DARKSWORD: Ring Of Fire

                                                   Chapter 1 - Flames of Time

         The sunlight glinted off the shiny metal of the sword, it’s form resting on a bed of soft green grass, it’s sheath lying next to it, staying close to the blade. Not a meter away was a familiar form, sprawled out on the grass, his arms crossed behind his head to give it a little support that the lush grass couldn’t offer. He stared at the small, white clouds that slowly passed above him, trying to figure out what they resembled.
         Having vanquished the evil of Shadowland a few days ealier, Darius was stuck with a heavy heart. His beloved Arielle had left to go back to her land, and her departure had left him lovesick, and wishing she had stayed with him just a little while longer. Darius knew she would
return to him, as Cyrada had foretold of this after a vision that came to the old man shortly before Arielle had ventured off. It just wasn’t soon enough that she’d be back. 
         Darius missed her warm embrace, her soft brown hair blowing in the breeze, and her uplifting outlook on the future and what it held for the two of them. For the time being, however, there was nothing he could do. He would just have to be patient and wait for his love to return to him, as she had promised. Comfortable down on his bed of grass, he closed his eyes and allowed himself some time to take a nap, with hopes he’d have a dream about her. A gentle breeze moved the grass a little, the sun going in and out of cloud cover as it’s rays kept the day warm.

         There was smoke rising in all directions, thick enough that he couldn’t see through it or get his bearings. He walked in every direction trying to find a way out of it, but there was none, the smoke blocking him in. Just as he was about to put his sleeve over his face and run through it,
flames shot up into the air all around him, replacing the smoke. The fire became a full inferno, one that circled him and kept him from advancing in any direction.
        ‘This can’t be happening.’ thought Darius, not knowing how this could have happened. Waking up to the smoke was bad enough, but now a raging inferno in all directions? It didn’t make any sense to him. 
        "Infernos just don’t happen, Do they?" he said out loud, not expecting any answer to his query. He had drawn his sword, but to no avail. Swords didn’t work well against fire. Suddenly, the solution made itself apparent in his mind, albeit a little slowly. He focused this thoughts on the fire in front of him, turning his left hand into a fist as it began to glow with a bluish colour, the power of water and ice being summoned. His eyes now glowing the same blue, he pointed his fist towards the flames and a bolt of blue energy shot forward, striking the inferno. 
         That energy morphed into a large wave of water, splashing outwards onto the flames, the sound of a hiss breaking the crackle of the fire, the inferno slowly dying, it’s core destroyed by the water energy. Within seconds, the inferno was gone, the charred remains of grass and vegetation now prevalent around him. He closed his eyes briefly to relax the powers, his eyes turning back to their normal colour when he opened them again. But now there was something else that needed his attention. Upon opening his eyes, something had appeared in the short
distance up ahead. He couldn’t make it out properly, so he started walking in its direction, his sword still drawn.
         As Darius grew nearer, he recognized the object. It was the Obelisk at the Varmerrian Ridge, it’s tall, stony stature he remembered from when his father took him there as a child. It was more of a memorial, to the ancient Varmerrians that use to inhabit that region of the land, a land which was now barren, close to the Kanora mountains. 
        “But what is that thing doing here?” he wondered, as Darius was nowhere near the Kanoras. He started walking faster, trying to get closer to the Obelisk, but everything
around started to fade to black, disappearing like a single thought among hundreds, not to be remebered.
         Darius awoke, startled, in the long grass he had fallen asleep in. He sat up straight and looked in all directions, remembering the fire. But there was no fire. Just the lush green grass, blowing in the gentle breeze, his sword and sheath lay beside him, just where he had left them. The sun was shining, the odd cloud passing before it. He breathed a sigh of relief, but then
realized he had a new quest now. He had to journey to Varmerrian Ridge and find that Obelisk, as it was the key to his vision.

         “Ahh!” yelled the old man as he awoke with a start, jumping up so fast he almost lost his balance and fell into the river next to him, the water rushing quickly past him as the rapids were nearby. Cyrada stopped, took a deep breath, and became aware of his surroundings rather quickly, as going for a wet river adventure didn’t appeal to him at this very moment. He
remembered fishing earlier, then eating some wild vegetables before falling asleep on his pack.
           He stood there quietly for a moment, pondering the vision he just had. Cyrada knew that Darius shared the vision, as his powers were becoming stronger as time passed by. He found the vision very confusing. A raging inferno that surrounded him for no reason? 
          “No sense.” the old man said out loud. As vain as his understanding of the vision was, he hoped that the young Darius figured it out. Cyrada had great faith in the young man, but knew there was a lot for him to learn as well. Shaking his head, Cyrada turned his attention back to his camp. He reached for the pack, and opened it, looking inside. It still contained his food, albeit a little squished, minus the fish, which he noticed were still hooked to the fallen tree at the water in front of him, half in the water.
           Cyrada closed the pack up, and slung it over his shoulder before picking up his fishing pole and catches, leaving the river for home, his day’s work done foe the time being. He shuffled away from his favourite spot, and made his way back into Veneria. Upon arrival home, Cyrada decided he pull out his old texts and try to look for the meaning of the vision. The ancient books he kept on the powers of the past and the land’s history were passed down to him by elders of long ago, back when Cyrada himself was young. 
          The books contained an immense amount of knowledge and secrets, the likes of which he could never share with anyone - save Darius, who understood the powers and what it all meant in the grand scheme of things. On the large wooden bookshelf near his bed he found the
book containing the land’s history. He grabbed it, along with the text that contained sketches of famous landmarks as drawn by the elders that had visited them. Cyrada then shuffled over to his reading table and sat down, placing the books in the middle of the table. He lit a candle that stood on the far corners of his table, and began to open the books and read, hoping to find the answers he was looking for.
           Hours later, he was just about to retire for the evening, when something caught his attention in both books. He had his finger on a line of text in the history book that read, ‘....a fire swept through the land near the mountains, the tall stone sentinel all that is left...’ Cyrada thought for a second. 
         “Tall stone sentinel?” he said out loud. Without warning, an errant thought hit him like a melon hitting the floor. He then shifted back to the book of sketches, and quickly flipped through it until he came to a page in the middle that showed a sketch of what looked to be like an obelisk, with some mountains off in the background. 
          Cyrada knew this place, having been there years ago with an elder, receiving a lesson about the ancients Varmerrians, a race that no longer existed. “That's it!” he yelled out loud, uncontrollably. He knew now the correlation that existed. The ‘stone sentinel’ referred to the obelisk near the Kanora mountain range, the region that has since become somewhat desolate. He wondered if Darius interpreted the vision as a quest to go to ancient Varmerria for some reason. 
         Something nagged at him, a feeling of frustration because he knew there was something else about that region. Something important that he couldn’t put his finger on. He vowed to read more in the morning, as it was late, and he was very tired. He closed the books, blew out the candles, and lumbered over to his bed to go to sleep, hoping the morning would come quickly, so he could keep researching with the books. Cyrada knew there was another answer for all
of this, but didn’t know what it was. All he knew was that it unnerved him a little, as he didn’t have a good feeling about it.

