A web of Lies that clouds and binds
That shrouds our eyes, fills our minds
The road to freedom is the way of the sleuth
To seek out and uphold the Truth
For it is speech that puts up and ends fights
Armed with the Truth, guarded by rights
We will use our words to reveal the upheaval
A beacon for the dark, to scrutinize evil
Watch the weave become steadily unwoven
As the thread is pulled by those who have spoken

In the depths of a forest, at the end of a path, a cottage lays, waiting. Overgrown, rotting, and falling into disrepair, it defiantly stands, braving the elements.

It had not seen a visitor in some time- the door creaks in protest as it opens- yet the contents of the cottage lay in disarray, as if time had destroyed the tranquility of the place.


In the depths of a timeless forest, at the end of a stone path, a hidden cottage lays, waiting. It had housed a young family of four, the joy and warmth of that time still in the peeling walls.

In the sitting room, a dusty bow lay above the mantelpiece, brittle from no use. The father, a Bowmaster in his prime, treasured the bow as if it were a member of the family.

During the summers, he would return victorious from his day's work. His wife would welcome him home with a kiss and a towel in the face. The night would fill with raucous laughter, the delightful sound of of music seeping into the warm air.


In the depths of a fading forest, at the end of a disappearing path, an abandoned cottage lays, waiting. Leaves rustle, filling the silence absent from childish laughter and music that filled it in earlier days.

In the dining room, a grand piano sits, with the lid up. Yellowed sheets of paper sit upon the stand, and many of the strings have snapped. The mother, a well-known Bishop from town, loved playing the piano in her spare time. She was at heart, a musician.

In the autumn afternoons, after the wind had gently scattered the leaves raked that morning, music could be heard from that room. Her children would enjoy it in silence, lulled to sleep by the peaceful melodies.

It filled their long days, where days often too hot for a coat and scarf yet too cold for a shirt meant that lengthy hours were spent inside, gazing outside at the falling leaves.


In the depths of a dark forest, at the end of a winding path, a lifeless cottage lays, waiting. Slathered with ice and covered in snow, it slowly rots in agonised silence.

In a little room with vibrant walls, a paint can lays on its side, the spilled paint long dry. The daughter longed for arts long gone, badgering her parents for paint and other utensils. She would never paint the forest, for she claimed that the forest followed her wherever she went.

The forest was never ending, timeless. Relentless. Unforgiving.

Instead, she was often seen painting the landscapes she had never known; the sea, the sky, the fields. Never the forest, for it was unyielding. It would always welcome her home, ever the same.

The last unfinished portrait still hanging on the wall, untouched, is of a rotting cottage in the woods. Having never finished painting over the sketchy lines of the forest, she remained true to herself even in her last days.


In the depths of an old forest, at the end of a cracked path, a dying cottage lays, drawing its last breath. It had lived a timely age, and was overgrown by the plants that have since claimed the land as its territory.

The crumbling cottage, once of life, tells a sombre story. A Bowmaster lived with a respected Bishop that had retired due to illness, instead passing her days in a small cottage in the middle of a forest outside of town.

Their peaceful days, punctuated only by laughter and music, were shattered when their youngest child, a young boy, went missing. Silence built up in the still air, cold and relentless. The bishop's illness grew worse.

Nobody in town heard from the family after that. Time moved on, and man forgot the small family of the cottage. Even so, a traveller will occasionally wander into the forest, never to be seen again.


In the depths of a forest, at the end of a path, a cottage lays. Drawn to dust by the living forest, the same, welcoming embrace draws you closer.

"Welcome home."

location: Lith Harbour

Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

Time whittled itself away as I sat idly on the pier, imitating the sound of a clock. Nobody was around, but I found the solitude strangely refreshing.

Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

Lith Harbour was quieter than usual today. The usual chatter by the docks was replaced with a quaint silence that I feared I would miss.

Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

The waves still move, the birds still sing. Why did I think they were gone, at all?

Tick, tock... tock...

I checked my watch briefly. The entire purpose of it was redundant; I knew what time it was, anyway. 12:37- no, 36- with 4 seconds left.

I stood up, stretched and walked back down the pier, taking one last glance at the glittering ocean before turning to the forests surrounding the town.

"Tick, tock; stop the clock, why don't ya?" I said, laughing at my own joke. It never did anything, but I wondered whether Elaine had given me the wrong place again. Nobody was coming.

12:40 PM by the time of that world. A young man, around my age, would appear here. That's all I needed to know, and all I ever did know.

The trees had started to shift, the familiar shape of a mana sigil forming on the grass. Lucky guy; he didn't end up appearing in a tree. I'd never seen it myself, but I'd heard those horror stories that Betty was always spouting in the lounge.

"Three children!" She'd shriek. "They were all thrown into a river that formed the canyon they were playing in!", or she'd go off on another spiel about how she had once found a man appearing in a Balrog. Poor bloke.

Small particles of mana were starting to rise from the sigil, casting a sharp light into the forest. I looked away, waiting for the light to fade.

Not even a second later, I felt cold steel force itself into my abdomen, the sharp, distinctive pain racking my body. I stumbled back, still blinded by the light that refused to fade.

Slowly, my hand crept up to my stomach, my fingers soaked in the warm fluid. The sensation filled me with dread.

So this was how I would die. So this was how we died.

A lump formed in my throat and I swallowed it desperately, my voice croaking, "No, no, NO!" I was clawing at the clinging wet cloth, clawing in a vain attempt at keeping the blood from vacating me. I didn't want to die. I couldn't, not now- I had so much left undone, so much left unsaid...!

My movements were turning sluggish. I had fallen on my back, sprawled across the ground, like the exposed, wounded animal I was. "Not... not like this..."

A shadow of a figure was standing over me, their breath cool against my sweaty skin. Silence hung in the air as I wretched, curling away from the person, and from life.

Darkness fell.

I was meant to live out my life on a beach, surrounded by friends...!

12:40PM, by the time of that world. A young man did not appear. My demise did.

location: Eternal Forest outskirts

The forest was as serene as it had always been.

I slowly walked around, leaves and twigs snapping below my feet. It was a small, insignificant thing, yet I felt strangely happy about it. I was making my mark in this forest. It was proof that I had existed here, that I had walked this path...

I had been here many times before, trying to remember something. Anything. It took several years to find this place alone. At first, it was a mysterious place, but soon, it became dull and monotonous. Even then, a small pang of despair lingered in my mind. I would leave this place soon, much like the others, with nothing but disappointment and that strange, empty feeling in my stomach that wasn’t hunger.

Or maybe it was. Maybe it was a hunger for something else.

The band that was eloquently strapped around my wrist pulsed, and I let out a groan before I could stop myself. I left the message alone for a few seconds, then remembered that I would be dragged back anyway. Inevitable, as Rhys would describe it. The message floated in front of me, the forest around me fading out as if it were white noise.

"Return to headquarters immediately. Rhys will be there soon. -Operator"

Sure enough, light was illuminating the shadows of the forest as I let the message disappear. It grew brighter, the greens of the forest eventually fading to white.

"Hey, buddy!" Rhys' voice floated behind me, and I felt an arm wrap around my shoulder. "Still wandering around here? What year is this, anyway?"

"Wouldn't the Operator have told you?" I responded impatiently, carefully removing his limb from myself. "What do they want?"

"Beats me, you know!" he laughed and I opened my eyes again. The light was gone. I watched him carefully; he wasn't wearing the guild uniform, which was a start. So it wasn't a guild mission, after all. Then, what? Rhys interrupted my thoughts when he shouted, "OI, we need to head back!"

I felt myself jolt and I stared at him, wide-eyed. "Sorry?"

"I said that they were probably going to promote you, so we should head back early." a sly grin stretched across his face and I felt him slap me on the back. "But you know, at this rate maybe they won't do it!"

