Welcome to Gaia! ::

Short explanation:

I cried for a very long time when Viscus Universus closed down.

I still miss it.

AND I tried to do something to carry on, shortly after. I wrote out pages upon pages of plans for this new RP I was working on, called Viscus Invictus (Ask Psalmie, I discussed it with her back then). And I was really excited! But then I realized something:

The whole idea was totally frickin stupid.

Okay, maybe not TOTALLY stupid. But mostly stupid. Mostly.

Basically, VI was just not good enough. The plot was horrible. It dealt too much with people and things concerning Kingdom Hearts Illusions, and the rest of Destati's gargantuan story, such as Azazel and Pallbearer. And I COULD NOT make an entire RP based so much around those things, for obvious reasons. A short story? Hell yeah. But not an RP. The main plot I had come up with was just pathetic. It was obvious no one could go far in an RP with such a contrived story, so I trashed the whole damn thing.

Kept the characters, though, as they were already created long before. But anyway, I tried to come up with other plot ideas for what seemed like forever, because I was bound and determined to make this work. But it never did. I drove myself insane with this whole thing. Writing actually became detrimental to my health. I started writing other things, with no relation, and yet it still threw my emotions askew (like they weren't swingy enough). But after a long time of separation, I finally snapped into a better state of mind and started writing a series of rough drafts/outlines for a short story. Most of them have now been burned and/or ripped to shreds. But one of them worked for me, and it is the conclusion I've been looking for, and what I'm working on now.

Now, keep in mind that when I say "conclusion", I don't mean epiphany or sudden realization. I mean ending. Yes, the ending of Alasdair Nevermore. The reason I'm writing this, and indeed, the reason I was driving myself crazy in the first place, is that I can't stand to let certain things go unfinished. If it's one of those things that becomes stale to me, like KH Illusions, then yeah, I can let it go for a couple years and come back to it refreshed. But Al never reached that point for me. So I had to do something with him. I couldn't just leave him hanging. I had to know, in my mind, that there was some kind of something waiting for him.

And here that something is! It's nowhere near complete (still haven't finished the first chapter yet), but at least I've got an outline in my head of how things are going to go. And it's small and simple. I can maybe finish it in about a year or two, and finally have peace of mind again. So yeah, enough with the damn pedantics. I present to you, "The Light & The Glass". Um...read at your own discretion. Or something.


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"The wind is splendid today."
They were the first words the young man had spoken all day, and they were true enough. There was no tone, no inflection, no emotion whatsoever in the words; this was the usual way. But though his voice did not convey it, he was very pleased with the words' simple truth.

He was sitting on the windowsill as usual, ignoring his private study in favor of the beautiful view outside. He was supposed to write a letter to the council in Kyran, but he felt more like basking in the warm sun. Maybe later he would go for a swim. That would be a nice change. Someone with his responsibilities hardly had time to go outside. Oh, to be some other thirteen-year-old, with nothing to do but enjoy the summer...

"Master Julian," called a voice from outside the study door. "I hope you will be pleased to hear that your...er...unfortunate guests...from earlier...have gone on their way back to the city."

"And may Leviathan speed their way from the sight of our island as fast as He can. I'd rather never see the self-righteous swine again."

There was a pause. "If it please, young Master, the cooks will have dinner ready within the hour."

"I'll not be eating tonight. I believe it's time to check up on our prodigal son."

Another pause. "Yes, Lord. I shall...let them know."

"Thank you, Rell. Goodnight."

"Good...Goodnight, Master Julian."

The young man sighed. He knew the servants of the house wouldn't stand for his behavior long. They usually forced him to eat something before they thought it was "too late". And of course, shutting himself up in the study all afternoon wouldn't do either. But some things came before his own health. Some things needed to be corrected any way they could...

_______________________________________


It had been too long now for Alasdair to remember when exactly he had set out. By the time the prison guards had finally given in to his request for a book and pen, he had already lost track of the days. So of course, his new shoddy prison journal bore entries titled as "Day 1", "Day 2", "Day 3", et cetera. He was now on day twenty-three:

"It's been forever since these ignorant hicks threw me in jail, and I've been as nice as I possibly can be, yet they still won't give me my s**t back. I finally stopped trying to reason with them this morning. They laugh at everything I say! 'Lightbearer? What's that? Harharhar!' What a bunch of idiots. But of course, that's what I get for crashing my Gummi Ship on a miserable rock of a world like this. It's apparently never been touched by the outside; the Order is still maintained here. These people are completely unaware of the bigger World out there...... So, basically, they're just like I used to be, before I was sent to Kleides and joined the Legion..."

