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Chapter 1
Eyce
Eyce

I’d awake in the morning to see the same old wooden ceiling, and if I would look to the right, I would still see the same faded baby blue curtains dangling in that open window. Of course I was the careless age of nineteen and had moved into an apartment with my life long best friend, Elsie Jane. Both of us were going to attend Husson College in the fall. We decided to move up to Caribou, Maine early, to get used to being away from home. So far it had been a sunny…boring summer.
But this week was to be different. We were going to the northern border where some forest was. Elsie Jane said it was a good place to meet guys. I went along just for the heck of going. From what I heard, a group of people would go up there and see who could stand about five feet in the forest the longest. At first I thought it was just plain stupid, but there were rumors that sometimes they would find people hanging in mid air gasping for breath. Thinking it was a prank, people searched for invisible wires or some other explanation but nothing was ever found.
When we got there, I must admit, it was strange. A person would go into the forest and it was like they wouldn’t move even when people shouted at them! When they came out, they seemed…I dunno…changed somehow. After seeing this over and over, I finally got fed up with the whole thing and decided to go in myself. And not surprisingly, Elsie didn’t want to come with me. She was preoccupied by flirting with new college boys who had just come into town.

Chapter 2
Eyce
Strange Greetings

As I started to walk in, the noises of people whooping and shouting were drowned out by a high-pitched ring…no… it sounded more like wind chimes or…or chains.
As I walked further, I felt myself going faster and when I stopped, everything kept moving. When the movement stopped everything looked and sounded different. The trees seemed to turn into glass trees, like those you might find in an antique shop. And all the tiny creatures seemed to become magnified through the rounded glass of the tree trunks and branches.
I was so frozen by fear and astonishment at the strange and horrific beauty of the forest and its creatures that I hardly noticed someone coming up behind me. From the corners of my eyes I thought I saw a shadowy figure with crimson eyes watching me, but when I turned for a better look no one was there. Still, I could not shake the feeling that something was staring at me, watching me.
Everything was so beautiful that even as I turned around I still could not see him. Only when he put his hand on my shoulder did he appear. It was only for a split second, but as soon as he touched me I felt all of my energy… leave me. And in that moment of time… I blacked out.




Chapter 3:
Kal
Kal
It was another quiet afternoon in a long summer. It was one of those days where you wished that the wind wasn’t blowing in ocean breezes. They seemed to smell like a kind of salt that made you sick to the stomach. I sat next to the door of the local inn. I had seen people go in and out all day…and I never forgot any of their faces, some were short and fat, others were long and sour,…and some, because there was a bar connected to the inn, some came out drunk. After a while of studying there faces, I pulled out a book I had, and was trying to read it, ignoring all of the judgeful faces. I looked up from the book I was reading to see a big husky man who had apparently drank him self out of house and home.
“You’re Kal right?”
“That I am…. whose asking?”
“The names Gert … *hic*. You’ll do what yer poster says?” Apparently he was pointing to some add for household cleaning and was completely drunk. How he got my name I’ll never really know. I think at the state he was in, he thought I was a bounty hunter. But if it was a way to get cash, I’d gladly do it. So…I played along.
“Well, that depends…how much can you pay?”
“25 pec for Drennen’s *hic* ‘ead.” With him being drunk and all I took this quite well.
“Lets make it 25 million pec and I’ll do it.”
“‘Ou’ve got your self a… *hic* deal.” Then he staggered off.
Drennen was what I guess you could call the town drunk. As I was about to go find him, the door to the town brewery swung open. And there was Drennen. Surprisingly he didn’t head for his snug little house at the opposite end of the town. He headed for the crystal forest. As I stuffed my book in my pocket and picked up my sword, I decided to follow him. I really wasn’t going to do anything to the poor lad, just tell him to stay out of town until I could get my cash and be on my way. But as soon as I entered the forest, he was already gone.
This should be promising. I thought.
Broken branches, no misleading dead ends… either the person I was tracking was very stupid, or just wanted to be followed. Sword in hand, I pressed on. The tracking was very easy, but I never did catch up after a few miles of walking, I could barely see a body lying on the ground. At first I thought it was my target. Slowly but carefully, I moved in. then I realized that it wasn’t Drennen at all! – It was a girl-unconscious. I was a little bit annoyed at having to put my search for Drennen and my big bucks off till later. Probably she was one of those idiotic town girls, run off after some dramatic fight with a boy.
Well what am I supposed to do about it? I thought. I can’t just leave her here, now can I?
I picked her up and put her on my back. Her coarse long black hair dangling down her back swaying with every step, her steady breath, going in and out, was a bit relaxing.
About a mile or so from the nearest town, she turned her head and awoke.
“Wha… where…WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING?!?! PUT ME DOW-” THUD!
“I said put me down, not drop me. Who are you anyway?”
“The question is, who are you?” She looked at me with a raised eyebrow. One thing I notice was the color of her eyes…a shade of green that I’d never seen. Like, the darkest color you can find in tree leaves, but lighter than grass. It was indescribable.
“ DO-YOU-SPEAK-ENGLISH?” she blurted out .
“ Uh…yes?…who are you?”
“Eyce …and you?”
“Kal…how did-”
“I was just about to ask you that.”
“ Interesting name….from the way you talk and your accent , I’d say you’re from the east. Odd name for someone who comes from around here.”
“Well …”
“Ah, tell you what, I’ll take you to the nearest town and find you somebody who’s going that way to take you there.”
“Alright? Hey, where am I?”
“Man, you must have hit your head or something. You’re still on the island Crysidia…and you’re still in the land…of Tides.”






