Dragon's World Kanasi

Winged All

Introduction

“Somewhere in the sky,

in the clouds, floating,

there is a power,

greater than any other,

the wind breezes through,

the wings of a being,

then it dives down,

against the currents,

the wings shutter and soar,

helping the creature live,

but an evil takes over,

blackness falters,

it brings down the power,

reduces it to nothing,

and the wings fade,

and chains wrap its soul,

the dark power grows,

digging into the heart,

but light will prevail,

and conquer the bleakness,

the bright wings fly,

once again,

they soar and dive,

and live once more.”

Trila looked to the sky as she sang this melody. It was a sad song, but for some reason it calmed her. Trila had no wings, no power. She felt helpless most of the time. She was only twenty years old, and had no particular future in mind. The world she lived in was very mystical, it had many beings and creatures that she never thought could exist. The world was known as Tempessia. It was the planet with the most power in the solar system. There were only five planets that circled the sun, which as called Navil. The other planets were Savet, Tomsia, Jaeve, and Mayel. Only few had the ability to fly through space to get to these other worlds, so only the most powerful in Tempessia knew about what lived there. Trila wished she had power so she could visit the other worlds, as they were called. This is why she set out around her own world to find the most powerful beings.

“Shade! Shade, where are you?” Trila called out. She was in an area with many trees, it wasn’t exactly a forest, but there were no houses anywhere in the vicinity. She looked around and finally found a tree that was different from all the others. It covered more ground and there was more shade from the sun. “Shade, are you there?” She asked. A woman came out from behind the tree. She looked like she was about thirty-seven or so, had deep black hair that went down to her knees. It was tied neatly into two braids. Her eyes were a light purple and she had very fare skin. There were no wrinkles or dark circles under her eyes. She wore a long dark coat that tied in the front. She also had on a purple collared shirt and black pants that tucked into tall boots. She always wore a blank expression on her face, but Trila thought she saw her smile.

“What do you want?” Shade asked. Trila laughed.

“That’s no way to greet a friend,” she replied. Shade pouted even more.

“I didn’t know we were friends,” she stated. Trila frowned.

“I’ve known you for what, six years and you still aren’t my friend? That’s a little harsh. Remember when we used to sit out here and just read for hours?” Trila asked. Both her and Shade sighed. There was no time for that now. It was a busy time of year, both were studying to get into a sorcerers school. Even though Trila had no magic ability, she still wanted to learn about magic, as much as she could. Shade helped her every day, showing her spells that sometimes took enormous amounts of energy. Shade had power, Trila was envious sometimes. But the two had been together for a long time, so they got along. Shade was normally a quiet person, kept to herself. Trila met her back when she was still a little girl. They were both quiet back then. Trila’s mother introduced her to Shade, and they became friends quickly.

Both of them had also suffered from tragic events that happened five years ago. They had both been scarred emotionally, but somehow they helped each other through the difficult times and were able to move on.

The difficult times were during the war between dragons and humans. Trilla was only around six years old at the time, so she did not remember much from that time. Just that it was a painful experience. Shade had lost both of her parents, who were killed by the dragons, and Trila had lost her father. Trila was human, but Shade was half human, half angelic. Shade had always had some hatred for both races, but never showed her emotions to anyone. Trila was the only one who could understand her. The two had always lived on Navel. Shade would sometimes go to the other planets, but Trila could not because of the lack of power.

“What are we going to do today?” Trila asked. Shade shrugged. She had a ‘did not care’ attitude most of the time. “I would like to go over those spells again, if you don’t mind. You know, the ones you showed me yesterday,” she said. Shade nodded and pulled a book from the bag that was sitting next to her. She opened it to a page that had a marker in it. There was writing and a diagram on the page, but it was a different language. The language was called Shinma, which was also the spoken word as well. Everyone knew how to speak and write this language, but if someone from a different planet found some way to get to this world, they would have to learn Tempessia’s way of speaking and writing, since their language would be different.

“Shall we start with Midnight’s Toll?” Shade asked. Trila nodded. “Okay. For the hand signals, you put both of your hands together, as if you are praying. The next step is to move your left pointer finger in between you right one and middle finger. Then you fold your hands and call out ‘Mia skeh tap mektal,’ you do this three times, and that will create darkness in your hands. This spell is useful when you are escaping from an enemy, you simply put your hands on yourself in order to cover yourself in shadows,” Shade explained, reading from the book. Trila listened and then tried it herself. Nothing happened, at first. Then slowly, a small ball of black matter filled her hands.