Al's hand slipped, and he stopped writing. He smiled to himself as he remembered all the times he had shared with his fellow Lightbearers. With them, he had gone from a backwater-world-rookie who knew nothing about...anything....to a real, battle-hardened warrior in service to the Light. Sure, maybe the other guys could all still kick his a** (after his first chaotic morning with the Legion, he was sure he NEVER wanted to piss off Alerua), but he felt like the practice sessions he used to get back home were nothing to him now. And no, he wasn't the smartest of the bunch, but he now knew everything he needed to be a full-fledged Lightbearer. He may have been anxious before, but now he was glad he had to wait so long to try to go home.

But it would've been a lot better if the homeward journey hadn't been wrecked by your poor flying skills, right?

Shut up.

After issuing the silent command, the young man set the pen to paper again.

"And that's another thing. The voice in my head has been a lot more annoying lately. I dunno if it's just boredom, or frustration, or whatever, but seriously. You'd think it'd get tired of nagging me after a while."

Not a chance, kiddo.

"Aah! Shut up!"

"I can't help it, man!"

Al sighed. His cellmate was a young man who seemed to be a bit...mentally unbalanced. "Sorry, Lucian. I wasn't talking to you."

"You hear them too?"

"No, I don't hear anything. There are no voices, Lucian."

"They're getting louder, man! You can't tell me you don't hear them."

"No, Lucian, I already told you. I don't hear anyone but you."

And me, of course.

Shut up!

"They won't leave me alone, Al! They just keep pushing and pushing and PUSHING! Telling me to come outside. I CAN'T GO OUTSIDE!!!" This last was apparently meant for the supposed voices, for the young man rushed to the brick wall nearest him and began to pound on it with his fists.

"You hear someone outside?" Hope sprang within Alasdair's heart as he strained his ears for any sort of sound from beyond the walls of the prison cell. "Hey, maybe somebody's here to bust us out! Maybe the Legion somehow heard about what happened to me, and they're coming to bring me back home to Kleides!" He forced himself to keep quiet, and there he sat in anticipation for several minutes. But he heard nothing but Lucian's agonized moans. "There's nothing out there," he said in an annoyed tone. "You just need some sleep, dude."

"No, not out there," the pale-blonde boy said as he slumped down to the floor. "They want me to come outside, but they're in here."

Another sigh from Alasdair. "Lucian, we've been through this. You and me are the only ones in this cell. There's nobody else here."

"Not in here, man, in HERE!" At this last word, Lucian clutched his head with both hands. Al raised an eyebrow.

Voices in his head, huh? Well, that settles it. We're both ******** crazy.

Suddenly, there was a loud crashing sound down the hall. Al ran to the cell door to look through the small window. He craned his neck any way he could, but didn't see anything; however, he did hear a few shouts.

"What's happening?" Lucian asked; the poor boy was now crouched in the corner.

"I don't know, buddy, but hopefully we'll find-"
"Down there!" someone was screaming at the top of his lungs. "He's down there, I swear it!"

There was no more talking, but someone was now running down the hall. From what Al could hear, the person stopped after a few steps and busted open one of the cell doors - undoubtedly with something very heavy. Then more steps, and another door was opened. This person...or thing...was getting closer to their cell. He had heard from one of the guards that there were only ten of them on this side of the prison. So, it was only a matter of time...

He remained at the window, listening. Step, step, step, step, BOOM! Step, step, BOOM! This went on for less than a minute before a face popped up in the window, staring right back at Alasdair.

"Move!" the strange young woman said. Al was rooted to the spot. This tiny girl was the one breaking open the cells?

"Are you busting us out of here?" he asked, when he finally found his tongue.

"Is there a blonde boy in there with you? Seems kind of crazy? Mumbles to himself?"

"You mean Lucian?"

The girl's eyes were filled with determination. "Move away from the door."

"What? Wait! What are you-"

"Move away from the door!"

"Okay, fine..." He ran to the back of the cell, and the girl kicked the door in. She stepped into the cell, and when she saw Lucian, she ran to his side and picked him up to his feet. Al noticed that she was wearing a slim suit made out of the same strange, crinoline-like material as Lucian's own white robe. There was a large, jagged sword hanging from her belt.

"Are you okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"They..." Lucian began, but stopped abruptly. "You...You look familiar."

"I work for your father, remember? Come on, we have to get away from here."

"M-my father?" Lucian stuttered.

"He's waiting for you. Let's go."

"No! I'll be in so much trouble! I don't wanna go home! Al, help me! What should I do?"

