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I'm writing a book! Remember, the evil flying writers block monkeys of doom are allergic to comments! Also, if you don't like the beginning, keep reading! It gets better. Seriously, even Idon't like the beginning. Keep in mind that it's not done yet.



















The Crimson Mage















Chapter One


Zach Raedia was the strangest person in the 9th grade. Not only did he know every single language ever spoken on earth, but he also had telekinesis. Because he was so abnormal, he only had two friends, Isaac Montreal, and me. My name is Hunter. I had been an orphan as long as I could remember, and no one had ever told me my last name. However, I was able to get myself to Middle School with my friends.
Curiously enough, in the modern-day year of 2153, it was not quite as difficult to make friends, and so I was able to get myself acquainted. I was suspiciously good at fast thinking. I could come up with a blueprint for a good sized building in a matter of minutes. Isaac, on the other hand, was a genius. He had long since read all the books in the school library, and he had built his own personal robot servant (Not that robots were very rare). As long as we three had been together, nothing peculiar had ever happened.
Little did they know that something peculiar was coming our way, and quite fast!

It was the day before Halloween. We were pumped and ready.
“What are you going as for Halloween?” I asked.
“I’m going as Achilles, the Greek warrior from the Trojan war,” explained Isaac.
“Whatever that is, I’ve never heard of it,” said Zach. “Anyway, I’m going as Darth Vader, you know, the guy from that 20th century movie?”
“Yes, I’ve heard of it,” sighed Isaac. “It’s supposed to be something like 200 years old.”
“Yeah. Also, I couldn’t get hold of any real lightsabers, so could you build me one?”
“Absolutely not,” said Isaac.
“But why not?”
“Because, genius, someone could get hurt.”
“B-But, I would be really careful!”
“No,” grunted Isaac.
“Please?!!!!!!!!!” begged Zach.
“Fine. But whatever you do, DO NOT USE IT AS A WEAPON. EVER,” ordered Isaac.
“I promise,” chuckled Zach as he walked towards the door. “Now c’mon, it’s time for lunch!”


After lunch, we had math. Zach was so excited, he fell over in his chair. That marked the beginning of detention. Isaac came to visit him in the detention room.
“Zach, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” he whispered. “And it’s important.”
“Well, what is it?”
“Well, you know that Halloween scare detector I built last Halloween?’
“Yeah,”
“Well, lately it’s been going crazy.”
“What do you mean…?” Zach wondered aloud.
“I mean it’s been going crazy,” Isaac explained.
“The beepers been going off like mad and it keeps pointing toward that same Victorian house down in Istomium village that some kid got lost in last Halloween and never came back.” Isaac shivered a little and then kept whispering. “Anyway, I’ve been getting a little suspicious about that house. I get the feeling that something sinister is going on in there, and whatever it is, it’s coming closer.” Isaac shivered again and continued. “I’m gonna check it out some time, and sometime soon. Just…. Don’t mention this to Hunter, okay?”
“Whatever,” yawned Zach.

It was Halloween, and school was off. Everyone was ready to go out in costume. Isaac met up with Zach at his house.
“Hi Zach,” he greeted. “Hunter should be here in a matter of minutes. He wouldn’t say what he was going to be,” explained Isaac.
“Hmmm…. Wonder what….” Zach said, as a cold hand grabbed him by the shoulder. “GYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” shrieked Zach.
“Hah hah! Gotcha!” I laughed as I stepped inside.
“Yeah, very funny,” muttered Zach as he stalked toward the living room to get his bag for candy.
“Hey guys,” I said. “I know a great place for Halloween scare!”
“Where?” Isaac and Zach both said.
“Thought you guys would know,” I was genuinely surprised. “ Gee, your brains are the size of peanuts or something,” I laughed. “Anyway, it’s that huge house in Istomium village, you know, the Victorian house.” Zach and Isaac exchanged glances.
“All right, but only for a second,” Isaac said.
“I don’t even know if it’s safe there yet.”
“Now that you mention it, I don’t think this is a good idea,” Zach said in a worried tone.
“Oh c’mon, you guys are acting like a bunch of babies; It’ll only be a second.” I grumbled with a roll of my eyes.
“Fine,” Zach and Isaac said.

As the we stepped out of the house, we had seen the house and agreed that it would be best if we were to go to the house last, after all the others. we went to so many houses, Isaac lost count. Such an enormous amount of houses, in fact, that we had to get pillow cases from our houses. Then, when our night of trick-or-treating, pulling pranks, and exchanging candy was over, it was time.
“Okay, you guys. Are you ready?” I asked.
“Yup,” sighed Zach.
“Naturally,” croaked Isaac.
“All right then, let’s go!” I exclaimed, as I ran out the door. Just then, the single cloud that had been hiding the moon uncovered its treasure. A full moon gleamed up in the pitch-black, starless sky.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Zach whimpered.


The porch was creaking, and Zach thought he saw a three foot tall rat under it. The windows were cracked, the roof was losing its shingles, and Isaac thought he saw a little kid up in the window looking down at them.
“All right, in we go!” I shouted with a laugh.
“I don’t know, Hunter, all of a sudden I’ve lost my Halloween spirit,” Isaac said with a shiver.
“I say we go in and get it over with,” Zach almost gulped down the words and closed his eyes. “Now c’mon, it scares me just thinking about it.” They all walked in, and the door slammed shut behind them.

We attempted to open the door. Unfortunately, the door wouldn’t budge. We were trapped.
“Oh no,” Isaac whined. “I knew it was a bad idea coming in here.”
“Stop your whining, Einstein,” I scolded.
“There’s got to be an exit somewhere in this house.” Just then, the whole house shook, the walls seemed to be a blur, and the three friends collapsed onto the floor.
“Okay- WHAT was that?” Zach asked as he rubbed at the bruise at his head.
“I don’t know,” Isaac said. “But right now, I’m more concerned where WE are.” Zach and I both looked up. We were no longer in a 200 year old run-down abandoned home, but an enormous manor, in perfect shape. The party that a bunch of oddly dressed people were having seemed invisible to the three, but eventually, when they noticed, they found out that they were the center of attention.


