A/N: Woohoo! 1000 hits! I'm not sure if that's good or bad considering I've had 17 chapters already but it's definitely a milestone. Thank you to all my readers! You guys rock! And also, by the time I upload this, I'll have the largest fic in this section. Take that, "Return to the Homeland, sort of"! Then again, I have yet to catch up with Mako-Streak's 104 chapters and I don't really plan to. My chapters are just too long and she'll probably have another hundred by the time I hit fifty.

Last Stand

"So let me get this straight," Nicholas said, kneading his temples, "Contrary to what the police report, which says you hit a fault line while practicing magic, you're telling me that you were attacked by a living tree?"

"Kupo! The first story seems more believable, doesn't it?" Kili promptly chimed out. Four of his teammates glared him down as Mosely continued with the explanation.

"We weren't sure if the police would believe us either so we gave them a false story. What really happened by that road is much worse."

"And the story you just told me was what really happened?" The members of Clan Senbunsu nodded glumly. They were prepared to show him their bruises in case the captain still didn't believe them but there were no further questions. "I see..." The captain said, folding his hands and resting his forehead on his knuckles. "Well, I only have one thing to say to you: good job."

The room suddenly grew silent for the teens could do nothing but blink with astonishment. "Kupo? What did you just say?"

"I said good job." Nicholas repeated, shooting them a satisfied smile. "By not telling the police the real story, we don't have to waste any time covering it up. We deal with these kind of things all the time but if the people get even a whiff of the truth, there would be widespread chaos."

"But we have to tell them!" Elena retorted, "That thing's still out there! If we don't warn everybody, they'll make the same mistake we did and end up like Alise's husband!"

"I assure you, we're going to take care of it. A staff of trained specialists are being gathered as we speak to deal with this creature. But we need to know exactly what we're dealing with here. Did this tree give you his name or have any specific markings?"

They opened their mouths to renounce the question but before they could, Saria spoke up. "His name was Exodus." she disclosed, "He is an earth spirit."

The five of them looked at her in disbelief while Nicholas's suddenly perked up with interest. "An earth spirit, you say?" The captain exclaimed, narrowing his eyes.

Saria nodded. "It was all my fault he attacked us. You see, I picked one his flowers thinking it was just a normal, everyday tulip. Seconds later, he barges in screaming something about a thread."

There was something about Captain Acheron's eyes when Saria said the concluding sentence that sent static down the teens' backs. In the corner of his eye was a tiny spark of fear, which was soon overwhelmed by seething desire. "A thread?"

"Yes, sir."

"And his name was Exodus?"

"That is correct." Saria gave him a curious look. "Is there something you're not telling us?"

With a blink, the hunger in the captain's eyes disappeared."What? Oh...of course not! I'm just trying to clear a few things up. That's all." He gave a small laugh which, when it came down to reassuring gestures, was the furthest away from sincerity. "So is there anything else you think I might want to know?" Saria quickly shook her head. "Very well. You are dismissed."

The teens got up without a word and started towards the door but stopped when they heard Saria speak up. "Actually, there is one more thing I want to tell you." She said with a hardened expression. "I want to move into Terminal 15 permanently."

Vik's jaw hit the floor and was joined shortly by everyone else's. "You want to do WHAT!"

Captain Nicholas was also surprised, though to a much lesser extent than the support clan. "Um...this is highly unusual. No one has ever wanted to live in the barracks before, it's usually forced onto them."

"So you won't mind one more then." She said, smiling faintly.

"That's not what I'm worried about." Nicholas replied with a low growl of frustration, "We're being monitored closer than ever by the government ever since the outbreak. If they find you here, there's no telling what they might do to you. They could kill you on the spot or imprison you in a lab. I'm sorry but there's-"

"Please, sir." Saria cut him off, clapping her hands together in prayer, "I won't ask for anything else after this. You won't even notice I'm here."

"Well...I guess it would be a right. Unfortunately, we don't have any permanent lodgings set up in the Terminal, just some bunk beds with blankets for late workers, so you wouldn't be able to live here anyways. However, there's an apartment complex just two blocks from here. I think I can pull a few strings and set you up with a-"

"You can't be serious!" Vik interrupted the second he rehinged his jaw. "You can't let her live by herself!"

