Hey everyone, ultimateTORINOR here, back with another chapter! I know I've been updating like crazy, but that, again, is to make up for the fact that I basically took a month off. Now, onto information about the chapter. I knew who I was going to write about in this chapter from the start, I mean, who else is obsessed with the number nine? Anyway, I'm sorry if this chapter is a bit...weird. I hope you all enjoy it anyway. I don't own Total Drama Island, and without further ado, please enjoy the next chapter of...Shards of a Crystal!

Day 1: Cid's Laboratory

Trent…get up…people…are counting…on…you…

Trent opened his eyes, resting peacefully for a moment. Lying on his stomach, the coolness of the tiles he was lying on felt nice, and they helped the musician stay calm. Still, Trent couldn't help feel as though him and the 21 others had rushed into the job.

We probably should have thought that through a little more, Trent thought ruefully.

Trent started to stand, but then noticed his guitar on the ground.

"Oh yeah," the musician reminded himself, "I brought it with me to make sure I had something to do here…"

After checking it over lovingly for marks or scratches the guitar might have picked up on the journey through the worlds, Trent casually strummed a chord; playing guitar was second nature to the teen.

Something in his pocket emitted a brief flash of light, and Trent, puzzled, took the object out and set it on the ground beside him. His shard, given to him by the weird and slightly creepy voice back on Camp Wawanakwa, was a piercing blue, the color swirling and moving inside of it, almost as if something was alive, hiding in its depths.

Trent, however, put the mystery of the shard out of his mind for the moment and played more guitar. The teen started playing random chords and bits and pieces of songs he enjoyed back home, letting the music wash over him. It had always been an outlet for Trent, whenever something was stressing him out he would just sit down and play music, and eventually it would either give him the time he needed to reflect on the problem and solve it, or just to let it go.

However, as Trent played more and more, his shard glowed brighter and brighter with such an intense energy that even the musician himself couldn't ignore it any longer. Setting down his guitar, Trent cautiously studied his now bright shard.

It bathed the entire room in a blue, calming light. Trent thought something in the back of his mind was urging to take it in his hands. His mental defenses breaking down, Trent could no longer resist the attraction the shard seemed to have on him, and he picked it up and held it to his face.

Studying the shard's intense light for a moment, Trent was surprised to hear that the artifact seemed to be mumbling something, in a lot of different voices. Trent found himself straining to hear everything it had to say.

We are fragments…

We…embody…life itself…

We…are living…but also…not living…

We cause death…and yet we can't exist…

We need you…Trent…

The music…is the tool…but you…are the key…

You…are so close…to releasing us…

One…more…note…

Trent, without hesitating, without worrying, picked up his guitar once more, but only to pluck a single string. The shard flashed, brighter than it ever had been before, and Trent thought that something was moving inside of it, bubbling over, and then the light got so intense that he had to cover his eyes. Trent could feel the energy peak, and then slowly fade away, seemingly going back into the shard. Cautiously, Trent uncovered his eyes, and then almost dropped his guitar in shock.

He was facing a…thing that seemingly rippled with energy. It had no face, and Trent was unnerved when it turned towards him. The musician found out that he could see through his…creation.

The being took one step towards him, and another, until it was nearly touching Trent. Staring at it, the musician wondered what it could possibly made of, and then it hit him. The being was rippling, and Trent could see bubbles forming inside of it, traveling upwards to the head, where they would disappear. That could only mean…

While Trent tried to form a coherent sentence to communicate with water, he heard a voice in his head once again, but this time, it was the voice of a single man, his voice cool and crisp.

You know what we are now?

Yeah, thought Trent, but this doesn't make sense! You're water! You don't move around and talk to people-

The voice continued, strong enough to cut him off in mid-sentence. You must learn to unlearn, and then to learn anew, as the fate of the world depends on the part you have to play. We are water, yes, but we are also beauty. Beauty defines us…it is who we are. Music is beauty, and it…calls…to us, luring us closer to the surface with every note. We will fight; Master, and we will do what you…call us to do. For that is our role…

The voice paused here, and Trent took this moment of silence to ask a question.

So, Trent thought to the voice, I…control…you to fight…using music?

The voice answered instantly. Yes, call us to fight your foes…but remember…

The voice started to fade away slowly, and the being in front of Trent started to dissolve, slowly, bubbles falling off of it like grains of sand.

We…need…the music…to fight. When…things are bleakest…call us. Do not…waver…Trent...you have been Chosen.

With those parting words, the voice faded away into nothingness, and the being completely disintegrated, leaving Trent, once again, alone.

Trent stared for a moment at the spot that the being had disappeared from, and then pocketed his shard. He felt a strange connection to it, one that hadn't been there when he had first woken up. Picking up his guitar once more, the musician, having been so distracted by his music and the shard, got his first good look at the room he had woken up in.

Tiles lined the floors, making the room have a futuristic feel to it. Trent glanced at the walls, which were filled with markings he couldn't understand. While Trent was puzzling over the weird markings on the wall, he didn't hear the door in the corner open slowly, revealing a balding man, who looked to be getting on in years and wore an absent-minded expression on his face. Trent jumped as the old man spoke. "Oh, excuse me, I didn't mean to bother you, I'll just be going now."

