"Excellent," murmured the Dark Lord. "Is everything in order?"
"Yes, it is, Dark Lord." said a shadowy figure. As the figure stepped into the light, you could see that the figure has short black hair. He had the aura of menance, and if you observed closely enough, you could see that he had pointed ears.
"Very good," said the Dark Lord. "Chung, what about the tests on our prisoner?"
"It's faring well. We are meeting our expectations." drawled Chung.
"I see..."
Sen had never travelled to Ellania. He heard it was a very serene and had a lot of plants. But when he finally arrived, he couldn't describe his awe.
Sen looked up only to find houses built on huge trees; the trees themselves seemed alive. He stood there, gaping, squinting to see the top. The branches swayed in the wind, and sunlight streamed through the leaves. It looked like one beautiful treehouse utopia. The air was fresher here, too.
"Woah," sighed Sen, looking around, drinking in the view. "This place is soooo awesome."
"I know, I know," grumbled Leo. "Now let's go see Grendel the Really Old." Sen laughed insanely from hearing the words 'Grendel the Really Old'. Leo shot him a murderous look, and Sen abrutly stopped laughing.
Leo dropped the bags, and for a second Sen thought that maybe they were taking an elevator or something; but Leo grabbed a rope that was hanging next to him.
"What are you waiting for? Let's go." Leo asked.
"See you guys at the top," yelled Joyce, teleporting layer after layer of branches.
"What?!" exclaimed Sen. "You're not telling me we're going to climb up there, are we?!"
"Of course we are," snapped Leo. "There's no other way. If you want to crawl through the underbrush, well, be my guest. But this is the fastest way."
Sen sighed. "How the hell do you get used to this?"
"Where do you think these abs came from?" smirked Leo, climbing up the rope. Sen followed hesitantly.
It seemed like hours and a million ropes before they finally stopped climbing.
"A – Are we there yet?" panted Sen, sitting on the branch.
"Yeah. Well, Grendel lives on the top," explained Leo. "But we're almost there, come on, let's go."
Sen climbed another rope, and a huge mansion towered in front of him. It was white with plants curling around it, it looked almost ancient. It had a rainbow of jewels on it, covered with a touch of gold. If you looked closely, you could see faint paintings of exotic flowers and strange animals.
As they opened the door, Sen saw an old man floating inside a circle. Inside a magic, blue, protective circle, the old man glanced warily at him. Joyce and Iris were sitting underneath him, bowing their heads in respect.
"Welcome to Ellania," said the old man, beckoning Sen to come closer. "I am Grendel the Really Old, but you may call me Grendel. I have heard about what has happened to your city. Tragic, tragic. Kerning City! The very heart of thieves. Where the great dwell. Very nice city; I have visited it before when I was young. Tragic that such a brain washing and attack has happened."
"Well, what should we do?" asked Sen. "I mean, there is nothing I can do, I'm only one person–"
"Do not say that!" snapped Grendel. "Even one man has great power inside of him!"
Sen shut up immediately, knowing that this was one man not to be trifled with. Joyce and Iris shot him looks that read Shut – the – hell – up – now!
"Now." said Grendel slowly. "I heard that this might be the work of the Snow Clan."
"Yes," said Leo. "We have found traces of their aura there."
"I see," said Grendel gravely. "Then this is more dangerous that I have thought. If the Dark Lord is working with them, then there might not be a way to defeat them."
"What?!" sputtered Sen. "But – what?"
"The Snow Clan is very powerful," said Grendel. "They are not be the fooled with. If they have sucessfully made a treaty with the Dark Lord, the Snow Clan will be very powerful indeed."
"I see," muttered Sen. This might be harder than I thought...
"Oh, have you discovered the source of the magic waves?" asked Grendel.
"No, sir." Iris said, shaking her head. "We could not pinpoint the source. There is probably a barrier around him or her, or maybe it."
"Hmm," said Grendel. "I see. Well, you are excused. I have to think about this."
All four of them left, standing outside, silent for a few minutes. Everyone was daydreaming on their own thoughts.
"So," said Joyce awkwardly, breaking the silence. Everyone jolted slightly. Now they had to come back to reality. Sen felt a small irritation. He was dreaming about the girl in his dreams.
"What should we do now?" Joyce asked, directing the question at Leo.
"Well," answered Leo. "I guess we should go back to my place and have some coffee."
"Sure!" exclaimed Joyce excitedly. "I love coffee –!"
"I know," said Leo, jumping down from the platform. "Follow me, guys!"
Sen jumped after them, thinking about what he had heard.
Hmm. So this Snow Clan is very powerful. I wonder if I am enough? I mean, I am a hermit. But still, I might never see my home ever again.
"Here!" yelled Leo, breaking Sen from his daydream again. Leo stopped in front a cozy little house, supported by the trunk of a giant tree.
"I'm home!" he screamed, kicking open the door.
"Leo!" a voice snapped, "Don't open the door like that! Oh, hello, Joyce! Iris!" the voice added as Joyce and Iris stepped into the doorway, the voice changing from bossy to serene with affection.
Sen came in. It was a normal little house with a circular roof, which gave it a more family–ish feeling. Sen felt a pang as he remembered that he had no family. They dumped him at the orphanage when he was very small, and ever since, he had been living by himself.He wondered if his parents were even alive. And if he ever met them, he would hug them and cry, then punch them in the face for abandoning him.