Saria shot him a nasty glare but before she could say anything, Captain Nicholas backed her up. "I think Saria is ready for this." He replied with a proud smile. "The reason I stuck her with you when we first met was because I thought she lacked the motor skills needed to function in modern life. She has shown great signs of improvement since then and I think it's time she moved on."

"But what about protection?" Vik protested, "Those guys in cloaks are still are still out there and when they come for her, we'll be too far away to stop it!"

"They don't need her anymore."

Vik paused. "They don't? How can you be so sure?"

The captain opened his mouth to explain but closed it only a moment later and shook his head. "It's just a hunch." He said somberly before turning back to Saria. "Stop by at the end of the day. I'll have your contract and keys drawn up by then."

"Would you mind if I come a little later?" The girl asked apathetically, "I want to go ho...back to Vik's house to get some of my stuff. I want to move in there tonight."

"Of course not. I'll only be here until midnight so try not to take so long."

"I won't. I don't really have that many things to begin with anyways." She said as she walked out the door, ignoring the looks of disbelief on her friends' faces as she strode past them. One by one, the other members left the room while Vik continued to stand in place, still recovering from the shock.

"You can leave now." Nicholas said about a minute later when he looked up from his desk and found that he was still there. "And here, take this with you." From beneath his desk, he picked up a thick- yellow envelope and tossed it at Vik. The sight of an object thrown at him sent a wave of adrenaline to his brain, waking him from his trance. Even so, he didn't react fast enough and ended up catching the package with his stomach. It weighed about 25 pounds and knocked a sizable amount of air from Vik's lungs upon collision. "They're just yearly reports, nothing that would interest you. Just take them to my secretary so they could be filed."

"Yes, sir." Vik breathed as he strained to get the package out the door.

The trip down the hall took nearly an eternity and by the time he got to the front office, the secretary had just gone to lunch. Sighing, he dumped the papers on the first desk he passed by and headed back onto the bridge. He made sure he was a good distance away from the Captain's office before venting his anger. "What the heck is wrong with her?!" He shouted out in frustration, throwing a kick at the nearest wall. "Things were finally going smoothly! What's with the sudden change? Why does she suddenly want to be independent?"

"Maybe there isn't anything wrong with her." A voice on his right answered, "Maybe the captains right; she just outgrew you." Vik turned to face his speaker and found Elena standing just a couple feet away, leaning against the railing. "I should have known it was her." He thought fractiously, though he did his best to keep these emotions from effecting his facial expressions. "Even when she's trying to help, she's still spiteful and excessively sarcastic."

"This has nothing to do with me." He protested sharply, "As soon as she moves out, my room can finally go back to normal. I just don't think she's ready to start living on her own yet. She is still young, even more so than you and me."

"Which is exactly why she can't remain with you; why she can't remain with any of us..." Elena responded, "Because we treat her like a child. We let her do whatever she wants, we forgive every one of her mistakes, and worst of all, we prevent her from overcoming any challenge by herself."

"But she could have just told us all to back off! Why does she have to move out?"

"Think of it like this: let's say you found an injured wolf pup which you nursed back to health. During the time spent with it, you'll find yourself growing attached to the animal and feel it's your soul duty to protect it from the dangers of the outside world. However, if you don't immediately return it to the wild, it will grow dependent on your help and never learn to defend itself. In other words, it becomes a common house pet instead of what it's supposed to be. Do you really want that to happen to Saria?"

Vik was a bit shocked by the comparison but the Viera had a point. It was now or never. Sure, it meant exposing her to unknown dangers and threats but it was for her own good. Nobody wanted to grow up as a coward, shying away from every situation. "No, she deserves a normal life and it's high time she learned to make her own choices about it."

Elena gave him a smile. Not a pompous or egotistical one, which were the kind he was used to getting from her. He wasn't sure what it was but it mocked and comforted him at the same time. "Try not to think much of it. You're still going to be a major influence on her life." She said in a tone slightly tinted with jealousy. "You may not be related in blood but you're the closest thing she has to a family member. There's no way she can shut you out completely."

"Does she really think of me like that? I thought our relationship wouldn't go past friend or roommate."

"I didn't think it would either and I tried hard not to believe it when she told me but those were her words." Elena replied solemnly before switching back to usual unpleasant tone of voice. "I mean, honestly! How can she even stand being around you? She complains constantly about your living habits and your corrupt view of life all the time. You would think she would be happy to get away from you." The Viera moved closer to Vik so that their foreheads practically touched and frowned. "But she's not. She has yet to openly admit to it but this whole ordeal is hurting her just as much as it's hurting you."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Vik said sharply. "I feel nothing towards this. She could move to Jagd Dorsa for all I care."