“Look! It’s working! I thought I didn’t have any magic ability,” Trila exclaimed. Then the sphere started to grow exponentially in size and did not stop until Shade yelled:

“Meh temp vol!” which caused the sphere to stop right above Trila’s head and then burst into a thousand particles. They spread all over the grass and the tree that Shade had been sitting under. Shade glared at Trila for a moment, as she was being covered by black specs of dust, but then the two burst out laughing. “Everyone has magic abilities. The trick is getting to know how much of it you actually have. It looks like you have a considerable amount after all,” Shade explained. This made Trila ecstatic. She had never been able to perform any of the spells that Shade had taught her, but now since she discovered her power, they might just work. With some practice, of course.

It was growing dark outside and the two decided to pack up and head home. They lived in the city of Shmhah, which was a small, but cheerful place. Many dragons and humans lived there. There were few elves, but everyone got along for the most part. The buildings were made from the materials found on their planet. There were limited resources, but everyone was able to get by somehow. On the way back to their houses, they met up with Sesilae, who was talking to some of the people.

“Hey, how are you?” Trila asked. Sesilae smiled and bowed.

“I’m doing all right. Have you been practicing spells again?” She asked, noticing Shade dusting off some of the black specs that were still lingering on her shoulder. Trila laughed, nervously.

“I tried a spell, and it actually worked. Not the way it was supposed to, but I was able to get it a little at least,” she replied.

“That’s good,” Sesilae stated. Shade glared at Trila again, which made her gulp. Sesilae laughed. “I am about to head home to make dinner. Are you two doing the same?” She asked. Trila nodded.

            “I am living with my mother and five children, and it’s my turn to cook tonight. So I better get home and prepare the feast,” she stated, making them laugh. Shade looked at the ground, thinking of her parents.

            “I should… get home too,” she stated, running off. Trila and Sesilae looked at each other sadly, and then went their separate ways.

Sesilae

Now, Sesilae’s story is a sad and tragic one, more so than the others. When she was born, her parents did not want her. They were powerful dragons and did not have time for a child. They kept saying she was an accident, because dragons usually have about ten or even twenty children at one time. She was the only one born. So they gave her to another family, where she was happy for five years, until the wars started. Both her adoptive parents ended up fighting against the elves and losing, so they became slaves to the elves. Sesilae tried to form a group to rescue them, but the plan failed. It actually made the situation worse and the head elf, Pastem, killed them when he had found out there was an intruder in the elves’ fortress. Sesilae managed to escape somehow, and had to live on her own for a few years. This was hard and painful, since there were not a whole lot of resources left after the first war, and Sesilae was still very young, even though dragons age quicker than humans do.

She wandered around until an elf recognized her in a village. She was chased through town and finally captured. She was put through experiments that took days to complete at a time. She was given little food and water, just barely enough to stay alive. Every night before midnight she was abruptly awoken and was taken to a torturing chamber, where she was hooked up to a device that recorded the amount of pain that she could take. Then she was placed back in her cell where she finally would drift back to sleep before dawn, when she would wake up for more experiments.

These experiments were to test her strength and speed. Even though the elves knew that she was a young dragon, they were still obsessed with research and power. They wanted to learn anything they could from Sesilae, putting her through as many tests as they could. Some were tests of stamina, where they would throw rocks or various heavy objects at her in a simulated room. She would have to try to break the objects in her human and dragon form. She would have cuts and bruises all over her by the end of the day, even though she would heal them every time, she was just get more when she was tortured.

Sesilae stayed in the fortress for eleven years. She did not know how she survived, but when her best friend, Singe, saved her from her cell, she was very grateful. He had been working for the elves at the time, but he was a spy for the dragons. He was able to mask his presence so that they thought he was an elf. He was very sneaky and crafty, so that made escaping easy for him. Every day he would try to visit Sesilae, which made the day a little easier for her. Sometimes she would be in so much pain she could not look at him, let alone speak. Singe also helped her with her wounds.

After her escape, Singe had to go back to work for the organization. He did not say what type of organization or work he did, just that it may be a long time before he would see her again. She was saddened by this, but knew that it could not be helped. He did stay until she was strong again. He helped her find a family to live with, and introduced everyone. Everyone in town also helped her out, she found a place to work quickly. It was a small shop that sold jewelry and other small things. It was something to pass the time, and Sesilae enjoyed it. She loved the people in the town, and made friends every day. She only had the one while she was in captive, since he was the only dragon there.

Then the day came when Singe had his first mission since spying on the research facility. Sesilae hated to see him leave, hated saying goodbye. Before she knew it she had fallen in love, something she thought was never possible, lying in that cell. Now her love was leaving, she felt empty, as if a part of her were leaving as well. She knew she would never be lonely, physically, but her heart ached.