“Who are these intruders?” one person said.
“They’re wizards! They must be, they fell from the sky!”
“Such odd clothing,” There was muttering everywhere in the house. Then all the muttering stopped.
“What is the meaning of this, intruders?!” boomed a loud and powerful voice. A man appeared in the middle of the room. “Why do you interrupt such a fine party on such a fine evening?” the man boomed again. “I would very much like to know your purposes.” We stayed silent. We were too frightened to speak.
“I said, WHAT ARE YOUR PURPOSES?!” We almost started crying like babies.
“I want an answer!!!!!!!!” the man screamed so loudly, the house shook. We were speechless. And just as the man lunged for us, we made a break for the door.
we dashed so fast, we almost set the velvet rug on fire. We yanked the door open so hard, it almost flew off its hinges. CRACK! We were off down the dirt road like horses in a horse race. We stooped in an alleyway.
“Whew! That was close,” Zach sighed. “I thought for sure he was going to rip us to shreds!”
“Don’t make this into a humorous situation,” Isaac scolded. “We’ve got to find out where we are, and how we got here.”
“Whatever you say,” I said. “Although THAT pretty much explains it.” Zach and Isaac looked in the direction I was pointing. I was pointing at a wooden post in front of what looked like a bar. The post said:


KELLERS BAR

GRAND OPENING, AUGUST 25, 1854


“That DOES explain it,” Zach said.
“Somehow, we must have gone back in time when we went into the house,” Isaac thought aloud. “So that means…. hmm….no, impossible….well, maybe….”
“Well?” Zach asked.
“I’ve got nothing.”
“Well, as long as we’re here, let’s take a look around,” I said, as I rose from the ground.
“No! We can’t come in contact with anyone or anything in this time period!” Isaac exclaimed. “We’ve probably already badly screwed up the time line. We could end up in a text book as sorcerers that fell from the sky! OUR time period could believe that at any moment, we’ll fall from the sky and mess up their party and freak everyone out!”
“Well that sure explains a lot,” I said, as I quickly sat back down. “What do we do?”
“I suppose we just lay low until we can find a way out of this place,” Isaac said.


We decided we would get ourselves disguises so we wouldn’t upset the space/time continuum any more than we needed. Afterwards, we decided to take a look around, but only to look for a way to get home.
“I just hope we find something,” Zach whispered “Rather that than get judged as evil sorcerers.”
“Wait! Get down,” Isaac whispered.
“Why would I-,” I started to say, but Isaac jerked me down.
“Look over there,” There was a boy where Isaac was pointing. He looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, and he was wearing something. A pendant. Suddenly, Isaac gasped.
“That must be the kid from last year,” he whispered. Zach and I gaped at him.
“How can you tell?” Zach asked.
“Look at that pendant. ‘copyright 2149’.”
“Hey, you’re right! C’mon, if we want a chance at getting out of here, we’ve gotta get him!” Zach said.
“Well we can’t just walk up to him, with all these people around.” Isaac said.
“Yes, but have you forgotten? I have telekinesis.” Zach closed his eyes, and all of a sudden, a stone on the ground began to hover, a small pebble followed. It scratched out on the stone, YOU’D ALL BEST BE GETTING INSIDE, it said. OR I’LL BE GETTING YOU…
There was screaming all around. Isaac and I couldn’t help giggling a bit. Then Isaac’s expression changed.
“That kid’s trying to get inside!”
“Not to worry about that,” Zach said. The stone and pebble dropped, and several crates went up. The boy was almost at the door.
“Hurry, hurry!” I exclaimed. All at once, the crates surrounded the boy, and he was trapped.
“Yes! We got him!” Isaac whispered. “Alright, let’s collect our package.” We ran over and tipped the crates over. The kid tried to make a run for it but we caught him by the sleeve. “Wait!” Don’t run away! You’re from the 22nd century, aren’t you?” Isaac said. The boy stopped struggling.
“How did you know that?” the boy said.
“We’re from then too,” Zach said in a comforting tone. The kid’s eyes narrowed.
“How can I know that I can trust you?” he asked.
“Ask us a question that only 22nd century people would know,” Isaac suggested.
“Fine,” he said. “What year was the teleportation device invented?”
“2117,” Isaac answered almost instantly.
“Hmph. Fine. I suppose I can trust you. Now what do you want?” he said.
“We need to know how to get out of here,” Zach asked.
“That’s it?” he seemed surprised. “Sure, whatever. Just go back the way you came,” he said. We stayed silent.
“That’s it?” Isaac said. “Just go back the way we came?”
“Yup,” the boy said. “Now leave me alone. “I’ve got stuff to do.”

We thanked the boy and quickly ran off. We reached the house and crept inside, and walked to the spot we had come. There was a violent rumbling and we all tripped and fell. All at once, the rumbling stopped. We stood up and stared at each other with a look of relief. Then Isaac’s gaze fell elsewhere and his look of relief abruptly vanished.
“Something’s not right,” Isaac said. “We’re still here!” Zach and I stopped staring and looked too. It was unmistakable. We were still in the house.
“I don’t understand,” Zach said in an extremely worried voice. “We did everything that kid told us to do, and we’re still here!” We all stood still with a look of disbelief in our eyes. It was Isaac who first broke the silence.
“That kid obviously wasn’t lying,” Isaac wondered aloud. “Because, the violent shaking and rumbling still occurred. So obviously the only possible theory was that there was outside interference.”
“Well, Einstein, what could possibly be interfering with TIME TRAVEL?!” I said, getting a little impatient.
“I don’t know,” Isaac sighed. “But I WILL find out.”


















Chapter Two

It was about midnight. Isaac, Zach, and I had all found a place to sleep in a field outside of town. However one was missing. Isaac and Zach was both where they were supposed to be, but me………
“Just a quick look around,” I muttered as he tiptoed away from the campsite. Once I was out of earshot of Zach and Isaac, I started to walk normally again. As I walked to the pub, I stopped short. Not out of fear, just realization. My clothes. Imagine what would happen if someone saw me in my Halloween costume. I decided to buy some clothes. But with what? I had no money. Wait. That kid! He said he had to do something, right? And when Zach used telekinesis on him, he did look a bit more worried than everyone else. And also… that pendant. I had thought I had recognized that pendant from somewhere before. But from where? Think Hunter, think! That’s when it flew into my head so fast it almost missed. I had seen it in a textbook at school. Back in the 1800s, a gang called the Silver Bullet (Known by the people as the strait jacket gang, seeing as the only thing they ever did was drink) ran amok and terrorized the people. However, what they were most famous for was making counterfeit money. That pendent was their symbol. Even if it was counterfeit, it would have to do. I was still thinking about this when suddenly the door to the pub swung open. I snapped back to reality and dove under the porch while footsteps were heard above me. I saw people exiting drinking A LOT of beer. Wait. Beer? A lot? Of? I looked a little more closely, and sure enough, there it was. The Silver Bullet’s pendant. Everywhere he looked he saw it. Then he appeared. I saw that kid walk out of the pub with a bottle of rum to his mouth, although he was only a year or two older than Hunter. Then he sat down at a nearby wall and relaxed, even when all the others were gone. Soon enough he was fast asleep. Now’s my chance, I thought.
I crept up to him and studied his face. He had smudge on his chin (probably from when Isaac grabbed him), and a suspicious looking scar running across his cheek. But something wasn’t right. He looked troubled, as if someone were beating him. He flinched every so often, and each time he did, his scar seemed to get redder. Then suddenly his eyes shot open.
I leapt back, ready to fight for my life. The kid got up and started walking toward me. He kept walking until he passed me without a second look. His hand shot into his pocket and out again. He threw the money (that was apparently inside his pocket at the time) onto the ground, and his hand shot into his pocket again. This time it brought out a revolver loaded and ready. I flinched when I saw it, but the kid didn’t take notice. Instead he fired all the shots strait up in the air. Then he took the revolver, and snapped it in two with his bare hands. Or did he? I looked closer and saw that he only opened a secret compartment. He took out what looked like an I.D. card and a small cube with a button on top. He threw aside the I.D. and pressed the button on the cube. Suddenly the cube expanded and swallowed up the kid and disappeared, leaving me wondering what the heck just happened. I came back to my senses long enough to grab a couple hundred bucks and the I.D. I looked at the top of the card.