Elena sneered. "You shouldn't try to hide anything from a Viera; we're a lot smarter than you humans perceive us to be."

Vik's expression remained unchanged as a staring contest commenced between them. The silent battle lasted over a minute, both sides struggling for mental dominance before Vik finally pulled away with a sigh of defeat. "I'm not totally against her moving out.; I want her to be able to rely on herself just as much as you do. I just think she's rushing things." He admitted, "Looking back, I realized we haven't really spent that much time together. There were a few things I wanted to do with her and a few things I wanted to fix since they didn't really come out as planned. Now that she's gone, all my plans are going to go to waste. I'm not against her moving out; I'm just a little...disappointed."

"It's called parenting, Vik." The Viera responded. "All mothers and fathers go through this sooner or later with their kids. Just let her go. Besides, it's not like you'll never see her again. She didn't say anything about leaving the clan."

"I'm not her dad." Vik put bluntly, completely ignoring the rest of Elena's comments. The Viera girl just covered her mouth and giggled.

"I never said you were. I always thought you'd make a better mother." She said as she turned towards the elevators. "Well, I've got to go now. I've got a date with some fliers and a copy machine."

"Wait, there's something else I wanted to ask you." Vik said, moving to cut her off. "Back there at the woods...you were worried about me, weren't you?"

"Duh." She put out abruptly, "Of course I was worried about you. Why else would I run up and glomp you?"

"And you did this out of your own free will?"

Elena rolled her eyes. "Look, if you don't want me to do it again, I w-"

"No! That's not it!" Vik said with a slight blush. "It's just...you were never that fond of me. You always acted like you could care less about my life. What made you change your mind?"

Elena lowered her head in thought for a moment. She wasn't sure what made her react the way she did. Up until now, there were only a handful of people she would do that to; two of them being Mosely and... "I saw what you did for Saria." The Viera answered, "The way you shielded her from that monster; that was really brave."

"Hardly." Vik muttered, "The way I saw it, it was either one of us or both. I just made the obvious choice."

"But still, even when given that situation, most people aren't as willing to give up their lives to protect another. You're something else, Vik; a long way off from completely useless." She ended with a smile.

Vik raised an eyebrow. Up until the last sentence, Elena's statement could have been classified as a compliment. "Um...thank you?"

"You're welcome." She replied before pointing a long, steely finger to Vik's forehead. "However, this changes nothing. You are still next-to-nothing in my eyes and you always will be."

"Good. It's nice to know that our steady relationship hasn't changed." Vik said, smiling. With all words exchanged, the two of them turned in opposite directions and went on their way.

---

"1624 Clayborne Ave. Room 415..." Doctor Olivander read with a slight smirk, "Don't tell me you're moving out of your twelfth story apartment complex to a building that's closer to work!"

The captain spared him a small laugh as he snatched the papers out of the Nu Mou's hands. "Of course not!" He responded, "I'm perfectly contempt with where I am. The person I'm doing this for, however, isn't."

Olivander watched as Nicholas filled in the top row on the form. "Saria..." He read, tilting his head so he could get a better view. "Wait...The Alternative? You're letting her go?"

"Yes." He answered without looking up. "We don't need her anymore."

"Oh? And why do you say that?" Doctor Nicros asked.

"We've found it." The captain answered, his eyes suddenly gleaming hungrily as a thin smile spread across his face. "The Former: Aegis' original power source."

The Nu mou's jaw twitched with interest as his gaze darted from side to side, making sure no one was listening in. "Are you sure?" He asked.

Nicholas nodded. "We have 6 confirmed sightings of Exodus's spirit. The Former is somewhere in the area the clanners were sent to this morning. An exorcism team is being assembled right now and will be ready to be dispatched within an 3 hours. "

"And..." Dr. Nicros lowered his voice to a whisper. "Do they know yet?"

Nicholas gave his friend a dignified look before returning to his work. "Hopefully, they won't figure it out."

---

"You're really going through with this?"