Al shook his head. Obviously there was something going on here that he didn't understand, or have any part in. "Look, buddy...I don't know what's going on. But if you don't want to go back to...wherever you're from...I'll think of something, okay?"

"You know this boy?" the girl asked Lucian, who nodded.

"He's Al. He's my friend."

"Well, I'm sorry, Prince Lucian, but you're not going with this...savage." The girl looked Al up and down, eyeing his torn pants and faded vest with a look of disgust.

"Hey, that's uncalled for! I didn't do anything to you."

"I'm going with Al!" Lucian persisted. The girl sighed.

"Look, I don't have time for this right now. How about, for the time being, we just worry about getting you out of here? We can discuss the details later."

"That sounds fine to me," Alasdair said.

Don't forget about your effects, kiddo.

"Oh yeah, but I need to stop and get my stuff back from the guard station."

"We're not on a field trip," the girl said. "I'm not stopping for your belongings. If you want my help, you'll keep up."

"Well, if you want MY help, you'll let me get my items," Al countered with a glance in Lucian's direction. The blonde boy's face contorted into a miserable pout.

"You're coming with me, aren't you, Al?"

The girl gave Al another disgusted look. "You sneaky b*****d. Fine, we'll stop. But you'd better have a weapon amongst your junk."

"I have weapons, yes," Al said, giving her a lopsided grin. "Now let's get outta here." He grabbed his journal and finally abandoned the horrible cell.


The guard station was easily found, right down the hall. Al jumped over the low wall and began digging for his items. He found his rapier first, leaning against the wall, its thin silver blade and crimson hand-guard glinting in the afternoon sun. He touched the hand-guard gently as if shaking the hand of a long-lost friend, then went back to the search. He soon found a large box marked with the number 38 - the same number that the guards had marked on his skin. He ripped it open and pulled out the contents: a medium black belt with a silver star buckle, two small knives, a bag full of tiny explosives, a grey metal armguard, a black bandanna, a small, red crystal, and a silver medallion engraved with a picture of some sort of sea dragon. After quickly putting his belt back on and stuffing the bandanna, crystal, and medallion into his pocket, he grabbed all the weapons and ran.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Once they made it outside, they found themselves surrounded by soldiers in blue and white uniforms. Alasdair whistled and brandished his rapier, while the girl instructed Lucian to stay behind her.

"Friends of yours?"

"Not mine," the girl answered with a scowl, unsheathing her sword. "You're one of the Departed, aren't you? Yet these villains are unknown to you, it seems. What-" she was cut off suddenly as the soldiers suddenly charged at them, and she raised her weapon to block an attack.

"Honey, I don't know what you're talkin' about, but I know damn well these guys ain't with me," Al responded as he joined the fight as well. He pierced one of the soldiers straight through his stomach, then turned around and delivered two quick kicks to the next one as he retrieved his now bloody rapier. "I'm from out o' town, if ya get my drift."

"I don't know what you mean, but from the looks of it, you'd pass as a fair soldier."

"I wasn't always like this... I met some friends quite a while ago...." Here he paused, putting all his strength into jumping out of the way of a heavy axe. "...And they toughened me up. Still no match for any o' them, though, I can tell ya that."

"Where do you hail from, then, if you claim not to be one of these savages?"

"Um... How can I put this? I'm from a place that... Well... I can't tell you, 'cause it's against the rules."

The girl scoffed. "Oh, yes, I'll believe that."

"Look, we can argue about where I'm from and who I am and the color of the sky, for all I care, but I'd prefer it took place at a time when people aren't trying to kill me."

"Fair enough."

"That being said, there's way too many o' these bastards."

"They'll just keep coming until we're dead."

"Well, that poses a problem. Enough o' the fun and games, then." Al stopped fighting, and quickly grabbed onto the end of his rapier's blade with his right hand. "Get down. You too, Lucian." After the two had hit the deck, as they say, he closed his eyes for a second, and a beam of multicolored light shot from the weapon, forming into a circle which widened and spread out quickly through the area, cutting all of the soldiers within range. After they had all fallen, he sheathed his rapier. "Well, come on, then, let's get the hell outta here!"

Lucian and the girl rose to their feet, and the three of them fled the scene as fast as they could before the reinforcements could reach them. "Not that way!" the girl yelled at Al, pointing him in the direction of a line of trees. "Into the woods, hurry!"

"Why? Why into the woods?" Why was it always the woods? Or the sewers. Or the dark, demonic wasteland with huge towers in the background that looked like it came out of the world of nightmares. For once in his life, why couldn't it be the theme park, or the beach, or the huge colorful house made out of candy?

