Hey everybody, it's me, ultimateTORINOR, here to say I'm sorry for the long wait. I didn't really feel like writing for a stretch here, but I hope you'll forgive me. I was having a little trouble deciding who to write about, and I...admittedly...struggled a bit. Once I finally decided who to write about, this chapter came about. I'm pretty happy with it, too. The events in this chapter occur at the same time as the events in Chapter 5, in case anyone is confused. I don't own Total Drama Island, but I definitely own this story idea. And so, without further delay, please enjoy the next chapter of...Shards of a Crystal!

Day 1: The Navarros

Tyler…you must wake up…you…must…

Tyler started awake. Blinking a few times, he sat up…only to hit his head hard on the bunk above. Seeing stars, he tried to get up, only to trip on something and fall to the ground. Tyler lay there for a second, and slowly got up, taking care to not overbalance and fall over again. Suddenly realizing he had no idea where he was, he looked around, hoping against hope that something here would give him a clue. Besides his bunk bed, there was a desk, a lamp, and a chair, none of them giving the slightest clue of why he was there. Sighing, Tyler shook off defeat, as it happened way too often for him to just give in to it. Walking over to the door he noticed, he tentatively opened it.

Stepping out, Tyler squinted into the harsh sunlight, and waited for his eyes to adjust. When he did, he was astonished at what he saw.

He was apparently on some sort of ship, as men were everywhere, loosening sails, climbing up masts, and some were goofing off, laughing and talking in groups of two's and three's.

Tyler stood there, thunderstruck.

How on earth did I end up here…on this ship? What the hell happened?

The jock was so deep in thought that he didn't hear the shouted warning.

"Look out!"

His head exploded with pain, and Tyler dropped to the floor of the deck. Eyes clenched shut and fighting to stay conscious, the jock, with a supreme effort, raised his head and opened his eyes, to find himself surrounded by the entire crew. Tyler looked at the unfamiliar faces, and they stared back at him.

One man broke the silence. "One of you layabouts helps the young man up now!"

The two men nearest to Tyler instantly picked him up by the arms and literally dragged him back through the door the unlucky jock had exited moments before. The two men set Tyler on the bed, and hastily retreated. The man who had spoken earlier walked to the doorway. Turning to face the others, he told them, "Keep everything under control while I deal with him."

The crew instantly turned back to their tasks; this man had influence over the rest of them. Turning towards Tyler, the crew's leader shut the door behind him.

While this was all going on, Tyler held his head in his hands, trying not to concentrate on the pain. When he succeeded on forcing the pain to the back of his mind, he finally looked up.

The man who had taken charge earlier looked at him with what looked like to the jock as genuine concern. Slowly, the man approached.

"Are you all right?"

Tyler nodded. "Yeah, it just took me by surprise.

The man laughed. "I was looking at you. You probably didn't have the faintest clue where you were at that moment, right?"

Tyler nodded.

The man looked away for a moment. "I know you have questions, so I'll save you some time by just telling you what I know. Sounds good?"

Tyler nodded again.

The man looked at Tyler quizzically. "You really don't talk too much…Anyway, my name is Zane Galfanan. I am captain of the Navarros, and she is the fastest in the sea."

Tyler didn't interrupt so he continued, a dreamy look in his dark eyes. "She might just be a merchant ship, but she's faster than any of those warships that the Empire mass-produces. Not only that, but she has never let my men or me down once."

Tyler, a little impatient, decided to interrupt. "Why am I here? I don't remember getting on any ship…"

Zane chuckled. "Well, you wouldn't, lad. We were sailing along, just minding our own business, when we see you floating along in the water. We fished you out, but nothing we did would wake you. So, we just decided to let you take this spare cabin, until we could figure out what to do with you."

Tyler, still confused as ever, asked, "So, I was just floating there? Alone?"

Zane looked him in the eye. "That you were, but do you know what the strange thing was?"

Tyler shook his head, and the captain continued. "You were just floating there, with what you've got. Nothing was helping you keep afloat, and it must have been the grace of the Crystal that you stayed alive at all." Zane paused for a moment, then asked, "What's your name, lad? You're my cargo for now, and I need to know how to address you."

The jock responded, "It's Tyler."

The captain laughed again. "Well now, Tyler, do you remember anything that might help us help you? Do you have any friends that we might know? Better yet, do you have any training with a blade? I won't have any passenger of mine go unarmed in the dangerous world of today."

Tyler paused for a moment. "I remember…others…with me yesterday. But if I were a total stranger to you, you probably wouldn't know any of them. I'm also completely hopeless with any weapon."

Zane Galfanan stroked his chin, deep in thought. "Well, since you don't have anything better to do, how about allowing us to take you to our destination? You might find one of your friends there."

Tyler nodded. "Sure, where are we going?"

The captain smiled. "The place of dreams, Tyler. We deliver food to the royal palace of the Deodarian Empire itself, and get well paid for it."

Tyler nodded and put his hands in his pockets. Suddenly, he felt like he was missing something, something very important. His eyes roamed the room, desperately searching for it.

Zane looked at him in alarm. "Tyler, what's the matter? Calm down. It's all right!"