Chapter 4
Kal
Island

Once we got to the nearest port, I left Eyce to find her own way home. I wasn’t looking for any unpaid work today and wanted to get back to my paying job looking for Drennen.
“So that’s it then,” she said.
“Pretty much. Why?”
“ I …never mind,” she said turning to leave.
As I rounded the corner to leave, I ran into an old man cloaked in blue.
“ Excuse me young sir.”
“What?”
“Might thou tell me where I might find the Spirit’s Guardian?”
“The what?”
“The Guardian’s Guardian, the-”
“I get it already! But why would he want anything to do with me. I haven’t been addressed as that title in a long time. I thought. “Don’t know him.”
“Thou art very bad at lying. So you are he, are you not?”
“You caught me. So what was the dead giveaway?”
“Thy sword and thy quickness to answer. Not many…people carry around swords like that.”
“Ah. So what else do you want from me?”
“A favor.”
“I’m not fit to help anyone. Find someone else.”
“She wasn’t the Jactare.”
“What? Who?”
“ The one thy calls Rayne.”
“Course she was, wasn’t she?”
“She’s was a Indagator. One who tries, yet fails.”
“Well I guess it can’t be helped either way, she’s dead.”
“Aye, but thou art a Praeses, art thou?”
“Was, but not anymore.”
“Even for 50 million pec?”
“Keep talking.”
“Thou art to take thy foreigner on a quest.”
“What foreigner?”
“The girl thy has carried out of the Crystal Forest.”
“You mean she’s the Jactare?”
“Yes. Take her to each of the Elemental Islands. Each island holds one element that can reforge the Staff.”
“ These elements…You’re not talking about the Key, the Lock, and …the Chain.”
“Aye that I am. As thy knows each element is not as it appears.”
“I’m aware that the Key is a sword. The Lock is…the Lock is…” It was hard to picture, because every time I thought of the Lock I thought of Rayne. For it was her element. Just as the Key is mine. “…the Lock is a long strand of black pearls connected to an incense burner. If one were to look closely at them, they would see the universe. But I don’t know what the Chain is…”
“You don’t need to know, the Jactare will know.”
“ So I am to take Eyce to the islands of Iroh, Hein, and Tanar. After, come back and get my cash. Got it.” I said as I walked back to the port. The old mans eyes widened in shock of my knowledge and his expression of wonder faded into a smile. Within a split second, he vanished. And he was never to be seen by my eyes again.