“I’ll be back soon, I promise,” he had said. Sesilae looked at him sadly. “Don’t give me that look! I’ll be back in a few days and everything will be all right,” Singe said, smiling. Sesilae smiled slightly and then wrapped her arms around his waist. His eyes widened.

“I want… to tell you this before you leave,” she started. They were both blushing by now. “I… I think I’ve fallen in love with you,” she said, softly. Singe was surprised.

“What?”

“I think I’m in love with you,” she replied, a little louder this time. Singe backed up a little, but then put a hand on her left cheek. He stroked the scar that had been made by the elves, gently. She blushed even more.

“I love you too,” he said. He leaned in slowly, making Sesilae back up for a second, but then she leaned in too, until their lips touched. They both had their eyes closed tightly, and Sesilae’s hand was in Singe’s. Sesilae thought she was dreaming. She had been in a cell for so long. She never knew she could feel this way; it was so powerful, so overwhelming. Then her heart was empty again, he left, after a minute. Sesilae waved as he walked off, fading slowly as he grew farther and farther apart from her.

The next few weeks were hard, but she was able to be happy in the new home that she found. She lived with a woman; that was around her mother’s age when she had been captured, so Sesilae called her mother, and five other children. They were all young, but very smart. Sesilae often helped them with their school work, but most of the time they did it on their own. Two of the children were the mother’s, Naitel, and the other three were orphans, like Sesilae. Everyone in the town was very kind to her, and she learned fast that these people could be trusted, even though she was different from some of them. The town was a mixture of dragon, elves, and human, so Sesilae felt at home here. She did not know what to expect at first, but people kept coming up to her to offer sympathy, so she felt relieved. Even if Singe was not around, she was free from pain and suffering.

“Sesilae? Are you all right?” Naitel asked, worried. They were in the main room of the house, which had a round table in the middle, with seven chairs around it, a large chair that sat near the right corner, and a few shelves with some pictures sitting on them. Sesilae looked at her and smiled slightly.

“Yes, I am just thinking of the past,” she replied. This made Naitel worry even more. She had come to think of Sesilae as her daughter as well, even though Sesilae was over one hundred years old. “Really, mother, I’m fine. I just wish… I could see Singe again soon.”

“You will, dear. I am sure of it. If you truly love him, he will come back,” Naitel said, smiling. Sesilae smiled at this, but then decided to go up the stairs to the left of the table and go to her room. She lay flat on her bed, and looked at a picture of her and Singe, it had been taken before he had left. She sighed.

“Singe, where are you?” She asked, out loud. One of the children, Saya, came in her room and went up close.

“Are you sad, Sesi?” She was only ten years old, and an elf, so she had a long life ahead of her. Sesilae smiled and patted the kid on the head.

“I’ll be fine. Why don’t we play a game tomorrow, all right?” She asked.

“Yay! A game with Sesi!” The girl cried and skipped out of the room. Sesilae sighed and remembered when she was that young. She was in captivity. The experiments had caused her to grow, and that is why she was the person she was today. Sesilae had sometimes wished she was someone else, some other being or not a being at all. She wanted to get away from her normal life, but she knew if she went after Singe, he would be angry. He may not talk to her again, and it would break her heart. She wanted to see him so badly, it hurt her entire being. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door downstairs. Naitel answered it, and Sesilae heard a mumbled, but familiar voice. She jerked up and ran out the door and down the stairs. She could not believe who it was.

Quest

There are many mysteries in the world. No one person or being can truly say that they have seen it all. Everything is beautiful, no matter how ugly situations or people can get. This is what Trila wanted to believe. She understood that no one was perfect, not even elves or dragons. They all had flaws. These flaws would be the death of them, someday, some time and place. It had to happen eventually. Trila knew that her time would come, and she was not afraid of it. Trila lived to the fullest, or she thought she did. She only had one mission in life, and that was to find all of the Winged Ones, and bringing them together. She wanted everyone to get along, so that another war could be prevented.

Trila was outside, lying on the hill just outside of her home, gazing up at the stars. There were so many, she wondered what it was like to travel through space. She sighed, knowing that she would never get the chance too, even with dragon abilities; they were not able to transport humans to other worlds. Elves could do it, but only if they were high ranking, and there were few of those left. They were all in other worlds as well. Trila sighed again. She decided it was time to go inside when she shivered. It was beginning to get cold; frost lined the grass and tree roots. Tempessia had two seasons, summer, which they called Solari, and winter, or Wintia. Each had its better and worse times, Trila preferred Wintia.