         It was hard not to think about her as he walked the trail towards the lake, getting closer to the shore where his father had left a small boat, years ago. He tried to think about the lake and his trip across it instead, but kept drifting back to the memories of her, his beloved Arielle.
        ‘How I wish she was here, coming with me on this quest.’ he thought, a tinge of loneliness echoing in his head. Never had he thought could a woman have such an effect on him the way she had on him right now. 
       “It happened, didn’t it?” he asked himself out loud. Closer he got to the lake shore with every step, the same trail walked by him and his father years ago, on one of their many 
fishing excursions. He had quite a catch the last time he was here, the thought of which made him smile. Now able to see the water, Darius took a right turn into the brush near two fallen trees, who’s trunks now formed an inadvertent ‘X’ shape, and shortly joined a smaller, narrower trail that went right to the shore.
         As he broke through the trees at the shore, his looked to his right, and as if it had never been disturbed since his last visit, to see the small two-person wooden tree trunk boat that his father had built, the paddles still laying next to it. Putting his thoughts aside for the moment, he walked over to the boat, and dragged it to the water’s edge, stopping to clean all of the leaves and branches that fell into it. 
        Darius picked up the two paddles, and placed them in the boat, along with  his pack
and sword, with enough room to spare. After pushing the boat far enough into the shallow water, he jumped into the boat and used one of the wooden paddles to push off, burying the paddle into the slit of the lake bottom to get the desired momentum. He started paddling in a rhythm, evenly spacing the paddle’s dips into the lake, carrying a constant speed as he began his
trip across the large lake. 
        Darius figured it would take the better part of the afternoon to get across, but that would be nothing compared to the time it would have taken him to go around.
       “Besides,” he said to himself out loud. “I wouldn’t miss this opportunity for the world.” he finished, while keeping his paddling even and steady. The experience was so peaceful, with the lake calm and the sound of the paddling soothing, that he turned back to his thoughts of Arielle, and how much he wanted to be with her again. A smile broke his face as he thought of her beautiful face, her hair so soft, and her eyes so perfect and enchanting. 
        He paddled on, so far out now that the shore he left from was now so small, it’s tree line starting to disappear in the distance. He kept his eyes forward, seeing only water, but no concern crossed his mind whatsoever. He knew he would complete his quest, and hopefully not too long after, he would be reunited with his beloved. Further and further the small boat ventured, splitting the water before it. It’s pilot almost in a state of total nirvana.

                                          Chapter 2 - Knowledge and Power

         The books were everywhere, littering the table like a whirlwind had been present. Some were open, some were closed, others had nowhere else to go but the floor beside the table, stacked higher than the average person stood. Cyrada moved back and forth from his table to the bookshelf, going through any book he thought would have any relevance to his research.
         He had been going at it now for almost a full day, and still was no closer to finding the answer than he was when he started, and was about to give up temporarily, when something in the large book he just opened caught his attention. The one page he was looking at contained a great deal of information about the obelisk. It told of an ‘ancient artifact of immense power left behind to guard that which exists but cannot be seen.’
         He froze, and thought back to a time when he was young and was being taught about the ancient Varmerrians, having been told that one day, a secret they had left behind would be revealed, but not after a confrontation with the one that guards said secret. It all started to make sense now as he went over information in his head. 
        “Master Gyron was referring to the obelisk directly.” he said out loud. “He knew that the obelisk was more than what we think it is.” he finished.
         Cyrada knew that Varmerrians existed when the powers were flourishing, and magic was everywhere. To him, it was easy to now establish that the obelisk is the guardian, and who knows what kind of power it could unleash to whoever woke it up. Cyrada knew that Darius would be the one to awaken the guardian, and would have to face it’s power alone, as he was too far away, his powers too rusty now. He began closing his stack of books and returning them to his bookshelf, his mind wandering from what he knew now, to young Darius about to awaken
an ancient power.
         He paused for a moment and reflected on all this, before walking over to his only window and looking out it up at the sky. 
        “May the Power be on your side, young Darius.” he said softly, before shuffling off to start cooking his dinner. No matter how dire the circumstances might be, and no matter how much was at stake, he was hungry, and after all, his stomach took precedent over all else.

          Birds flew from treetop to treetop, bringing food to their nests for their young, while the light grey clouds roamed the sky above, with no particular place to go. Far below all this on the ground, Darius woke up to see his campfire now a smouldering heap of charred wood, the thin column of wafting smoke all that was left of his warm fire. His boat was nearby, covered in the branches and leaves where he left it, having made it across the large lake the day previous. 
          He sat up and grabbed his pack, removing some food for a quick breakfast, as he was eager to get to his destination. In less than a half hour, he was packed up and already on his way again, hoping to get to the obelisk by early afternoon. He tried to think back to the visit to the obelisk years ago with his father. Darius remembered his father telling him something about it’s history, but had forgotten the conversation over the years.
          It was getting close to a decade now since his father had passed, but now more than ever, he wished his father was around to see him, this man that he had become. And as much as Darius wanted to take full credit for what he had become, he couldn’t. 
         Cyrada had been there for him ever since the day Darius’ father died, both as a mentor,
and as a trusted friend, who seemed to know a great deal of just about everything. Darius remembered his father mentioning once that Cyrada had been a friend of the family for so long, he was considered family by both his father and mother before her death.
        “If only they could see me now.”                          
         Darius also wondered why that out of everyone that inhabited the world, he was specifically chosen to be given the powers that he now controlled. At first, he thought it was a freak accident of nature, but as the days passed after the lightning strike, he knew in his heart that he had been chosen to wield the powers, that he alone was for some reason special compared to the others.
        “Knowledge is key to all of this.” he said out loud, and with that, resolved with himself to read the ancient texts upon his return to Veneria. There was much he needed to know about the old ways, the Elders, and even what his father had taught him. Darius thought about even visiting the Venerian archive, as it had the most to offer on thousands of years of history. To him, it seemed like a good idea, but one that had to wait for now, as the quest to the obelisk was more important, as he carried on down the trail, the trees growing thinner, the hills more evident.