The strange man started to back out of the room, but Trent called out to him.

"Wait! Where…is here?"

The man stared at Trent for a moment, and then chuckled lightly. Where is here? Why, this is my laboratory. Cid's Laboratory, to give it its' official title." He then blinked, and looked at the teen quizzically. "But you already knew that, yes?"

Trent stared back at Cid. "How could I have known?"

Cid's quizzical expression turned to one of confusion. "You mean," he asked, "You are not one of my assistants?"

Trent just shook his head.

Cid looked shocked for a moment, and then horrified. "My dear boy," he stammered, "I am deeply sorry. I'm getting more and more forgetful as my years pass me by. So, you have never seen or heard of my name before?"

Trent shook his head again.

Cid looked astounded. "Well then, how could you possibly get in here?"

Trent shrugged. "I just…woke up. Here in this room."

Cid simply stared at him. "You…woke up…here? My dear boy, do you know what this means?" Cid was starting to light up. An intense fire now fueled his light blue eyes, and the confused look on his face was gone, replaced with one of wisdom and inner strength.

Cid continued, all the while walking away, leaving Trent to catch up hurriedly behind him. Walking through halls filled with doors, each promising something more intriguing and more potentially dangerous than the last. At the end of the extensive hallway, there was a door leading to, by the looks of the sign above it, Cid's Private Office. Opening the door, Cid motioned him in first; saying only, "There is someone here who wants to see you."

Trent stepped in, and was amazed at the sight before him.

"Gwen?"

The Goth girl turned towards his voice, and the look of despair that was on her face was replaced with one of relief. Trent walked over to her, and Cid walked in behind him, shutting the door softly.

Trent looked at Gwen in sheer relief. No longer was he stuck in this strange place alone.

"When did you wake up, Gwen?"

She shrugged. "A few hours ago. I met Cid while trying to figure out where the hell I was. The rest of the time, I was answering questions, trying to sate his curiosity on top of figuring out where to go from here."

Trent smiled at her. "Well, I'm here now, that's a start."

Gwen looked at him a moment, smiled slightly, and then turned to Cid, who looked like he was about to burst from excitement.

"We might as well ask him what's going on, not as if we had a choice in the matter."

Cid looked slightly hurt, but started talking anyway. 'Gwen, your sudden appearance had me rattled, but I put it off for coincidence. After all, it isn't as if I never find strange people wandering my hallways. But after I found Trent, who had appeared at around the same time you did, and in the same way…" Cid broke off for a moment, staring into space with an almost dreamlike quality.

Trent raised his eyebrows at Gwen, who merely shrugged. "Get used to it," she mumbled, "He does that a lot."

Cid suddenly launched back into conversation. "So, naturally, I concluded that you two came from the same place, from a different world, more likely…"

He stopped again, and Gwen muttered, "His mind is probably overflowing with possibilities."

Trent smiled at her. He liked her sarcastic manner, and how she seemed to always speak her mind. He would have continued that train of thought further, but Cid was back with them again.

"The crystal went to another world, didn't it?"

Trent hesitated, but Gwen pulled something out of her pocket and gave it to Cid.

He stared at it, at a loss for words.

"This is…oh…I…Crystal…"

He undoubtedly would have incoherently babbled more, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. Cid quickly gave Gwen's shard back to her, and answered the door. "Yes?"

A young man in a white lab coat addressed Cid with the utmost respect. "Master Cid, Lucien's delegation is in the main hall, and they want to talk to you."

Cid looked away, and told the young man to tell the delegation he would be with them shortly. Sighing, he turned back to the two teens, who were both looking at him in confusion.

Trent asked the obvious question. "Who is Lucien?"

Cid sighed again, looking very old at the moment. He answered wearily, "Lucien is the reason the Crystal left the world in the first place. I fervently pray that neither of you ever meet him. Do not worry, I will not tell them of your secret, for I…" He paused for a moment, wiping his eyes, "I know full well what they do to them…"

Gwen and Trent smiled at him, and Cid managed a small smile in return. "Now, do not leave this room, for you will draw attention immediately. I will come back when the coast is clear."

Walking to the door, Cid opened the door slowly, walked out, and shut it behind him, never making a sound.

Trent and Gwen looked at each other. All they could do now was hope.

And Pray…

So, how was it? I hope some of you liked it. I think this chapter got a little confusing at some parts (at least it was for me writing it), but I hope you could get the gist of what was going on. Please, if you could, review this chapter. I've spent a lot of time the past two days writing it, and I like reviews. This marks the first chapter where a camper uses their respective shard to actually do something, not just have a conversation in their head with it. Onto a question: Did you know I based Trent's "power" off of a video game character? I thought it would fit well with who Trent is, so I stuck with it. All right, I think that's it, please remember to review this chapter, and I don't know when I'll be starting Chapter 10 (double digits!). Probably sometime soon. Anyway, thank you for taking some time out of your hectic days to read my story! You guys are awesome!