Once inside, Trila went to her room after saying goodnight to her guardian, and went to her room, which was just down the hall a little ways. Their house was small, but Trila liked it. It had two bedrooms, two baths, a small kitchen and one big living room. Trila lived with a guardian she called Chiena. She was also half-human, half-angelic. Chiena took Trila in after the war. She felt sorry for Trila, since she had also lost her husband. He was everything that she had had. So she was excited to hear that a little girl was looking for a home, and that she could help. Trila loved Chiena very much. She always thought that her mother must have been like her, loving and kind. That night Trila dreamt of her mother.

“You must hurry, take Trila and go!” Saiya cried. She was standing in front of a burning building, not far from a castle. She had long blonde hair, just like Trila’s. The man she had been calling out to was tall, and had dark black hair. He was holding on to a scared, little girl. She was six years old, and crying.

“But dear, what about you?” He, Triam, asked.

“I’ll meet up with you in a bit,” Saiya called. Suddenly, a flash of light hit the area, blinding Triam and the young Trila. A figure had jumped down in front of Saiya, raised a sword, and thrust that arm down, so the sword pierced Saiya’s chest. Blood sprayed everywhere. Trila started to cry and Triam called out to the figure.

“You… bastard!” He cried and unsheathed his own sword. He ran towards the figure, which was now more visible. It was a man about Triam’s size, he also wore a cape that covered his face with a hood. His eyes seemed to glow for a split second before he ducked to dodge Triam’s attack. The man sliced through Triam’s torso, cutting him in half. “Trila…” Triam stuttered, before falling to the ground, dying instantly. The man put the bloody sword back in the scabbard, and turned his head to the crying Trila. He went over to her; she stopped crying, and stood perfectly still.

“Girl, make sure you forget this day. Forget what happened here. I had to… I had to do this; it was for the sake of the kingdom. When you are old you will understand, but until then, please forget,” the man said, in a kind voice. Trila was confused. How can such a killer have that voice? The man then put a hand on her head and rubbed gently. “My name is Singe, pleased to meet you Trila,” he said, and then walked off into the smoke from the burning houses.

Trila jerked up in bed, tears streaming down her face. Chiena knocked on the door.

“Trila? Are you all right?” She asked. Trila wiped away the tears, but they kept falling. She got out of bed and slipped a bathrobe on. She then opened the door and rushed out, almost knocking over Chiena.

“I’m sorry, I have to go. I have to talk to Sesilae,” Trila said and walked quickly out the front door. She walked down the streets and towards Sesilae’s house. The sun was just about to rise, so it was very dark outside. Stars shown above, as Trila knocked on Sesilae’s door, hard. “Sesilae! I know you are there! I know what happened to my parents! I know Singe killed them, murdered them, for the sake of the kingdom! Come out!” She cried, tears still falling. Sesilae answered the door, in a bathrobe as well. She was rubbing her eyes.

“What about Singe?” She asked. Trila looked sadly at the floor. “Come inside,” Sesilae said. They went into the kitchen area and sat down at the table.

“I’m sorry… I know it’s late. I just had to come and tell you. I had a dream, or rather, a memory recollection. It was of when my parents were killed in the war. The person responsible… was Singe. He told me, to forget everything. So that’s what happened, I forgot until now. I’m so sorry… I cannot forgive him either,” Trila explained. Sesilae had tears in her eyes.

“No! You must be mistaken! Singe would never do something like that, ever! I mean, he did kill some scientists and guards, but that was only to help me! He would never just kill two people!” Sesilae cried. Trila again looked down, sadly.

“I’m sorry, it’s the truth. I… didn’t believe it at first, but there’s no way that could have been a dream. It was Singe,” Trila said. She now had tears in her eyes. She did not want to believe it. She had loved her parents, dearly, but she also loved hearing about how Singe had saved Sesilae’s life, and how he had helped her find a new life. Trila was not mad at Sesilae at all, she loved her as a friend. “Are you angry with me?” She asked. Sesilae was surprised and shook her head.

“No! I’m just, shocked, that’s all. I think… I will try to find Singe and ask him what happened. I will go now,” Sesilae said quickly and started to go upstairs. Trila grabbed her arm.

“I am leaving soon to find all of the Winged, why don’t you come with me? We can ask him together. I don’t think anything less of you, I was just shocked that the kind man you spoke about could do such a terrible thing. I want to know as well. Come with me, but tomorrow afternoon,” Trila explained. Sesilae hesitated for a moment, but then sighed.

“I guess I can come with you. I don’t blame you for anything; it just shocked me as well.” There was an awkward pause and the two wiped away their tears.