Erius Semnium

Silver Bullet Chief

That looked normal enough. It was the bottom of the card that I didn’t quite get.

Distributed during 14th Eon
Earth time: Year 1853
Spy for the Draecnium Empire
Planet Helia
Long Live King Draekin

I walked back to camp and fell asleep, still clutching the money and Erius’ I.D.





















Chapter Three

Isaac saw me awake looking at the sky as if it would explain everything.
That’s when he caught a glimpse of my face.
“Hunter, you look horrible! Have you slept at all in the past five days, or what?” I continued to look at the sky. Finally I looked over at Isaac and handed him Erius’ I.D. Isaac studied it for a second and looked up.
“Who the heck is Erius Semnium?” He asked. I looked back up at the sky.
“Erius Semnium is that kid we nabbed yesterday just so he could give us false info on getting home.” I grumbled through my teeth.
“C’mon, Hunter, don’t be so hard on him, it’s not like he wanted to come here.”
“Oh yeah? Then explain the I.D. Explain who the hell Draekin is and his Draecnium Empire. Explain what planet Helia is and what the 14th eon is and-”
“Hunter!” Isaac shouted. “I have no idea what any of this means.” Isaac looked down and saw the money in my hand. His eyes widened.
“Where did you get that?”
“What?” I said, clearly still sour.
“That! The money! Where?”
“Oy… You’ve gotta read more. I got it from Erius.”
“He gave you that much?”
“No! He dropped it, so I picked it up with his I.D.”
“He didn’t try to get it back?”
“He had this metal cube thing, and he pressed a button and it teleported him elsewhere. At least I expect he did.” Zach must’ve woken up and listened to our conversation, because he said
“That sounds a lot like-”
“YOU’VE GUESSED CORRECTLY, HUNTER SEMNIUM,” a large booming voice said out of nowhere.
“What the heck was that?!” Isaac asked, his eyes wide. Neither me nor Zach had a chance to answer before everything around us melted into oblivion, and we fell, along with our campsite into nothingness. I shut my eyes as if something were about to pounce on me. Then suddenly everything stopped. We all looked up to see that we were in an ally of some sort. We got up, astonished, and walked out into the light. It seemed to be a marketplace of some sort. I was warmed up to this new place already.
“We’ve been through this already, let’s just ask someone where we are, when we are and how we get back. What is it now, Isaac?” Isaac had his thinking expression on. Suddenly his eyes widened (he should really see an optometrist about that, this is the third time in ten minutes). His hand shot into his pocket and brought out Erius’ I.D.
“Hunter, remember what that voice called you? Hunter Semnium, right? That’s probably your last name. Look.” He held out the I.D. I examined it, and suddenly my eyes widened (Man, that must be contagious!).
“It’s gotta be a mistake!” I yelled, totally unaware of the people around us. “I mean, there are obviously two people with the same name, right?”
“I’m afraid not,” Isaac said. He flipped the card over, revealing the back of the I.D. On it said:


Son of King Draekin
Long Live The King
I stared at the card for nearly five minutes before answering. I finally muttered, “Back in the alleyway. We gotta talk.”



It has now been 30 days since we arrived in this foreign place. We had since discovered that we were in what looked like a medieval era. There was no electricity, the streets were lit by torches at night. We had so far concluded that this was a kingdom of some kind, but Isaac had not yet figured when and which kingdom it was (which was unusual, seeing as Isaac knew virtually everything). However, Isaac had figured that we were somewhere in England; everyone spoke English with a British accent. The alley, which we now called the campsite, was now literally a campsite. It had a hand-made tent, made from gathered sticks, leather bought from the market they now lived near (suspiciously, they used the same currency as our time), and rocks. It had a fire pit along with cooking gear. It was a camper’s paradise. Unfortunately, I’m not a camper. Although I was used to living on the streets, I missed my old time. Isaac and I went to the market for some early breakfast. Along the way, Isaac said,
“Hunter, have you ever wondered about your family?” I didn’t reply. I often thought about my family, if I even had one. This was a touchy subject for me, because at my old school, in the 22nd century, I often got teased about this. I hugely hoped I did have family. If I did, I wouldn’t be so lonely anymore.
“Hunter?” Isaac’s voice brought me back to reality.
“S-Sorry,” I stuttered, clearly embarrassed. “Just… thinking.”
“About?”
“My family. If I even have one,” I said. I was beginning to feel extremely depressed, alone, the saddest sack on the face on the earth.
“O-Oh, s-sorry,” Isaac said, as a tear trickled down my cheek. “I didn’t mean- I’m sorry if- Oh gosh…” Isaac said. I wiped the tears off my face and forced a smile.
“I’m okay,” I lied. “I just wish I were lucky enough to have a family, like you and Zach. I-”
I didn’t get to finish before I ran into the fortune teller.
“Hey! Watch where you’re going, sonny bo-” She stopped short and stared in disbelief at me.
“What?” I asked, suddenly self-conscious. “Is there something on my face?” She quickly grabbed my arm and ran into an alley, Isaac staring at us from behind.
“I’ll take care of it!” I shouted behind me. The fortune teller finally stopped and said,
“Here is good enough. Sonny, Allow me to read your fortune, tell your future.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s not in our budget-”
“Free of charge.” She said impatiently. “You are a special case.” She reached for her bag and took out a large crystal. She began to chant,
“O all mighty gods! Share with me your wisdom! Give me knowledge! Help me share this boy’s fate!” The crystal began to glow a faint shade of blue, the color increasing by the second. It turned into a slightly more vivid form of green, then a reddish-orange, then to a brilliant shade of cyan. The woman closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they were grayish white, no pupils in her eyes. She spoke in her normal voice, at the same time someone else’s, a raspy female voice.
“Thou shalt’ approach the king with caution,” She said. It was the strangest thing I had ever heard. It vaguely reminded me of what a cave prophecy might sound like if spoken out loud.
“Once entered, difficult to return from, the king’s traps beware!
The gifts you must share.
Strike down the demon prince.
You shall not be seen since.
The king shall fall with a slice.
Thou shall pay a heavy price.
When all is thought to be lost, rebels win with a holocaust.
Live in peace for eons to come, but war shall strike upon god’s thumb.”