Saria gently tucked in her last T-shirt and forcefully closed the top of her suitcase. "Yup. I think I've overstayed my welcome and sooner or later, your parents are going to start wondering why I'm still here, seeing that the school year has been done for almost a month now." She said as she struggled with the clasps. "Do you mind?" She motioned at the opposite end of the suitcase. Sighing, Vik walked over to the bed and pressed down on the lid, allowing Saria to fasten the clasps properly.

"Well, you could have let my parents know earlier." He mumbled, flopping down next to overnight bag while Saria went around the room, gathering all her possessions into a cardboard box. "They're downstairs right now criticizing themselves for making such a mediocre dinner on your last day with us."

"It's no big deal. Your mom's cooking is wonderful no matter what the occasion." She said as she rolled up the posters over her bed. "Besides, it seems rather silly to celebrate someone's departure. It's almost as if you're happy that they're going."

"Not true. Parents love showing off." Vik said with a sneer, "They live for those few moments in the spotlight where everything has to be perfect. If it's not, it will haunt them for the rest of their lives."

"You do know that you'll eventually have to do these kinds of things."

"Not if I can help it." Vik said, drawing a finger across his neck. He expected the girl to laugh but instead, she frowned.

"Stop it, Vik." She said, taking a seat on the bed across from him. "You heard what I said today, I don't want anyone protecting me anymore. If death comes knocking on my door, I don't want you to answer. Let me accept my fate as it is."

Vik shook his head. "But I want to protect you. I want to protect everyone."

"But if you give your life for one, how will you protect the others?"

"I'll find a way." The Omnivari replied with an elfish smile.

Saria gave him an estranged look but shook it off by convincing herself the boy was lying through his teeth. "Don't you think you're being a little selfish?"

"What do you mean?"

"By giving your own life for someone else's, you are freeing yourself from the pain that comes with losing a friend." Saria explained, "That grief, however, is transferred to the person you saved, who now has to deal with the pain of losing you and the guilt of inciting your death."

"Huh...I never thought about it that way." Vik noted, leaning his back against the bedpost. "I hate it when you're smarter than me."

Saria giggled. "Then you must hate me on a daily basis."

"Yeah, pretty much." He replied, laughing along. "But in order for your theory to be true, you need proof that there is no afterlife. Who's to say you won't regret your actions when you arrive at those Pearly Gates? Even if someone gave their life to save you, you'll still have friends and family to help you get over your sorrow. But who does the person have? How will he know that his death was not in vain. These questions will continue to haunt him, putting him through torture far worse than Hell."

The girl tilted her head to the side. "What are the Pearly Gates?"

"It's where you go when you die. Well, at least that's what people say. No one has lived to tell us about it." He paused to check if Saria was laughing but it seemed she was too engrossed to catch the joke. "If you lead a good life, your wings will carry you up through the Pearly gates and admit you to paradise. But if you've been wicked, the gates slam shut and you shall be thrown into the center of the earth, where you'll spend the rest of your days surrounded by fire and brimstone." He quoted, "You'll cry out for death but it will never come, for your spirit is immortal."

Saria eyes widened when Vik described the part about the wings. She remembered Ultima saying something about how they reflected your life's decisions and that people gained and lost feathers depending on their choices. Nervously eying her shoulder, she remembered how small her pair of wings were. They didn't look as if they could carry her anywhere. "What about children? Surely they're lives will be proven insignificant. Where do you go if you're strong enough to keep from falling but not yet ready to fly?"

Vik gave her a small laugh. "I already told you, Saria. It's too early for you to go. You have plenty of time to repent when you're older. But on many cases, people like you are met with unfortuneate accidents and get knocked into a place called purgatory. Basically, you just sit around and wait. Most people get restless and escape back into the plane of the living but no one ever notices." Vik noticed by this time, Saria was getting a little scared. "You don't have to worry about those kinds of things now." He assured her, "Besides, nobody even knows if it exists. If you ask me, they're just a bunch of fairytales."

"I believe in it..." Saria said quietly. Vik just shook his head.

"Believe what you want." He finalized, "Just know that many people before you have thrown their lives away for this empty promise. They were so caught up with what would happen to them in the afterlife, they completely forgot to live the life they're in now. Whether or not it paid off in the end is unknown to anyone." As he spoke, his eyes glanced over at his wall clock, which displayed the numbers 10:25. "You better get going soon, the last train leaves in half an hour." Saria gave a quick nod before continuing with her packing. Before long, the left side of Vik's room was completely stripped of its belongings. An armful of books being dumped into a paper shopping bag concluded the great pack-up. "Do you need any help carrying that stuff out?" Vik asked when he noticed the girl was having some trouble reaching her suitcase while balancing the box of various items in her arms.