The next morning, Trila awoke feeling rested, even though she had stayed up late the night before. She was excited, nervous, happy, and sad all at the same time. She wanted to get going as soon as possible so that they could find Singe, and all of the Winged. It was her mission, her destiny, her fate. She needed this, something to hold on to. Trila yawned and got dressed and ready for breakfast. Chiena was preparing a large meal for everyone before Trila was ready to set out. Chiena always did this before something big was going to happen. Trila loved her for it.

“Morning!” Trila singed. Chiena gave her a weird look.

“Where did you go last night?” She asked. Trila practically skipped over to the kitchen counter to help with the eggs.

“I… had to go talk to Sesilae. Everything’s all right, don’t worry. She’s coming with me to find Singe,” Trila replied, cracking a few eggs over a pot.

“Will Shade be joining you as well?”

“Yes. She’s meeting us here in an hour. I have everything packed and ready to go.” Trila was now a little bit nervous, she now saw how saddened Chiena was by her leaving, and did not want to disappoint her. “I’m sorry, mother. I have to do this. I feel this urge to do something, besides become a brilliant mage. I can’t just sit around here forever. I need something in my life,” Trila explained. Chiena sighed and stopped cooking for a minute. She turned to Trila and put her hands on her daughter’s shoulders.

“You are absolutely sure you want to do this?” Trila nodded. “Okay, then I can’t stop you. You are old enough to make your own decisions. Please promise me you’ll be careful,” Chiena said, a few tears in her eyes. Trila nodded again and smiled.

“Of course, I know how to use magic now, and I’ll have Sesilae and Shade with, two powerful beings. You have nothing to worry about. Breakfast is ready, I’ll call everyone,” Trila said, getting the plates and glasses down from a cupboard and set them down on the counter. She then went upstairs to wake the children. It was early, but not too early, it was around eight o’clock. The children’s names were Dari, Zaria, Mel, Tali, and Seme. All had lost their parents in the war, and were now living with Chiena and Trila. Trila was the oldest, of course, being seventeen, and in order of the names the children were seven, eight, ten, twelve, and fourteen. They were all very good children, and Trila loved each one as a brother and sister.

After breakfast had ended, Shade and Sesilae were waiting outside for Trila. Chiena and the children went out with her, and all took turns giving her a hug.

“Remember to be careful, and be sure to write,” Chiena said, tears in her eyes again. Trila started to tear up as well, but wiped the tears away before could fall.

“I will, I promise. See you all soon!” She said, waving. Sesilae and Shade said goodbye as well and the three walked off. It was going to be a long journey, since Trila wanted to go to each sector, in order to find Winged. She had to travel as much as she could. Uniting the Winged was her goal, and finding Singe.

4
The Long Road

Trila yawned, she thought about the conversation she had with Sesilae and looked over towards her direction. Sesilae was smiling, but Trila knew that she was thinking of Singe too. Trila kept denying that it happened, and yet, she knew that it did. How could anyone kill someone else? What drove this man to commit such a horror? The three were walking down a dirt road; it seemed to wind on forever. Fields lay to either side of them, there were some flower patches, and most of it was just green grass. Frost covered all of it. Shade shivered, and rubbed her arms.

“Why don’t we take a break here? It’s almost noon, and I’m getting hungry,” Sesilae suggested. Shade and Trila nodded and the three went out into the left field, where they found a flat part to sit down in. Trila put down a blanket that she had in her sack. They sat and Sesilae took out some food from a basket she had been carrying. She spread sandwiches and fruit on the blanket. She also had a hot container of tea. (She had been keeping it hot with a spell.)

After lunch was over, they decided to get moving again. The clouds were getting darker and were covering the sun. It felt damp and the air was getting fogged over.

“We should head for cover,” Trila suggested, as it started to rain. Suddenly, it was pouring out. Lightning struck, which made Sesilae very uncomfortable. It had been raining and lightning the day that Singe left. Trila smiled at Sesilae and Shade, which made them feel a little better. Shade liked the weather, but sensed something was wrong. They had just started walking when a figure was coming towards them.

“Stop right there!” The figure called. It was a female’s voice, and she had to shout over the rain and thunder. The wind blew even harder than it had been, and almost knocked them over.

“Who are you?” Sesilae asked. Lightning struck, making her visible for a few seconds. She had long, red hair that was tied into a ponytail, and a black, leather body suit on. Her eyes were dark green, and seemed to glow with the light. She was smiling, evilly.

“I am known as Chain, since that is my power, and I will destroy you with it!” Chain cried, she stretched out her arm and flicked up her hand, several chains flew out of the palm of her hand. They swiveled until they reached Trila and then they separated, and tried to hit each of them. They dodged just in time, but they slid in the muddy ground though, since the rain had made it slippery. Sesilae created a barrier around them, making the rain slide off of it as well. Trila started up a spell as well as Shade. “You fools! That’s never going to work, no matter how powerful you are!” Chain cried.