The light in the crystal ball faded, and the woman’s eyes and voice returned to normal.
“Ya get all that, sonny? I s’pose I gotta write it down for yeh…”
“Thou shalt approach the king with caution,” I repeated. “Once entered, difficult to return from, the king’s traps beware. The gifts you must share. Strike down the demon prince. You shall not be seen since. The king shall fall with a slice. Thou shall pay a heavy price. When all is thought to be lost, the rebels win with a holocaust. Live in peace for eons to come, but war shall strike upon god’s thumb.” The woman was genuinely surprised.
“Yeh may not look like much, kid, but ya gotta pretty hot memory.”
I blushed.
“I dunno why…” I said.
“I guess yer just a talented young fella.” And with that she vanished into thin air. Where she had stood, a small note lay on the ground. ‘My name is Geldwyn. If you ever get in a knot, don’t hesitate to call’ it said.






















Chapter Four

“A prophecy?” Zach asked.
“Yeah. I find it odd that a random old lady named Geldwyn just happens to find me and give me a prophecy for free. Honestly, if I didn’t know better I’d say she’s a witch.”
“Well what was the prophecy?” I sat back in my camp chair (made from wooden planks and leather straps). I repeated the prophecy, again word for word.
“Thou shall pay a heavy price…” Zach said. “I don’t like the sound of that.” I looked over at Zach and frowned.
“Why, will we lose all our stuff or something?”
“Not if what I’m expecting is true. Normally when someone says they have to pay a heavy price, it either means lose something or someone close to you, or worse.” I stared at Zach. With Isaac around, I had forgotten how smart Zach could be. I looked at Isaac, then to Zach, and back again. And then I realized something. As un-related these people were, they were my family. I grinned the biggest toothy grin even Isaac had ever seen on a human face.


I waited outside in the rain, next to the castle wall. I couldn’t believe I’d let Isaac talk me into this.
“Wait outside at the castle wall. I’m gonna get an audience with the king.” I mimicked. I probably would have been okay with it if it hadn’t been pouring a million gallons of rain on my head. I cursed under my breath. No way I was gonna stand out here for another hour. I crept over to the castle gate and walked silently inside.
“Ahhh…” I sighed. Finally, out of the rain! But wait. What was that noise? Guards, I guessed and ran through the corridor next to me. The guards seemed to hear me, no surprise, I was making quite a racket. Soon there were more footsteps behind me, running. I turned, and found myself staring at a large, elegant looking door. In an ancient looking language, (Zach could have translated easily, I guessed) two words were inscribed across the door. Judging by the elegance of the door, I guessed that it said ‘Throne Room’. The sounds of footsteps brought me back to reality. No time to escape. No other corridors to go down. Nothing other than some columns. They would have to do. I ducked behind the nearest one and waited. No turning back now. They were armed. I wasn’t. Don’t think about that, Hunter. I saw the flickering light of a torch being held to the column on the far right side. Then the next. Then the next. And the next. It was right on the column next to mine. I noticed that I was breathing heavily and caught my breath as the torchlight passed over my column. I waited. And waited. And waited. Finally the light passed away and I heard footsteps walking away. I let out my breath and got up. I walked out- strait into the arms of a guard. The guard looked at me and grinned an evil looking smile.
“It worked!” he shouted down the corridor at two guards who were walking the other way. They looked back and smiled. I looked up again, only to see the guard with a club in his hand. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was the guard bringing the club down hard on my head.

I awoke to find myself in chains in a large, elegant looking room. There was a large golden chandelier, and diamond encrusted columns. There was also a spectacular throne, made of solid jade, and….. something else that I couldn’t make out. It was red, blood red, and very soft looking, as if you could melt into it if you touched it. What was it? Ruby? No. Carbuncle? Not a chance. Amethyst? No way. Sitting in the chair was a muscular man with red hair like mine. Not red hair like redheads, literally red hair. He was talking to someone who was kneeling next to him. Erius.
“Too soon, my prince,” the man on the throne was saying. “You will get your prize soon enough.” Erius looked extremely displeased with the man on the throne.
“My king,” he began. “The rebellion has lasted long enough. It is time we engage it in war!” Rebellion? War? Those were both words used in Geldwyn’s prophecy.
“I must agree,” the man on the throne (the king?) said. “Rhya has gone too far this time.”
“Three cities, six villages, and twenty-four castles,” Erius confirmed.
“Yes, yes, you shall have her head soon enough.” Erius smiled an evil grin. Then he looked in my direction.
“Hunter, my friend. How have you been?” he laughed in such a way that made me want to punch him in the gut.
“Ah yes, I’d know that look anywhere. Stop glaring like that; I get it enough from all the other prisoners. Oh! Also, I have a little something for you.” He looked toward the odd red stone on the throne and reached out to it. He touched it, and his hand sank through. When it came out again, His hand was clenched like a fist around……
Was it possible? I stared at disbelief at Isaac. How could he let himself be captured this easily?
“H-Hunter, you’ve gotta get outta here….” He mumbled. His face was cut, his shirt was ripped, he had bruises all over. I could feel my face getting hot. How could they do this to him? He wasn’t just my best friend- he was my family. And no one hurts my family.