          Empty plates were scattered about, the old man sitting on a chair near the window, bothered by his thoughts. 
         “I should have gone with him.” said Cyrada softly. “His beloved would never forgive
me if she came back only to find out he’d been killed on some stupid quest.” he said, frustration in his voice. He thought back to a time when he himself would go on quests, find ancient artifacts, power, all sorts of things like that. He remembered when the Power was trusted to him, the day still fresh in his mind. 
         “But,” he began softly. “That was then, and this is now.” 
         Cyrada began to reflect on that, but still had a feeling of helplessness at the same time, wanting to be on one more quest, alongside Darius. It got him thinking about the obelisk and
the ancient Varmerrians, thought to be one with the Power and masters of the land itself. He even recalled a conversation between two elders many moons ago about the mythical fire caves of Varmerria, that according to legend, could be accessed by anyone before the great cataclysm that supposedly destroyed Varmerria, the caves lost along with them. 
         Personally, Cyrada wasn’t really sure if the fire caves actually existed, but deduced that Darius might just be the one to find the subterranean passages if they did indeed exist.
        “If they haven’t already been destroyed.” he said out loud. After all, he thought, who knows what could have happened over many millenia. Cyrada sighed, and got up to clean his plates and put them away. His belly full, he felt like sleeping, but was too wound up from all the thinking he’d been doing about the obelisk and the Varmerrians and whatnot.
         Cyrada stopped midway to his dinner plates, frozen by an errant thought about days of long past. After a few moments of this, he did an about face and headed in the direction of his bed, a touch of conviction in his eyes. Reaching his bed, he knelt down softly and reached under the bed and retrieved a compact wooden chest, a light coating of dust on its lid. He stared at the chest as if it was supposed to do something important.
         He was fighting a battle within himself, knowing full well that if he opened the chest, he could not undo what would follow. Cyrada had feared the contents for some time, not wanting to again become the power of the past. 
         Many moments passed as he pondered the chest, before finally speaking. 
        “Perhaps the old ways were the best ways after all."
        The chest open, it’s contents were now revealed as he pulled them out, one at a time. A dark purple robe, with a golden crescent moon emblazoned in the centre of the chest area was first, followed by a pointy, wide brimmed hat of the same colour. Cyrada wasted no time putting them on, and discarding his current clothes. The last item was a necklace containing an amulet with an unique transparent red stone at the centre. He put it around his neck, and promptly fastened it at the back. 
        The red stone began to glow, it’s energy enveloping Cyrada, his form becoming slightly taller now. His shaggy, somewhat short faciar hair became a full white beard that hung down to the golden moon on his robe, his eyes now glowing a bright gold. 
        His house now glowing in energy, he spoke, his voice so loud it resonated throughout.
       “Exiled from one realm, I have lived in this realm as Cyrada.” he said, eyes glowing as bright as the sun now.
       “But now, this world will witness the rebirth of Merlin, the most powerful sorceror ever!!” he exclaimed, before raising both arms into the air, with energies that punched a hole in the roof of his house, exposing the night sky. He looked into the blackness of the night sky, and smiled.
       “Merlin will take up the cause, young Darius.” he continued. “And may the Gods have mercy on the souls of evil that get in my way!"
        Waving his arms into a crossed motion, a whirlwind of energy whipped up, and disappeared just as fast, taking Merlin with it. The man known as Cyrada was now gone for the time being, taking up his former identity one more time, the allure of power far too great for the old man. Tempered with a heart of good, the power was in the right hands for the time being,
his convictions pure and free of fear.

         A sharp pain hit him in midstep, causing him to stumble and nearly fall to the ground. He staggered over to the nearest tree to help stabilize himself. Darius instantly knew something had happened, but he wasn’t sure what. The pain subsided, and he shook it off and continued
walking, but didn’t get far before stopping and looking to the night sky, the stars blinking. He reached out as if to touch the stars, before speaking softly. 
        “Cyrada?” he asked, his voice trailing off into the night.
        There was no answer, and he didn’t expect any. Darius pondered for a moment, his head hung low, before straightening up and continuing his journey under the cover of night. He usually preferred to not walk around at night, but he had uncontrollably fell asleep during the day, and had just awoken a little while earlier. 
        “It’s a sign.” he said softly, trying to make sense of his thoughts, which became centered on Cyrada, and incidentally, his father as well. Darius knew this all fit into the grand scheme of life, but at this point was unsure how, and more importantly, why.
         As he walked on, the darkness began to fade as the sun began it’s daily rise, chasing away the night for another day. The trees became sparse now, the hills taking over. He started a small climb up a long, rolling hill, very close now to the obelisk and Varmerria. 
        “It won’t be long now.” he said out loud. He disappeared over the rise of the hill, and started the final leg of his journey, unaware of the challenge that was quickly approaching as well.