“Why are you coming after us? What did we do to make you attack us?” Sesilae asked. Trila raised a hand above her head and said some elfin words. She then thrust her hand in front of her, holding her arm with her other hand.

“Mah temp vol!” She cried and fire shot out, but it dissipated before reaching Chain. She laughed.

“Ha! What was that? You must be a trainee!” She cried, and shot more chains at them. Sesilae started to yell and put her hands clasped together behind her back. Trila was confused at first, but then saw a hilt of a sword, and then a blade form in mid-air. Sesilae rushed forward and dodged all of the chains that were coming towards her. She jumped in the air and sliced down at Chain, colliding with the chains, making sparks in the rain. Sesilae cried out and managed to slice through and cut Chain’s shoulder, making her fall on her right knee and hold her shoulder. Sesilae held her sword up to Chain’s neck, she smiled. “You have won this round, but I will be back, I promise you!” She cried and disappeared. The sun also appeared again when she did. The rain stopped and Sesilae put away her sword, feeling more at ease. Trila ran up to her.

“Are you hurt at all?” She asked. Sesilae smiled, wiping off her wet hair.

“I’m fine. Do you want me to show you how to amplify the spell that you performed?” She replied. Trila lit up.

“You mean that I failed at, yes, I would like to learn more. If that’s all right with you, Shade. I know you’ve been my teacher for all things magic,” Trila said. Shade shrugged.

“I don’t mind. Obviously, I couldn’t teach you enough to be useful in a fight. Maybe a different mentor will help you,” she replied. Trila looked at the ground for a moment, feeling guilty for letting her friend down. She wanted to be useful, to help everyone in dire times. They then decided to get moving again, since they did not know the next time Chain would come back. Why was she even there in the first place? They all wondered, and they wondered what she could be after.

Soon after setting out again, they reached a town. It was small, and had fewer houses than their own village. The houses themselves were made out of wood and sticks. They had not yet learned of the technology or power that the elves possessed. Sesilae noticed a few people standing around talking. They looked human, but when the three got closer, they realized that two of them were elves and the other one was dragon. The man had a tail, and the other two had long pointed ears. They seemed to be talking about the war. Everyone could understand each other, since they were using Shinma.

“But if we didn’t have the war, then we wouldn’t be where we are today,” the dragon man said.

“Many people lost their lives though, how can you justify that with one phrase?” The female elf asked. Shade and Trila looked down as they walked past. They were thinking of their parents, and Trila cringed, knowing what really happened to hers, she had to find out the real reason why Singe had killed them. She wanted the truth.

“We should find an inn to stay in for the night. We don’t know if Chain will come here or not. I will investigate later,” Sesilae suggested. This sounded good to Trila and Shade, they both nodded. They found the inn down the next short road, of which there were only three, so it was not hard to find. They checked in and decided to eat at the small restaurant that was inside. The inn was one story, and had four windows, but was pretty long. Then the three that were talking when they had first arrived, came over to their table.

“Are you travelers?” The dragon asked. Sesilae nodded.

“You might want to consider leaving before nightfall,” the female elf said. The other elf nodded.

“You don’t want to be here at night, trust me. If you are not a resident, they will surely find you,” he said. Trila saw fear in his eyes, which is something that she thought elves could not feel. Apparently, there was something that even the elves were afraid of. Trila did not like this.

“Who are they?” She asked. The three looked at each other, and then back at her.

“They are beings far beyond anything that you can imagine. They come and take anything they can, and if someone resists… they kill that person. You really should leave,” the female elf explained. All three of them nodded.

“We’re not afraid of anything! We’re on a quest, we have to stay here tonight, we will leave in the morning,” Shade said, standing up. The dragon sighed.

“If you really insist. We did warn you though,” and with that, they went back to their table. Shade sat down and took a sip from her glass.

“Really, it’s like a ghost story. Do they expect us to believe them?” Shade saw her friend’s foot tapping up and down, and sighed. “There’s nothing to be afraid of, we’ll protect you, right Sesilae?” Sesilae nodded.

“Right, we won’t let anything happen,” she said.

“I know, and I am learning magic, it’s just what they said reminds me of a place that I stayed in a long time ago,” Trila said, looking down. Shade and Sesilae looked at each other. Trila shook her head, and went back to her food.

“You never told me anything about this. Where did you live?” Shade asked, worried. Trila was surprised. Her friend usually never asked about the past, unless it was absolutely necessary. Trila looked down.

