Welcome to Gaia! ::

o What is your character's deepest fear?

Tamesis laughed softly at the question. “What is there to fear? I do not fear the dark, for I control the dark. I have no reason to fear death, after all, I have already experienced it. Even before I did not fear it. No, I do not fear anything. I take caution with the unknown, but that is the closest to fear you will see from me.” Tamesis’s overconfidence concealed the truth. Revealing a fear was revealing a weakness, something she wouldn’t allow. In truth, her biggest fear was very simple and to her childish. She was afraid of fire. Ever since she had been young, through her entire life she had hated fire. She had long since forgotten when had caused this fear but it was still something that stayed with her. Every time she saw a flame her heart stopped for a moment, her confidence shook and it would take every bit of strength she had to keep herself from running away. Others would use fire, carrying it in torches to light their way. But Tamesis refused to even light her home with the flames.


o What is your character's greatest regret?

“I have nothing to regret. I did everything I wanted to, and do not feel bad about a single thing.” A tremor in her voice suggested otherwise. There was one thing she regretted and it was a big mistake that continue to haunt her. The raven that followed her around…she regretted doing that to him. The old man had been lonely and she had cursed him because he made one mistake, and turned him into that filthy bird. But, through all of it he never lost his memories and his thoughts. He was conscious of it all yet he continued to follow her and be loyal to her even though she had been horrible to him. It was one thing she would change if she could. Hopefully her death broke that curse and let him live the life she had taken away from him.


o What is your character's biggest unrealized dream/goal?

“I always wished to see my people back in their rightful place in my world. Our numbers were thin and our powers were slowly fading. We used to be respected. Many trusted our decisions and came to us to learn. But, as those humans found their technology, the silly steam power they thought so impressive, they had little use for us anymore. They found they could mimic much of our magic with their technology. I wanted to see the day they realized that their flimsy technology was only a temporary solution that could not outlast what my people could do. Even if I’m not there to see it now I still want it to happen.”


o What is your character's place in society?

“I helped to keep the villages I lived near keep their population down, so that they didn’t grow too fast and stretch their food supply.” Tamesis laughed. She obviously didn’t even buy that explanation. Her place was simply proving to those foolish young men and women that the world was not the good place they thought it would be. Not to mention exterminating some of the more annoying members of society.


o What is your character's moral standard?

“When a fool approaches me, I have very little problem with ending their life or teaching them a lesson. So many people look for easy ways to get through life. Money, love, security…they think they can get it all for free and if I see fit that they need a lesson then they will get it. I will make them learn the hard way. Some confuse this with being ‘evil.’ But if they believe I am evil then they will be surprised when they face trials and others in their lives that would put even me to shame.” Tamesis smirked and shook her head. “As bad as they believe me to be, I have honor. I would not strike down a man who worked for everything he had and had to occasionally ask for help. I would not steal from someone who was starving and had just managed to get their first bit of food in days. But I will show the fat aristocrat that he doesn’t deserve the life he has, especially when he has made so many enemies while crawling his way to the top.”


o What is your character's greatest triumph?

Tamesis had a truly satisfied look on her face as she thought about it. There was a smile on her lips and a reflective look in her eyes as she spoke.“Getting revenge on that b*****d who thought it could betray me. He wanted the king dead so he could take over. He got what he wanted and he would have ruled for quite a long time if he had just paid the small fee I asked. Instead, he was greedy. He believed he could get rid of me so I got rid of him instead. Even if I lost my own life in the process it was worth it. He learned that he cannot go back on a deal like that, especially when he is dealing with someone more skilled than himself.”


o How does your character view themselves?

“I am intelligent. I meet very few who are able to outsmart me. Even those who can…well, my powers deal with that very easily.” Tamesis’s voice carried an air of over-confidence. She saw herself in only the most flattering way. To her, she had no weaknesses and there was no problems she couldn’t deal with. Though she had started to question this view more recently. She knew her death was caused by her over-confidence and her desire to see one who wronged her suffer. Had she taken the easier and safer route of just poisoning the food she would be alive in her world. Instead she was in this strange new place, knowing she should be dead but is somehow still breathing. “I make very few mistakes. I think things through to the last detail. But even if something goes wrong I can deal with it. Surprises make my life interesting, after all.”