"No thanks. Your dad's giving me a ride to the train station. I'm headed for the airport anyways so it won't raise many questions." She said, finally deciding to tuck the box under her arm before scooping up the rest of her heavy luggage. "Well, I guess I'll be going then. See you at work tomorrow."

"Hold on a second." Vik ran across the room and reached under his bed, removing a small, rectangular parcel wrapped in blue tissue-paper. "Consider it a goodbye present. You might need it to get through the night."

"Let me guess: is it a night-light?"

The Omnivari shrugged. "You'll know when you open it.." He answered with a pat on her head before giving her a light shove towards the door. "Just try and save it until you really need it."

Regardless of how suspicious a person might seem, these kinds of occasions called for gratitude. "Thanks. I'll put it to good use." Saria said before walking into the hallway and out of sight. Vik could only hear the sounds of her footsteps descending the staircase and the cries of his mom reminding Saria to write back to them. "So..she's finally gone." He thought, gazing across to the other side of the room. Smiling, he took off a sock, balled it up, and hurled it at the opposing wall. It ricocheted off the window and landed on top of the empty bed. "Let the path to recovery begin!"

---

"Are you sure you'll be okay alone? I can have someone stand guard outside your room is you're..."

"No, it's not a problem. I''ll be fine, really."

The last words exchanged between her and Captain Acheron echoed in her head as she stepped into the apartment building's elevator, eying the other occupants with a suspicious gaze. "Let's see here...old man, woman with child, old lady, couple, couple, another old man...yeah, I'm safe." She thought as she pressed the big, plastic 4 on the pad. As she pulled away, the woman with the child caught her gaze and shot her a smile.

"You're just moving in?" She asked, motioning at the luggage by the girl's feet. Saria gave a quick nod before turning her eyes back onto the doors. When the light for the forth floor finally lit up, the platform came to a sudden halt and the doors rolled open. About two or three people followed Saria off of the elevator but she was fairly sure they weren't stalking her. She fumbled around nervously in her jacket until she found the deed Captain Nicholas had given her earlier. A small key was taped to the bottom of it with a metal key chain inscribed with the numbers 615. The indicated room was about 4 doors down to her left but the walk between there and the elevator stretch on forever. "Get a hold of yourself, Saria." She thought as she forced her legs to take the first step forward and then several more until she arrived at her doorstep. She hastily shoved the key into the lock and turned the handle, bolting inside the second the gap was wide enough. Taking deep breaths, she leaned back against the door and pressed it shut.

When her heart rate finally returned to normal, she pulled herself up and started looking over her new living quarters. She didn't bother turning on the lights, mostly because she couldn't find the switch. Luckily, the sky had cleared up, allowing moonlight to pour in through the floor-to-ceiling windows leading onto the skywalk. The whole thing was probably a forth of the size of the Fellcrest household, having only one bedroom, bathroom, and living room. It came fully furnished, complete with everything Vik considered life necessities: a fridge, a stove, and a couch. A few things were missing, however. Due to the lack of a bed, the bedroom was rendered pointless. A box of baking soda and a lemon summed up the contents of the refrigerator and throughout the entire apartment, there wasn't a single decoration. Still, it was her new home so she shrugged off the little details and flung her stuff down next to the couch. "I'll unpack tomorrow." She thought as she pulled her pajamas out of her suitcase. One good thing about living alone was you could change anywhere you wanted in your house without worrying about anybody walking in. Leaving her worn clothes in a pile on the floor, she jumped over her luggage and landed face first on the couch. "I really should have brought a blanket." She thought. She reached over the edge of the cushion and was fishing in her suitcase for a coat or some other heavy type of heavy clothing when her hand closed around a small box. Curiously, she pulled it out and held it up to the moonlight. It was the package Vik had given her just before she left. "A night-light...how thoughtful of him. He still thinks I'm afraid of the dark." Saria thought as she tossed it onto the coffee table before flipping onto her back.

She tried to fall asleep but the tiny vein in the back of her head continued to pound in terror. It was still pretty dark even with the moon out and it was only going to get darker. It wouldn't hurt just to plug in the night-light just for now. It was her first night alone, afterall. Sighing with defeat, her right arm reached out and snatched up the box. "Thanks, Vik. I owe you one." She said happily as she dug her fingers under the tissue paper. Her thankful mood didn't last very long for the second she opened the lid, a loud pop rang out from between her hands and a cloud of soot blew up in her face.

