Hi everyone! I'm so sorry it's been so long since my last update, and that this chapter is pathetically short. I'm currently in the middle of moving out of my house - er, well, I'm finished moving, now I just have to unpack DX - so my computer will be unaccessable for quite some time. Since I'm staying with a friend (I'm heading to rez at the end of august so I'm not completely unpacking myself, and the new house won't be ready until september anyway!) I won't get the chance to unpack it until rez iin the end of August. I had some of chapter 6 written up on my phone, and this is as much of it as I could remember. I'll try to keep updating, and as soon as I can access my computer I'll re-edit the chappies as they should be :) Thank you everyone for your patience and reviews, I appreciate every single one of them even though I know there's a ton I haven't responded to. Please accept my humblest apologies, and enjoy this little snippet until I can get my life back in order. Enjoy!

Chapter 6

"I knew this was going to happen. Lai's going to be furious with me. And the Tower! When they find out what I've allowed you to do, it'll all be over. They'll strip me of my title, outcast me, possibly have me killed-"

"-If I'd known you were such a pussy, I never would've asked for your help-"

"-Excuse me? I'm the pussy? You're the one who's so busy trying to hide from your feelings that you don't even notice when Cleao's being dragged off to some alternate universe! Hell, it's your damn fault we're in this mess to begin with-"

"-We're in this mess because that stupid brat got herself blown up by a goddamn SIREN! It's not my fault she attracts danger like a magnet. And what the hell do my feelings have to do with this?"

The two "friends" had been hollering at each other for what seemed like hours. It had probably been longer.

Majic sighed, rubbing his aching temples as the argument grew to ear-splitting octaves. Hartia's voice did have that girlish peak…

He'd regained consciousness only a short time ago; awoken, no doubt, by their constant bickering. What he'd found had been quite a surprise: the surrounding rubble, splintered wood and lumps of rock, had vanished. So, in fact, had the forest; the thick, slightly foreboding trees with their infinite range of leaves had been replaced with...well, Majic hadn't been sure how to describe his surroundings.

It was like they'd been thrust into a giant, blank canvas. Everywhere he looked, he was greeted with an endless eternity of nothing. Just...white.

Of course, he had no idea what was going on. His questions went unanswered, due in large part to the fact that he couldn't get a word out without being interrupted.

"Um...Master..." He hesitantly poked Orphen in the shoulder, trying in vain to get his attention.

"There you go again," Hartia was raging, jabbing his finger in Orphen's direction, his eyes narrowed dangerously, "refusing to acknowledge your stupid feelings. That's right, the great Krylancelo is too mighty to have feelings."

"Master, can you fill me in-"

"-Listen to yourself!" Orphen shouted right back, hands balled angrily into fists, legs staggered as if in preparation to charge. "Same old Hartia, more interested in gossip than anything else. No wonder you've never been la-"

"-MASTER!"

Both sorcerers jumped, staring at Majic with equal expressions of shock. Travelling with the kid was about the same as having a mouse for a companion; silent, meek, completely harmless.

Red-faced but pleased with himself, Majic took advantage of the momentary silence. "Would you two both stop acting like children?" He scolded, frowning darkly at both of them. "Cleao's still in danger. Did the spell even work?"

Hartia, at least, looked slightly ashamed. Orphen looked just like he always did: pissed off.

"We're in Cleao's mind," Hartia explained slowly, ducking his head slightly. "Well, not exactly her mind, per say. It's more like a dimension in her mind." His voice had changed, becoming much more serious. "It's the Siren's creation, this place," he continued, leaning over and pressing his palm flat against the pale floor. "It seems we've been transferred to the edge of Its drawing board. So to speak." He paused, slowly rising from the ground. "Perhaps, if we travelled further into the dream, we would reach the more detailed area. We're likely to find Cleao there, at the very least."

Orphen had fallen silent; he appeared to be scanning the area, his face a mask of solemnity. Majic knew better than to disturb him, so instead he pelted Hartia with questions.

"That was what the spell was for? To bring us into Cleao's dream?"

"This wasn't the intended effect, no," Hartia spat, shooting furious glares at Orphen's back. "We were trying to counteract the Siren's spell. Overthrow Its power. But, as I forewarned, it didn't quite go as planned. We could've all been killed. Instead, we ended up marooned here."

To the average observer, Orphen would have appeared to have been ignoring the entire conversation. Majic, however, had developed the ability to read people quite well; he noticed the slight stiffening of his master's back, the slow clenching of his fists. There was a louder scuffle as he walked, his steps much more aggressive.

Majic watched him nervously as Hartia droned on, oblivious to his friend's growing anger.

"I told him it was too dangerous, that he was too close to her, but did he listen? Of course not. Krylancelo doesn't listen to anyone but himself, the stubborn fool-"

Any further rantings of his were cut off at that moment, luckily for him considering Orphen's lethal expression. There was a bright flare of light, so powerful it momentarily blinded the trio. Following swiftly behind came a ground-shaking boom of thunder.