She hasn’t always had two personalities. She was born with one. The single greatest thing she has ever done in her short life was living through that split. Or rather, accepting the proper mind set necessary for the split to occur. Mandy’s personality split in her infancy after some experimenting on my part.

I have an extensive background in biological engineering and other life sciences. My most recent advancement in the field was learned in the process of altering Mandy’s brain paths. In doing so I created the sensations of some of my own early memories. Memories from the war between Seleen and the 3 Lords. I needed Mandy to feel the emotions of that time in order to persuade her ideals and ultimately alter her personality to fall in line with those of the 4 Lords. Only then, with the intensity of her personality mirroring that of the 4 Lords, could the power of the Lords be awakened in her (or any human, had their mind been in the right state before Mandy’s)

Because of the nature of these 4 Lords, I knew that any human found to have the same ideals would be in constant conflict with themselves. However, I could not have guessed that the differences in personality would become so polarized that they would actually split. It is still a mystery to me, how two completely separate minds can reside in the same body and neither has gone insane. To me, that is what is truly amazing about her. If they ever heard her talking to the other, a passerby might consider her unstable, but after talking to her and living around her for even a short time they would find her to be as normal as anyone else. There are just two of them, and they are both very real. They talk to each other, they can see and hear everything the other does simultaneously, and they can guess at what the other is thinking, similarly to twins, but they don’t hear one another's thoughts.

I’ve often wondered about what Mandy’s life will be like as she grows up in the society she is from. When we return to our own world, Mandy will have to learn to deal with the many prejudices that are prominent in most cultures there. Mandy is brilliant, but she is still a child. She doesn’t really grasp the full weight of the public opinion. She has grown up in a very sheltered community where being a “runt”, as many call it, is the norm. Within the area there is prejudice enough, but outside of her home land there is little to no tolerance for those of mixed races. Mandy is from a middle class family of Elven parents. So for all anyone can tell, Mandy is considered a ‘runt Elf’.

The concept of the human race is not very well received by the vast majority of society. There are a small number of Elven scientists who believe in the ancient stories that humans once existed on the planet. They have even learned enough to reason that all other species; the Elves, Demons, and Dwarves, share a common ancestry and where once all humans themselves. These scientists are outcasts for their beliefs, and their theories are mocked and belittled. But they are correct. And it is because of all the mixed breeding (which has become very prevalent over that past few centuries) that human characteristics are starting to manifest themselves more prominently. Those who show any human characteristics are considered mutants of a sort and are labeled as runts. Mandy is so completely dominated by human characteristics that she is considered to be among the first full Humans to live on the planet after a span of over three thousand years.

Despite this overwhelming negative view or her kind, Mandy is very optimistic. Both sides are confident in their abilities to achieve their goals and look forward to their lives with cheerfulness. Well, cheerful may be the wrong word for her more bullish side, but she is also extremely capable and proud of herself.

They also have their challenges as you would imagine. They constantly bicker and fight for control of the body. They are jealous of any attention or kindness that the other receives while in the body and they do their best to belittle each other. One, of course, is better at that then the other, but even the nice Mandy can be nasty when she wants to be. She just can’t control the body while she is.

Understandably, neither of them are very comfortable with their current state. Because she is so young, there are many things that she, or rather they, don’t realize about themselves. They don’t understand that they are in fact, one person. That they were born as one person and that they can again become one person. They also have a lot of ‘feelings’ as they would say. Because of the parts of my memories I gave Mandy as in infant, they will think things and feel things together that they don’t have any physical reason or proof for.

One such thing is that they both believe they can become one person. They have never been told this, and they technically don’t know it. Their idea is a little off. They don’t realize that they were once one person and so when they think of becoming that way in the future, they imagine that it will be because the other will simply go away. That they will somehow be separated completely from one another. And right now, there is nothing that would make either of them happier. The biggest dream or wish they would ever ask or hope to achieve is to find a way to make the other disappear. So really, this is a good experience for them. Suddenly being in a place with no familiar people or friends. It’s been very interesting indeed as I’ve watched her the past few days. She hasn’t seemed to argue as much with herself as she normally does at home. Perhaps staying here a while longer would help them learn to like each other a little more.