Chapter 5
Eyce
Reno


As I sat on the dock, after Kal had left me, I felt really confused and alone. For I was the only one to speak English ,and the only one who didn’t know what was going on. If I was to ask anyone a question, I would either be yelled at in what sounded like German or French.
Not one persons ever heard of Maine! I thought. Or even America at that!
“Hey!” I heard a familiar voice say. “I can’t let you out of my sight for even a minute. Can I ?”
“ Wha- I don’t- Kal!”
“Come on I’ve got a aircraft for us to get on, so we’ve got to move fast.”
“But I thought you-wait-an aircraft? A minute ago you left me to find my own way home!”
“Yes. But we’ve got to go now.”
“Aircraft! Are you taking me home?”
“Not yet, but I will. But first, I need you to help me so I can help you. Can you trust me?”
I nodded. As we started for wherever we were going I couldn’t help but try to smile…but failed. Something in my heart said that even though we just met …he cared. …As if. I shook my head to get the idiotic thought out of my head.
***
“Um… Kal?” I said, stumbling to keep up with Kal as he strode down the docks.
“What?”
“Where did you say this ‘aircraft’ was?”
He was too busy mumbling to himself in whatever language he spoke to have even heard me.
“Ah-ha! There it is!” He was referring to a worn down ship that looked like it had just come out of a battle.
“This?”
“No…this.” He led me past the ship that I had just seen, only to see the most miss-matched aircraft in the world…
“ I’d have taken the other one…”
“What?!?! You don’t like the Zephron Enterprise?”
“I like the name …but not the aircraft. Heck the only thing that probably works on this hunk of metal is the sails!” In a way I was right. The only thing that would work and match were the sails. The coal-shaded sails were a unique color and the thin red stripe down the main sail this made the aircraft look almost interesting.



“What? You’re not serious are you?…don’t stare at me like that….tch…fine. It’s settled then. ” As Kal started to walk toward the aircraft, a crew member of the aircraft gave one look at Kal and then gave a salute. As I started to walk up the ramp to the main deck, a tall, but lean, crimson-haired, muscular man walked right up to Kal shouting in what sounded like…Japanese. Kal obviously fake yelled back. They burst out in laughter and started talking ,obviously catching up on what they’d missed.
I silently backed down the ramp on to solid ground. Just then Kal remembered what he’d brought himself to the aircraft for. He quickly ran down the ramp to get me.
“We got ourselves a ride.” He said holding my hand as he dragged me up the ramp to his friend.
“Let me introduce you to the captain.”
The captain took one look and immediately grabbed my hand, kissed it and said some formal greeting...which I didn’t understand.
“What ever you said…it was very…nice…” I said prying my hand out of his. He then said something to Kal, who burst into laughter .
“What’d he say?”
“Nothing, nothing at all…” he said trying to contain his laughter.
The captain was apologetic, “ Well, now that I know that you don’t speak our language, maybe now I won’t embarrass you or myself…” he said talking over Kal’s laughter.




“Will you shut up already!!!”
“Sorry, sorry…”
“So you do speak English!” I said excitedly.
Kal and Reno looked at each other confusedly. Kal said, “What’s English?”
Somehow when I’m around them, I understand what there saying but when I’m not…I don’t understand the language people use. What’s going on here? That’s another mystery I need to solve .But the captain was speaking to me again.
“ Uh...yes …well, I’m Reno… and you might be…”
“Eyce… Excuse me for a moment…” I said walking over to Kal, whacking him on the head.
Just then a crewmember shouted excitedly, “ Lord-captain! We got the parts you wanted!” He was carrying something similar to an engine.
“How soon till you can get them adjusted to the main engine?” asked Reno impatiently. “Fifteen minutes…tops.”
“Do we have that much time?”
“No.”
“Better hurry then.”
“What’s happening?” I asked