“It was… before I met Chiena. Right after the war, when we were separated for a short time. I was only a small girl, but I still remember hiding from creatures, and huddling with another group of children. That’s when Chiena saved me,” Trila explained. Sesilae and Shade looked sadly at their plates. Shade regretted asking her friend. “It’s okay, I’m in a better home now, and that’s all that matters, right?”

“That’s good. I’ve never seen you without a positive attitude about things. I’m glad to have met you,” Sesilae said, smiling. Shade also smiled.

“Thanks. I’m glad I met you two as well. This is going to be a long journey, so I’m not sure when it will end, but I hope you will stick with me,” Trila said. The two nodded.

“Of course, you know I love a good fight every once and awhile. And I’d never let you down,” Shade replied. Trila laughed.

“I’m trying to find Singe as well, and ask him what happened, so of course I’ll accompany you,” Sesilae stated.

After their meal, it was starting to grow darker, and the wind picked up a bit. The owner of the inn shut all the windows and barricaded the door. Trila, Shade, and Sesilae went to their room. They each put their bags under their beds, and hid anything valuable, just in case. When they turned out the lights and crawled into bed, they heard some strange noises from outside.

“What was that?” Trila asked.

“Don’t worry, we put spells around the room and our belongings, remember?” Sesilae whispered. Then the whole room seemed to wave, and the walls looked like they were made out of water. The three pretended as if they were asleep, but Trila kept one eye slightly open. A creature in a cloak came through the far sidewall, floating. Then more of the creatures came from all angles, and they all had short, black wings. Trila almost gasped, but remembered what the elves and dragon had said and stopped herself. The creature turned towards her, and she shut her eye quickly. It floated to the foot of her bed and stopped. It then slowly bent over and reached under, grabbing the bag that was supposedly hidden with a spell. Trila winced, knowing that her clothes and necklace she received from Chiena were in that bag. Just as the creature was leaving, Trila sat up. It stopped.

“Trila! No, get back into bed,” Sesilae whispered. Shade was also afraid, but did not say anything.

“I am not going to let you take my necklace! It was given to me by Chiena, and is very precious to me!” Trila said, starting a fire spell in her hands. The creature turned around, its long neck twisting as it did so. Trila gasped, but planted her left foot behind her and drew her hands back. Before she could say the spell, the creature created a blade out of its arm, and stabbed her through the side.

“Trila!” Shade cried, getting up now. Sesilae also got up and started a powerful spell. The creature thrust its arm to the side, causing Trila to smash against the wall and fall on the floor. Blood flowed out of her side. She had one eye open and watched the creature fade through the wall, taking the bag with it. Trila had tears in her eyes as she fainted. Sesilae ran to her side and began a healing spell. Shade also helped with the spell.

“Damn, why did this have to happen?” Shade asked. She was worried about her friend, whose face had been stained with tears. Sesilae was also worried.

When the healing spell was complete, Trila opened her eyes slightly. Her cheeks felt hot, and she instantly put a palm to her forehead. Sesilae and Shade smiled.

“My… necklace…” Trila started. She tried to sit up, but winced and rolled on her back.

“We’ll get it back, don’t worry,” Shade said.

“How? You heard what the villagers said, and you saw what happened to me,” Trila said. The room was silent for a moment.

“We could try a tracking spell!” Sesilae exclaimed. She stood up and went to get a spell book. Trila was able to sit up in a chair and she looked confused.

“A tracking spell?” She asked.

“Yes, I can track your necklace. If I know what it looks like, I can pinpoint its location and hopefully be able to see around the spell we placed on it,” Sesilae explained.

“Okay, it’s a silver chain, with a red pendant on the end of it. It also has a rose etched in black on top of the stone.” Trila stood up slowly, with the help of Shade, and they went over to Sesilae, who was now sitting with her legs crossed and arms stretched out in front of her. She nodded, and looked in the book sitting on her lap.

“Tia sol… meh sam necklace creis!” She cried. A cloud filled the room on the ceiling, and then dust flew down in front of Sesilae from the cloud. It made a circle, and then a picture appeared in the middle of the circle. It was of the pendant, being held by the creature with black wings. It was muttering something that they could not understand. It was in another language, and not the ancient language that Tempessia used.

The Winged Midnights and Singe

Trila looked at the creature and winced, remembering what it did to her, and felt both hatred and rage.

“Can you sense where it is?” She asked. Sesilae closed her eyes, they were moving back and forth under her eyelids. She shook her head slowly, but then reached out towards the picture. She was trying to see the area in which the creature was located. She saw a room made out of brick and steel, and it had a large steel door as well. Then, the creature seemed to look at her, and a wave of energy came from its head. It blasted through the picture and hit Sesilae. She flew back, causing her to hit her head on the wall next to the bed. “Sesilae!” Trila cried. She went over to her friend, who was rubbing her head.