Besides the trouble with her other self, Mandy doesn’t really have much else she worries about. I guess that’s one of the blessings of being six. She has simple fears. She worries about things like who will talk to her or be her friend, what time her parents will be home, or how much trouble she’s going to get into because of something the other did. Her most significant fears are probably in relation to her other side and what she is doing. The more selfless Mandy worries when the other gets out because of what the other may do to her friends and family. The more selfish Mandy, and probably the more insecure of the two, generally worries about what others think of her in comparison to the nicer one. Her greatest fear would be realizing that her family or any friends, who in her opinion only pretend to like her, don’t really like her at all. And should the much anticipated separation she’s been hoping for actually occur, they would all abandon her for the other.

Neither of them have any regrets of their own as far as I can tell. They only things they regret are more like resentment. They regret giving in and letting the other take control. They resent the actions the other takes when they can’t do anything about it. Really there isn’t anything big though. Both are very positive about their futures and don’t hold on to things that happened in the past. As she grows older this will likely change some, but I imagine that she will still live by the same ideal of live and learn.

Ideals are kind of a funny thing to talk about when it comes to her. They are the same person and so there are many things that they have in common with one another. But at the same time, they are polar opposites in other things. It is my belief that the things they share a common opinion on, are the ideals that where strongest in her personality when she was one person as an infant. And that the ideals they are so separate on are the ones that were influenced by the memories she was given that caused the split.

Both believe very strongly that there is power to be had and that it ought to be a person’s first priority to obtain as much power as they can. Where they differ is in how they believe that power should be sought after. The nice Mandy believes that power is obtained by knowledge. She will do all she can to learn through study and experience. The other will do anything but study. She will lie, steal, and cheat to obtain the things she wants and is very much about instant gratification.

[Greatest Regret] He wasn't sure if it could be called a “regret”—his attitude had always been to live life to have no regrets. Or at least, it had been since he had begun to care about living. Before then, he didn't have regrets because too many things had been out of his control. And who regrets things they can't control? Think things through, make your choice, don't look back. Live—and learn. That was his outlook. Except . . . This regret wasn't something he could have controlled. He couldn't have foreseen it, or even been strong enough to prevent it. And when it came down to it, it wasn't even his choice: it was his mother's.

She had died for him. Though he had not known her, she had come to him in a time of need, had fought the demons he was too young to understand, the enemies he did not know he had. And she had given her life for him.

It was a sacrifice he could not deny, no matter what lies had shaped him in youth. His mother loved him. That was the truth.

But he could not help feeling pain, sorrow . . . guilt. Yes, his regret was born of guilt. Because he had not been strong enough, had not known enough, she had had to save him. He had lost a mother he had never known—but others had suffered worse pain. His grandfather had lost a daughter. His aunts and uncles a sister. His cousins an aunt. And his father . . .

The most damning part was that she had not died alone. Several of her siblings had come to fight with her, to protect a family member they didn't even know—and they had also paid with their lives.

And he regretted it. No one blamed him, he knew. No one but himself. And he could never forget the cost of his life.

It was too high.

[Deepest Fear] This was his greatest fear: That his life had been bought with a price he could never repay. He could not take his mother's place—she was far too wise, too kind, and too beloved. What was he but a misguided youth, a black sheep who had brought misfortune to the family? Perhaps, if he had not grown up human, had not always felt like such an outcast, things might have been different. But how could a race of exalted beings, so powerful, so good, accept him? He did not understand who he was—and despite his parents' reassurances, he feared that he would never be a worthy son. Perhaps he had been tainted: a life among mortals . . . had it made him something different than he should have been? Something less than he should have been? He could not say. All that he knew was, he did not seem to fit—and he feared he would never be good enough to truly belong.