"Hey!" I followed him back to the spot where he had come from. The sigil flashed white, signalling that it was going to close soon. I looked at him hesitate and said, "Come on, then. Or do you want to be stuck here until an Operator finds us and chews us out?"

He turned to me, a sly grin on his face. That wasn't good. "Oh come on, I saw you the other day, you were getting real comfy with that prodigy chick, Elin, weren't you?" he said, looking at me with a shifty look. "I heard she was going to be tasked as an Operator, you know! Wouldn't it be great to have her cover you, huh?"

I sighed, knowing the suggestive tone in his voice. "She has no desire to be one." I said flatly, crinkling my nose at him. "And we were discussing Memoria usage from the new data released yesterday."

The man had completely ignored my previous remark. "Which is you-speak for 'let's hook up', obviously! C'mon! I know you, duh!"

"I'm not quite sure about that." I shook my head. "Look, besides the point. The portal's closing soon."

He looked at where I was pointing, and I heard colour for the umpteenth time that week. "Okay, okay, go in, then! You could totally take them on, you know!"

I laughed. He was clearly scared. "Alright, let's go."

We approached and stepped through the sigil together. For the countless time, I left that forest behind in favour of a white light.

location: Memoriam Guild Headquarters

"Here at Memoriam, we seek, we adapt and we conquer in many ways..."

The man that had handled initiations had hardly changed over the years. Every day, he would repeat the same words with the same enthusiasm as before. I smiled a little at the children, teenagers and adults that were huddled in the lobby, sitting on the lush carpet and on the comfy chairs wide eyed. They were from different places, and different times.

Indeed, Memoriam was the type of place that transcended culture. It was one that built and prided itself on one common factor; that we were all outsiders to the world itself, having been victim to the phenomenon of Memoriam.

The words hung with dread on my mind. How ironic, that we would be condemned to this place that was named after the very thing that took us here.

"There you are." I saw a glimpse of white and black and turned to face Kalon, donned in a suit. "Didn't Rhys retrieve you?"

"He did... sir." I answered before I had even thought to bow to him, hastily nodding my head when I remembered his position. "He left shortly after, sir."

"Oh, don't be so formal." he raised an arm to ruffle my hair. "I'm not that much older than you."

"But your position...?"

"I'm not in uniform now, am I?" he chuckled, amused at my perplexed expression. "Well, granted, I will be soon, but that's for the future."

"Er... Why was I called back in the first place?"

"It's a secret." he winked at me and I could hear a group of girls sigh dreamily nearby. If it were anyone else...! "But don't worry! It's a good thing, I promise."

"I'll take your word for it, then." I smiled back, a little reassured. So I wasn't in trouble. A new project, maybe? Who knew. I glanced around the lobby. The new group had already moved on, and a rather large group of girls had passed by, chattering noisily. I turned back to him. I had completely forgotten. "Where am I going, by the way...?"

"The conference room at the end of that hall on the third floor." I could see the twinkle in his eyes as he spoke. "The meeting will start in fifteen minutes."

My eyes felt as if they were trying to bulge out of their sockets. "Only fifteen minutes?" in that instant, I was immediately groping myself for keys; if Rhys had them, I may as well have been doomed to stroll into that room wearing nothing but a shower curtain. "I... I'll have to excuse myself, I don't have my assembly uniform on me, obviously..."

"We'll be waiting, then." he smiled, the faint glint of mischief in his eyes. "I'll see you later, Cael."

I nodded and hurried across the busy lobby floor towards the lodging portals. As I ran, I couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen at that conference. Maybe they were going to relocate me to another team... Rhys did say that I may be promoted, after all...

The residential establishments at Memoriam were incredibly luxurious, keeping in line with the general, refined air about the place. It had been several years since I had first stalked these halls, searching for my room as a kid, yet the walls never seemed any warmer to me. The cream walls seemed warm, but they did little to offset the cold, forboding feeling that emanated around me. It was bizarre. I had always been here, yet it felt as if I had never set foot in the place, day after day, night after night.

At last, I reached my room, slightly short of breath. I fished out my key from my left pocket. I had it, after all. The lock rattled open and I stepped inside.

The distinct scent of burning cheese was wafting out of the room, and I let the door close behind me, tentatively calling out, "... Rhys?"

"Oh, Cael. Welcome back." I spotted a familiar blond tuft of hair pop out from the counter, covered in cheese.

I gaped at him, completely ignoring the fact that I was very likely to be running late. He was standing there, nonchalantly wielding a spatula whilst liberally splattered with food. "... Thanks... What's going on?"

"I tried to make a lasagne." he pointed to the oven, which appeared to have chunks of metal and food splattered all over it. "It didn't work."

I couldn't help but laugh nervously. "How did you...?" I trailed off, bewildered. He was standing there, covered in cheese, and managed to hold a casual conversation. I shook my head, determined not to get off track. "Besides the point. I'm going to get changed."

"I added a secret ingredient. What was going on with Kalon, anyway?" Rhys had taken a chunk of lasagne that wasn't pierced by the pan and set it on a plate as I rushed into my room, fumbling for my uniform and taking off my shirt. "Want some before you go?"

"No thanks, I'm in a rush as it is." I decided to avoid mentioning that the lasagne was probably going to kill someone. It was for the best. The white coat was a little wrinkly from when I had forgotten to hang it up and the cuffs were getting a little dirty, but aside from that it looked good enough. I quickly switched shoes and checked that my scruffy hair wasn't trying anything funny before darting out. Wasn't the best, but given the short notice, I was content with the end result.

I stowed my room key safely in my pocket and ruffled my hair for good measure in front of a mirror before darting off. "I'm going now."

I managed to catch a glimpse of Rhys waving, lasagne still stuffed in his mouth. "Cya."

Several minutes later, the cream walls of the residential areas had changed to the deep maroon of the conference hall, plants and paintings lining the halls inconspicuously. It was always beyond my comprehension that there were still unexplored areas in this place. Having never been authorised to go beyond the first few corridors, it felt as if it were an adventure by merely traversing the twisting hallways.

At last, I reached the end of the hall and stopped in front of the sleek, dark doors. I tentatively held my hand out to knock, but the doors swung open as if they knew I was there in the first place.

I glanced back at the empty hallway, took a deep breath and stepped into the room.

location: Memoriam Guild Headquarters, Conference Room 4

Light filtered through the tall windows to my left, bathing the conference room in a warm, welcoming glow. It seemed to brighten the deep, foreboding maroon walls that enclosed the space. And beyond that warm, seeping light, was the view.

Oh man, was it absolutely stunning. I stared out at the sea of trees scattered around the mountains, the trees forming a strange illusion of an emerald sea cascading into the distance. As I was admiring the view, I could hear a disapproving 'tut' from someone. With the knowledge that I was still in the conference room, my mind wandered back to the matter at hand. Begrudgingly, I peeled my eyes away, back to the board of very important-looking people.

The realisation dawned upon me a few decades too late and I bowed, muttering my apologies to the much less threatening carpet. But Cael! A small voice in my head would murmur. You haven’t got decades to spare!

A few seconds, a few decades. What’s the difference when you’re here, anyway? I would shoot back, realising mid hypothetical conversation that I was trying to argue with myself. I wasn't trying to reconcile with the carpet, either, and eventually glanced up to a number of amused looks and a few looking on in disapproval.

"State your name, title and rank." A woman clothed in a sharp-looking suit approached from what may as well have been shadows of Elin Forest or Sleepywood. She had escaped my notice in a bright room…! My mouth hung agape, awaiting a poor fly to wander into it. Seconds passed and eventually, I came to terms with her appearance. I was certain at that moment that she was a ninja and it would have taken substantial empirical evidence to prove me otherwise.