I can’t explain what happened next. I just got so angry, I could feel the anger surging to my hands. Then suddenly, the chains all over me exploded, and I was on fire. The weird thing- it didn’t hurt. The flames were spreading quickly, blue wisps that seemed to have a mind of their own. But I didn’t care about the fire at all. They’d just harmed one of the only people that mattered to me. And I wasn’t about to let them off the hook. Erius and the king just stared at me.
“I-Impossible!” Erius shouted. “He wasn’t supposed to discover-” he just shook his head in disbelief. Then the king looked at the guards.
“Seize him!” he shouted at the guards. They took their cue, and advanced on me. Panicking, I swatted at the closest one. Fire exploded out of my hand and lava flew strait into his face. He howled and went down. The other guards faltered, and kept advancing, more cautious, their shields held higher. They were trembling. Then I realized something. I had a weapon now. I could fight back. One down, seven to go. It was an amazing battle. The first two guards advanced on me, one with a spear, one with a mace. The first one made a jab at my face, but I easily sidestepped. He lunged again, but I ducked and rolled inside his defensive area. I kicked upward and he got a mouthful of chicken HOT pie. Bye-bye, bad guy….. Yeah, not my best material. My claim to fame is bad jokes. Take my advice, when it’s open mic night on comedy central, turn off your TV. The second tried to take advantage of me being on the ground, and made a good size cut on my forearm. Ouch! Gotta be more careful while kicking goons’ butts. I took down two or three more guards, leaving three left. I had no idea how I was doing this. I’d never been one to get active, but man, the way I was fighting, you’d think I’d been doing this my whole life. All of a sudden, just boom! You know, It’s pretty useful. Two guards, dual equipped with scimitars, came at me from each side. I thought they were gonna slash at me, so I ducked. Instead of slashing, they locked blades, putting me inside a scimitar box. I tried to break free by bashing myself against the flat of one of the swords. Gah! Bad idea. They were cold. What the heck were they made out of, Stygian ice?! I was trapped inside their ice cold sword box, but they weren’t attacking. Then I realized that they figured out they had to render me immobile if they wanted a chance at killing me! The third guy was crouching, ready to pounce. He jumped high, higher than any Olympic gold winner has. He pointed his spear at my head in midair, and began his descent. I had no idea what to do. I was locked. I couldn’t move, much less fight back. What was I going to do?
“Hunter!” Isaac shouted. He had clearly been shocked to see me on fire before, but he appeared to have warmed up to the situation. “Fire isn’t only offense! It’s a tool! It-” Erius clamped a hand around his mouth before Isaac could say anything else. A tool? What was he talking about? Wait. Think of all the machines involving fire. Think, Hunter, think! Time is running out! Propane stove! Blowtorch! Flamethrower! Rocket! Fireplace! Rocket! Rocket. Rocket….. That’s it! Thank you, Isaac! I focused all the energy I had in me towards my hands. I let it all out in one deafening blast. I rocketed toward the sky….. Straight towards the spear dude. He lunged at me in midair, but he was clearly surprised, and I’d caught him of guard. All I did was tilt the angle of my flight pattern a little and he missed by a longshot. I caught him in the jaw with a flaming foot and he went down with a deafening CRACK! The guys with the scimitars also went down when the body of the spear dude fell on them. I landed with a thud. Lucky for me, I landed on my feet. Erius glared at me like a mother at a child who’d just been caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar. But his glare was more stunned than angry.
“Seven guards,” he muttered. “From the Elite Force too….. Inconceivable…” I felt like getting back at him for hurting my family. Unfortunately, that was the exact moment when my fire died out. Damn! Couldn’t ask for a worse time than now. I guessed that this would probably be my only chance. I charged at Erius, knocking him flat on the now burning hot mosaic tile floor. I grabbed Isaac (who was unconscious) and slung him over my shoulder. I made a break for the door, but skidded to a halt when sixteen more guards showed up, in full battle armor. I backed up against the wall, the guards formed an arc around me, shields held high. There was no way I could fight this many, even if I had a little miracle like my fire. The front row of soldiers took aim (they were wielding javelins), and threw. I said my final words as six javelins sailed toward my head, each one a sure fire bulls-eye. I backed up one more step. I couldn’t have made a better choice. The mosaic tile I was standing on pushed in, and a pitfall trap swallowed me up, closing behind me. I could’ve sworn I was going to hit concrete with a sickening crack, and crumple to the ground underneath. Instead, I landed on something soft and cushiony. I frowned. I don’t think they had mattresses labeled ‘Trust Sleepys’, and ‘only $34.69’ in the medieval era. But anyway. This must be the king’s escape route (in case of emergencies). It was a long, wide tunnel leading from nowhere to nowhere. There were twists and turns everywhere. It seemed impossible to navigate. But I’d have to try, for Isaac’s sake. He needed medication, and I loved him like a brother. I couldn’t just let him die. Trying to be brave, I trudged off into the darkness.












































Chapter Five

It was hell decorated in mosaic tiles. Sixteen foot tall rats hanging around every corner. Rattle snakes lurking everywhere. Brown Recluse spiders hiding in the darkest corners. It was a miracle I had survived up till now. If I hadn’t had Isaac in tatters on my shoulder, I would’ve sat down on my butt and waited to die. I was an absolute mess. I had cuts everywhere, on my head, my neck, my chest, my shoulders, and pretty much everywhere else too. And worse, a few of them got infected. My t-shirt was more like a jumble of rags sewn together by a blind old man. My jeans were probably in the best shape of anything I had on me. They had slashes from rats all over both legs, and had faded color completely. My face was pale and dirty, my red hair might as well been attacked by a lawn mower. Isaac was even worse. I couldn’t say, or else I might give up hope to survive. I was frantically dashing around corners, each turn a new snake or rat or…. Something else to greet me. I was in too much of a rush to pay much attention to these deadly beasts, because Isaac was dying. He was still unconscious, and he would cough up blood every so often. I was dashing around corners so fast I didn’t even notice the fact that Isaac was stirring.
“H-Hunter….” He mumbled, so weak that I could hardly hear it. “Rest… Rest and remember…” I looked at his face, so grimy, so weak, and so horribly injured. If rest is what he wanted, rest is what he’ll get. I slowed, going from a sprint to a fast walk. If I didn’t find shelter in time, Isaac would die.

I went through about seven giant rats, fourteen rattle snakes, three grizzly bears,
And thirty spike traps to get here. Once entered, difficult to return from, the king’s traps beware! I remembered the prophecy as easily as I remembered my own name. It was worse than death to get to this spot. It was a small indent in the wall, so that it made a small crevice, where no monsters, beasts, or anything else but us could get in. It was a perfect place to rest. As I watched Isaac resting by the fire I had made for him, I remembered all that we had been through this whole year. Yes, I said year. Isaac and I have been living in this hell for a whole year, living off snakes and cave water. It has no doubt been the worst year of my life. I have become more physically fit so far, I trained myself how to catch myself on fire like I did that one fateful day. I learned to do it more steadily now, and to balance it out. I can now stay burning for three days straight. Isaac has been cooped up in the cavern for most of the year, but once or twice he came out to watch me train on some snake, or if I’m feeling particularly challenging today, a giant rat. On the same day I fell into this goddamn pit, Isaac woke long enough to tell me to rest. To rest and remember. So there I was, one year later, thinking about all the times we shared. About the time the grizzly bear almost got me and Isaac saved me. About the time Isaac was sick and I’d fought for six hours straight so he could rest. And older memories still. I thought about Zach, where he was and how he was managing. I wished I could see him. He and Isaac were the only two people that mattered to me. Oh yes, and for all you who could care less that I’m in hell in bathhouse version, I am now fifteen years old, have slightly longer hair (still matted though), Have grown two inches, and was much stronger. I’m not really sure whether or not this was true or not, but every time I look at my reflection, my eyes seem to have become red. I had just finished my usual training session, and I walked back into the crevice. Isaac was gone.


I looked everywhere. Isaac was nowhere to be found. I don’t know if this puts a damper on my ego or whatever, but after three days of searching, I went back to the crevice and cried my heart out. The only two people who ever made my live bearable, gone forever. I would live and die alone here never to be found by anyone. I couldn’t accept my fate. I’d gone through too much for this to happen to me. I would have to make a shroud for my lost friends, my lost family, and burn it. I would burn their shroud. After the shroud was done, I brought it back to the crevice. I said a few words in honor, then laid the shroud in the fire pit. I created a flame on my finger, and set fire to the shroud. It burned a brilliant blue colored shade. Then, just like that, the fire disappeared. The shroud was gone. Hovering above the fire pit was a little blue wisp. It floated over to me, and touched my cheek. It glowed a bit brighter. To my great surprise, it spoke.
“Hunter,” it said. “I have been created by you out of the love for your friends and your pure soul. I am a Crimson Familiar.” I stared at this tiny blue wisp. What was going on? It floated over to the back wall of the crevice and touched it. A small symbol appeared there.
“Touch this symbol, Hunter. It will guide you and only you where you need to go.” Cautiously, I touched the symbol. It flared up into a large fireball and swallowed me up.