[View of Self] Perhaps he had no place because he had no precedent. He was one of the youngest of over fifty cousins—and his time as a mortal had given him a maturity to match those of cousins in their thousands. And yet, he knew so little of what he was supposed to be! His upbringing had taken away his childhood: Abused and shunned by the father that was not his own, he had quickly learned of pain, quickly forgotten innocence. But now, with parents who loved him, he felt torn between two desires. He wanted to be a child, to know what it felt like to be held after a frightening dream, to cry and be comforted, to be sung to sleep with a lullaby. But he also wanted to make his parents happy, to live a life they could be proud of—a life that would be worth something to others. So he felt torn: he was a child trying to be a man, a man who was still a child. Perhaps his place in the family, in the society of his world, was merely a reflection of that feeling. Or perhaps he was the only one who cared. In the end, his family treated him as just that: family. It was a nice feeling.

[Place in Society] But he could not always stay with his family, as much as he loved them. Something—curiosity, perhaps, or the result of his past—made him roam, brought him back time and again to the Mortal Plane, those worlds so full of creativity and life and need. He did not come to be worshiped; he didn't even come to be recognized. No, his place in mortal society was that of a wanderer. He always hid what he was—though he wasn't exactly sure who he was really hiding from. But in disguise, he was able to be something simple, someone who was merely curious. A scholar and traveler. But he could not hide his nature—and somehow, he always ended up sticking his nose into problems, trying to help people. Those who discovered the truth of him remembered; and the stories they told grew into quiet legends, about a man who sometimes appeared, who was not what he seemed: a man called the “Red-Haired Angel.”

[Moral Standard] He could not say he always did what was right. He wasn't sure if he ever did. He only did what he could not help but do, the things he couldn't seem to ignore or push away. What were those feelings, that horrible gulf that appeared inside when things were “wrong”? Was that what “evil” was? Did he eel it because he was inherently “good”? Or was it simply because he didn't understand other ways of existing?

Perhaps the answer didn't matter; because no matter what was truly good or evil, he could not ignore what he felt inside.

[Biggest Goal] That was why he could not leave the demons alone. Opposites, enemies, evil. He could not help but question these established facts—were they really true? Or was there more to it, a shared kinship between the demons and exalted that transcended their differences. Might they even be two sides of the same coin?

He needed to know. Because he could not bear to see the way they lived. And perhaps he was wrong, just arrogant—but he could not believe that they were truly happy.

He needed to know the truth, of good and evil, of demons and exalted. He did not want to simply accept things as they were; he wanted to do what what right. Even if it meant siding with the demons.

[Greatest Triumph] He had not always been so strong, had not always been able to continue in the face of such uncertainty. But things had changed. He had changed. And he had his mother's words: “Nothing is impossible if you believe.”

He could not say he had never doubted. But he remembered the words. And, in a life full of pain and mistakes and uncertainties, perhaps this was his greatest triumph: He never stopped fighting to believe.

I’ve never much cared for dreams. When terrible things happen (and inevitably, they will happen), there’s no way out. No escape. I’ve always taken Suppressants when I was able to in the past—conned them, stole them, convinced the Military Quack I needed them to function, or however. Even on seventeen, Gully would get them for me… when he cared enough to pulse out for them.

But now that I’m here (wherever here might be), I haven’t been able to avoid my little nightly terrors. Not terrors, exactly, and not just at night… more like a horror vid on Hallu-Stims. Because even in my waking hours I feel as though something is watching, calculating my worth. But it’s worse to the nth degree when I sleep. It’s in my dreams that Darkness comes. It tests me—offering up images and observing how I react, like I’m an alien in a gen lab.

Do you fear this? It seems to ask, projecting my death a thousand different ways on the inside of my eyelids; I am impaled, spaced, incinerated, vaporized.

Sure I do. No one (sane) is without fear of death. But I’m already dead, I think… so these images lack the power they once held.