Saria spent an entire 5 minutes blinking off the shock. When she finally regained consciousness, it didn't take long for her to realize she had been tricked. Had anyone been around, embarrassment would have been the first emotion to take over but since she was alone, immediately came burning rage. "That no-good scumbag!"She exclaimed as she tore the box to shreds. "I can't believe I fell for that! Just wait until tomorrow! I'll stomp his f-" RIIIP. Saria's apoplectic rant was cut short by an unexpected noise. The rip was short and crisp, unlike the rips from the box, which were rough and dusty. She glanced down at the two pieces of packaging in her hands and found half of a note taped to each one. She squinted furiously, trying to make out the words in the pale moonlight.

"To go in search of light will only foster the darkness. There is no true remedy for night but the sun is just over the eastern horizon. Follow it and you'll eventually reach dawn. Till then, use that faint glimmer from the promise of tomorrow to light your way." As she read, tears began streaming from her eyes. So much hope was brought forth by those few words. "Why are you still here? I thought I told you to stop trying to protect me." She said in the paper's direction. "You just can't stay away from me, can you?" A faint smile broke through her neutral expression as she gingerly wiped her eyes with the corner of her sleeve.

"Because no matter how hard you try, you cannot shut out your family." A voice in her head answered. Saria nodded slowly. It wasn't just Vik, everyone in her clan was like family to her. She knew it was foolish to try and keep them from interfering with her life. She wanted to do things on her own but she didn't realize how lonely it would be. "And to think an hour ago I wanted to get away from all of that."

Be that as it may, it seemed fate had split the two halves of the note because they refused to convulge, for the bright atmosphere created by the first part was immediately thrown into the dirt by the second. "P.S. I've mixed permanent ink in with that soot. You'll be blue-faced for a week, no matter how hard you scrub! I'll be there to laugh at you in the morning." After finishing the note, a growling Saria immediately crumpled up the half-sheet before marching towards the bathroom. Who cares if tit said it was permanent? That wasn't going to stop her from trying.

---

Exodus kneeled down by the side of the stream and stared down at the water's surface. Ultima's previous attack had left him dangerously near-sighted and his reflection appeared to him as nothing but a brown blur next to a oblong moon. He leaned closer until his nose practically touched the the surface and saw his face was covered with streaks of red. Grumbling, Exodus cupped his hands in the river and splashed the water onto his face. It didn't do much good for his burn scars but it helped numb his irritated eyes. He sat there for a second, blinking back the fluid until his wooden skin had fully absorbed it. He did this a few more times until he could close his eyes without pain. As he rubbed his temples, a small, blunt piece of metal poked him in the cheek A simple look downwards revealed a silver rapier still stuck in his wrist, like an annoying splinter you just couldn't get out. "Damn that girl." He thought, gripping the weapon between two fingers. With a quick but painful yank, the blade was pulled cleanly out. Exodus was familiar with kind of weapon and was not a bit surprised when a fountain of green mist sprayed up from the wound. "Poison..." He muttered, holding his wounded hand under the stream. The flowing water washed away some of the blood but did nothing for the main cause of injury. "It's a good thing I don't have a circulation system."

As soon as he was done freshening up, he cupped his hands under the river and drew up a handful of water. He waited for the surface to level out before starting his trek back to his plants. Like all living things, water was essential for life to prosper. The trip back took him only a few strides and upon his arrival at the flowers, he was prepared to give his fruits another breath of strength. That is what he would have done, had someone hadn't laid his coat on top of them. "Good evening, Exodus. Out for some midnight gardening, I see."

Exodus squinted hard at the unknown figure. He was definitely a male, probably somewhere in his late teen years. His voice didn't ring any bells so it wasn't one of those kids from earlier. That was all he could see with his damaged eyes but it was enough to tell him that this boy was an intruder. Water splashed onto the ground as he parted his hands and and clenched them into fists. "Get out!" He roared, throwing a punch at the boy's head.