The next thing I knew, I was in a large room filled with people, and they were all staring at me. I only noticed two people though.
“Hunter? I can’t believe it! It’s been a whole year!” Zach gleefully shouted as he slapped me on the back. I was overjoyed to see him. I gave him a playful punch, and a huge grin. He had gotten taller, his brown hair just a little longer so it was noticeably shaggy. It was great to finally see him. My gaze fell on someone else. Someone I had been searching for for three days. Isaac was up and better than ever. He gave me the biggest grin I’ve ever seen.
“Thank the gods, Hunter, you’re all right.” This was the best thing I’d heard in a year. Then Isaac saw the little blue wisp flying next to me. His smile remained unchanged.
“Who’s your little friend?” he asked.
“That is for young Hunter to decide. I have been called into existence but moments ago. I am a Crimson Familiar. Hunter has yet to name me.”
“Well Hunter? What’s it gonna be?” I stared at everyone. I was overjoyed to know that the only two people in the world that mattered to me were alive, but I still didn’t know what the hell was going on.
“I’m sorry, could someone please explain to me where I am and what is going on?” Everyone stayed silent. It stayed like that until a girl in battle armor spoke up.
“You. You’re Hunter, right? I’ve heard quite a few stories about you. It’s been a long time since a single warrior managed to defeat seven Elite Force single-handedly. Come with me.” Someone else spoke up.
“Rhya, are you sure? We don’t even know if he’s one of them yet.” Rhya! Rhya….. where had I heard that name before? I banged my head to remember. I couldn’t. That was unusual. The only thing I could think of was SLEEP! Before I knew what happened, I blacked out, right there on the concrete floor.























Chapter Six
I woke up to find myself in an infirmary bed. I was still wearing my t-shirt and jeans, though someone had stitched it back together. The girl from before (she was no longer in battle armor) was sitting beside my bed, putting a cast around my arm. She was about my age, maybe younger. She had dirty blonde hair, put into a ponytail. She had a pretty face. It seemed to have a stern expression, but when I looked at her, her expression softened.
“It looks like I’ve gotta lot of explaining to do. My name’s Rhya.”
“Hello Rhya. How are ya? My name’s Hunter. And you’re right, you do have a lot of explaining to do.” I said, trying to keep it casual. She chuckled. I found myself just staring at her. Her smile was absolutely brilliant. And I know what I’m saying when I say brilliant.
“I heard your friend Isaac let himself be captured by that slob “King” Draekin,” she said. “And that you fought your way through seven Elite Force guards and a year in the Tunnel of Insanity just to get him to safety. However amazing that was, it’s not a good idea to risk your life for one guy.” Forget what I said about brilliant. How could she say that? She’d never understand what my life was like. If the last person you cared about on the face of the earth was about to die, what would you do? Trying not to lose it, I said, gritting my teeth,
“You wouldn’t understand. He was the last person on the face of the earth who actually cared about me. He’s like my brother. I would do anything if it meant keeping Isaac safe.” She chuckled again, her smile not so brilliant, but more a sad smile.
“You’d do anything for him, eh? I used to think like that too. My whole family ended up being assassinated before my very eyes.”
“Times change,” I said, trying not to feel sorry for her. She looked at me, but I avoided her eyes.
“That’s true,” a voice said from across the room. Isaac. “You can never predict the future. It is ever changing. Things never happen the same way twice.” Rhya got up from her chair, her face red. Isaac chuckled. “Rhya, why don’t you go fortify sector B alpha? I need a moment with Hunter.” Rhya gave me one last sad look, and ran off. Isaac sat down. My Crimson Familiar appeared at his side. “I came in to see if you wanted to name this little guy. Found you having a pleasant chat with Rhya.” I tried not to think about Rhya any more than I had to. Now, what to name this little guy? I talked with Isaac about Familiars. He gave me details. It turns out that there are three types of mages, or humans with the ability to control sections of nature. There were Crimson Mages, Golden Mages, and Silver Mages. Crimson Mages, that’s me, control fire. Golden Mages control lightning. Silver Mages control earth. A Familiar is part of a Mage’s soul, summoned in a Mage’s greatest need. If you die, they die. They amplify a Mage’s power, and teach him or her to use their powers. If they think you are ready, they teach you amazingly powerful spells.
“So let me get this straight: I’m a Crimson Mage? I can control fire? Jeez! Nobody tells me these things anymore!” We both laughed and continued. “Well now, what should we name this little guy?” I thought of all the names I could. Rinala? Nah. Dirus? No way. Wait a sec. Is this guy a guy or a girl? I asked. It’s a girl. Hmm. How about…. Syria? Yeah… Syria. That sounds good.
“All right. You’re gonna be Syria from now on.” Isaac smiled. Syria flew around my head. From the way they were acting, I knew the name was gonna stick.


I was up and walking a week later. I found out that this was some kind of rebellion, cooped up in their own little hole or something. They were planning an attack against King Draekin’s kingdom, called Draecnium. Erius had an old grudge against Rhya, but no one would tell me why. Rick, a new friend of mine who was a Silver Mage, walked up to me. His Silver Familiar, Laynaru, fluttered above his head. He was, oh, I don’t know, seventeen? Eighteen?
“Hey Rick! What’s the news?” I shouted over at him.
“Hey Hunter. Zach’s ready for you when you when you’re ready.” Oh yeah! I wanted to talk to Zach about how he got here. After I left him a year ago to go to the castle, everything about him was a mystery. He had some major explaining to do. I went straight and took a left. I kept going till I reached the elevator and rode to the thirty fifth floor. I stepped out and took a left, then went straight, then went right, went six doors down and stepped in. I knew this place inside and out. I thought about that for a second. If it took a week for me to memorize this place, imagine what the others had to go through to learn it. Then again, most had the help of their Familiars. Familiars have the ability to know their way around without knowledge or experience. I found Zach talking to Rhya in his dorm. I kept quiet, trying to listen.
“Zach, you’ve gotta at least consider! Your telekinesis would be great in battle, your language abilities great for communicating with other rebellions. Please consider,” Rhya was saying. Zach just shook his head.
“I can’t join your army. Isaac and I came to an agreement. We have to leave and go back to our own planet, for Hunter’s sake. Haven’t you seen how miserable he’s been? We’re going home.” Rhya frowned.
“I can’t believe you haven’t even noticed yet. Who do you think Hunter is? His black hair, his strength. You don’t understand, Zach. This is his Hunter’s home. Hunter is the son of Draekin.” I stared across the room. What did they just say? I could’ve sat there staring at the wall, wondering what time it was. But I was smarter than that. I cleared my throat. Zach and Rhya whirled around, staring at me.
“Hunter!” Zach said, surprised to see me. “You’re early!” I frowned at Rhya.
“Is that what I really am?” I asked. “A son of Draekin?” Rhya stared at me.
“How much did you hear?” she asked. I looked down.
“Everything,” I said. “Zach, don’t let these people down for my sake. It wouldn’t sit well. Rhya is right. You would be great for this army. I say go for it.” Zach didn’t reply. We stood there for nearly five minutes. Finally he sighed.
“All right. I’ll join.” Rhya nodded. Then she walked out of the room. Zach looked at me.
“Well, Hunter, I do believe I owe you an explanation.”