"You'll see. No time to explain now, just go!"

Al followed the two into the forest, grumbling silently all the way.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


After stumbling blindly through the forest for what seemed days, Al had found himself within a peculiar town... If that was what he could call it. Here, in this forest kingdom, the people literally lived among nature; their homes weren't made OF trees, but WITHIN trees. And these trees were enormous; bigger than any Al had seen, or even possibly imagined, in his life. As he walked around in a daze at the wonder of it all, the girl had guided both him and Lucian to a group of many trees, connected by man-made wooden tunnels. It was a very odd sight. And within this collection, as he had discovered, was what they called the castle. Now he stood before the king, with no one else present but the Lucian, the girl, and a single soldier, who, he guessed, must be of some importance to the monarch.

"I would have your name, stranger," the king said, brushing through a strand of his blonde hair out of habit.

"Alasdair Nevermore, your majesty," Al replied from where he knelt on the floor.

"And you are the one who rescued my son from the dominion of the Departed?"

"...Well... I had help," he said, with a sly smile and wink toward the girl, who crossed her arms and gave him a look of disgust.

"You have done myself and my kingdom a great service, ser. Many long years I have tried to reclaim my son from those savages. My despair had all but crushed me; but now my relief and happiness are immeasurable. And I shall reward your deeds to match. If there is anything at all you would ask of me, do not hesitate."

"Well... I don't want to be a bother. I'm a humble guy, I guess, your majesty. If I could ask for anything, it would be help."

"In what matter?"

"See, I came here on what we call a Gummi Ship. I kinda crash-landed... The ship is fine, though, she can still fly. But I was captured and put in prison as soon as I arrived, and I don't know what's happened to her. If you or your men have heard or seen anything about it, I would really appreciate it."

"A... Gummi Ship? I know not what this is."

"It's... basically a large machine with wings. It's colored red and blue."

"Ah!" the soldier suddenly exclaimed, snapping to attention at Al's words.

"What's this, Ciaran?" the King asked. "Know you something of this foreign machine?"

"Yes, Your Majesty! We discovered something very much like what young Master Nevermore here describes!"

Al's face lit up, and the King waved his arm with a nod. "Go then, ser. Follow Lord Ciaran, and, I hope, discover your lost possession. And afterwards, please, come see me again, and we shall speak more hence."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Al said, before rising to his feet and following the soldier out of the throne room. "Seeya soon, Lucian!" The blonde boy waved at Alasdair, giving him a sad look.

Ciaran talked to him excitedly all the way, and he listened intently, nodding or shaking his head whenever it was called for. He talked of the way things were in the kingdom, how much everyone had missed the Prince, the possibility of full-blown war in the future, and many other things. Alasdair couldn't help but chuckle every now and then; it was so odd, to him, that they focused so much on simple things that mattered only to their world, when there was such a bigger World out there, with countless events transpiring all at the same time. He had been exactly the same way not too long ago; completely oblivious to the outside, and only worried about the tiny, insignificant details of his precious little life. It was rather scary to think about it, really:

If you took a step outside of your world, and turned around, you'd see how small you really are.









“So, Gathorn, you thought to send your nephew away, to come into contact with Darkness? And all on your own? You learned of the Outside by stealing the records in my library… And here I was, giving you far too much credit, thinking that you had some sort of idea of what you were doing.” Julian’s prisoner said nothing, though he lowered his gaze, unable to meet that of the Elder. “It gives me great satisfaction, then, to inform you that his fate was quite the opposite. For the past year… nearly a year… that he’s been away, he’s fought for the Light. What else did you expect?” Again, no response. Julian took a sip of his herbal tea before continuing. “Either way, you had no hope of getting what you wanted. You should have realized that the foreign blood in the boy is too thin. With or without contact with Darkness, or the Moon Child’s home, or any such garbage… He’ll never turn out to be like his ancestors.”

“You have what you want from me,” Gathorn finally spoke up. “You got your items back. What more do you want?”

“I want your missing accomplice. Where is she?”

“I have no idea… She was a random hire.”

“I don’t appreciate being lied to, Gathorn.”

“It’s true! She could be all the way in Liath by now!”

“We’ll see. In the end, she’ll be punished just as you are now.”

______________________________________________________________________________________________________






“My baby!” Not in any dire situation between life and death had Alasdair run so fast as he did across the large chamber to press himself against his Gummi Ship. “Oh, and you look just fine after all. I was silly to worry about you, but you know how I am. They haven’t hurt you, have they, Honey?”