                                         Chapter 3 - Guardians of Yesterday

           It stood there as a sentinel and a memorial, protecting an ancient land, it’s people long turned to dust by the sands of time. The solitary stone obelisk was a monument to it’s creators, it longevity yet unparalleled throughout the land. The Varmerrians long gone, it was all that was left of them and their unique culture, their way of life, and their death as a whole. Unknown to most, it hid other secrets as well, secrets that a normal man couldn’t handle, the power of which would drive him mad, or kill him in the same right. 
         Some elders had taught all to avoid the obelisk and the land it protects, while other elders had brought younger people to it to learn about the Varmerrians and their past. It was true that some did not return, and the reason never found. Darius was not one who thought it should be avoided; his father had brought him here once when he was much younger. Old enough to appreciate it now, he stood in awe of it’s sheer size, at least four times as tall, and much wider than him. Inscriptions were carved into it, the likes of which he still didn’t understand. His father had mentioned the meanings of a few of the inscriptions, but after all this time, couldn’t remember for the life of him.
         He reached out to touch the nearest inscriptions, and as soon as he did make contact with them, the obelisk and ground started to shake uncontrollably. He was barely able to keep his balance, and was about to fall over completely, when the shaking stopped. Relieved, he gathered himself, and was about to go back examining the obelisk, when the stone pillar itself started to vibrate, then crack.
         Darius jumped back and kept his distance, not knowing what the hell was going on. The cracks became large enough for the obelisk to start crumbling, what was once tall and proud now becoming a pile of rubble. Just when he thought it was all over, the rubble separated from within, some chunks flying into the air, now revealing a figure unknown to him, but much larger than him. The figure stepped out of the rubble, revealing a form almost as large as the obelisk, but now as a living, breathing being, similar in appearance to Darius, but bulkier, and in clothing unseen by him.
         It had a large resemblance to a picture of an ancient Varmerrian that Darius had seen in one of Cyrada’s ancient books, albeit much bigger, it’s arms and upper torso with strange markings tattooed on them, it’s face simple and sharp, the eyes glowing with an orange glow that reminded him of the sunset, but with a body made of the same stone as the obelisk itself.  The being looked down at him suddenly, before speaking. 
         “Who disturbs my slumber?” it asked  in a booming voice.
         Darius looked up at the large being, and replied, his gaze never wavering. “I do. My name is Darius.” he replied. 
        The being was silent for a moment, before speaking again. “I am the guardian of Varmerria! None shall pass!” he finished, his large arms now crossed in front of his chest.
         Darius just stood there for a second, before responding. “Varmerria is a dead land now, Guardian. There is nothing left to guard.” 
         The Guardian became enraged instantly, looking around in all directions quickly before turning his attention back to Darius. “The city, gone? My people, gone??” he queried, visibly
distracted now. Before Darius could respond, the Guardian began to growl and grimace before pointing at Darius. 
        “You did this!" he yelled impatiently. “You destroyed Varmerria during my slumber!!”  
         The Guardian raised it arms over his head as of to summon some kind of power, his fists glowing with energy. 
         “You WILL die!" he shrieked, before bringing his fists together, unleashing a bolt of pure energy right at Darius, the impact of which sent him flying backwards into the ground. The young swordsman slowly picked himself up and drew his sword, his eyes now flowing                                                 with disgust for the being, glowing blue with the elemental energy that flowed through his body. He was ready to strike back.

           A whirlwind of energy deposited him on the top of a large hill overlooking the Varmerrian valley, and what he saw in the distance startled him. A large menacing being with energy swirling around it was in a staredown with young Darius, also enveloped in energy, his
sword drawn and ready to fight. Merlin’s attention was locked on the deadlock below, and he didn’t know how to proceed without doing a great deal of damage to both combatants.
          He decided to watch for now, not wanting to interfere prematurely. He knew from experience that Darius had a good head on his shoulders, and would fight honourably and come out on top. Merlin also knew that should the battle go wrong for the young swordsman, he would step in. Darius was a proud man, and would not back down from a challenge. This he had shown in early training with his father many moons prior. 
          As he watched the action, it slowly began to change into a battle for position, as the two began to circle each other, the larger figure still with his fists together, outstretched and ready to
strike. Darius, his sword clenched firmly between his two hands, it’s blade pointing towards his adversary. Merlin could only hope that Darius would use in this battle everything he had learned up to this point, in harmony with his elemental powers, which the young man was still in the process of harnessing to their full extent.

          His sword was aimed at his opponent, the long, thick blade glinting off the light from the sun, it’s rays still being projected from somewhere far over the crest of the hills. His eyes were locked on his target, waiting for the twitch or first strike that would initiate the battle. Darius would not strike first, remembering something his father had said long ago. 
         “Darius...never be the one to start a conflict, but always be the one to end it.” his father’s words ringing as clear as if he was there alongside his son.
          Darius waited patiently, hoping that the Guardian’s first move would come quickly, as he hated to be kept waiting. He wanted to fight, he wanted the chance to put all his knowledge and
experience into play, to show his prowess in combat. To his dismay however, the circling stalemate continued. Even though his quarry outsized and overmatched him, it seemed unwilling to make a move as of yet, and Darius was left wondering about this.
          Was the Guardian trying to sweat him out, make him wait so long that he would lose control and try a foolhardily head-on attack. Darius managed a small smile. He would not be baited so easily by the Guardian. He knew that patience and composure would be the key
to the battle, as would finding and exploiting a weakness as soon as possible. He would need any and all advantage that he could find to defeat this monstrous foe.
           Suddenly, the Guardian stopped circling, and aimed his fists at Darius, letting loose a barrage of energy at the smaller form. The bolt lanced out and would have hit Darius dead on had he not anticipated this and jumped back at the exact moment the energy was released. And with that, the battle was on, the stalemate a thing of the past. Darius readied himself, re-aimed the sword at his foe, and charged the large Guardian, not a trace of fear in his focused eyes.
           The Guardian slowly sidestepped, just missing the charge, but unable to miss the secondary attack, a quick swing of the sword from Darius, who used his superior speed and smaller size to turn around quick enough to catch the Guardian in his leg. Howling with a
temporary flash of pain, the Guardian faced off with Darius again, this time punching the ground with a force that shook it violently, throwing the young swordsman off balance and tumbling to the ground.
           Darius slowly got to his feet again, but stood defensively in a near-crouch position, not wanting to be caught off guard nor have far to fall in case the ground shook again. Neither combatant wanted to make the next move, the Guardian waiting for his smaller quarry to do something, while Darius waited patiently for the opportunity to strike. It was a deadlock who’s
end could have dire consequences.
          “How does one defeat a gigantic sentinel made of stone?” Darius mumbled to himself. He knew his sword was useless, and fire wouldn’t do much against his opponent. He considered his possibilites while keeping a watchful eye on his foe, trying to come up with any plan of action that seemed somewhat plausible. Then just like that, the answer revealed itself to him, a small smile appearing on his face in the midst of the deadly serious confrontation. Darius knew he’d only get one shot at what he was about to do, so he went over it quickly in his mind, all while the Guardian began to slowly move towards him again.
           Darius left his crouching position and stood up straight, ready to implement his plan. He closed his eyes and focused on his elemental powers, clearing his mind completely, and picturing the frigid cold of a blizzard in his mind. Darius’ left hand began to glow a brilliant light blue, forming a spherical orb in his palm of pure energy. He merged the powerful orb with his right hand, his sword now enveloped by the energy, it’s blade and handle now a vessel of the energy, crackling and hissing with the power.
            Darius cocked his right arm back, holding the sword like a large dagger, his eyes now open and seething with the same energy. He lowered his head slightly, the smile on his face now bigger. Suddenly, with a quickness and ferocity seldom seen, his arm flashed forward and released the sword, it’s large blade leaving behind a short trail of crackling blue energy as it hurtled towards it’s target. The Guardian just stood there, not quick enough to dodge the weapon, it’s blade striking him right between the eyes, and embedding itself deep in his head.
            Swirling blue energy began to encompass the large being’s head and turning it to ice as he let out a bloodcurdling scream in such a deep tone that the ground vibrated. The Guardian’s hands were on his head trying to pull the sword out, but to no avail. Suddenly, the screaming stopped, as his head was pure ice now, the sword successful. The large sentinel began to sway, and without warning tipped backwards and fell, landing on it’s back with such force that the frozen head was obliterated instantly, the sword coming loose and sliding across the ground a short distance, the energy now dissipated.
             The battle over, Darius slowly walked over and picked up is sword and sheathed it. He looked at his giant adversary who now laid on the ground, vanquished and without it’s head. He was about to take a closer look, when with no warning, the ground began to shake violently, throwing him to the dirt once again. The tremors continued for a couple more minutes before stopping completely, Darius waiting a little longer before picking himself up off the ground. He was about to walk up to his fallen competitor, when he stopped in his tracks to see that the
Guardian’s body was no longer there. In it’s place was a large pile of boulders and rocks that stood at the top of a newly-formed opening in the land.
             As Darius walked up to it, he could see that it started off shallow, maybe only a metre deep, but as it extended outwards, the trench deepened and deepened until it became a cave futher down. The trench was more than wide enough for several people to walk side by side down it. He pondered the trench carefully for a few minutes, before hopping down into it and starting off down into it, his attention now focused on entering the caves. What lay ahead he did not know for sure, but then surmised that it couldn’t possibly be any worse than what he had just faced. 
          “Or could it?” he queried out loud, as he continued on, the cave entrance getting closer, and closer.