“ Either Reno stole a aircraft part off of someone who criticized him or someone’s trying to kill him for not paying a gambling debt.” said Kal wearily.
“Oh my…” I said. “That’s bizarre.”
He shrugged. His bored look changed as a small glinting dust cloud came out of the forest.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Whoever he’s running from,” said Kal with an irritated look.
“Where are you going?” I asked Kal, who mumbled something to himself as he walked down the ramp and drew a blade twice his size, and twice the width of a normal sword.
I can’t really explain what happened, because it happened so fast. The only thing that remained was the blood on Kal’s sword and a pile of decapitated bodies.
Kal said something in whatever language he spoke.
“Wow.” was all I could say. As I started down the ramp to see if Kal was alright, I noticed something shining on the ground. I ran straight passed Kal and picked it up.



Chapter 6
Kal
Thoughts of the Lost

The Zephron Enterprise was gliding quietly through the clouds. The island of Crysida was fading below us in the distance. Eyce was running from port to starboard, trying to see all there was to see. It was strange to see someone so excited about an aircraft. But I guess to her, it was unusual. Just seeing her fascinated in something like this…made me think of someone else.
***
Some say that you should leave the dead in peace. But is it that easy to forget someone? Just bury them and walk away as if nothing happened. How easy is that?
At times my mind drifts away…to wherever she is…that’s the only time I hear her voice any more.
“Is something bothering you?”
“No…not anymore…”
“…Is it that hard to lose a memory?”
“I can’t even remember what you look like…”
“…Do you need to?”
“…”
“What are you holding on to? …don’t you think you should move on?”
“But I let you die…”
“ My, my…boo, hoo poor little me. Isn’t time you got over that?”
“But-”
“ Dilly-dally, shilly-shally. Its time to move on!”
“…”
“ Hello!!”
“What?”
“Hello! Kal! Up and at ‘em! Come on!” said Eyce. Her unusual green eyes were staring at me. Her fingers fumbled around a long metal chain.
“Oh,” I said with a sigh, “It’s just you.”
“Reno said he had to make a few stops before we got to where ever we’re going and we’re there so COME ON!!”
She didn’t wait for a reply. She just leapt off the aircraft. Literally.









Chapter 7
Eyce
Rikku

I ran up the dock to find Reno, who said he ‘needed’ to pick up his so-called “other” aircraft. “Gi” He called it. I found him looking around a shop with a picture of a beaver for the storefront sign. He was calling someone name. Loudly.
“ Maybe he’s not home...the mechanic I mean…” I said slowly following him.
“ She’s here alright.” He said as he mumbled something else. “RIKKU!!! WHERE ARE YOU?!?!” he shouted.
“I CAN HEAR YE PERFECTLY WELL… SO…YE DON’T HAVE TO SHOUT!!”
A young girl about 16 leaned her head down an open hatch.
“What do you- Reno!!!” She said excitedly as she lost her balance and fell. THUD!!
“Rikku, Rikku, Rikku… your such an idiot…. is Gi ready?”
“ YES… will ye quit worrying about Georgina already?”
“Who’s Georgina?” I asked.
“An aircraft,” said Rikku.
“Reno … you’re worrying over a aircraft?”




“Speaking of aircrafts…” started Rikku, “ that’ll be 50 mil. Here and now.”
I could see Reno was apparently…out of cash.
“ Well…”started Reno, “ I need my cash because I need to hire a new engineer and…”
Rikku’s eyes widened “ I’ll do it!!!” She quickly shouted.
“But I can’t-”
“It’s alright!” she said “ I’ll …I’ll…I’ll-I won’t make ye pay for Georgina! Ok?”
“Alright then..”
I was shocked. He just swindled her for a useless aircraft.
She led us up the hatch to a marvelous aircraft, more advanced than the other one I’d seen. It…it was like a combination of an airplane and a yacht, but still like…a large but lean war…thing. The aircraft was a scarlet color. Like blood almost. Everything was so…incredible, like it was from the future or something like that.
“ Holy crap.” I said under my breath.
“ Nice job Rikku. I’m glad you’re my engineer.” said Reno sarcastically as he put his hand on her shoulder. She blushed, her face cherry red. Apparently she liked him…a lot.