“We’ve been most gentle,” the soldier, Ciaran, assured Al with a smile. “We’ve been trying to determine what exactly it is, but so far, it escapes all our minds. I suppose you’ll show us its purpose, young Master Nevermore?”

“Look, man,” Alasdair said as he pulled open the latch, allowing the cockpit to open, “you can just call me Al.”

“That is unthinkable, ser!” Ciaran gasped. “I-I could not bring myself to perform such a desecration of etiquette! Besides, His Majesty would not approve.”

“Suit yourself,” Al said with a shrug before jumping into the cockpit. He flipped a few switches and pulled a few levers, and soon the engine was humming just as it always did. “Oh, still sweet-talkin’ me, Honey,” he chuckled before bringing the ship back to its rest. “Well, all systems are go, as they say. I owe you cats a-”

“You there!” a voice roared, cutting him off. Al turned around on his heel to witness the approach of the same young woman who had busted he and Lucian out of prison. “Are you not yet finished here?”

“All done, honeycakes,” Al said with a wide grin. “Let me guess - you’re gonna be my escort back to the king?”

“Of course. It wouldn’t be wise to keep His Majesty waiting. You are a welcome guest because of your friendship with the Prince, but your lack of decorum may expedite the limit of your welcome.” After she seemed to be finished scolding the foreigner, she turned to the knight. “Ciaran, I apologize for my early departure from our earlier conversation. I would hear what you attempted to say, once my duties are done.”

“That would please me, Lady Siofra,” Ciaran said with a low bow, which the girl returned before departing the chamber, gesturing for Al to follow.

“So, your name’s SHEEE-fra, huh?” Al asked as he fell in step beside the young woman.

“It isn’t becoming to carry a word farther than it likes.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Or I could just call you nothin’ but honeycakes.”

“I would rather you refrain from speaking at all,” Siofra said in an irritated tone.

“Kay,” Al said, adding nothing more for the entirety of the trip back to the throne room.

“Your Majesty, I return with the guest,” Siofra said as she knelt down on the wooden floor.

“Ah, young Master Nevermore!” the King greeted. “I hope your expectations were met?”

“Exceeded, Your Majesty,” Alasdair said with a low bow. “Thank you so much. Hey, where’s Lucian?”

“Cur!” Siofra shouted. “He is to be addressed as Prince!”

“Peace, Siofra,” the king said. “Our guest knows not our ways.”

“A thousand apologies, Your Majesty.”

“Young Master Nevermore, now that you have found your vessel, I gather you shall be departing our land?”

“I’m afraid so, Your Majesty,” Alasdair said. “I really need to be on my way. But I’ll come back whenever I can to visit my buddy Lucian. And if you ever need help with anything, and I do mean ANYTHING… You just remember that you’re still owed a favor from a Lightbearer. I always make good by my word.”

“There is one thing, if it shan’t be too much to ask. We are unfamiliar with this land from which you hail. Never have we imagined a world beyond the grasp of Niamh. But in order to better serve my people, I feel I should gain knowledge of this place. Might I ask you to allow my most trusted servant to join you in your travels for the time being, so that I may receive a proper report of the outside?”

“Your wish is my command,” Al said with another bow. “Just tell ‘em to come to where my ship is, and I’d be happy to have ‘em tag along.”

“Siofra, may I ask this service of you?” the King asked, turning his gaze to the kneeling girl once again.

“I live to serve Your Majesty,” Siofra said. “By your leave, I shall make my preparations at once.”

“My thanks, dear friend,” the King said with a nod of his head. Siofra rose to her feet at once, and with a bow, turned and left the room.

“So, she’s your most trusted servant?” Alasdair asked with a whistle. “I had no idea. But it fits her. She’s all business, that one.”

“Aye, Siofra was among the greatest knights in our kingdom, and was hand-picked by my advisers to be my new personal guard, upon my shadow’s death.”

“Oh, I’m sorry for your loss,” Alasdair said, his smile fading.

“My thanks, but he rests in the arms of Niamh now, and we shan’t weep for him. Though my heart is still burdened with the loss of such a man.”

“I know what you mean. I’ve lost people before. One of my allies, Louis, died at the end of a dangerous mission. I hadn’t even known him long; we were a new team, and him and me were two of the newest. But he was one of us, one of our family… He was a Lightbearer, and that means something. It always has, even back when I didn’t really know what it meant.”

“It would seem that your journeys have been long indeed. I would not expect such sentiments from one so young. My new friend, I would have you return here to Roisin if the road you travel makes you weary. I would not have a youth so kind bear his burdens alone. My people shan’t forget your aid. Always know that you have friends here, if ever you may need them.” The smile slowly returned to Alasdair’s face, and he shook his head from side to side.