                                              Chapter 4 - The Unknown

           Laughing to himself softly, Merlin knew the outcome of the battle would be favourable for the young swordsman. After all, he expected nothing less from someone like Darius. 
         “Just like his father.” Merlin mumbled to himself, still atop the hill watching things from afar. He knew that the powers bestowed upon Darius were a perfect fit, as the young man’s discipline was second to none, his cunning impressive as well. 
         “The caves he will find very challenging, but not impossible.” said Merlin out loud, while pondering his plan of action.
          As much as he himself wanted to be present in the caves to help the young swordsman, Merlin knew that he would have to be an outsider until the journey was complete, and Darius found the secret of the ancient Varmerrians, as the secret would turn out to be much more than 
anyone would have thought. 
         “Much more indeed.” said Merlin. “If it was only known how their destruction came about....” he trailed off, now with a look of sadness and guilt upon his face. He put his hands together slowly and within seconds became enveloped in pure energy, vanishing shortly  thereafter, the hilltop now as if it had been undisturbed.

          It felt like he had been walking for hours through the dark maze of caves, not exactly sure where to go. His torch only lit so much of the cave as he walked, and everything looked so much the same, that if he didn’t look down occasionally to see his legs moving he would swear he was standing still. The narrow passage continued to wind through the rock until it became straight, with more defined walls and features. He was about to stop and take a break, when he noticed that there was a faint glow up ahead, which grew brighter as he got closer to it.
          The end of the straight passage produced an open door, with two lit torches hanging next to it, the source of the light. Upon stepping through the doorway, Darius found his next challenge. A large chasm now stood between the ledge he was standing on, and the ledge on the other side that had a similar door with two identical lit torches next to it. Both ledges were wide, but the casm was wide as well, and quite deep. Peering over the edge, he looked down and did not see anything but blackness.
          Looking around, he didn’t see anything to use to span the width of the chasm, which he thought was more than he could leap on a good day, so he knew of only one other way to get across. Backing up into the doorway he had come from, he outstretched his right arm towards the door on the far ledge, and focused his thoughts on it carefully. His right hand began to glow a light blue after a while. 
          Suddenly, a blue orb shot forward across the chasm, striking the other ledge with a blast that created a wave of energy back to just in front of where Darius was standing.
          He lowered his arm and opened his eyes, a bridge made of ice now spanning the gap before him. Smiling to himself, he jogged across. Opening the new door in front him, it revealed a new, wider and lit passageway that didn’t look as twisty as the first one. He closed the door behind himself carefully, and wandered down the new tunnel, hoping he was getting closer to his destination. A minute later, the well-lit tunnel dead ended with a rock face, with no apparent exit. Darius looked around, and was about to turn around when he noticed something about the rock face.
           He poked the rock face, and was greatly confused when he noticed that it wasn’t completely solid. To him, it didn’t feel like rock at all, more like some kind of wood or something. Drawing his sword, he faced the fake rock, and reached back, before striking it with the sharp metal of the blade. A small gash was the result, with some pieces of the foreign material falling to the floor of the tunnel. He struck at it again, and again, with the same result. More of the material fell to the ground, with an even bigger gash formed now. 
           Darius had an idea. He sheathed his sword, and then wandered over to one of the torches that lit the tunnel, ripping it off the wall. He walked back to the gash he had created, and jammed the torch into it. Within moments, the torch had ignited the material, the flames licking all over it, turning it into a mini-inferno. Darius sat down on the floor and stayed close to the ground, the smoke now billowing near the ceiling and moving down the corridor. After what seemed like an eternity, the fire began to die out, and the smoke dissipate.
           Getting up off the floor, Darius again drew his sword, this time using it to clear away the charred mess that remained. Hacking the last bits away, he walked through the left over smoke and emerged into a large, somewhat circular torch-lit room, with a rounded chunk of rock in the centre, a small metallic box resting on it. Darius also heard the faint sound of water, like what is heard from a running river or creek. He walked up to the rock, and stared at the large metallic box first before touching it, in case of booby traps.
           Seeing none, he reached out and popped the lid of the box open and lifted it, revealing something inside. Peering in, he saw that it was a large scroll of somesort. He picked it up out of the box, and pulled gently on the paper, it’s rough feel confusing him. There were pictures and
words of a lost language drawn on it, continuing throughout the scroll. He didn’t understand the writing at all, but came to a quick conclusion about the scroll itself. 
         “This very well might be a chronicle of some sort.” he surmised, still examining it.
          Without warning, the ground beneath him began to shake, pieces of the rock walls coming loose and hitting the floor with a cracking thud as well. Darius looked around the room quickly as the trembling became worse, trying in vain to assess the situation. Putting the scroll back into the box, he jammed it under his right arm and headed for the door he arrived from, only to find it buried in large rocks now. Looking around once more, he saw a hole torn open in the far wall in front of him, and ran for it. Shielding his eyes with his left forearm, he jumped through the hole, and emerged in a large underground tunnel that had a small river running though it.
           Seeing some crude stairs cut into the floor, Darius bounded down them to the edge of the river, where two rowboats lay berthed. He jumped into the closest one, placed the scroll’s box down next to the seat, and grabbed the paddles, following the direction of the current. Looking back, he saw rocks and boulders come crashing down and burying the entrance hole, the stairs, and the second rowboat. With a sigh of relief, he continued to paddle, albeit a little calmer now that the ground had stopped shaking.
           The river tunnel was dark, with no torches of any kind. The only light was the occasional shaft not much wider than his head that seemed to penetrate the surface. His eyes had adjusted to the dark well by now, and he was able to make out the tunnel’s walls and such. Time passed as he continued to paddle, a little fatigued now. There was no place for him to stop and camp for a while, as the river hugged the walls of the tunnel, and he had not seen anymore places to moor the boat, much less get out and walk.
           Another hour passed by, and Darius could no longer keep his eyes open, fatigue getting the best of him. He closed his eyes suddenly, and tipped backwards. His head landed on the second seat behind him, and he slipped into dreamland, the current now totally carrying the boat. One oar had fallen next to him, the other into the water, almost following the boat down the river. Except for the occasional scrape with the wall, the rowboat drifted unscathed and tranquil down the underground waterway with ease, quietly and gently.