So what then, do you fear most? The Darkness insists on an answer, twisting, slicing through my brain to find one. It’s unpleasant. I attempt to project an image of a beautiful woman wearing Chastity Slicks, like a Priestess of Evita, their removal made impossible by an electric current running along the outside of the fabric . But the Darkness cannot be amused, nor conned or tricked. And it knows that what I really fear is darkness itself—the emptiness: the lack of existence, meaning, thought, sensation. I fear what comes after the end—an infinite time that I will not comprehend, because I will not exist at all.

It is this that drives me—a need to escape this bleak blankness.

And it does not stop there; the Darkness presses closer…on another night maybe, but they all run together. Your regrets, it urges, what about those? What is it that you regret most?

Do I regret? Certainly, I should. Remorse may not be productive, but it certainly is a mark of decency in a man. But I cannot quite manage to regret any one action more than another, because in everything I have done, I’ve never derived from my goal of survival… except once, but I cannot find any regret for that single instance of bravery either. So, no, I don’t regret any choice more than any other, and perhaps I don’t regret at all. Because to do so would be to regret who I am as a person, and what could be more pointless than that?

The Darkness does not believe my words, and senses the fragility of my mindset. It…smirks? Can Darkness smirk? It’s such a humanoid expression. For the first time I wonder if something lies beyond this Darkness. The Darkness frowns… yes, frowns, in response. It does not care for my realization. I am suddenly less afraid, and with it, more confident.

Can’t scare me into giving answers now, can you? It’s a needless taunt, and one that proves most unwise when the Darkness responds.

If I can do this to you while you sleep, just imagine what I could do to you when you awaken.

Point taken. I sense a bluff, but I back down gracefully… and quickly. I invite the Darkness to continue with its/his/her absolutely fascinating line of questioning.

What is your biggest unrealized dream? The Darkness is having less fun now that it knows I’m not scared out of my mind. It sounds almost… bored.

I feel as though I’m in a Miss Galactic Empire contest, answering these questions. I wonder how much I should expose for the swimsuit competition. There’s such a fine line between trashy and appealing.

The Darkness glowers, but I continue; I can get away with more.

Well, my biggest dream has always been to unite all the intergalactic species in a beautiful and moving revolt against the Earthen Empire; show how the power of love and acceptance can overcome all boundaries, and how peace is really the only thing that…

Clearly, sarcasm translates quite well over dream space. A bit too well. The Darkness does not have much tolerance.

I’m beginning to get the feeling that a low-level employee was assigned to monitor me… and he very much resents the job. Am I right?

Just answer the question!

Touchy.

Well, I would have liked to have escaped Station Seventeen. Gotten my citizenship back. Become rich and powerful, etc. The usual. I guess I did break out of Seventeen, technically… I would have preferred to do so without dying though.

And what is your place in society? An image of me sitting in a pile of rubbish is projected; the man behind the Darkness is clearly amused. Unfortunately he is not wrong. As a Combatant, we are lower than the lowest Earth scum…. At least they have citizenship. We are little more than slaves. And within the hierarchy of Combatants, I’m pretty low. I get some respect for being Ace’s unofficial partner… and ever since I lost part of my arm people like me more… but still… I’ve seen better days. Course, now that I’m dead, I think about those times rather fondly…. I am dead, right? That’s what this is?

The only response I receive is a sneer at my ignorance. Typical.

And do you have a name, O, Great Darkness?

No.

No?

I mean, yes.

Which one?

It is none of your concern!

Touchy.

He harrumphs. He’s probably not used to being picked on, at least not by Outsiders. Bet his boss trashes him all the time though. That’s why he got the job as my babysitter.

Well, I never…

I’m right though.

Silence….

Yup. I’m definitely right.

He ignores me. And your moral standards? You do have any?

I live by one thing, O Great One, and that’s this: survive. Do nothing else, only survive. When you and your beloved Grandmum are being chasing by a man-eating, tripled headed Blorgon from the Planet Zarg, you trip your Grandmum. You survive.

A hint of something other than pure distain creeps through the dream space. Surprising.

Do not flatter yourself, weakling.

Well, if stories about how I’m a terrible person are what’re going to impress, then I think I’m all set. I have plenty. And if this endless questionnaire keeps up, then you’re going to learn about all of them, O Great Darkness of Infinite Wisdom and Majes…

Bernie!