“I won’t forget.”


____________________________________________________________




“And this lever right here switches the output to better control your… ya know… up-and-down movements. Like, you wouldn’t want to try a quick dive if it was on the green area. But that’s only for extreme situations.”

“Such as…?” Ciaran asked.

“Well, if you were fightin’ an enemy ship,” Al said. “Or doing complicated maneuvering. Like I was, through that debris field, when I messed up and crashed here. But you can’t use that lever when the ship’s off or on standby or… it’s a long list. Otherwise the gear’s’ll get all jammed up.”

“How high into the air have you flown with this contraption, young Master Nevermore? Even higher than birds soar?”

“Oh, higher,” Al laughed. “Much higher. To the stars.”

“The stars…? But… But that’s…”

“I apologize if I’ve kept you waiting,” Siofra said as she approached the ship, carrying a small bag by a strap over her shoulder.

“Not at all,” Al said. “Been showin’ the ship to my new buddy here. Ain’t that right, Ciaran?”

“I… I must go,” Ciaran said, standing up abruptly and climbing out of the cockpit. “May your travels be safe.” He gave them each a bow and exited the chamber hastily.

“Well, that’s odd,” Al said with a raised eyebrow.

“What did you say to him?” Siofra demanded with a glare as she threw her bag into the cockpit.

“Nothin’, nothin’. He just asked me where I fly the ship, and I told him I fly through the stars.”

“You WHAT? Why would you say that?!”

“Whoa, calm down! What’d I do?”

“Idiot, you don’t understand anything!” She breathed in deep and exhaled slowly, then shook her head. “Let us depart. I’ll explain as best I can.” She climbed into the cockpit and sat down in the seat beside Al’s while he turned the ship on and sealed the window in place.

“Buckle your seatbelt,” Alasdair said as he began flipping switches.

“My what?”

“Oh, yeah. Forest people. Um… There should be a square-shaped doohickey somewhere on the right side o’ your seat. It’s metal. Press the button on it, and it’ll open and release a rope-ish whatchamacallit. Grab the end o’ that, and pull it to the other square-shaped doohickey on your left side. It’ll lock in place by itself. Got it?”

“Your words are confusing, but I’ll manage,” Siofra said with a roll of her eyes as she stretched the seatbelt over to her left-hand side. A loud click sounded, and the belt was sealed.

“Now, what’s up with Ciaran?” Al asked. “What’s wrong with that I said? I figured, ‘cause he’s one o’ the King’s knights, he could be trusted with that information.”

“That is not the problem. You do not understand our ways. In Roisin, the people believe in a group of deities which are personifications of nature. Niamh is the goddess of the sky and the stars, the protective mother figure who wraps us in her arms at night. The stars are considered part of the cloth of which her gown is made. In the minds of these people, there is nothing beyond her. Do you understand?”

“Sure, I get it,” Al said. “I’m sorry, I had no idea. Trust me, faith is important to me, too. I wouldn’ta said nothin’ if I knew. But is he gonna be alright? I don’t wanna mess up his head or nothin’, after he’s been so nice to me the whole time.”

“He will go to the King with his troubles, and the King will put his mind at ease,” Siofra said.

“Wow, you really know your employees,” Al laughed as he finally pulled the ship up out of the chamber and into the open air. “What’s wrong?” he asked when he noticed that she had suddenly begun fiddling with some sort of charm around her neck, her hands shaking, eyes closed. The charm was made of leather strings entwined with each other and decorated with several stone beads, and he had no idea what it was supposed to stand for, but he knew that it must matter the same to her as his Leviathan pendant did to him. “Never done this before, have you?”

“Of course I haven’t, fool!” Siofra said, strengthening her grip on the charm as the ship gained altitude and the trees were left far behind.

“Well then, the one thing you sure as Sora don’t wanna do, is close your eyes,” he said, folding his right hand around both of hers, and the charm. “Trust me, you don’t wanna miss this.” Siofra slowly opened her eyes, and began to hyperventilate when she saw the great wide-open enveloping her along with the ship. “Hey, relax!” Al shouted, trying to calm her down, but it didn’t work, and she closed her eyes tightly again. “I’m right here! Nothin’s gonna happen to ya, I promise!”

“What-is-it-like?” she asked between sharp intakes of breath.

“This? Well… It’s like… You’re fallin’ the wrong way. And you feel like you’re gonna be sucked into the sky, fallin’ up forever, ‘cause there’s no way you can’t get stuck there. But then you get to that one moment, where the sky just fades out, like a piece o’ paper burnin’ in a fire, and it’s replaced by the most gorgeous thing you could ever imagine.”