          “Argh....too bright...” said Darius to himself, his eyes opening slowly to a really bright light. He sat up straight and yawned before looking around. The rowboat had become beached
on a small sandbar on the riverbank, the waterway now outside and much wider. The sun shone brightly from above, and a gentle breeze whistled softly through the air, moving leaves on the nearby trees, and swaying the grass in the fields. Darius was a little confused now, as he looked all around, but saw no tunnels or anything of the sort. 
          “I must have drifted the whole time I was asleep.” he mused.
          The area didn’t look overly familiar to him, but was nice to take in after all the time spent in dark tunnels and chambers underground. Not wanting to waste anymore time, he picked up the scroll’s box, and stepped out of the boat, walking up the sand bank and onto the lush grass. Off in the distance away from the river, he saw a rather large hill with some kind of rock formation at the top of it. He decided to head off in that direction for the time being.
          As he walked, Darius decided to examine the scroll some more. Much to his surprise, halfway down the scroll was a picture of a hill much like the one he was headed to with some kind of squarish looking thing drawn on the top of it. 
       “Weird.” 
         He examined a bit more before rolling it up again and placing it gently back into it’s box. “What’s on top of you, hill?” he queried out loud to the hill, not expecting an answer. 

         Merlin stood alone on the opposite bank of the river, taking in the setting and landscape on a beautiful day. He had figured that given the means, young Darius would find his way down the river to where his destiny awaited him. The Chronicle of Varmerria had been an unexpected find, as he had read and heard from reputable sources that the scroll had not survived this long. He should have never doubted it’s existence, nor it’s discovery. If anyone was going to find it, it was Darius.
          As he watched the young man walk off in the distance from the other side of the river, Merlin just stood there and smiled to himself, concealed in the shade of a very large tree. 
         “Soon, you will find some answers, young Darius.” he said softly, knowing that the young swordsman was more than able to finish this adventure without any help. 
         “His father would be most proud.” said Merlin.
         The elder swordsman had taught his son well. Darius was more than just master of the sword. A respectable, honourable man as well, with the introduction of powers making him that much more a man who held himself in such high regard and to admirable standards. Merlin’s only concern was that of Darius personality. As analytical as the young man was, he knew that instead of retreating from overwhelming odds to save face, that Darius would rather fight to his last breath. That could very well be his undoing if not tempered properly.
          For the time being however, Merlin was happy that the young man had gotten this far with the adventure, and felt a sense of pride that Darius could be the first to unlock the secret of the ancient Varmerrians. Knowledge was power, and this kind of knowledge in the wrong hands could be dangerous. 
         “Darius is far from the wrong hands. The secrets of Varmerria will be safe with him.” he said with a smile, before whipping his cloak around him quick enough to cloak himself before disappearing into a cloud of purple smoke, which soon dissipated and left only the tree in it’s wake.

