Written in the Stars
Chibikan

Act One Scene Three:

An hour later the meeting had ended and Dark Heart, formerly Drake, was being given the grand tour of the grand temple of the stars. Starshine was his guide, side by side with the Great One.

"And this is the Hall of Ancient Fire." Starshine told him, showing him to a room where in the center was a large fire.

The Great One looked at Dark Heart. "With that fire, I created the Earth and all it's people."

Dark Heart looked into the fire. "You mean……the world was really created out of fire, like the legend said?" he asked, recalling the fairytale he'd heard as a child.

The Great One nodded with a smile at Dark Heart's childlike curiosity. "Why don't you try touching it?" The Great One suggested.

The red head didn't question but reached out a hand and dipped it into the burning fire expecting pain to shoot through his veins. However he felt no pain, just a pleasant warmth that brought a smile to her face. Taking out his hand, he marveled that there was no wound, no burnt flesh, his hand wasn't even red. "Why?"

Star shrugged. "None of us knows." She stopped and looked at The Great One. "Correction, one of us knows but does not see fit to tell the rest of the class." She grinned.

The silver-haired god chuckled a little. "Well, there are some things that are better yet unknown. I keep telling them that if they really considered the question, they'd know the answer. Come, there is still much to see."

Dark Heart looked around. "Why are there are no windows in this place?"

Starshine looked at him, surprised at the question. She had never thought about it. Why wasn't there any windows. "When we get to your room, you can as many as you want." She told him.

The man beside her shuddered. "I don't like it…." he told her suddenly, only loud enough for her to hear. "It's too closed in…." Dark Heart was getting a cold feeling inside his gut. It was too closed in for him. What about the freedom he was promised. This wasn't very free at all. He could only hope it was just the temple. But he couldn't help wonder what he'd let himself get tricked into.

Soon the tour was over and he was being led to his room. The Great One dismissed himself and insisted that Starshine and Dark Heart get to know each other as they would be living in such close vicinity to each other.

"Well, this is it, your room." Star led Dark Heart into the room. She noticed his expression when he saw how empty and plain it was.

"I thought you said there would be windows." was all he said in response to it. But he was shaking. "But…" There were no windows, just plain white alabaster stone. And it was small. "And it's small…." He shook. It was too small.

"There CAN be windows. The room can be anything you want it to be." Star quickly responded. "Just focus on what you want it to be, and you'll have it." She didn't like how he was beginning to hyperventilate. And he was trembling and it was getting worse with every passing second. Was he claustrophobic? She knew mortals could be so, and he used to be mortal.

Dark Heart could barely hear her. He had never thought about it, never had to, but he hated how small it was. How closed it was. His eyes darted around, he could swear the room was getting smaller. The walls, they were closing in around them. A pain filled his chest as he struggled for every breath. He fell to his knees. He heard someone shouting out him, but he couldn't focus on it. All he could care about was the pain in his chest.

Slowly the pain fled his chest as he began to take better, deeper breaths again. He heard voices, two of them. One of them he knew, but the other was still very new to him.

"That's it, just breathe, deep, in through the nose, out through the mouth." came the new voice, a coaching voice. He felt cold air hitting him and rustling his hair. He looked up at a man with a kind blue eyes and brown hair. "Hey, you feeling better now?" The man asked him.

Dark Heart nodded and looked around. What had happened?

"Dark Heart, this is Wind, one of the elementals." Starshine told him.

Wind grinned at the dazed newbie. "Apparently you do not like small spaces." He pointed out. "Is it the room?"

Dark Heart nodded again. "It's too small, and no windows….."

"I tried to tell you," Star said. "Just focus on what you want your room to be and it'll be."

Cerulean eyes met violet colored ones. "Anything?" He received a smiling nod from the priestess. "Alright then." He closed his eyes and imagined. His senses filled with the salty air of the seaside. He opened his eyes. Beneath his hands, he felt soft grains of sand.

Wind laughed. "Wow, what a choice."

Dark Heart felt his fear flee and agreed. "I've always wanted to see the ocean. So this'll be my room."

AN: So, Dark Heart has claimed his room, and we've discovered something new about him. Can anyone guess what the Fire symbolizes? If you have a guess, please include it in your review.