"What in the world-"

Hartia's exclamation of confusion was interrupted by the sudden tidal wave of rain that hammered into them from the sky, soaking through their clothes in a matter of seconds, flooding around them in a fast-rising pool of icy water.

Orphen, after a few colourful words spat at the new situation, turned to the others. The movement sent a spray of rainwater flying from his hair and clothing, peppering Majic's face along with the icy rain. He blinked the droplets quickly out of his eyes, trying to keep his attention fixed on his master.

"We've gotta move. Now!" Orphen ordered, shouting over the deafening storm. One thing was for certain: electricity and water do not mix. They needed to get their asses out of the storm and fast; otherwise they'd be, quite literally, toast. The others nodded, their faces bearing identical grave expressions. Majic slipped and slid through the chilling water, trying in vain to keep himself steady. Hartia put a hand on the young apprentice's shoulder to steady him, encouraging him forward.

"Where are we moving to?" Hartia didn't want to stall, but someone needed to point out the flaw in this new plan: they had no idea what to expect next. What possible horrors were awaiting them beyond this point?

Orphen ran a hand through his hair, setting another wave of watery droplets loose, and opened his mouth to answer. Another flash of lightning cut him off, soon followed by an even louder echo of thunder.

"Anywhere but here. Let's go!" He urged fiercely, sprinting in the general direction they'd been migrating toward since they'd arrived. The others followed suit without further hesitation, sloshing through the water as fast as they could. The rain pelted them mercilessly, the icy droplets relentlessly battering their already worn bodies. The continuous shower flooded their vision, practically destroying any level of visibility possible.

And then, as suddenly as it had started, the rain stopped. The clouds disappeared, leaving the startlingly bright sun gleaming down at them.

"…What the fuck is going on here."

The trio continued at a slower pace, watching the sky constantly for any sign of further weather changes. After they'd moved a good distance, Majic couldn't help but speak up. It felt, to him, like they should be doing something a little more productive than just walking around. For all they knew, really, they could be going in the wrong direction completely. Or, they could be heading in the right direction, completely blind and unprepared. It wasn't like his Master to just barrel straight into danger like this; well...maybe it was. Maybe that was the problem.

"I don't know about this, Master…"

Orphen ground his teeth together, bringing a gloved hand up to his face to pinch the bridge of his nose in a feeble attempt to steady himself. Somehow beating the living shit out of the kid just didn't seem like a good idea. Despite how fucking desperately he was asking for it. "Do you have a better idea?" He spat, his irritated tone alone acting as a warning not to piss him off.

"Um..W-well, no…"

"That's what I thought. Keep walking."

Majic silently obeyed, trudging across the empty white sheet of land currently at their feet. His eyes flickered worriedly up at the darkened sky, watching as a new mass of black clouds slowly merged, attempting to blot out the sun.

His master hadn't explained his plan - if he even had one yet - so it seemed to Majic that they were just walking around aimlessly, probably in circles with their luck. He didn't see how they would ever find Cleao this way, especially since they were already struggling to see what was up ahead of them. He had to squint into the darkness just to make sure he wasn't going to walk into anything. Not that there had been anything to walk into, of course. The same bland white floors were the only structure they'd encountered thus far, and that didn't seem to be changing anytime soon.

Still, they continued their journey, determined to find and save their friend. None of them were prepared to accept defeat, to give up without a fight. They were going to find the Siren and make it pay.

"Look." Orphen's low voice brought Majic stumbling over to his side, peering into the dark in an attempt to see what he was referring to. Hartia moved to his other side, watching closely. Orphen was reaching down toward the ground, cupping something in his hand. Bringing it up for closer inspection, he muttured something under his breath before pushing his open palm under Majic's nose.

"It's sand." He stated, and from his tone of voice, Majic could tell that this meant something to him. But at the moment, nothing important was coming to mind.

"Sand…? What does that mean, Master? Are we getting closer?"

Orphen spread open his fingers, letting the grains slip through the cracks. He frowned down at his empty palm for a moment, lost in thought.

"Majic, did Cleao ever mention the beach to you?" He asked quietly, still staring at his open hand.

"Huh?" Where was he going with this, now? "Um...Well, I know she liked the beach. You know her, Master. Anything relaxing and nice to look at is a favourite for her."

"Favourite, huh." Orphen mulled this over, sifting through his thoughts with growing urgency.

They started a few days ago. The nightmares.

Could it be…?

And then, it changes. Everyone starts...disappearing. I'm left alone on the beach. And eventually that goes, too; the water dries up, leaving a cracked desert behind. I wander it alone, trying to understand where everyone else went. Why I...Why I can't go with them.

"I don't think 'favourite' is the right word for this, Majic." Orphen muttered darkly. Before he could elaborate, the young apprentice's eyes suddenly lit up with wonder, his gaze fixed on something Orphen couldn't see.

"Master...look!" He whispered excitedly, pointing to something behind him. Turning slowly, Orphen could only stare, words having escaped him. "It's a beach! We're on a beach now, aren't we?"