                                         Chapter 5 - The Flames of Time                                                     

                                                   
           Things always looked different up close, and this huge stone structure in front of him was no different. When he first saw it from the river bank, it looked like a squarish rock pile hastily put at the top of the hill. Now having climbed the hill, he stood before the structure, it’s tall slabs of stone placed upright in a diamond-shaped pattern, towering over him. Darius stood in the middle of the vast pattern, next to a smaller grouping of stones, circular in shape. In the centre of this was a giant bowl shaped thing that sat on a stony pedestal just taller than him.
           It had strange symbols etched into the side of it, which made no immediate sense to him. Having a quick idea, he pulled the scroll out of it’s box again, and scanned it more throughly for any corresponding symbols.
         “The answer might just be in here.” he said out loud. 
          Near the bottom of the scroll came the answer. A series of symbols written under the picture of the hill he had seen earlier were present, as well as a short sentence written in a language he was unfamiliar with. Darius decided to try to pronounce the words in a vain hope of learning them.
        “Var mandra kel-tor-an var merra...” his voice trailed off, as he began to think reciting the ancient words a waste of time. Just as he closed up the scroll, the large bowl burst into flames. The fire soon divided from the bowl, shooting outwards and down to the smaller stones that he stood within, turning it all into a giant ring of fire that became a wall of flame, trapping him on the interior. 
        “Not good at all.” he said, a little worry in his voice. Just as he was about to use his elemental powers to dowse some of the flames, what happened next left him speechless. An image of a old man’s face appeared in the flames that rose from the bowl, and spoke to him directly. 
        “Why have you awoken us? It is not time yet.” asked the fireface, visibly angry at being there at that moment. Darius carefully thought about his answer before replying.
        “Forgive me. It was not my intention to interrupt you.” he said. 
        The face looked him up and down before speaking again. “You look like an honourable man, your mind is clear, your weapon not drawn.” it said.
         “Thank you.” replied Darius, a little confused.
         “Because you hold the Scroll, you will be shown the chronicled history of Varmerria, so that you can pass the knowledge on and share it so that lies are not told about it.” explained the voice. Darius only nodded, before the face continued. 
         “After that, you will leave the scroll and box here, and continue on your journey.” the face
finished, relaying it's wishes.
         “I don’t underst--” started Darius, but was quickly cut off by the quick rise of flames, temporarily blinding him. When he was able to open his eyes again, what he saw shocked him.
          The fire was gone, and he was able to see the wholestructure and hilltop again, except that what he saw beyond the hill didn’t make sense. Where there had been lush fields of grass and the river free of anything, was now a bustling town, with ancient sailboats gliding down the river into a bright sunrise. It was then that he felt some heat behind him, and turned back around to see the fire face hovering over the bowl. “Where am I, face?” he queried. 
         “You are in the heart of Varmerria, thousands of years in your past. I am called Q’os, the 
God of fire.” he explained.
           That got Darius thinking. His mind racing now, he asked another question to the fire God. “Is there also a God of water?” he asked Q’os. 
          The answer from the fire God was swift. “Yes, there is a goddess of water, her name is Q’in.” he answered. Suddenly, something became clear to Darius, and he blurted it out loud. 
         “I’m of Varmerrian descent, aren’t I??” he question the fire God. 
         Q’os laughed for a few seconds before making his response. “Very good, young Darksword. Yes, your family’s roots are Varmerrian, and Q’in and I were responsible for your powers on that day you were struck by lightning in the fields.” he answered.
          This gave Darius much to think about, as he turned away from Q’os and looked down upon the bustling town again, seeing people scurrying about their business, seemingly oblivious to what was happening on the hilltop overlooking them. 
          “Why me, Q’os?” he asked, still gazing down below. The fire God’s voice boomed a bit behind him. 
          “You are special, Darius. You are as honourable as they come.” replied Q’os. 
          Darius had never thought of himself as special, but just a man with a sword that lived a simple life. His father had been the ultimate role model in his early years, a man who was naturally gifted in the ways of the sword. Everyday as a young boy brought new teachings from his father, and lessons on how to carry oneself in life. The weekly training with the sword was also something he used to enjoy, until his fifteenth birthday, when Darius received his very first sword as a gift. Never would he have guessed that one day he would also receive special powers as well. 
          Turning back to Q’os, he wanted to know more about Varmerria. “What ever happened to all of this?” he asked, wondering how something so vast and beautiful could have been lost.
          Q’os said nothing at first, but then came around.
         “Q’in and I gifted many of them the powers that we gave you.” he began. “But, they were not ready, and turned the powers on each other for personal gain. They destroyed themselves, and their peaceful land and almost all of what they had accomplished, save for a few that managed to survive and keep the Varmerrian race alive.”
           Darius didn’t say anything, trying to take it all in, before turning back to the town below. “All this,” he said quietly. “Gone, because of greed."

           When the swirling stopped and the smoke cleared, Merlin found himself alone in the diamond shaped structure that Darius had entered earlier, only there was no one here now. He noticed the warmth left behind, and touched one of the rocks. 
          “Still warm.” he mumbled. Not sure what really had transpired, he sat down on one of the smaller stones and waited, hoping that the young man would return soon. He couldn’t
envision Darius starting a fire then leaving for no reason. He wasn’t one to misuse the powers that he had.
           Merlin looked way off to the north, where he could just barely make out the Kelvian mountain rage, clouds obscuring most of their peaks. He didn’t expect to see much from this distance anyways, and didn’t think it likely that the young swordsman had headed that way already. That would be an adventure in it’s own, and would require determination and guile on Darius’ part. 
          “I won’t be going with him after this.” said the old sorceror aloud, outlining his plans to himself. “I would just be a hindrance to his learning.” 
          Merlin knew that it was time for Darius to live his own life by himself, without interference
of any kind, “Even from me.” said Merlin.
          When Cyrada put the cloak and amulet back on, he swore to deal with any and all evil that might come his way, and even though Darius would have some to deal with on his next journey, what Merlin had to conquer was much worse and needed his utmost attention. He knew the young swordsman was quite capable now, if not from the outcome at the Land of Shadows, then everything else he had accomplished up to that point as well. He also knew that Darius would not be alone on his next quest, nor would there be any cause for concern. 

            It look a little longer for the wall of fire to disappear this time, but it was no less startling then it was earlier. When the smoke parted, Darius moved to the edge of the hill again and looked over, noticing that all was normal again, the lush green fields and emptiness of it all as it was before Q’os appeared. He was about to descend down the hill when he felt a large amount of heat behind him suddenly. He turned quickly to see Q’os staring at him.
          “Young Darius, there is a Varmerrian you must seek out before your next quest.” he said. Darius only nodded, and awaited more information, which came quickly. 
         “He is called Errian, and he is a sorceror of the ancient powers, and also of Varmerrian descent. You can find him a few hours across the river, but be warned, he does not receive visitors very well.” 
          Darius nodded, before bowing slightly and turning, ready to head down the hill. It was then that Q’os spoke one last time.
         “Safe journey to you, Darius Darksword.” said the fire God as he flamed out and disappeared quickly.
          The young swordsman began his descent down the hill, thinking about this Varmerrian he was to meet and possibly join forces with. He had never really encountered a sorceror before, and wasn’t sure what to expect. Nevertheless, if this was to help him in the future time, then perhaps it was a good thing. Suddenly, he heard what sounded like a shriek from an ancient dragon behind him. Darius stopped and whirled around, but saw nothing.
         "I must be more fatigued then I thought to be hearing a dragon." he said, continuing on.
         It wasn’t long until he reached the river and sandbank where his rowboat had run aground, the wooden craft still stuck in the sand. The water was shallow from the sandbank to the other side, so he was able to wade across, the depth of the water no higher than his chest.
         If worse came to worse he could swim, having been taught as a child by his father, but would rather not have to. A few minutes later, he was drying off on the riverbank,  and deciding which way to go. Darius was under the impression that he should head in the same direction as his river crossing, catching a glimpse of a treed area well past the tall grass of the emerald green fields. Taking his sword out of it’s sheath, he used the razor sharp blade to hack through some of the taller grass, helping him make a path towards the forest.
        “You’d think that someone would have made a path by now.” he said to himself, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the length of the lush grass. It didn’t take him too long to reach the halfway point of the overgrown field, and with that, he was better able to see the forest.
          The trees towered over the field, so seeing them from this distance was even easier than before, making the forest look that much closer than it actually was. Darius rested in the circular space he had made with his sword, and pondered this sorceror he was supposed to meet up with somewhere in the forest. 
          “I might have to search the entire forest.” 
          Grumbling at the prospect of that thought, he got up and resumed his trek through the grass, again hacking away at it with his sword, trying to work a bit faster in order to get to the forest sooner rather than later. As patient a person as he was, time was not something he wasted to waste right now.
           A short time later, Darius stopped hacking as the grass became thin enough for him to walk through with ease, but still to high to see over. Walking at a brisk pace, he emerged from the grassy expanse and finally into the forest, stopping to look at the massive tree line before him. Looking to both his left and his right, he saw the trees stretch far, not able to see where they ended. 
         “Quite the place this is.” he remarked aloud, the sheer size of the forest overwhelming him slightly. Darius knew he had his work cut out this time. 