Chapter 8
Eyce
Journey

As Rikku jumped down the hatch and walked out of the shop, I could se a faint smile of satisfaction on her face. “ Hey…” she started.
“Eyce.” I said
“Whatever. If I was ye, I wouldn’t be walking around in jeans and a t-shirt. Not for this journey. ”
“ Your one to talk.” I replied. What does she mean by “journey”?
“Touché.” She said, “But I’m changing too.”
Rikku was wearing an orange half-cut tube top with extremely short blue jean shorts and a blue bandana. Her skin was a light brown and her eyes glowed a bright orange. Her hair was a brownish maroon, with light pink bangs, so in all, her hair was in the style of a reverse wedge.
“Come on.” She said, “I’ll get ye some armor, too.”
“Armor?”
As she dragged me up to the nearest armory I said, “ I can’t afford anything in there…I’ll be fine-I don’t need any thing! Really!!”
“Come on! Don’t worry- I have credit with the owner.”
“Fine… but I’ll pay you back somehow!”
Unfortunately I came out of the store with a whole new look. I had a blue halter top with silver shorts, and a light blue tie on skirt with three layers of ruffles, and a longer sea foam green tie on skirt that came down to my ankles and had six layers of ruffles. I had kept my hiking boots and had my hair cut ( to keep the wind from blowing my hair in my eyes ). The cut made most of my hair come down to my shoulders, and the rest was braided and came down to my lower back.
Rikku came out with a sea foam green short sleeve traditional Japanese style shirt with detached long flowy sleeves, a skirt that came down to mid thigh and was completely split down one side to reveal her shorts. To top that off she had knee-high white boots with a brown leather buckle.
“Ready to go?” I asked.
She nodded. As we walked down the slopes, back to the aircraft, I saw Kal.
“Hey Rikku, have you seen- whoa…”
“Does it look nice?” asked Rikku twirling around in a circle.
“Sure…” he said. “Lets go…”
“Ok…”I said, “ it doesn’t look corny does it?”
“I don’t know…why are you asking me anyway?” he said coldly.
“Just curious…” I said.
As we boarded the aircraft, it rocked among the waves and slowly took off into the sky.
Wow…this is amazing…. I thought, who knew?
After a ways of flying Rikku finally asked, “What was this island again…and where is it?”
“See that island in the distance…. the red one…. that’s it.”

The island was like a combination of a desert and a volcano. The ground seemed to spit up fire like a geyser. I could feel the heat of the island as the aircraft descended.
As the aircraft landed I asked, “Where are we?”
“Isle of Iroh.” said Kal.
“We’ll have to be careful.” Said Kal. As he led me down the gangway. The crew stayed behind anchoring the ship.
***

As we carefully stepped across the volcanic desert, a voice seemed to call to me, saying, this way …to the top…. come…. I’ll be there.
“Uh-huh,” I said half dazed.
This way…The voice echoed. I followed
“Eyce!!!!” exclaimed Kal, “Do you want to get killed?”
“He wants us to go” I said staring at him “…Come on…. come with me.”
Please…. hurry…
“He?” asked Kal.
“Please…lets go…” I said, now completely dazed.
I started to walk…past Kal, past the fire …ignoring everything, walking past things that I didn’t even know existed in this world…. Dormant dragons, sphinxes, imps and the like.
“Where exactly are we going?” asked Kal.
I didn’t answer…I was drawn by the voice.
“Lets just get this over with…ok?” Kal said nervously.
I nodded. We kept walking for a ways until the pleads of the voice couldn’t be heard by human ears.
“We’re here.” I said pointing to a cave lined with Rubies and Garnets.
“What is this?” asked Kal. This wasn’t here last time. He thought.
As we entered, there was a glittering pool of water.
“The Pool of Wandering.” said Kal under his breath.
“ Uh-huh.” I said. “ We have to cross it.”