He was right. It was the only explanation that made sense. Looking down, Orphen muttered a curse under his breath.

Sand. There was fucking sand everywhere.

"We must be getting closer. Right Master?" Majic asked hopefully, his eyes searching the sorcerer's face for any signs of hope. For some reason he couldn't understand, the only recognizable expression on his face was anger. Hartia put a hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention away for a moment.

"I believe you're correct," He praised, attempting a smile. But it was clear to the young apprentice that even Hartia was having trouble scrutinizing his friend's dark expression. Clearly, something was very wrong here. Aside from the obvious, of course.

"We have to hurry." There was a peculiar tone to his words, something Majic had never heard from his master's lips before. Something he didn't think was possible, to be honest.

Fear.

Without another word, Orphen broke into a run, heading further into the sandy beach, the others left to scurry after him.

"CLEAO!"

"That's an odd question." Cleao stated, her words coming out slightly slurred. Her head felt oddly light on her shoulders; every time she turned, she was overcome by a wave of dizziness. The sandy earth seemed to move beneath her, only adding to her coordination troubles.

"Not really," Orphen - the Siren - insisted, his voice seeming to fade in and out as he spoke. "I'm just trying to learn more about you. That's what questions are for, right? Learning."

That made sense. Sort of. Or maybe it didn't. Her head was too full of fog to function anymore. What was the question again…? Something about….

"I thought you could...sense my desires or something." Isn't that what he said earlier? That he could make her hopes and dreams come true, that he knew what she really wanted? After all, he'd chosen to wear Orphen as a mask. "Why bother asking a question that you already know the answer to?"

"Hm...You're a lot stronger than I thought, it seems."

"What are you talking about?" She grumbled, wiping a hand groggily over her face. Bits of sand stuck to her cheeks in splotches, and she hastily attempted to scrub them away. "You're the one that's always telling me what a nuisance I am…" No. That wasn't right. Orphen was the one who complained about her all the time. This thing wasn't Orphen. Why was that so hard to remember? Thinking about it..about anything just hurt. Like a goddamn hangover from hell.

"It's too late, you know." That person- she refused to call him Orphen again- stated cheerfully, watching her struggle with a bemused expression. The corners of his mouth were twitching, as if he was holding back a chuckle.

"What's too late?" She groaned, clutching her head between her palms. Even speaking was painful; thousands of tiny nails drilling through her brain. She tried to take in deep, calming breaths but the air stank of rot, something sweet and bitter at the same time, making her gag. The dizziness was fading, at least, though it only seemed to make the pain all the more intense.

"There's no reason to fight. You've already lost."

"You clearly don't know Orphen as well as you think," she mumbled, a small smile playing its way across her lips of it's own accord. "He won't let anything happen to his friends. He'll...He'll save me." If only she believed it herself.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to resort to this," the Siren sighed dramatically before heaving itself to its feet.

"Get the hell away from me." Cleao growled, still clutching her throbbing skull in her hands, the pain raking down her spine. She attempted to stand, pulling one leg out from under her and pushing upward with as much strength as she could muster. "Just stay back," she stammered, rising unsteadily to her feet. Blood pulsed heavily in her brain and for a moment she wobbled, close to falling back into the gritty sand. Taking a slow breath - from her mouth, this time- she managed to steady herself.

"It didn't have to be this way," it mumbled almost sadly, an odd contrast to her increasing panic. He dusted off his dark dress pants before taking a step forward. "All you had to do was accept me, and give in. Your friends would have been spared." He took another step forward just as Cleao wobbled backward, one hand pressing hard into her eyes, the other held out in a weak attempt to keep her balance. "I didn't want to hurt them, Cleao. But now that you've brought them here I have no choice-"

"-CLEAO!"

She spun, mid-wobble, and in the split second it took for her to fall and hit the ground, everything changed. She could see all three of them barreling toward her, hear them yelling her name, but there was only one person that mattered to her in that moment. One person she was sure she'd never get to see again. Her savior, her protector, the love of her entire existence.

Orphen, the real Orphen, was here. He was going to save her after all.

"Just remember," the Siren whispered behind her, his voice low and sorrowful, "I tried to prevent this. I really did."

She tore her eyes away from her rescuer for long enough to see a black mass of energy pulsate out of the Siren's now outstretched hands and drive towards them. She flung her head forward, mouth open in a silent scream. There was an explosion, sand thrust into the air and for a moment she couldn't see anything but the bits of dirt raining down all around her. Blinking to clear her vision Cleao crawled forward, her eyes straining to see her friends coming forward again, her mind eerily blank. Moments turned into hours, days, years as she made painfully slow progress toward them. As the dust clouds cleared she could make out a single black figure, unmoving, laying in the crater the Siren's spell had formed. Moving closer, a glint of flapping red material halted her advance.

And then she really was screaming.

Again, I apologize for the extremely short update. There's a lot of description/detail missing, and I hope to re-edit it sometime between the end of August and beginning of September.
-FnI