"C... Cael. Grand Knight. I mean, I am a Grand Knight, not the Grand Knight, but I guess that's kinda obvious already, haha..." I scratched my head nervously. I was already screwing up, and in front of an Operator, too, along with the entire board, and Kalon to boot... Not the best first impression, for sure. I cleared my throat in an attempt to start over. "Sorry." Swift and smooth, Cael! You had only been repeating it to yourself for the past dozen years! "Cael, Grand Knight, Fourth Guardian. In... In that order. Sorry, why are you here…?"

If she had been amused at my stammering, she didn't show it. "Acknowledged." I watched her raise her left arm briefly, revealing a smoothly polished gauntlet behind the black sleeve of her jacket. A large, carefully cut chunk of crystal was embedded into the steel, softly pulsing with light. The fact that she could send out orders in seconds with that thing mesmerised me. Her clipped and controlled voice relented for a moment when she remarked, “And I’m here because I have the authority to as your superior.” She turned away without another word, and in the blink of an eye, had disappeared just as quickly as she had appeared. I couldn’t help but concede in defeat at her words.

She did have a point- Operators were considered superior to us, matched only by elite Keepers and Kalon. In a way, anyone who had the capability of dragging us out of trouble in even the most dire of situations deserved their title.

"Cael." Kalon's clear voice rung throughout the room and I spun towards him with a salute.

"Yes, sir! Thank you for inviting me here, sir!"

The man at the end of the long table smiled kindly. "So kind, Cael. I think I'm blushing." With his laugh, the rest of the board chucked softly. He raised a hand dismissively. "At ease, Grand Knight."

I allowed myself to slack a little, and took a seat. "What can I do for Memoriam, sir?"

"No, Cael. The real question is, what can Memoriam do for you?" he was shuffling through a number of folders and loose sheets of paper, carefully examining each one before lazily casting it aside. "But first, the formalities, if you don't mind."

"Of course not, sir."

"Grand Knight Cael. You joined Memoriam's active service seven years, three months, twenty-two days, five hours and three minutes ago, correct?"

"I am inclined to believe that is correct, yes sir." The words hung awkwardly on my tongue as I spoke, yet they came out much more fluid and smoothly than I could ever hope them to be. The disparity was strange.

"And before that, you had lived in under Memoriam's care for how long?"

"For approximately eight years, sir."

"I see. And since then, you have been rising through the ranks amicably. Your units respect you, you seem to have no hostilities towards anyone; a true model to idolise, don't you think?"

"... I'm not sure how to respond to that, sir."

Hours may as well have passed in that small time frame before Kalon smiled again. "You should be very proud, you know. But keeping to the moment." He cleared his throat. "Do you know why you are here, Grand Knight?"

"I confess that I do not, sir."

"In that case," Kalon murmured, setting the folder down entirely, "do tell me. What do you value the most in a comrade?"

"... In a comrade...?" the question had caught me off guard, throwing me off completely. It was so tempting, so simple to just start stammering whatever came to mind. But this was important, even if I didn't quite know why... I took a few deep breaths, then looked Kalon straight in the eye. What did I value? Perfection? Efficiency? No, not quite... "I value... Honesty, and the capacity to reason, and to negotiate... And..."

"And?"

My mind floated back to the dorm, the image of a grinning Rhys holding a spatula covered in food bringing a smile to my face. The silence drew itself out and I could feel their eyes peering into my entire being. "... And a sense of humour, sir."

"Is that so...?" the man murmured softly, his fingers lightly drumming the table as he peered at me. A moment later, he had stopped, instead addressing the men and women around him. "Well, then, ladies, and gentlemen. You've heard all you needed to know. Please make your decision now."

"... Now?" a woman asked, staring at Kalon wide eyed. "But we hardly-"

"I do appreciate your concern, but time is of the essence." he replied, his arms outstretched. "I am well aware of the situation, ladies and gentlemen; we have a situation and this could end very well, or it could end very badly. This is your choice, here. Your actions today-"

"We understand, Raven," a man spoke up. "Please give us a few minutes at the very least."

"Of course, my friends." Kalon's eyes betrayed nothing but concern that and he brought his hands together as if he were praying. That was him, so perfectly him, in a nutshell.

Kalon, the Raven. Unlike us, he was something unique. A master of all trades. People say he's the youngest leader of Memoriam in centuries, but I wouldn't really know. I'd only been here for fifteen.

His achievements were so well known that over time, they were skewed to proportions matched only by legends. Women would trail him wherever he appeared in the public areas of the guild. There would be whispers of who he was before he came to Memoriam, rumours that spread as quickly as they were quelled.

Then, there was me.

"The Board of Keepers have decided." Kalon's clear voice rung through the silent room, breaking me out of my thoughts. I looked at him. Decided what? He had stood up, and was striding towards me without a spring nor a slur in his step. He flipped his hair carelessly as he walked, radiating this mysterious air of confidence and grandeur that I could only dream of possessing. At last, he stopped in front of me, a smirk stretching across his face. "Congratulations, Cael. You're being promoted."

My eyes bulged from looking at him in disbelief. What was going on? Promoted? "...To what, exactly?"

Kalon snickered, and my face grew hot. It was a fair question, to be perfectly honest! A majority of members never quite knew the hierarchy that the guild was founded on; when people were promoted, they sometimes skipped a rank, or two. "To a Keeper, of course."

Was I dreaming? Tell me I wasn't dreaming! I reached to pinch myself but stopped at the last minute; it wouldn't do for a Keeper to pinch himself in front of the heads of Memoriam. But after a few seconds, his words seemed to settle upon me, reassuring me that I wasn’t about to be kicked out, or reprimanded.

My head felt dizzyingly light. After much hesitation, I replied, "... I am?"

At that, the board erupted in hearty laughter, and I couldn't help but chuckle myself. Maybe it had been the bursting bubble of tension that hung in the air, suffocating the room's occupants, or maybe I was just that hilarious. Maybe I should have been the Joker, or Entertainer, instead. I shook my head at the thought of me, dressed in a baggy costume with a ridiculously oversized hat on my head waving a flower that sprayed water at people.

"Why would you think otherwise?" he asked, smiling at my very serious question.

"I mean... Isn't there a limited number of Keepers? Why now?" It was a valid question, but from the heavy look that passed through that room, I knew why.

His tone confirmed the answer. "Richard Hayes, the Keeper whose position you now occupy, was killed in action a week ago."

My throat seemed to shrivel up in light of those words. "I... I'm sorry to hear that."

"Indeed. He was a great man, and comrade."

"... And his family? Friends? How are they?"

"Naturally, they were devastated." Kalon peered at me. "Were you close?"

"Er, no, not at all. I don't think I've seen the man in person. Ever." I looked at him, curious. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason in particular." A brief smile flitted across his face, the familiar, knowing smile sending chills down my spine. "We have your first assignment as a Keeper."

"Already?" This time, the surprise in my voice was valid. It was rare for a Keeper fresh out of the conference room to be getting an assignment this early, let alone getting it while they were being promoted. Assignments usually took weeks to plan, and propose; either it was an emergency, or this was foreseen to have occurred...

Besides that, I couldn’t help but feel nervous. What was the assignment going to be, anyway? A Keeper’s first mission was the first true test of their skill; I had seen too many people crash head first and fall back into a rank lower than they had been previously. If they made it back at all.

Kalon nodded, reaching his hand out and twirling his index finger in the air. A small ring of light formed itself on the desk, and one of the files dropped through into his hand neatly. He didn’t react, but I was very ready to do it for him. He had executed the spell perfectly- the indicated spot dead on, the soft blue ring of mana that was neither too bright nor too dim. I’d have considered myself lucky if my attempts didn’t give me a concussion. Kalon was truly a skilled perfectionist.

He flicked through the files, his dark, red eyes scanning the paper. He had clearly not read it in some time. "Root Abyss."

