten years of his life.

He picked at the wooden armrest, calming himself. Taking his axes, he wearily stood up, and headed towards the manor's training grounds. He always needed to be in top shape. One never knew when the boss would come calling for his services...

With an enormous yawn, the tiger followed its master, its pads making almost no noise on the floor.