Tyler shook his head, and glumly looked at the floor. "No…I must have lost it…"

The captain looked at the distressed teen. "What have you lost, my boy?"

Tyler looked at the captain. "Something very important to me. I think it was…some kind of shard"

Zane suddenly smiled brightly. "Tyler, was that all you were worried about?"

He suddenly reached into his vest pocket and pulled out an object. "When we pulled you up from the water, you had this clenched in your fist. I'm sorry I worried you, lad. I just wanted to make sure that you didn't lose it accidentally." He dropped the object in Tyler's hand. "She's yours again." Zane stood up and walked over to the door. He opened it, and he looked back once at the jock. "We'll be there in a few hours. Just come out to the deck when you feel like it." He then took his leave, closing the door gently behind him.

Tyler watched the closed door fondly for a moment, and then looked to the object in his hand. It was indeed a shard, and a sense of rightness filled him. It was gray, with…something…swirling around in it. Tyler tried to catch a glimpse of what was inside, but it always seemed to disappear before the teen could get a good look at it. Tyler studied it for a few moments, and then froze when he heard a voice in his head.

Tyler…you will never be on the front lines…but yours is a vital role…please…use your power…to save the…lives of everyone…

Tyler looked stunned for a moment, but then he was filled with a confidence he had never known before.

Your destiny…ties…with another…you…must make it to the…Empire…

Tyler nodded, but struck by a sudden thought, asked the voice in his head, "What's so bad about this world? The people seem nice. They accepted me, no questions asked!"

The jock waited patiently, as the voice answered him after a moment.

I…cannot…describe it…but…I can…show you…if you wish…

Tyler paused a split second, and then nodded.

He looked over the world, which was peaceful and calm in its entirety. Tyler sighed, and he had never felt so content. Suddenly, something changed. A cloud of darkness, brought on by the death and destruction of war spread across a part of the world. One city fell, and another, and another, until an entire kingdom, it seemed to Tyler, was besieged by darkness. Slowly, the cloud spread, overtaking every living thing. Nothing was saved. Tyler could only watch, hopeless, as the entire world was devoured by darkness. Tyler could not even cover his ears to silence the screams and moans of death as people everywhere were killed…or worse. The jock saw the darkness coming for him, as well, but he could not move. Tyler opened his mouth to scream, but darkness filled his mouth, his air, everything. His world became darkness…

Tyler opened his eyes, and felt tears come to his brown eyes.

"I…will help…in any way possible. I will not…allow that to happen…"

Thank you…Tyler…please…go up to the deck…now…and see the first sight of your new world…

Tyler tucked his shard into his pocket, and strode out onto the deck, but not before accidentally hitting his head against the door.

He spotted Captain Zane Galfanan, who was overseeing his crew unload his precious cargo. Tyler stopped for a moment, only to realize that they were apparently already in port. The jock walked over to the captain, who turned to him as he approached.

"I thought you were never going to wake up. Tyler, welcome to Ridorana, the capital of the Deodarian Empire."

Tyler looked, puzzled, at the captain. "Wake up? I never fell asleep."

Zane laughed heartily. "Believe what you will, lad, you were out like a light."

Tyler could only stare at him. The captain gestured off the ship. "Off with you, Tyler, I'll be there shortly. Don't leave port just yet. I still have a few things I want to discuss with you."

Tyler nodded, and smiled warmly at him before walking off the ship. Suddenly the jock couldn't keep his balance, and fell heavily. He could hear Zane Galfanan laugh, and told him to take it easy. Tyler stood up slowly, testing his balance, and cautiously strode around the crowded port.

The port was packed with ships of all sizes, and that meant there was hardly any room to walk anywhere. Trying to struggle through the crowd that seemed determined to pull him in the opposite direction, Tyler was making slow progress. Finally deciding to give up, he was about to turn around when he heard a voice.

"Stop her! She has one of them! One of the Shards!"

Tyler noticed three guards, desperately pursuing someone who seemed desperate to get away from them. He couldn't quite see her face, but instinctively yearned to help her in some way. He ran towards where she was heading, the guards still in pursuit, who were calling out to passerby for help. Nobody even gave them a second glance.

"Guards must not be popular here," Tyler muttered to himself.

The girl they were pursuing suddenly slowed, and, as if by some strange twist of fate, turned and looked Tyler straight in the eye. Tyler gasped aloud, seeing her face for the first time.

He recognized her.

All right, guys, what do you think about this chapter? As I've said before, I went through some rough patches, but I like the end result. But what do you all think? Please read and review I would really appreciate it. Again guys, I'm really sorry about the long wait, but you can't rush a masterpiece, as some famous guy said...probably. Anyway, not sure when Chapter 8 is going to come about, but hopefully it will be a lot sooner than this chapter was! Remember: READ AND REVIEW! And as always, thanks for taking a few moments out of your day to read my story!

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: WHO WAS THE GIRL THAT TYLER RECOGNIZED? SINCE I, AT THE MOMENT, HAVE NO IDEA, I AM GOING TO CREATE A POLL, SO YOU GUYS CAN VOTE ON WHO YOU WANT HER TO BE. I'LL TRY TO MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY, SO PLEASE VOTE!