What? I stared at him, my mouth agape. It was not etiquette for me to be staring at him like this, but I couldn't help it. I needed to know the full story. "Wh... What do you mean, 'Root Abyss'...?"

"It's your first task." He made it sound so simple, yet... Root Abyss! Did that place even exist? And even if it did, wouldn't it be more prudent to let the others handle it?

I paused, trying to choose my words carefully. I didn't want to make it seem as if they had made a bad choice promoting me, yet... "Why choose me for something like this? Why not someone more experienced?"

"Cael, Cael." Kalon didn't seem to take offense, instead chuckling and patting me on the shoulder. "It seems that in the span of two minutes, you have completely forgotten of the seven or so years that you spent training. Much longer than most, yet you've risen in rank much faster than most. You're ready, Cael. Trust me."

"... With all due respect, sir, but Root Abyss is a legend, isn't it? Why would you be sending me out to a... a place that doesn't even exist?"

"It's not a legend." I could see a little twinkle in his eye as he looked at me. "And what's it to you? You're already legendary."

I bowed my head. "A great honour coming from The Raven himself." The words may have seemed very polite to the Board's ears, but Kalon and I shared a grin; he could sense the sarcasm in my words.

"By taking the rank of Keeper, you have been allocated the title of Lark, should you accept it." Kalon quickly flicked a page to the other side of the folder, glancing at me over the files.

"Of course." I responded, bowing again. "Thank you."

"That is all. You are dismissed."

"It has been an honour meeting with you." I raised my right hand in salute, then turned and left as quickly as I could, my breath held and my heart thumping into my ears.

shattered memories that, drifting through the mist of the night, make sounds like glass scraping steel,
[INDENT]and with blood drops landing upon the fractured surfaces making the noise of bombs dropped from space,
all form a hectic maze that one would be a fool to try and traverse through it.
[/INDENT]
the sharp corners and jagged points tear and scrape, and the rifts throughout that lead into a void,
[INDENT]the many hazards of the echoing maddening sounds of lives left through time to wander,
jumping through hoops, only to see the loops are forming in this labyrinth; no hope of escape.
[/INDENT]
Taken from a bird’s view seems like the wonderful stained glass at notre dame, shining light backlit from below,
[INDENT]the fires of hell or the light of heaven from which perspective you outside onlookers take.
[/INDENT]
Do you see many a fool traipsing about like lunatics howling at the moon, every night they wander[INDENT]and squander their meager lives dangerously trying to seek out a fragment or a figment,
Or does the light shine through the glass and cast a silhouette upon souls looking for, through all this agony and hurt,
the same shining brilliance that their hearts, blood pumping and beating, match the tones that music makes?
[/INDENT]
What then of the observers, what then would you be called? Too afraid to jump into the maze, or tired of being lost?
[INDENT]Do you decide to see through it’s bloodied mirrors the lament of others, whimsy guiding you to mock at their folly,
or do your eyes take to the skies with a glance to see where these lost lambs are headed, and track down the most expedient path?

[/INDENT]
Harken back to the days of old, when old man laughed with the gods of gold.
When then delighted by this sight would cast a terrible eye.
The ties that bound these beings thus would be severed by a fateful discuss.
The tempting of wit and knowledge gained would lead to paradise drained.

Battering winds and rising tides shake and rumble the ever-moving maze
it’s very foundation a bitter cast of the feelings that are felt, lost, and imagined.
Why then would some choose to walk through the maze, hot coals and splintering spikes stabbing and lethargic?
Even the air is anesthetic.

But an aesthetic approach to this puzzle leads to philosophical quandry:
“Who put this here, and why here at all?”
A sign, signaling to others.
A beacon cast against the night.
A welcoming smile.
A bitter embrace.

Save for the everyman that walks and wanders lost,
[INDENT]that through this maze, splendor and delight at all obstacles and puzzles it presents,
through all the attempts, at each act of selfless selfishness, they through themselves headlong into it’s corridors,
for this is what we all do, regardless of awareness; we wander a maze made of our own design.
[/INDENT]
It’s similarities shared and thus the maze a human complex, all manners of man and woman walking along.
specters and shades bumping through each other, for a single objective:
to reach the end of an endless maze.

With.
or without.
another

Lilienne: a circle of fire

An intense, scorching heat engulfed her thin, wry body. It was uncomfortable, so unlike the feelings she was familiar with. Yet she knew it did not touch her, for the heat was not yet dancing on her skin. The heat died away, slowly but surely, and the cool night air washed over her once more. Though it was gone, she was still not at ease; it felt as if the heat was merely waiting in the distance, ready to engulf her once more.

Gently, she opened her eyes to the world; her large, glassy golden eyes reflected the rosy light of the fire flickering against the walls of their small home. An elven man was trying to douse the flames with water, but persistently the fire returned, searing the blackened patch and setting it on fire again as quickly as it had gone.

She opened her mouth and tried to speak, but only a high-pitched squeak came out. The woman holding her in her arms was bobbing up and down in an attempt to try and hush her strange sounds. Even so, she cried and cried, afraid; for both herself and the beautiful yet frail woman in front of her.

“Hush, Lilienne.” she murmured before humming a quiet melody which was heaven to the young girl’s ears. “Lilienne, oh Lilienne. When will you cease to make such a racket?” she paused and tapped the child's forehead. "You must learn to hum, like I. Learn to carry the name of Songbird and make your ancestors proud of who you are."

She tried to imitate the heavenly voice she had heard before. A string of disjointed notes filled the air, shaky and off tune. The melody just barely resembled the one that she had heard from the second she was born, but the woman laughed softly. Her voice was as elegant and melodic as the young elf’s voice was disjointed and rough.

"See? You have the very blood of the Songbirds flowing in your veins, my dear. Your fortune will be plentiful until the very end, Lilie-" she cut off with a scream as an explosion blew aside the man who was fending off the flames. The woman watched, frozen to the spot as her husband’s limp body was cast aside idly, as if he was a rag doll. A loud crash as he was thrown outside jolted her from her trance.

The woman shrieked, and began to plead with the cloaked figure striding to her in a foreign tongue. The figure merely laughed and struck her across the face, a daunting blow that sent her crashing to the ground. The girl in her arms dropped onto the floor and she looked into the face of her mother's attacker, curious.

He grunted- the girl had managed to cling onto his shoe- and picked her up by the back of the collar to toss her aside. Before her vision faltered, all Lilienne could remember was a distinct, sharp pain in her head.

The man, having rendered the inhabitants of the cottage unconscious, retrieved a scroll from his cloak. Holding it open, he smirked and read aloud, “The town of Elluel shall fall, under the rule of the Black Mage.” The necromancer sneered as he stowed the scroll safely under his cloak before raising his staff with a gnarled, pale hand. With his other hand, he had retrieved a scrap of paper, and he prepared to light it up.

A figure appeared as if out of thin air, his arm blocking the staff. "Hold it, Trav." the man had looked around, but turned to face the unconscious child before turning back to the necromancer. "Do you have any idea how rare and precious elven children can be, especially to the Black Mage?"

"Not at all." the necromancer grinned a toothless grin. "Can I blow up this here house now?"

"She is of Songbird descent," he noted, completely ignoring his question and turning the child over. "She would be invaluable to the Black Mage should she be trained appropriately." He lifted the small body over his shoulder without another word, turning to leave.

"Whatever, do what you please." he scoffed. "If you get into strife I won't be involved with it!"

“I somehow doubt that, Travis.” the man glared at the necromancer. “On the contrary, did they ever teach you to treat your superiors with respect?”

Travis, having realized who he was, hastily bowed and muttered an apology. “Didn’t realize… Won’t happen again…”

“I’ll keep your word for that.” he started to walk away. "Feel free to destroy the rest."