“It started when you left for the castle,” Zach started. “I went out to the market to see if I could get myself some dinner. When I returned, I found the camp in ruins. There were two men there, with uniforms that said Elite Force on them. They started to attack me, but I’d been in situations similar to this before. I used telekinesis to knock the sword out of one guy’s hand, but the other caught me in the chest with his sword hilt. I lost concentration. I did the only thing left to do. I took my lightsaber from my Halloween costume and slashed. Luckily it melted through their swords, leaving them weaponless. Then they took out knives. I knew I couldn’t destroy those, they were too short. I made a break for it, barreling over them. They chased me through the market, scaring several people. I was terrified. I didn’t realize I had someone running beside me the whole time. It was Rick. He told me to jump, so I did. The ground underneath me rose with me. He jumped on, and we went sailing down. I thought we would just hit the ground and die, but the ground swallowed Rick and I right up. We kept going down, until we reached the rebels fortress. I was real confused, so they explained everything to me. I didn’t believe any of it at first. They trained me to use a sword, to sneak around, to spy, anything anyone would teach me. Then you came along. I learned that you were a Crimson Mage, and I believed it when I saw Syria.” Syria fluttered excitedly around my head.
“So that’s how it happened,” I said flatly. I didn’t think things would’ve happened that way. Zach had already been here for a year. I got here a week ago. Nothing made sense anymore. Zach spoke up.
“Well, that’s my explanation. Now that you know how I got here, what are you gonna do?” I thought about that for a second. What was I gonna do? Then I got an idea.
“Train,” I replied.

I wandered around the arena. Swordplay was harder than I thought. I had already been through thirty-seven people, all of which had beaten me in the first three seconds. I decided to work on techniques before actually fighting someone. There were several dummies set up in battle armor. Each of them had swords, duplicates of the kind used in the Draecnium army. Some minor Mages had used charms to give them the battle tactics of Draecnium foot soldiers. I’d gotten a training sword from Rick. He’d crafted it in twenty-five seconds out of geode. They don’t call him a Silver Mage for nothing! The first manikin advanced on me. These guys were easier than the other rebels, but not weak. They were about my skill level, maybe a bit better. I killed off the first few, but decided to call it a day after the remaining thirteen ended up with swords at my neck. As I walked back to my room, Syria fluttered around my head.
“A traitor approaches,” a voice said in my head. I stopped short. I looked around to see who had spoken, but there was nobody there but Syria and me. I looked at Syria.
“That’s right,” the voice said. “Familiars can speak to their masters telepathically.” That’s pretty cool, I guess. But what was she talking about, a traitor approaches? I rounded the corner, taking in every detail. A group of six people I didn’t know was walking by me.
Are they all traitors? I asked in my head.
No, just one. Syria said. I promised myself I’d keep an eye on them. I noticed I’d been staring at them when a voice beside me said,
“New recruits,” I jumped, and Rhya smiled. I wondered if I should tell her that one of them was a traitor, but I decided that I would wait and see what would happen. I just stood there thinking about what I would do, when I realized that I was staring again. Dang! I gotta stop doing that. I turned and ran to my room, leaving Rhya looking at me, trying to figure out what I was thinking.

I sat there, in my bed, staring up at the ceiling. A traitor? Impossible. No one but the rebels knew about this base. Even more so, no one but the rebels knew how to get in. The only possible conclusion would be that there was more than one traitor. But who? Everyone here seemed to resent Draecnium. Seemed to resent. Either the traitor was working for someone else, or they were a Broadway material actor. The people the traitor worked for must be afraid that our Mages would be their downfall. Then again, most of them wanted to make an alliance, and the traitor wants the Mages on their side. But also, the Mages were not ones to obey others. They wouldn’t work for someone else. Then again…
Shut up, will ya?! Syria’s voice sounded in my head. I’m trying to sleep! I sighed, and shut my eyes. Syria’s right. I need some sleep.
Good night, Syria, I thought.


































Chapter Seven

I stood on the lookout post, watching for enemy soldiers. It was a cruddy job. Imagine lying down on a bed of rotating drills, and getting thrown of the bed to the sharks, who then tore you apart limb by limb. Now imagine that feeling, ten times stronger. Now you understand how I feel. See, the lookout post wasn’t a post. It was a splintering chair completely concealed by rocks. Not even Syria could fit herself in without squeezing through. And all I had to do was sit there for twelve hours. Pretty easy, huh? I was starving. I woke up late and had to skip breakfast so I could practice swordplay. I have to admit, I’m getting better. I can actually take down a couple of our long swordsmen (all non Mages, I’m embarrassed to admit). My diamond sword (courtesy of Rick,) hung at my side, tucked inside it’s hilt. I looked around. No enemies so far. I guess I could sit down and dwell on my thoughts for a second.
I went over Geldwyn’s prophecy in my head. Once entered, difficult to return from, the king’s traps beware! That turned out to be the tunnel of insanity, the king’s ultimate torture device. That defiantly had plenty of traps, and had taken a year to get out of. The gifts you must share….. besides the diamond sword I got from Rick, I hadn’t gotten any gifts lately. Besides, that was gift, singular. Not gifts. I guess I hadn’t gotten up to that part yet. Still, it pained me not knowing. Beside me, Syria sighed. I raised my eyebrows. She’d been talking to me so much in my head, I’d forgotten that she could actually talk. Then again, Familiars don’t usually talk to anyone but their Mages. They do sometimes, but rarely.
“I can hear everything you’re thinking, you know,” she said. I frowned. Telepathy was pretty cool, but It gets a little annoying since you can’t have any privacy, even in your head. One of the few screw-ups of the Mages. It gets tough, you know. “Don’t dwell on your thoughts too much. It’ll corrupt your mind. Trust me, I’ve seen it before.” She floated to my shoulder. It took me a second to realize what she was saying.
“Oh,” I said. “the traitor,” she nodded. “Unfortunately, where the laws of the Familiars prevent us from giving you direct information, unless it is of minor importance. It’s real aggravating, not being able to tell you these things,” I thought about Rhya and how I didn’t tell her about the traitor. I seemed to think that it was a good idea, not telling her, but now I wasn’t so sure. Syria, reading my mind, fluttered around my head.
“I agreed with you before. Rhya is very tense, delicate now. Her defenses are weakening, decreasing drastically. She’ll accept any help she can get. If you tell her about the traitor, she’ll be…. understandably distraught.” I wanted badly to tell Rhya about the traitor. Although she wasn’t a Mage, she’d know what to do. She always did. I dwelled on that for a second. Then, when I least expected it, a sickening BOOM! rattled the lookout. I looked, startled, around. Three feet where I was, a large boulder was there, leaving a crater underneath it. I looked out to the vast plain around the base. They found us.