"Oh, hello! Who is this?" asked a lady who was standing next to the stove. She was tall and had Leo's eyes, but they were filled with sadness. She had black hair which hung loosely around her apron.
"This is Sen," muttered Leo, dropping himself in a chair. "We picked him up from Kerning."
"Kerning!" she gasped, hands covering her mouth. "Oh, oh. How terrible."
"Yeah," said Sen, bowing his head down awkwardly. He didn't know what to say.
"Oh, you poor dear. My name is Reina. Stay here as long as you like." she said, clapsing her hand into Sen's.
"Thank you." said Sen, smiling. He went further into the house.
There was another room behind the kitchen, it looked like the living room. It had a small television and green stuffed chairs with red and gold designs. There was a table in the middle and a faded fuzzy lime-green rug on the bottom.
Hmmm, thought Sen. All the apartments in Kerning are gray. I should design my house like this.
Sen could hear Joyce and Iris giggling from the bedroom. He opened the door next to the television, and he found a small bedroom with two bunk beds.
Joyce and Iris were sitting on the opposite side of the bedroom, giggling furiously. A boy sat across from them, with long, brown hair. He looked exactly like Leo, except he was taller and older, maybe.
"Hm?" said the boy, eyes brightening with intrest as Sen opened the door. "Who's that?"
"Oh, him? That's Sen, we –" started Iris.
"I come from Kerning City. I was recently rescued by these people. My name is Sen." Sen cut in.
"Kerning, eh?" said the boy thoughtfully. "Hmm. Well anyways, my name is Derek. I'm Leo's older brother."
"Older brother, eh?" chuckled Sen. "You looked exactly like Leo."
"That's what everyone says," laughed Derek. "But we're two completely different people."
Sen sat down next to Derek. Iris and Joyce were still giggling.
"So," asked Derek casually. "Where's you ma' and pa'?"
"I don't know," replied Sen bitterly. "I was left at an orphanage. I left when I was old enough and have been by myself ever since. I just became a hermit."
"Hermit?!" shouted Derek suddenly, grabbing Sen by the shoulders and shaking him madly. "Are you like, serious?!"
"Uh – well, er, yeah – I mean, yeah –" replied Sen, not knowing what to say.
"Woah!" gasped Derek, releasing his grip on Sen. Sen rubbed his shoulders painfully. "Like, whoa, man. Hermits are like, rare, in Ellania. There's only two – oh wait, I think three... but anyways. A hermit, ehh?"
"Yeah," said Sen.
"Say," said Derek, grinning. "How about you fight with me? A little sparring match, huh? I mean, I'm a Chief Bandit, you know. The other type of thief."
"Sure." replied Sen automatically. Sen instantly regretted what he had said. Derek looked a lot stronger than him and probably had more experience.
"Sure!" said Derek, standing up and thumping Sen on the shoulder. "Fine then! After dinner." He stood up.
Iris and Joyce were talking excitedly about anime, and stopped when Derek stood up to leave. "Where are you going?" asked Joyce.
"Somewhere. See you round, ladies." Derek winked at them. Iris and Joyce laughed. Derek left the room.
"Did you see that?" asked Joyce, flipping her hair. "He wants me. Ohh, I know he does."
"Psh!" snorted Iris. "You're such a weirdo, Joyce!"
"I double that," muttered Sen, leaving the room.
Sen did a little more exploring in Ellania. It was a big place, and before long, he was lost. He had no idea where he was.
"Shit," he muttered, annoyed. "Gosh. What a confusing place."
Sen sprinted to the top of a building and scanned the trees. He was looking for Leo's house.
"Where is it, where is it?!" he yelled, his voice echoing. Is it? Is it? Is it?
Sen finally found the house and jumped down to it. He burst through the door.
"I – I'm back!" panted Sen. "Sorry!"
Everyone was seated around the table, except for Iris and Joyce, who went home.
"Welcome back, man!" laughed Derek, thumping the chair next to him. "Over here, bro!"
"Hey," cut in Leo, who sounded annoyed. "I'm your real brother. Why don't you ever call me 'bro'?!"
"Because," said Derek, grabbing the plate of mashed potatoes, "You don't call your real brother 'bro'."
Sen sat down, not knowing what to do. He had only eaten by himself before, and he didn't know how to eat family – style.
"Want shum mashed potahtoes, Shen?" asked Derek through a mouth full of food.
"No thanks," laughed Sen.
Everyone was laughing, and was talking about their day. It had a warm cozy feeling to it, and Sen liked it. So this is what family is like.
"Thank you for dinner," smiled Sen.
"Gosh," yawned Derek. "I'm tired. Okay, Sen, let's not battle today, I'm full of food." Derek grinned and patted his stomach.
"Fine with me," shrugged Sen.
"Here, I'll show you your bed." said Leo, standing up. "Follow me."
Sen got up from the table, thanking Reina, and followed Leo.
"Sorry, it's one of those fold up beds that are like, in the closet," said Leo, scratching his head, embarassed. "But better than sleeping on the floor. Come on, get some sleep. We've got a big day ahead of us."
"Thanks," said Sen, climbing in bed. Leo turned off the lights.
"If you need anything, ask Mum." Leo left the bedroom. The last thought he had was about the girl in his dreams.
Ehh... well... not much to say about this chapter... except...
REVIEWS PLAWKZORZ. KTHZBAI. I LOVE YOU ALL.