The necromancer’s expression twisted into a grin. Once the man was out of sight, he raised his staff again and began to chant in a low voice, letting the rune markings expand beyond the realms of the small scrap of paper. The markings crawled onto the walls, growing brighter before an explosion blasted the necromancer’s hood back.

The explosion was only deafened by the crash of wood and stone. The dust settled, and fire roared into the night. Lilienne was roused by the unsettling noise. After a moment of realizing what was going on, she began to wail and kick about, screaming. She screamed for her deceased parents. She screamed at the forest, withering under flame. The fire danced vibrantly around her; the black night and the vivid red twisting and twirling in a demented dance.

The strange man carrying her merely chuckled quietly to himself as he unfurled his wings. His cloak fell to the ground in shreds. The elf’s struggles ceased when he held a hand to her forehead, and he drew his scepter. The fire burned merrily as he slowly ascended into the sky, the winds fanning the flames. He paused for a moment to admire the burning town, then disappeared into the night.

Alex stared at the crimson red that blanketed his knees. Was that Courtney's hair-no, of course not, that was stupid. It was his blood that soaked through his legs. He wondered why he didn't feel any pain. Adrenaline, maybe?

"Courtney!" Alex shouted, his voice hoarse. "Where are you?" He realized that the lens to his glasses were cracked, but he made no effort to adjust his vision.

All of a sudden, a head flopped out right next to him. At first Alex exclaimed in joy, but then with a shout of terror he realized the head was decapitated. Jerking back from the sight only sent pain pulsing through his legs. Heart pounding, he realized it wasn't Courtney. It was her identical twin sister, Jennifer. It was hard to tell the difference sometimes, but, well pomegranate, he should know the difference between his wife and her sister, right?

Alex gazed elsewhere, eager to avoid the dead-blue eyes of the women so eerily similar to Courtney's. All around him, shattered glass was mixed with Alset Tech metal, ruined dreams piled onto the lattice of intertwined corpses. If only he didn't fire Lucy...

"Hey, stop thinking about that," a familiar voice grimaced. Alex didn't need to turn around to know it was Courtney.

"Yeah, you better not turn around. I'm kind of in a wreck. My makeup is all gone, my shoes are ruined, and, oh, I think one of my arms is missing. How are you doing?'

"Same as always, huh," Alex said. He turned his head around and gazed at her. Courtney was sheepishly grinning. One of her arms was clearly gone, but amazingly, it was bloodless.

"Lucky the Adam that tried to kill me used a high-energy particle beam. It burned my arm wound shut. It hurts, but hey, at least I'm not dead. Yet," Courtney remarked, displaying yet again her uncanny ability to read people's thoughts. Well, it wasn't really mind-reading, as much as it was her predicting what people's thoughts were. Her hobby the past four years was to predict, using observation, math, and a little bit of luck, the thoughts people had. It was slightly nerve-wracking to whoever met her, and half the time it was wrong, but Courtney mentioned she only needed three more years until she could perfect it. Well, that certainly wasn't going to happen now.

"Have you seen Eve anywhere?" Alex mentioned. He shifted his body to hide Jennifer's head. Even though Courtney sounded casual and good-humored, he knew that was her escape mechanism to cope with tragedy. Courtney flicked her eyes to where Alex shifted, but whether she saw her sister's head nor not, she chose not to mention it.

"No. I think she escaped. Hopefully, the Onus cells she has are still intact, though" and her face turned grim.

"I'm more worried about the Adams that might kill her," Alex mentioned offhandedly.

"Don't. You know as well as I do they're only programmed to kill members of Alset Tech. Like us," she chuckled.

Alset Tech. Alex let the thoughts flood his memory. Back in 2016, when he was still a scrawny, stereotypical, Asian teenager, he graduated from Princeton University, unsure of the steps he should take in the world. A mediocre pre-med student at best, his only redeeming quality was his work ethic. Party on Nassau street? Nope, gotta study. Family vacation in China? Nope, got an internship with Johnson and Johnson. Sex with Courtney? Nope...Alex has to uh...well, do something.

Courtney Hightower. A brilliant physics student, the best of the best even in Princeton. 24 credits a semester? No problem. Smart, pretty, and witty, Miss Hightower and her flaming red hair with her mischievous blue eyes was always the life of each party, and every Princeton male (and a couple of females) wished she was their math homework, so they could be doing her. Her only negative qualities was that she was a bit spoiled and a hopeless romantic. It was a huge surprise she got together with Alex Wang. There were plenty of rumors about the fact she was only dating him because she was sorry about his last name (both the name and the organ), but they both knew the truth.

Jennifer Hightower. Obviously, just as pretty as her identical twin sister, but because she was so annoyed at the amount of "twin" incidents, she decided to cut her long straight hair short. She was just as smart as Courtney, but chose to devote her time to the arts to distance herself as far as possible from her sister. Jennifer was a lot more down-to-earth than Courtney was, and people were very confused as to why Alex was dating Courtney, not Jennifer, as he had more similarities with Jennifer.

However, Alex saved Courtney's life.

After college, though, while Alex frantically sent his resumes to different pharmaceutical companies and applications to graduate school, Courtney said no to all of that, and dragged Alex by the ear and proclaimed that she wanted to continue the work of Nikola Tesla, and create a tower giving free wireless energy to the entire world.

But first they needed money. And that's when Courtney, while digging up all of her old contacts, managed to find someone that supported her idea. Lucy Für.

Personally, Alex never liked Lucy. If Courtney was spoiled by her stunning looks and great wit, Lucy was spoiled by the amount of money her family made. Daughter of a rich German robot-manufacturing CEO, the sole reason why she went to Princeton was because of several "generous" donations the Für family gave to Princeton. Expensive diamonds from her ears while her dyed white hair tied in luscious curls glistened in both sunlight and moonlight. She hung around Courtney and Jennifer a lot, obeying her parent's wishes to stay near the people she thinks will rise to the top.

And that was the beginning of the end, even though no one, not Alex, Courtney, nor Lucy, knew it.

While funding from Lucy's massive resources, Courtney managed to start a company, Alset Tech. After a year of the trio's joint efforts to obtain construction contracts, they actually managed to build a tower in Hawaii which, due to Courtney's ingenious brain, made the flow of electricity "wireless." No wires had to be used ever again. The aptly named Tesla Tower, reminiscent of both the Seattle Space Needle and the Eiffel Tower, somehow managed to pulse electricity through space.

Instantly, Courtney Hightower was on the cover of every magazine and newspaper article. A mere teenager, just one year after graduating college, creating such a device? It helped that Miss Hightower was immaculate during interviews, able to make reporters laugh over every sentence she made.

Lucy Für also enjoyed the new fame. When asked about her reasoning to fund the project, she replied with glee, "I always had the deepest trust in Jenn-I meant, Courtney Hightower, and I have no doubt that she will manage to repay me back one day."

Alex lurked in the shadows, distrustful of Lucy, and he was never really that handsome so the media stayed away from him. He also didn't contribute much to the beginning of Alset Tech, besides a few odd errands and Google searches. He was proud Courtney created the Tesla tower, but he felt...useless. That is, until Courtney made him head of Human Resources.

Alex was ruthless as the head of H.R. Courtney had long admonished Alex's decision to pursue the track of pre-med instead of majoring in psychology. He usually simply replies "There's a lot more jobs." Alex had a deep passion for the art of the mind, but family pressures pushed him towards pre-med. However, as the H.R. head of a rapidly expanding company...every hopeful job applicant had to eventually pass his personal final interview. From questions such as "Have you ever thought of banging Courtney Hightower?" to "What do you think of my last name?" he confused numerous hopeful employees. However...no one could deny Alex was amazing. From perfecting carbon nanotubes to make the strongest material on Earth to machines that transported clothes onto individuals, all of the people in Alset Tech contributed to make the company the number one most valuable corporation in the world.