I ran through the tunnels of the base, shouting, “Red alert! Activate emergency plan number twelve!”. Eventually, the halls were flooded with Mages and warriors. Rhya. I had to get to Rhya. We needed a battle strategy, and fast. I ran through the halls, cursing under my breath. Man, when I find that traitor….. I burst into Rhya’s room, startling her.
“They…found…us!” I panted, exhausted. “emergency plan twelve is underway!” Her face paled. She grabbed her armor and sword and ran out the door, grabbing my sleeve and pulling me along. We went down the tunnel that led to the battle field, but The crowd ripped us apart. I didn’t recognize where I was after a while, but I kept running anyway. I finally stopped in front of a wall that had three symbols adjacent to each other. A fireball, a lightning bolt, and an earthquake. I had no idea what this was. I just got this feeling that I should touch that fire symbol. Just this weird feeling. I touched it. Immediately, the wall opened up, revealing a dimly lit room. It had a small pedestal in the middle of the room, and on it was a ferocious looking sword, fiercely red like…. well, fire. Rhya came bursting through the crowd, but stopped short when she saw the sword. She stared at me, her eyes wide.
“I can’t believe it,” she muttered, mostly to herself. “You’re… the Heir to Crimson.”

I don’t know what came over me. Suddenly, my body didn’t seem to respond to what I told it to do. It just started walking towards the pedestal, stepping onto the pedestal, putting my hands around the hilt of the blade. Slowly, but surely, as I tugged on the hilt, it came up through the stone pedestal. I raised the blade high over my head, like a blessing. I instantly knew what was going on. Everything. I had gained the knowledge of those before me. Except their names. Not their names. Odd. The heir before me had been a master of archery. This blade had been in the form of a bow and quiver. The one before that was better at hand to hand. This had been a set of metal claws then. I knew all the heirs and their fighting style before me. I had a headache. It was so much knowledge to take in at once. I stumbled and tripped off the pedestal. It wasn’t so bad that I would black out, but it still hurt. I looked at the diamond sword Rick made me. I wouldn’t need this anymore. I took it out and placed it on the ground. If it was going to be demolished, it needed to be proper. I took up the blade. I realized that I didn’t know the blade’s name. I looked at Rhya. As if reading my mind, she shrugged. Syria? She shook her head. I looked at the pedestal. Magically, the hole where the blade had come up had sealed itself. Where the blade had been there were now some words carved into the stone. Somehow I knew that it was the name of the blade.
“Incendia,” I read aloud.

The blade caught fire. Rhya jumped, but didn’t do anything. The fire spread to the walls, but it was extinguishing itself quickly. Everywhere the fire had been, there were now rows of armor and weapons. They were all red. They each had a symbol somewhere on them. It was a dragon swallowing a star, both of which were engulfed in flame. It was pretty cool. I heard a loud crash, and looked to the pedestal. Where Incendia had once been, there was now a set of fire red armor. They had the same symbol as the rest, but this time the symbol covered the entire shield and the plate armor. It was a set made up of a shield, gauntlets, shouldergaurds (with real cool short spikes on them), a helmet, and plate armor. I guess this set was mine. I took one step towards the pedestal and stopped short. The gifts you must share, I remembered. I turned around, facing Rhya.
“Find your best fit.” I said. She looked at the gleaming red armor, then down at her old rusty armor. She looked at me and set down her armor. She walked around the room, trying to find the best set. She settled on one equipped with a spear.
“Good choice,” I said. I turned back to my own armor. As I walked toward it, it opened up and swallowed me into it. Weird, but awesome. That was probably the fastest suit-up I’ve ever seen. I picked up Incendia and sheathed it. I looked at Rick’s diamond sword. I didn’t have time to put it away, there was a battle going on. I picked it up and put it on a conveniently incomplete set on the wall. This place really does cover everything.
“Come on,” I told Rhya, who had just finished suiting up. Together we ran out to the battle.

I have one thing to say about battles: They suck. It’s probably got to be the worst thing ever, watching everyone around you die. It’s also impossible to keep track of what’s going on, but as far as I knew, the Mages were winning. That was the only good part. It was relatively cool to watch the Mages fight. Everywhere I looked, lightning struck, earthquakes rumbled, enemies on fire screamed back to their ranks. I gripped Scorcher and ran out to greet the battle. As I brought out Incendia, it caught the attention of several enemy soldiers. It doesn’t exactly blend in, if that’s what you’re thinking. This was bad. These guys were all Elite Force soldiers, and they were a lot more than seven. Probably about eighteen or nineteen of them. Crap. I backed up, thinking how lucky I would be if I could have a bow and some arrows, or maybe a lance or spear or something. Instantly, Incendia transformed into a bow and quiver. Sweet. One more useful thing to add to my list. I strung an arrow and got ready. Just a little closer…. closer…. Now! One arrow after another, I shot, suspiciously never running out. With each arrow, another enemy went down. I never was one to handle a bow very well, but I must’ve inherited the skills as the Heir to Crimson. A couple got too close for a bow to be useful, so I thought about needing a sword. Yep. It worked. Incendia was back to normal. Three soldiers approached, one in front, one behind, and one to the left. As if they’d practiced for this moment exactly, they lunged, all at the same time. One flaw. All I did was duck, and each of them clashed swords with each other. I got back up, and the guy on the left retreated. Just a little. I’ll take care of him later. For now, I focused on these guys. I lunged at the one in front, but he backed out of range. Smart guy. I slashed again, but he blocked with his sword. Again, smart guy. A little on the defensive side. I like that. Somehow, I knew the guy behind me was about to slash at me downward. I thrust Incendia behind my shoulder, locking blades with the guy behind me. I saw this as my chance, and slashed downward, toward the guy in front. Finally, it connected with his armor. Pretty big shock, so he was down, but not out. Just knocked out for a while. Again, I saw this as my chance. I spun around, creating an arch with Incendia. This one connected too, so the other guy was knocked out, but not dead. Good. I liked it that way. I stood up, letting my guard down. My mistake. Remember the guy on the left? He pounced. I sidestepped, but he must’ve noted my movements from the last battle, because he slashed in that direction. Luckily, I blocked it with my shield, which I didn’t use last battle. He rolled behind me, which wasn’t good. I couldn’t defend very well there, other than my armor. He must’ve sensed that, because he lunged, aiming underneath my armor. I spun around. My mistake. His sword was aimed at my head, instead. I shut my eyes and braced myself. I heard a sickening SPLUT! ……. I waited. Was this what death felt like? I opened my eyes. Standing there was a girl. The other guy was dead, suspended in the air with a spear through his head. I heaved a huge sigh.
“Rhya,” I said, deeply relieved. She looked at me and chuckled.
“Watch yourself, hothead.” She said, and ran off. I rolled my eyes. Sure, she could crack a joke. I couldn’t get so much as a laugh from Zach. And he laughed at the drop of a hat. Ah, well. No time for sob stories now. I dragged the two guys who weren’t dead over to a tree. In