“And w-what is that?” Siofra asked as the ship flew higher.

“Stars. Not stars the way you see ‘em from on the ground. Stars the way they see each other. And you’re stuck in the same place that they are, like bread crumbs stuck in jelly, and feel like you can reach out and grab one. But you can’t. And you suddenly realize that the world you thought was so big, is just one tiny piece of forever. And you have to face the fact that without a doubt, each one of ‘em has a life, a story, a heart, just like yours. You’ve never felt as small as you do in that one moment. And you still feel like you’re falling, but you don’t know what direction you’re fallin’, or how long, ‘cause there’s no directions or time, only consciousness and heartbeats that you can’t hear. And you still think you’re gonna get sucked in, and you’re not as afraid anymore, ‘cause it’s so beautiful. But you still are a bit, ‘cause it’s a much bigger sky to fall into.”

“Well… When one puts it that way… I believe I may be prepared to do that,” Siofra said slowly as she opened her eyes once again. “If only for the last part.”

“It is the best,” Al said with a soft smile, breathing out a sigh of relief now that his passenger was comfortable once more.

“You didn’t only say those beautiful words to calm me, did you?”

“Just see for yourself,” Al said, pointing forward to the view outside the window as they rose higher into the air than Siofra had ever thought possible. The ship’s speed increased, and soon the wild blue yonder curled away to make way for the starry sky, and pinpricks in a velvet cloth became neighbors in an endless palette of all things bright and beautiful.


____________________________________________________________________________________________________






Won’t be long now. Give me that deep blue…

There you are, Voice. I was starting to think you’d left.

Nah, I was just interested in what was goin’ on. Didn’t wanna miss anything.

You’re crazy.

ME, crazy? Who’s the one talking to a voice in his head?

“Oh, just shut up already!” Al finally shouted out loud, causing Siofra to give him a strange look.

“I’ve said nothing,” she said before turning her attention back to the view outside the window.

“I wasn’t talking to… you… Ah, just forget it. It’s complicated.”

“If you insist,” Siofra said with a shrug. “Do you know what all of these are called?”

“Worlds?” Al laughed. “I’ve only been to, what, six or seven of ‘em? Counting my home, your home, and Kleides.”

“Kleides?”

“Where the Lightbearers are. That’s where I was for the past year.”

“And which one of these is Kleides?”

“Whew,” Al whistled loudly. “I couldn’t tell ya. It’s far away from where we are right now. Here, look on the map.” He pressed one of the buttons on the console, and a display of space filled the ship’s cockpit. “Find Kleides. Zoom.” The map did as he said, locking on to a single star and bringing it in close.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Ain’t it, though? Link to Roisin.” The picture zoomed back out, and a green line extended from the world, connecting two of the stars on the map. “This is your homeworld,” Al said, pointing at the second star. “Pretty far away from each other.”

“What about yours?”

“Link to Uisce.” Another green line extended from Roisin and connected to a third, close-by star. “See, these two are pretty close, as worlds go.”

“What does yours look like?”

“It’s a big ball o’ ocean, with just a few pieces o’ land.”

“Really? Why would you need so much water?”

“Well, I didn’t make the world,” Al laughed. “Don’t complain to me.”

“I can’t imagine a world of water.”

“Well, look out the window, ‘cause it’s right here,” Alasdair said, turning off the map. He pointed at a world they were approaching - a sphere of roaring ocean dotted by small landmasses. “We’re goin’ in. Ready?”

“As ready as one could be, I suppose,” Siofra said with a nervous laugh. Al flew the ship down through the atmosphere and went into a dive toward the ocean, moving steadily toward the tiniest of dark spots on the horizon as he did so. “I see no land,” his passenger said, bordering on shouting.

“There’s land,” Al said as he pulled the ship up and began to fly across the ocean, right above the water’s surface. “It’s just real small.”

“How small?”

“You’ll see.” The dark spot slowly grew larger, and color filled it in as they were able to make out trees, buildings made of straw and stone, and waves rolling on white sand.

“It’s beautiful,” Siofra said. “This is your home?”

“…Yep,” Al said with a weak laugh as he brought the ship down to rest on the sandy shore. Once he turned it off, he raised the cockpit window and unbuckled himself to rise to his feet and glance around the home he hadn’t seen in nearly a year. “Welcome to Chariazah.”