Well...all except one. Lucy. It has been long since Courtney paid her $30 million debt, but Lucy insisted on being the Executive Vice President, otherwise she'd do...well, something. Alex longed since yearned to fire her, but Courtney let her stay, shrugging "What could she possibly do? And besides, she helped us with the Tesla Tower."

Despite all of these technological advancements, all of that pales in comparison to the project Courtney Hightower personally worked on, the portal device.

"Stealing" the idea from a video game, after several years of hard work and a baby named Seth, Courtney and her team created a machine that could create two "portals." Going in through one portal would enable one to exit through another portal. Testing this device was atrocious, however. An entire ship nicknamed the S.S. Grail completely vanished somewhere in the Arctic to the great dismay of Courtney and Alset Tech. It was during here that the seeds of hesitation were implanted during several members of the company, no doubt helped propagated by Lucy in Alex's eyes.

The final product had enabled man to instantly travel from location to another. Aside from instant movement from China to the USA, lunar colonies started being established for the first time, and plans to populate Mars were underway. The "Golden Age" of man lasted for about ten years...and it all came crashing down on December 21st, 2032.

And now, in the depths of Alset's biggest lab, Alex stared at Courtney, his eyes forlorn. An "Alset Tech" logo, a simple picture of the Tesla Tower, laid dirty on a piece of Alset metal nearby. It still seemed preposterous to Alex that the Adams managed to even dent the carbon nanotube material. How could they possible manage to do that? What concoction had the Für family manage to create almost three weeks ago?

He was going to die here with Courtney at the ripe old age of 36. There was no avoiding that fact. When Alset Tech was at its prime, immortality was a possibility. With wireless electricity and instant transportation, Alset Tech seemed able to accomplish the impossible. But now, he wouldn't be able to stay by Courtney's side forever...

Alex clutched Courtney's hand. "It's over, isn't it?" he whispered. The Adams made it their objective to systematically eliminate all employees and technologies of Altec Tech. Once they were done with that...who knew what they would do.

"Over for us, perhaps...I hope Eve will be able to find a government willing to cooperate...and I hope Seth is safe." As she said that, a mournful sound, like opera, hummed through the air.

"Ah," Courtney groaned. "They found us. I was really hoping the power of our love would keep them away, just like in the movies."

"You know...I've always hated those chick-flicks you made me watch."

Chuckling softly, Courtney's face softened. "I love you, Alex."

"I love you too, Courtney," Alex replied, his hand tightening over hers.

The last sight Alex saw was her face, and his last thought was that her face was just as pretty as the one he saw 20 years ago in the airplane.

"It might have been a good thing that the Adams appeared in 2032," Professor Himura lectured, to the collective gasps of the students. He sighed.

"I don't know. But there was no denying the fact the Earth was becoming overpopulated. In 2032, the human population hit 10 billion, surpassing previous United Nations and World Health Organization estimates. Fresh water was being consumed at an alarming rate. Oil deposits were at an all time low and in danger of depleting. Drastic actions had to be enforced unless...yes? Naoko?" the Professor sighed, calling on a student.

"B-but Professor..." piped Naoko. Compared to Professor Himura, who was an old, grey-haired, and a rather imposing old man, Naoko was a short, small, and rather cute Japanese girl. Not surprisingly, Himura often sighed at Naoko's constant questions.

"U-u-uh...didn't Alset Tech create a cheap water purification technique? And didn't they also have that wireless tower thingy, so we wouldn't need oil? Oh and oh, and couldn't we travel to the moon to uh...populate it since Earth was getting crowded?"

Professor Himura groaned. "Naoko...have you been listening to any of last week's lectures, or at least...read a book your entire life?"

"U-u-u-uhh...I just wanted to ask, you know, just in case there was anyone here who doesn't know." The collective high school freshman class groaned.

The room was very modern, even for 2086 standards. All of the tables and chairs were made of a sort of smooth glass, giving the impression one was floating in the room. The walls were a straight, unyielding material, partially made of the white Alset Tech metal. Projections of the neoPowerPoint presentation were floating in midair next to Professor Himura, who was dressed in a crisp white suit complete with a white tie. Throughout the room various high-school freshman were dressed in white or black uniforms and many struggled through yet another boring history class. Unfortunately, none of them could fall asleep, as the desks were rigged to suddenly collapse if it detects 5 kg applied for exactly thirty seconds.

"I can't believe this girl is number one in her year..." Professor Himura muttered. He sighed yet again. "Alset Tech is finished. The Adams destroyed the company long ago, and obliterated most of the technology in the company. The only thing we have left are the machines that put your uniforms on you, the Language Pills that enables one to learn English in a night, some of the metal which is pretty much now useless, and obviously...the Onus technology. There may be more lurking deep in the labs, perhaps a portal device or two, but I believe not. The Adams are thorough."

"Now, back to the lecture," he continued. He gazed around at the classroom through his spectacles. None of them could probably last much longer, except for maybe Naoko. He would have to propose to the Doctor later to shift his classes later in the morning. Again.

"Looking on the bright side, despite all the technology we lost, overpopulation is solved." His voice dropped. "Since the Adams murdered a staggering five billion people." Everyone in the room tried to look solemn. They really did. But Professor Himura knew better. Five billion people was just a number, a statistic.

"Peter Johnson!" the professor barked. "What was the prior event which had the most deaths?"

"Uh...World War II, sir?" squeaked a scared voice in the last row quickly.

Himura scowled. "No, no, it's obviously the Taiping Rebellion in the 1850s...or maybe the European colonization of the Americas. But even then...the top 30 events combined isn't enough to outnumber the death toll caused by the Adams. In Earth's billion of years of history, roughly 100 billion Homo sapiens lived and died. The Adams contributed to 5% of that number. That was half of the world' population."

There was a hushed silence in the room, or Professor Himura would like to think. The Diatriba had to hire the best of the best to teach at the school, and the Professor considered himself among those elite. Unfortunately for him, the hushed silence was more of an almost-dead asleep silence.

The bell suddenly a rang, a piercing shrill that jerked many of the students away. In the rush towards the door, Professor Himura was frantically yelling "Remember, the homework is to read the first half of Quinn's Ishmael!" In the commotion that ensued, no one really noticed the large black figure that almost glided into the classroom. It was obvious he was of African descent, and the pitch-black suit he wore only gave the impression he would be invisible during the night. However, his head was white, not because of age, but because it was dyed.

"Pleased to meet you, Doctor," Professor Himura panted. "May I ask you to push the history class to later in the morning again?"

The old man chuckled, a laugh reminiscent of the famous Morgan Freeman almost a century earlier.

"There will be a new student today," the Doctor said, his voice articulate and smooth. "Well, I suppose he is not exactly new. He just had to visit several cemeteries which had extraordinarily high security. His name is Raphael Engel."

Himura nodded. It wasn't exactly too unusual for students to arrive a week late in the semester, as the first week was mostly for the chance for students to orient themselves to the place they'll be staying for most of the next four years. After some realization, Himura jolted, "Is he related to-"

"Yes." The Doctor interrupted. "I expect you to treat him the same as any other student." His white hair shimmered in the artificial light.

"Understood." After a moment of awkward silence, Himura asked, "Is he an Abel...or a Cain?"

The Doctor tilted his head. Outside, the sun shone brightly onto the well-kept Diatriba campus. It was a beautiful day, typical summer weather for the artificial island off the coast of northern Japan. The massive buildings outside, all made of Alset metal, were eerily unmoving in any earthquakes the region may have. However, time and time would prove again that they would prove useless against an Adam attack.

"He is an Abel...but he has the mark of Cain."