What?

My name is Bernie.

Bernie?

Yes. Is there a problem, Outsider?

Oh no. Not at all… Bernie. Please continue.

What is your greatest triumph?

Unbidden, an image of Aceline pops into my head.

Oh for all that is Dark, can we not expound upon your sordid sexual history?

It’s not that. It’s…

Use your words.

My greatest triumph is that she’s still alive. She would have died if I hadn’t thrown myself into that battle… my distraction allowed her to finish the last few soldiers. And it was stupid, and against everything I believe in, but I’m glad I did it.

Bernie yawns.

Scumbag.

Spineless riffraff. Which actually leads us to our last question, praises be. How do you view yourself?

Har har. You do have a sense of humor after all, don’t you Bernie.

Answer the question. I am looking forward to getting out of your head. And then cleansing myself of your Outsider filth.

Well, Bernie, I have always told people I’m the culminating success of millennia of natural selection. I mean, I can get out of almost any situation; I am charming, intelligent, and I don’t know if you’ve actually seen me up close, but I am an absolutely stunning male specimen of the human species.

Please spare me.

It’s like, I’m just too perfect.

You are nauseating.

Sometimes. I can admit to that. Sometimes I wonder why people fall for my rubble. It’s all so blindin’ fake. I mean, don’t they see that I’m using them for something? I don’t actually care enough about them to change who I am. And yet they do fall for it. Every single time. Except Ace, I guess. That’s why I liked her. She called me out.

So, how do I see myself? I’m a man that will always survive. But I’ll always want something more. I’m just too scared to do anything about it.

Very well, Candidate Number 142, this completes our survey. I will pass this information on to my superiors. I am certain the Unliving will unanimously find you unworthy.

Sure, sure. Next time you creep all up in my dreams just announce yourself from the get go. None of this scary Darkness junk.

About that... Don’t tell anyone I revealed myself. Or asked you questions directly. Or told you my name.

Busted.

Just don’t.

Sure, Bernie. Sure.

A flash of light forced me to close my eyes as every muscle in my body tightened from the pain of being hit by lightning. I opened my eyes and the pain is gone as suddenly as it was upon me. I lost my footing and hit my head on what felt like some kind stone flooring. I slowly pushed myself up from the floor and noticed my sword and my ring are nowhere to be found. As I walked around this strange place I could hear the sounds of people walking and talking outside. I walked past a very well crafted stone archway and looked about to see some rather strange people.

I started to walk up the road, slowly, as I was unsure of where I was and exhausted from fighting a battle. As I walked I began to feel uneasy as if something was pulling me in this direction. I tried to focus my mind on my surroundings but I couldn't shake this feeling of being pulled. Many of these buildings seem to be carved out of white stone. I can see what look like signs however the language written on them seems very unfamiliar to me. I press onward and come to small field of beautiful looking trees ready to bare fruit. As I approached the trees, the need to sleep was becoming more intense. Not knowing what type of place I am in I felt the need to be cautious so I climbed one of the trees and slowly closed my eyes.

"Daodin, Daodin, where are you??" I could hear the faint call of Felicia. As I looked around at the familiar surroundings of home I began to run towards where I heard Felicia. Funny to remember this night from so long ago, as if it were happening all over again, the night Felicia gave me a very precious gift. "Here I am!!" I shouted to her while she was still quite a distance away. I stopped just short of her and she took hold of my hand and said "So where should we go exploring tonight?" "Well the breeze is from the east so lets head west, towards the mountain." I replied as she began to pull my hand. I truly miss her wonderful smile, her cute elvish ears, and most of all the long flowing golden hair that reached almost to her knees. Today I took her to a cave which lead upwards and twisted around. When we exited the cave we found ourselves on a small cliff overlooking our fair city, and the castle further in the distance. "Nice to see the whole town all light up." I said to Felicia. "Yes it is . . . oh before I forget I had this made for you" She reached out and opened her hand to show me a beautiful gold ring with an inscription on the inside.