Exodus's fists met their target with a large clang. Blinking confusedly, the tree of life craned his neck forward and found that he had struck against a thick, rectangular longsword braced with two hands at either end. Taking advantage of the spirit's disorder, the boy quickly turned the blade on its edge and sliced between the beast's fingers. The cut was deep but by this time, the build up adrenaline created a natural anesthetic, numbing the pain as he continued to push forward, pinning the boy against the tree. "You dare raise a sword against me? Who the hell are you?"

The boy acted as if he hadn't even heard the totema's words, fumbling through his pockets with steady calmness. After a few moments of searching, his hand withdrew carrying a small silver lighter shaped like a cross. "It matters not who I am, for I bring salvation..." He whispered, pointing the nozzle towards the closest branch. Exodus wasn't sure what that little device was for but the second he saw a flame spurt out of it, he did what you'd expect a living but flammable tree would do: he threw the boy a hundred feet in the opposite direction. "I've come to deliver you from the world which you hate so much." He continued, plunging his blade into the ground and dragging himself to a stop. "I've come to purge your body of sin and admit you into eternal sanctuary."

"Bullshit! I know why you're here; you all come for the same reason." The spirit responded with a snarl. The boy spoke no words but the painful smirk on his face reassured the truth. "They told me it was going to be painless, that I was being sent to a better place. Lies are what they are! I saw through to their wicked intentions and did to them exactly what they were prepared to do to me..." He opened his palms to his side, drawing in the viewless aura. "Now you shall suffer the same fate. Breath of-" Before the tree could finish his chant, the boy leaped forward, leveling his blade to the totema's neck. A single movement brought this attack to a stop while a second repelled him, landing him right in the middle of the road. "If you value your life, I suggest that you leave immediately. I will not hold back any longer."

"I don't remember asking you to do so in the first place." He responded as he pushed himself back up and pulled out his lighter. It took a few sparky clicks before a white flame shot out from the nozzle. Exodus immediately jumped back, expecting it would have been thrown at him but the boy just frowned and ran the flame along the flat of his blade, painting it with a red-hot gleam. "So what are you waiting for? Give me your best shot!" He said, clicking off the lighter. Immediately after the flame disappeared, the totema leapt forward, bringing his fist down upon him. The boy leapt aside, evading the punch as he spun around and whacked the beast's forearm with the sword flat. A dull ping ran out after making contact with the metal arm plate followed by contentious laughter.

"Ha! Didn't feel a thing!" Exodus said, stifling. "If that's the best you can do, this is going to be over sooner than I thought!"

"Take another look, bud-for-brains." The boy responded. The totema took no notice when the boy pulled out his lighter and reigniting his blade, but instead looked down at his left arm. The place where the sword had struck him was glowing orange. As it cooled down, the lights rearranged themselves into geometrical characters of an unknown language before turning black. As soon as the light went out, the armplate started cracking, completely falling apart in the next few seconds.

"What the hell did you..." The totema shook the question out of his head. Why should it matter how he did it? If he was capable of this sort of thing, it meant only one thing: the boy was a threat and should be exterminated before he causes any more harm. "I'll kill you!" The beast shouted, swinging at him with his left. The boy ducked, waiting for the fist to pass overhead before pressing the blade against the armored wrist. Soon afterwards, the left armplate met the same plate as the right. The boy clicked on the lighter again, this time lighting up the razor edge. "Die already!" The totema cried, swinging downwards with two unprotected arms. Before they could make contact, the boy swept the blade above him, slicing the beast's hands clean off their ends. Jets of water spurted out of severed veins as Exodus threw back is head and roared in agony. While Exodus was blind with pain, the boy reached towards his waist and selected three metallic stamps that were clipped to his belt. Holding them between his fingers, he heated them up before clenching up his and and punching the totema in the stomach. Smoldering, black letters printed themselves onto the smooth metal, spreading a long crack right down the middle of the armor. The rift branched out, zigzagging into the waist and shoulder protectors before spreading apart. The chest plate shattered and hundreds of triangular shards rained down onto the ground.

"So much for supreme protection. Sonic Boom!" He bellowed, throwing his sword at Exodus's head. It whacked him sharply between the eyes and exploded upon impact, sending the living tree reeling back while the sword went barreling upwards. "Sidewinder!" The human shouted. The sword suddenly stopped spinning right in midair and began to glow. Streams of light began to gather around it, molding themselves into a double-edged broadsword. It shot forward, impaling Exodus square in the stomach and pinned him to the ground.