"Hello! And welcome to the North Diatriba of Japan!" exclaimed the rather cheerful voice. Raphael took another look at Mary Hightower, apparently the Student Council president of the juniors. She had short brown hair, quite similar to the Black Widow in Avengers 7. Her school uniform was a sort of moonlight gray jumper dress over a black blouse, the Diatriba logo etched proudly on both of her shoulders. Her stocking were long and white, and Raphael could (unintentionally, of course) see there were was a sort of white khakis under the jumper dress. Surprisingly, her feet were covered with a pair of regular sneakers-the ultrathin version, obviously. However, the most unnerving part of Mary Hightower was the constant smile she kept on her face. Oh, and perhaps the fact her eyes were always shut.

"Uh...Mary...nee-san..?" Raphael started.

"Oh no, you don't need to call me that!" Mary cheerfully scolded. "Even though this is Japan, don't worry about honorifics or whatever. Diatriba is an international school. I am from Canada, you know?"

Raphael blinked. "Okay," he replied hastily and blushed, instinctively moving his right hand behind his head and scratching his head. God. Why did this have to happen now? Every single time.

"Mary...are you related to Courtney Hightower by any chance?"

Mary giggled. "Uwah...no, of course not Raphael. My dad's a priest and just wanted to change his boring old name from Lee to something grand, like Hightower. Oh, and by the way, here's the way to the Headmaster's office. We call him the Doctor, although I'm not exactly too sure why, but he's very smart! You have my number, right? Call me later if you need any help!" Mary waved, walking away. Raphael Engel looked at the digital map his phone just received, nodded, and started making his way to the Doctor's office, whoever he was.

As he started walking down to the headmaster's office, Raphael suddenly became aware he was quite the center of attention of quite a lot of students. His casual attire totally did not fit in with the black or white student uniforms everyone else wore.

Raphael, admittedly, knew he was quite handsome, but he tried not to show it. When he was a toddles, time and time again he had been coddled by his parents and grandparents about what a pretty little boy he was. His family was quite rich, he wasn't going to lie, but he felt that led him to have a very protected childhood. He felt unsure of how to handle things in the real world. Well, that sure changed quickly, though.

As he strolled his way, girls giggled in groups about his very blond hair and bright blue eyes, while several of the jealous guys muttered "German." He internally jerked at the offense, but did not pursue the matter. World War II was over a century ago. What mattered now were the Adams...though in a way, he supposed it was his fault that happened, too.

When Raphael arrived at the Administration Office, he suddenly realized he didn't have access to the building The vapor at the entrance solidified every time he got near.

"Did you want to get in?" a voice piped behind him. He turned around and saw a small Japanese girl.

"My name Naoko Takahashi. You were the new student uh...Raphael, right?"

Raphael nodded, and instinctively, he put his right hand behind his head and blushed. Not again. "Ah yes...I'm Raphael Engel" and proffered his left hand to a confused Naoko.

"Well...okay. Did Mary send you the APP to your phone?" she continued.

"The APP?" he replied, confused.

"Ah...it's Diatriba's universal program. It stands for something, I'm not sure what, but it contains a map and a key and such."

Raising his eyebrows, Raphael held his phone, the newest iPhone 158, to a black access panel, and the mist suddenly vanished.

"I'll see you around Raphael!" Naoko called out, and she walked away. "Huh...these foreigners are all so weird..." she thought.

As Raphael was just about to knock onto the Doctor's office, a deep voice boomed "Enter." He strode in, and his eyes slightly widened in recognition of the familiar dark figure.

"She was at my sister's funeral..." he thought. His hands slightly clenched as he recalled the occasion.

The Doctor pointed towards a nearby Alset Clothing Manager, or ACM, that loomed near them. "Your school uniform should be inside. Use your APP to access your account." Raphael hesitated. He much preferred to put on his clothes manually, as he disliked using Alset technologies. However, he could tell this was not the time to tell the Doctor that. He entered the man-size machine and swallowed as he held up his phone to the access panel on the inside. The ACM closed with a familiar bang.

Instantly, red lights and lasers began scanning his body. He closed his eyes, and suddenly a robotic female voice said "Please take off your outer clothing." Groaning, he stripped to his undergarments, and the red lights and lasers began scanning him once more.

"You must restore honor back to this family, do you understand me?" a hoarse voice spat at him. Recoiling Raphael jerked in the machine, and suddenly he tumbled out.
Disapproving, the Doctor said "It would be better for you to wait until the ACM actually ejects you out, because there's no telling if it solidified your clothes. However, in your case, it seems like it did.

Raphael looked down. He was in quite a white suit which almost blended perfectly with his skin. He was wearing a tie, but strangely, the entire outfit felt oddly comfortable, as if he could move round easily. In fact, he felt it would be just as easy to run in this uniform compared to some yoga pants and t-shirt.

"So this is what the most powerful military organization in the world can afford" he thought with wonder. He gazed up towards the Doctor, whose black uniform and black skin completely contrasted with Raphael's own.

"As I'm sure you most likely aware..." he began in his deep voice. "You are one of the lucky few to be Harmonious with the Onus cells. I'm sure you're also aware that you are an Abel."

"Find a Cain to partner up with before the end of month. Like me, they will be wearing black. Un-partnered ones can be looked up on your APP."

He grimaced. "Welcome to the North Diatriba of Japan. The military organization Alsonus is going to need all the help it can get to help defeat the Adams."

As children, we always forget that our time is short, and is very precious. The days we spend finding ways to hasten our ways to adulthood are often regrettable. Wishing to return to that very time as a child, to reverse or do something differently. Different, is a very strong word, a word of change and possibility to create and destroy. All humans, whom are all born equally, are born differently. Our differences make us special, but our internal chemistry is the exact thing. Some of us are stronger, some of us are more social, some of us are artistic, some of us are inventive, and some of us are even insane. The differences in us make this world a very special place. A world with ever changing emotions and life. As we walk this world, it will change, for the better or worse, and will eventually change the people on it. For no one person has lived the same life, and if we looked at the people that next to us. We are all the same, but very, very different at the same time. That person, regardless of how he, or she, looks can have some immense psychological trauma, or a physical need that we have no clue about. With life always being different, we all instinctively chase after the one thing we need in life. Whether it be love, enlightenment, or even our true selves. The world was made for us to live on it, and to experience it's many different flavors.
The best kind of person, is a person you can find connection to. One you can find a sense of belonging to. That person has a strong change on your person, not only physically, but mentally and to some extent, if one chooses to believe in this sort of thing, their soul. The human soul, in my own opinion, is a very real thing. Each human has one, and we are all connected. The human soul, is something no one person can see, it's something that is molded into us, something that makes us unique and whole. Something that lets us be able to live to love, or to find the one thing in life to make us complete. Being complete, it's an impossible task, yet many of us dreamers chase it. The impossible, hoping it being possible denying all doubts and chasing it with our hearts. Through denial, lies, slander, or the cold truth, people chase this one thing to make their lives whole. And although I may take this out of context, as I do not avidly read the King James Bible, I follow this quote as much as I believe in karma being the dictator of my life. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me." The "You" in this statement is God, but I don't see it as God in my eyes. I see it as you, the person I love, or the persons I love. I see the "You" as an open ended statement to help us keep together. For if one does have friends, you're never really alone. So never forgetting your friends is one of the most important things in the world to do. Never forget your friends, because without the ones you love; what is there in this mad world we all live in? So why don't we all lie down in a field of Forget-Me-Nots, and take a long nap, together as friends.