“Your family lives here?” the girl asked as she pushed the button of her own belt. She stood and jumped out of the ship as soon as she could, which turned out to be a bad idea. Still dizzy from her time in the ship, she fell down to the sand in a twisting, jerking motion, letting out a yelp.

“Need help?” Al asked as he jumped down as well and ran to her side, extending his hand. “Sorry, I shoulda said somethin’. Here, I’ll help you up.” She nodded and took his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet. “You alright?”

“Yes… I’m fine now. Thank you.”

“No problem, honeycakes.”

“Would you stop calling me that?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Al laughed. He looked away from her and stared at the town, exhaling slowly. “Well, here goes.” As soon as they stepped into the town, they caught the eyes of a young boy playing in the streets, who gasped and stared at them with wide eyes.

“Alasdair! You’re alive?”

“Last time I checked,” Al laughed.

“Hey, Teagan!” the boy shouted to a girl his same age. “Alasdair’s back!”

“Alasdair’s back?” the girl shouted, and this message soon echoed through the tiny town as a crowd formed around the two travelers.

“We thought you were dead,” a teenage boy announced.

“Where’ve you been all this time?” asked a girl on the other side of the crowd.

“I’ve been… away,” Al said with a nervous laugh.

“Is this your girlfriend?” asked another boy, motioning to Siofra.

“Definitely not.”

“And you got a tattoo?” asked the first boy, pointing to Al’s arm. “Your mom’s gonna be furious!”

“Where is my mom, Gavin?” Al asked. “Do you know?”

“At home, I’m guessing,” the boy replied. “She hasn’t been to the market today.”

“Are you going to visit her?” Siofra asked.

“Well, I…”

“You should,” Gavin said. “She thinks you died, too.”

“Alright… This way, Siofra.”

The house, like most of them, was made with a rich red-brown clay, hard as stone once it settled. Each side and corner was carefully carved into a design that took years to finish. The wooden door, never painted, was carved with many symbols that, according to the beliefs of the people of Uisce, brought protection and good fortune to those inside. He stared at them, not raising his hand to the handle, wondering if he should.

“Is there something wrong?” Siofra asked after a long silence.

“I don’t know. It’s just… Now that I’m here… I don’t know. It’s been so long. And we didn’t have the best relationship at the time that I left. I…”

“But you are still her son.”

“I… I guess… But I don’t know what to say…”

“The truth.” After another moment’s hesitation, he finally reached for the handle, but it turned before his hand touched it. The door was pulled open, and the man who had opened it dropped the glass of water he had been holding. The man didn’t seem to notice the shattering sound it made as it hit the floor; all of his attention was on Al.

“A-Allie?”

“Brother,” Alasdair said softly with a nod.

“I… We thought… I mean…”

“Who’s at the door, Balthasar?” a voice called from inside the house. The man stepped aside, revealing a view of the interior. The first room they could see was filled with wooden furniture, the walls covered with paintings of the family. The second was the kitchen, blocked by a woman who had been walking through the open doorway into the living room, carrying a tray with two plates, each holding sandwiches. When she saw Alasdair standing at the front door, she gasped and dropped the tray with a sudden jerk of her muscles, allowing its contents to fall to the floor.

“It’s me, Mom,” Alasdair said as he stepped past Balthasar and entered the house. “I’m back. I’m alive.” His mother made no movements, so he stepped closer to her, embracing her. The woman fell to the floor as she wrapped her arms around her son, and he fell with her, holding her up so that she wouldn’t be hurt. “I’m alive,” he said again to assure her that she wasn’t imagining things, and she pulled him in closer as she began to sob uncontrollably. “I’m sorry, Mom,” Al said, closing his eyes against the sting of tears that now fell down his cheeks. “I’m really sorry. I’ll tell you next time I leave, I promise.” His mother, still sobbing loudly, shook her head and buried her face in his blue denim vest. “Please don’t be sad anymore. I love you, Mom.”


___________________________________________________________________________________________________________


“Master Julian, we’ve been told that the Nevermore boy has returned.”

“Where is he?”

“At his home.”

“Good. Thank you, both of you.”

“Shall we begin today? Do you want us to fetch him?”

“No. Let him have this day. He should spend it with his family. After tomorrow, he won’t be seeing them again for a long time.”

^_^ Thank you, er....Mikomi, right? I could make them better if I could find the remainder of my art supplies, and get a new scanner, but alas, such is the trouble of moving...Oh well. When life hands you lemons, squirt lemon juice into the eyes of your enemies and make the best of it rofl

They are cool man, keep up the good work. However I like the first one, but I think you could have done a little more to it. As for the second one, it does look like AC. I like the last one, is the only thing I can say.