                                               Chapter 6 - Mono E Mono

           The palms of his hands crackled with energy, enveloped by what looked like tiny versions of lightning storms. His eyes closed, his mind focused on making the tiny storms bigger. The grew larger and larger until they combined, almost forming a spherical shield of lightning around him. He suddenly opened his eyes, the black pupils and white corneas now replaced by lightning as well. As the lightning in his eyes crackled, a large bolt of lightning lanced out from his self-created sphere and charged towards the sky, exploding overhead with a thunderous boom.
           It had taken him over a century to learn this new power and wield it properly. Such power in the wrong hands could be devastating, and he was weary of others who had the power but didn’t understand it. Not many had powers in this day and age, but those who did used it wisely and carefully, and stayed out of the public eye. A sorceror for a long time now, he had been honing his powers for quite some time, not wanting the legacy of his lost people, the ancient Varmerrians, to be lost forever.
           He thought back to the time when the great powers were given to his people, and for time there was prosperity for all. But like most things, the powers corrupted some, and the ensuing cataclysm was enough to destroy most of the land and the people that had called it home. He swore that he would not let himself get corrupted, secluding himself ever since in this forest. The powers were a great responsibility, and he was unwilling to be reckless with them. 
           As he relaxed his hold on the powers a bit, the sphere of lightning vanished, and the lightning vanished. He was about to leave and go back to his home when he saw someone approaching between the trees. The brown hood on his robe was casting a shadow over his face, so he was unable to be seen from a distance, the robe hiding the rest of his body. He shot a quick glance to the tree nearest him, where his quarterstaff lay resting where he had left it. Deciding not to grab it yet, he turned his attention back to the being walking towards him.
           He began to make out the person, a man with long black hair, peculiar marks under his eyes, and a large sword in a sheath slung over his back. It was time to address this man. 
         “Halt. Identify yourself.” 
          The man stopped and looked towards him before answering. “I am Darius Darksword. I come in search of Errian, a sorceror.” he replied. 
         Errian nodded once before speaking again. “Why?” 
         The man called Darius spoke again, a bit louder this time.
         “I seek him out as a fellow Varmerrian.” he replied. 
         Errian’s teeth clenched slghtly, and he felt anger towards the man who couldn’t possibly be Varmerrian, and had dishonoured the name. 
        “Liar!!” he yelled, before turning his left palm into a ball of lighting, pulling it back, and 
throwing forward as a bolt of lightning at the intruder. It lanced out and struck the man in the chest, sending him flying backwards into some heavy brush. Errian disengaged and waited for him to get back up, but didn’t. Being patient, he waited for the man to wake up and explain himself.

         Coming to finally, he shook his head a bit. “Ow.” was all he managed to grunt as he slowly sat up. He caught a glimpse of the person that had hit him with the pure blast of energy, standing in the same spot still. Dragging himself to his feet, Darius once again faced the unknown
figure, this time drawing his sword and leveling it at his attacker.
        “You must be the sorceror himself." he said loudly, making sure the attacker would hear him. The response came seconds later in the form of another bolt of energy that lanced out and knocked his sword out of his hands and away from him into the brush. Looking at his empty hands, than back at the attacker that was most likely the sorceror Errian, he spoke once more.
        “You leave me no other option but to fight you.” said Darius.
         He focused his thoughts, his eyes now glowing, his left arm now enveloped in an orange energy. Darius let loose the energy in the form of a stream of fire than created a wall of flames in front of the sorceror. Nothing moved for a few long minutes, and then the robed person emerged from the flames and walked a few steps before stopping. He flicked back his hood revealing a man with short brown hair and the features of a man older than he was.
         It was then the man decided to speak again.
        “I am Errian, the sorceror you seek. Please, let us not continue this fight.” he pleaded. Darksword looked very confused all of a sudden, which made him query the sorceror before him. “It was you that started this conflict and had to knock me down twice, but now wish to stop it? Help me to understand.” he said, some anger in his voice. 
        Errian stared at Darksword for a few minutes before answering. “I wanted to see if my
aggression would make you leave. Less courageous people don’t last as long as you have. You have the heart of a Varmerrian."
        Darksword replied quickly. “I am not like any you have met before.” he said, his anger subsiding. “Perhaps you underestimated me.”
        Errian nodded ever so slightly, notwanting to let Darksword have it all. 
       “Perhaps.” was all he said softly, before sitting down on the grass, cross-legged. Darius finally sheathed his sword, and cautiously walked up to where Errian was sitting, making sure to stay a little bit away from the sorceror. 
       “Sit down.” said Errian. 
        Darksword thought about it for a second before joining Errian on the ground.
        “Tell me,” started the sorceror. “What brings you here to me, now, in this place.” he asked, a little curiosity in his voice. Darius replied quickly. 
        “I was told by Q’os that I was to seek you out as an ally on my next quest.” 
        Errian’s head lowered a bit, his eyes now closed. “Indeed, And did Q’os say what this quest was about.” he asked, wanting to know more. 
        Darius shook his head. “No. He said nothing of the quest, only to seek you out and have you join me.” he explained.
        “Typical Q’os.” started Errian. “Never tells you everything, only just enough to get your tongue wet.” he finished, a hint of humour in his voice. 
        Darius apologized. “I’m sorry, I wish I knew more.” 
        Errian laughed. “Nonsense. If we knew too much too soon, the adventure would no fun now would it?” he asked happily, his eyes now wide open again. 
        Darius smiled and nodded in agreement. “You make a good point.” he said.
        Errian got up off the ground and turned to look out at the horizon. “Very well.” he said. “I will join you on your next quest, whatever it may be.” 
        Darius nodded. “Good."
        Errian turned around and faced his younger comrade. “We will find out soon enough. All will be revealed in due time.” he said, with almost a certainty. “And when that time comes, we
will be ready.” his voice trailed off as a wind suddenly whipped up and blew his hair over his face, and his eyes began to glow.

                                                            THE END