When I was a little boy I loved the circus, and what I loved the most about the circus were the elephants.
Shortly after, I knew most people liked the elephants as much as I did.
During the feature, the huge animal made deployment of his weight, height and colossal strenght... but after his act and after a while before returning to the scenario, the elephant was tied only by a chain that held one of his legs to a little stake driven into the ground.
Nonetheless, the stake was only a little piece of wood only nailed to a few inches into the ground. And even if the chain was big enough, it seems obvious to me that the elephant could just tear apart the stake and run away.
The mystery is evident:
Why does he stay there?
Why doesn't he run?
When I was five or six years old I still trust in old men wisedom.
Then I asked to a teacher, to a father or even an uncle about the mystery of the elephant. Some of them explained me that the elephant doesn't escape because he's tamed.
Then I asked the obvious question...
If it is tamed, why does it need the chain?
I don't remember getting a logical answer.
With time I forgot about the elephant and the stake, and I only remembered about it when I stumble with other people that asked themselves the same question.
A few years ago, with some luck, I met this wise enough person to found the answer about it:
"The circus elephant doesn't escape, because he has been bound to a stake since he was very small."
I closed my eyes and imagined the newly born elephant tied to the stake.
I'm sure in that very moment the poor little elephant pulled, pushed and sweat trying to get off the the stake. And even with his all efforts he couldn't make it.
I swear he fell asleep exhausted and in the next morning he tried again, and so on...
Until one, a terrible day for his life, the animal accepted his impotence and resign to his destiny.
This huge and powerful elephant we see at the circus becaus he thinks - poor of him- that he can't.
He has in his memory his impotence, his impotence that he felt on that day when he born.
And the worst of all he has never questioned that memory again.
He never ... never... tried to test his strength ever again...



We all go wandering around the world, tied to hundreds of stakes, and they take away our freedom...
conditioned to a memory that "I couldn't, I can't and I will never can't"
The only way for you to know, is to try again and this time putting all your heart on it.

-Jorge Bucay

Mercedes ~The Queen of Elf~
She opened her eyes as she regained consciousness. “Ugh……” She whimpered, gasping weakly as she stood up. “It seemed that Black Mage’s dirty trick has failed to get me.” She muttered, feeling glad that she survived Black Mage’s final attack probably because of her noble and pure elf lineage. “But, why…….Why must he treat the forest like this?” She looked around and sobbed upon seeing the surrounding forest which had pitifully become cinders after being seared by the hellfire summoned by the Black Mage.

“The end of war, wasn’t it?” She doubted as she beamed at the remains of the Black Mage’s minions. Elin Forest, the once-beautiful place where the mossy snails, tree lords and stone bugs inhabited, had been destroyed. Nevertheless, Maple World was saved from being fully engulfed by Black Mage’s evilness, at least. She felt a little joyful but the joy didn’t last long. Out of the blue, a shroud of severe coldness hung over the place and a heavy snowfall followed. Her long and pointed elf ears shivered a little as the snow fell. She heard nothing else other than the wails made by the biting wind. The forest which was coated by ashes at first was now covered by snow. How ironic! “Cold…..” She mumbled as she picked up her pair of bowguns which was lying near her feet.

The special Magic Arrow installed on her bowguns was created by her ancestors and was blessed by the great spirits to be used to gain infinite ammo so that she could last very long during a war. It was now no longer needed as the war had already ended. Putting her arrows back into her rucksack, she started to head home. As she touched the mistletoe hairpin on her hair, she let out a sigh of relief. The hairpin was a special gift from her fiancé, Freud, who had accompanied her in joining the expedition formed by people who wished to crusade against the Black Mage for the peace of Maple World. “Wait! Freud? Where’s Freud?” She shouted as she recalled her beloved.

Five heroes had been called by Athena Pierce to form a team to fight the Black Mage in order to stop his evil plan of overtaking the sovereignty of the Maple World. The five were Mercedes, the Elven Queen; Aran, the Hero of Glaze; Phantom, the Great Thief; Luminous, the sacred spell-caster and Freud, the Dragon Master. These titles were gloriously bestowed by Empress Aria, who previously ruled Maple World and was killed by the Black Mage not too long ago. In the end, all the five crusaders succeeded in destroying the wicked Black Mage. However, Black Mage had managed to cast his final attack on them as well. The effects of his spell, however, still remained unknown.

The blizzard stormed all over the place. It was so cold that her every breath became frosty. She finally saw her fiancé lying beside his Onyx Dragon after looking around for him in the dark woods. She had no time for the other heroes because all she wanted to see was just Freud, her love. She desperately hopped towards Freud as it was a faster way for elves to move. “Freud!” Quickly throwing her bowguns away, she hugged Freud tightly and cried. No matter how hard she tried, she could not rouse Freud who seemed to be in a state of deep unconsciousness.

“Mercedes…… you have finally come.” Interrupted Alfrien, Freud’s Onyx Dragon which remained partially frozen via telepathy. As Mercedes wanted to know Freud’s condition, faint replies came from Alfrein, “I am sorry to say this but master is already dead.” The word ‘dead’ kept echoing inside her head, she couldn’t believe it. What kind of a terrible word had she heard from Alfrien? She could not accept the truth and she knelt down helplessly. This is the cruelty of war – everybody would be dead around you yet nothing could be done to prevent it from happening. Mercedes sobbed while Alfrien carried on talking, “Master’s last wish is to keep you alive...... He wished that you could still stay in this world as he couldn’t bear to see you die.” Having said what he had to say, Alfrien went completely frozen. It died too.

“Freud……” She took off her mistletoe hairpin along with her engagement ring and put them in Freud’s cold hand. She stood up and took back her bowguns. She wiped the snow on it as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Farewell.” Speaking softly to Freud, she walked away. A myriad of glowing butterflies swarmed around her as she triggered the warping spell back to her hometown – Elluel. Upon arriving, she was shocked to find all the villagers frozen, leaving her elders and her friend standing under the enchanted Cherry Blossom tree which bloomed with eternity. “You’ve finally come back!” Danika, Mercedes’s best childhood friend, also known as the Elder of War, welcomed the return of the Elven Queen with open arms. “Sorry to keep you waiting for this long, Danika.” Mercedes was happy to see her friend.

“Your Highness, you have been affected by a horrible curse cast by the Black Mage!” Astilda, the Elder of Life, exclaimed. “Dark ice spells.” Philius, the Elder of Magic, added. Astilda also told her Highness that since she was the ruler of all elves, the spell would infect all the elves too. Mercedes apologized for her carelessness during the elimination of Black Mage and of course the elders forgave her. Maple World would have been destroyed if not for her heroic sacrifice. “Our protective spell won’t last us long, your Highness, I beg you to seal the entrance and hide the town.” Pleaded Philius as her legs were already frozen. Danika, with her head remained unfroze, smiled and said, “Good bye Mercedes, see you.” Shortly after she had uttered her last syllable, she was fully frozen.

Mercedes quickly sealed up the opening of the cave behind the waterfall by drawing pentagrams on it with her magic powders to keep intruders away as it was the entrance to the world outside. She approached the magic phonograph and let it played a soothing song. The song was composed by her forebears and could veil the whole town with invisibility. She was then suddenly seized by a great feeling of drowsiness. She went into her room and then she was frozen too, the moment she closed her expressive eyes. Her strength and consciousness slowly ebbed away. Being an elf, she could not get rid of the deadly curse. The town of elves soon disappeared as the curse unleashed its evil power.

One day after a century had passed, a young rookie magician was killing slimes as instructed by Grendel the Really Old. As he was making his last strike, the branch of the tall giant tree on which he was standing broke. He fell down for a few kilometres but he was fortunately cushioned by the soft bushes at the bottom. A sealed cave caught his attention and he went to have a closer look. Out of curiosity, he touched the seal and it broke. He walked into the cave and his wand accidentally hit the big crystal block nearby. A small portion of his magic power infused into the crystal block and it started shining, lighting up the entire cave.

He went deeper into the cave, not aware of what his curiosity would get him into……

[video=youtube;Pf6T-EcBmYs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf6T-EcBmYs[/video]

I love you.