After living through so much pain and misery caused by war, the greatest sadness I carry is never being able to declare my love for Felicia. Oh what a wonderful life we could have spent together.

As the dream fades, a strange man appears before me wearing a suit of armor in a blood red color. He speaks in a loud deep voice "Prove to me your worth that you might live again." I look around and see many puddles of water and decide to step into the one next to me.

Next I find myself atop a mound of dirt in the middle of Fire Mages village. "Here me out as a threat this land has never seen before spells doom for us all . . . unless we unite!! Together we stand a chance to overthrow this threat and send it back to it's homeland. I beg of you all to work together in this one thing as this threat if left unchecked will destroy everything in its path!!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. Ah yes the moment I united the mage tribes together to bring down Sanjin. All were united in the cause of fighting for peace, the water, fire, earth, wind, ice, and Psion tribes. I reached for my sword to point towards the sky. As I gazed into my Dark Blade, I could see a very dark sinister shadow instead of my reflection. As I stared into the sword I began to realize that there is some great darkness within me. "Here, here to the cause of peace!!" Rasheem, lord of the Fire Mages, exclaims as he raises his staff. I cannot allow this evil within me to be unleashed.

The dream fades again, and like before the man in red armor is before me. "A great amount of good you do for others, but why kill your brethren?" he asks. I unsheathe my sword and touch the puddle of water in front of me. Now I am along the road leading to Sanjin XI's home. In the distance I hear someone screaming in pain, and begin to run towards the house. "Have you had enough yet, are you ready to talk?" Sanjin XI says as he begins to laugh maniacally. I could hear the sound of a whip cracking. Finally I reach the spot to see a young water tribesman bound hand and foot to a tree. I ran and thrust my hand out as the whip wrapped around it. I yanked the whip out of Sanjin XI's hand and the handle slapped him across the face. "Daodin we must know the secret of their power if we are to survive. Now get out of the way or I will have you arrested for treason!!" Sanjin XI exclaims as he wipes the blood from his mouth. "No I shall not allow you to torture these people for your pleasure. If this is the will of your father then I shall serve him no more. I shall see you both die by this blade!" It is wrong for any man to gain power at the expense of another person's life.

I should have seen the evil sooner, how could I have worked so hard for the good of the people when the king is the only one to benefit from my work. My hands are stained with the blood of many, how can I go on knowing how much suffering I have cause by following Sanjin X? No matter what I do, people ultimately die.

I opened my eyes and I feel more energetic. I wonder, how long I was asleep. I dropped down off the branch I was on and, as I got back to my feet I looked up to see the man from my dreams standing before me. "You! . . . who are you?!?" I asked as I reached for my sword. I quickly realized I was not in a dream and reached for my sheath. "Relax Daodin, I've been searching for one such as you for some time now. See this here is a Dream Snatcher, it is what allowed me to enter your dreams and talk to you." he said as he pulled out a strange looking object made of metal. "Come with me I will show you a place where you can rest and learn more about us. I am part of a small group of people called the Machina. We develop technology to survive in this place, technology which harnesses magic energy found nearly everywhere in Serendipity." I walked with him to a very different section town. He continued "Alas life here is very harsh my friend because of the divisions that exist here in Serendipity. With your passion for uniting people together we were hoping you could help us to share some of our technology to gain the respect of the other factions." "Other factions?" I asked. He answered "Yes there are the Dragons, the Celestials, the Elementals, the Machina, and the Unliving. Most of them could benefit from our technology but no one seems to trust us or care. We want to be able to trade with the other factions so that we can aquire the materials we need to build bigger and better machines. Here is our blacksmithing shop, I'll have a chat with the owner about replicating your sword, it wont be easy as your sword had some unique properties." We walked a bit further, the man in red armor pointed to large building with white smoke coming from the top and said "Come rest here, I must go for now I'll be back in a few days."

Over the next few weeks I learned much from the Machina. I can make a lasting difference, but for that to happen I would have to be a force to be reckoned with as the other factions do not consider the Machina to be anything more then mere insects. Eventually, I was given a replica of my own Dark Blade. As I stared into the blade I couldn't see or feel the dark shadow within me.