An "Ugh..." was the best reaction the living tree could muster, for the grip of death was already gripping him by the throat. Even he knew when he was outmatched and the only option left was to run. "I can't keep going like this..." He thought as he head slumped to the side, catching a lopsided glance of two approaching feet. One final thought crossed his mind;"Let's see if he can follow me into the spiritual plane." A weak but ashamed smile crossed his face as his body began to break apart into smoke.

"Don't even think for a second that that's going to work." The boy said, drawing a circle in the ground by his ankles. As soon as the loose ends joined up, the symbol ignited, spreading out in a snakelike fashion, lighting up the other symbols scribed on the ground that encompassed the paddock. The spirit snapped right back into his solid form, unwillingly of course. "You were taking so long at that river I had enough time to draw a rather large containment spell. Just a little something-something I picked up in Runewarden 101."

For Exodus, there was nothing else to do but to twist around in a feeble attempt to escape so he proceeded in doing so. The boy gave a cold laugh as he retreated back to the tree and pulled glass bottle from his coat. "What are you going to do with that?" The tree growled pitifully, calming himself down after burning up the last of his energy.

"Relax, it's just soda." The boy responded, opening the cap and taking a sip to prove he wasn't lying. "You want some?"

"No thank you." The spirit growled, "I'd prefer it if my last meal wasn't human filth. You have no idea how much the world has suffered just to produce a single can of that stuff."

"It's your loss." The runewarden returned, taking another swig before continuing. "please do not misjudge me, I love nature; especially trees. They've been around for so long, I can only imagine what knowledge they've gained through years of silent observation. Flowers on the other hand...piss me off!" He tipped the bottle onto his side, pouring the fizzing liquid onto the unopened pods. Exodus's body immediately began smoking, provoking a cry of pain from his worn-out lungs. At this point, he didn't care how weak he was; that human had crossed the final threshold. Roots sprouted out from the ends of his "bleeding" stumps, twisting themselves into two wiry hands. He grabbed the glowing sword by the blade and pulled it out, pulling himself to his feet without stopping to take a breath (he did just pull a sword from his gut) as he scrambled towards the human.

"You..." Before he could squeeze out any more words, the boy ended his speech by throwing his soda at him. Exodus, his eyes narrowing onto the bottle, paused for a second, just the advantage that the boy needed. Drawing the last of his strength, the boy kicked in the air, smashing the glass into the totema's face.

"It's amazing how strong one's will can become when their children are threatened. Your reaction has proved my suspicions correct." The boy called as Exodus fell over, writhing in pain. "It will all be over soon. Just try not to fight it, okay?" With a wicked smile, he plunged his hand into the flower bed and pulled out a dull, jagged object. As soon as it separated itself from the earth, it erupted in a flash of light. By the time his vision cleared up, Exodus's body had disappeared and the fruits had grown brown and wrinkled. Taking a deep breath, the boy reached into his coat one more time and pulled out a cell phone, stomping out the remains of the flowers as he selected the number from the calling list. After a few seconds of dial tone, a voice finally came through. "Hello?"

"It's me." The runewarden replied.

"Matthew? So you're still alive! The mission must have been a success."

"Barely. You said this guy was weakened so I came unprepared. I assumed in a tired state, a person wouldn't be able to fling me around like a rag doll!"

"Hey, you were the one who insisted on going in alone." The voice replied. Matthew implied from the tone of his voice that he was jeering on the other side. "So did you get the crystal?"

"I'm holding it in my hand right now." He announced, giving the jagged object a few playful tosses.

"Good. Get out of there as quickly as possible. The police would be there soo-" A loud blare of sirens cut him off.

"Looks like they're already here. I'll see you back at headquarters." With that, he closed his cell phone and dashed into the trees, disappearing behind the thick branches before the patrol car's headlights could catch sight of him.

---

A/N: Having doubts where the Captain's true loyalties lie? Good! Wait...what's that you say? Vik/Elena hints? Where? scrolls up Oh that. You're reading way too much into this. There's no such thing! I know you have other questions, but they'll all be cleared up in the later chapters. I would also like to take this time to say...Saria's Mary-sue problem has been solved! Yup, that'sa my solution. She's no longer the center of attention and she doesn't have Ultima killing everything for her. She's not the one holding everyone together; Elena's and Yolando are in it for tradition, Mosely and Kili for money, and Vik's just been unwillingly pulled into all of this and he can't get out. So she's in the clear...right?