“I’m all right. He just… threw me back. I did see where it was though,” she stated. Shade and Trila smiled at each other. “First, we should get some sleep. We can go to the place tomorrow, when it’s daylight. I know where it is, so it won’t be a problem to find it,” Sesilae suggested. Trila yawned.

“Yeah, getting stabbed really takes it out of you,” she said, smiling. Shade shot her a look and she stopped smiling. The three fell asleep shortly after this, and Trila dreamt of her parents again. This time it was a happy memory of a birthday party. Tears still stuck at the corners of her eyes.

In the morning, Sesilae was the first to wake. She got some breakfast for all of them, and Trila and Shade awoke after she came back. When they had eaten, they set out for the place where the creature had taken the necklace.

“The Winged Midnights came again, didn’t they?” A villager asked another villager.

“Yes, it took my mirror. I didn’t try and stop it, since I knew what would happen,” the other said. Trila looked down as they kept walking.

“That must be what they’re called, the Winged Midnights,” Shade whispered. Trila nodded. The one villager turned and looked at her.

“You don’t want anything to do with them, they are dangerous,” she said. She was an elf that had long blond hair and green eyes. The other was a male elf with shorter blond hair and gray eyes.

“We… need to deal with them somehow. They took my necklace,” Trila said, clenching a fist. Shade put a hand on her friend’s shoulder.

“You’re better off leaving it with them. Trying to get something back… well, it’s impossible,” the male elf said.

“I don’t care, I’m going to try anyways,” Trila retorted. The elf blinked.

“Your death wish,” the other said. Trila and the others walked on, and Trila became a little afraid of what might happen to all of them. She did not want any of her friends in danger, let alone the townspeople. Trila looked down, and her friend Shade put a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, if these beings have anything to do with the rest of the Winged, we have to at least find them,” she said. Sesilae nodded, and this made Trila feel a bit better. She smiled.

The next town that they were traveling to was called Misal, which was known for a high priest that could supposedly bring people back from the dead. It was said that he was an elf with wings, so of course Trila was interested. She thought that he may know something on the Winged Midnights and Singe as well. Trila held her stomach, since it still stung from the blast, even though Sesilae had healed it well, she could still feel it.

When they reached the town, after traveling over many barren roads, with few trees or any scenery at all to look at, there were hardly any people outside. It was cold, so Trila could understand why people would not want to come out. The town was also small; the houses were made out of wood and twigs for roofs. There were a few shops that were open, and had customers inside them, but other than that there was no activity.

“I wonder why it’s so quiet here,” Shade stated.

“Maybe the Winged Midnights came here as well,” Sesilae suggested.

There was one person in the middle of the road, he was wearing a hood and his eyes were shadowed over. Sesilae saw him and gasped. She stood frozen for a second, but then Shade put a hand on her arm.

“What is it?” Shade asked.

“It’s… Singe…” Sesilae replied, paralyzed. She then started running towards him. The man in the cloak turned around, and lifted his head slowly. Everything within the town disappeared, it was all white, except for the four. Shade and Trila looked around them; Sesilae had frozen and stared at the man. His eyes were shadowed over and his hair was longer, so it was hard to tell who it was, until he lifted his hood.

“I knew this day would come,” he said, in a scratchy voice. It was not the soft, kind voice that Sesilae remembered. She started to cry, instantly. His face was a bit different, the cheek bones were higher, and there was a scar over his left eye, which he had closed. Sesilae could not move. She wanted to leap into his arms, but somehow, she couldn’t get her feet to go forward. Trila went up to them, but did not say anything.

“Singe… I have… so many questions,” Sesilae stated, almost unable to speak. Singe smiled, sadly.

“I know. Trila, you remembered?” He asked. Trila’s eyes widened.

“So it was you? How could you?” She cried. Sesilae gasped.

“I didn’t… want to believe it was true. You didn’t kill her parents, right?”

“I’m sorry, Trila, Sesilae. I really wanted her to forget and not have to endure that pain,” he said.

“You monster! You don’t deserve to live!” Trila cried, Shade had to hold her back in order to keep her from slashing her sword at him. Sesilae fell to her knees. Singe went up to Trila, as tears ran down her cheeks, and leaned forward. She started to hit his chest, but then sobbed into it. They both fell to their knees. Singe held onto her tightly. Shade went over to Sesilae and hugged her as well. The two cried for a few minutes, Trila a little longer, she eventually stopped and the town went back to normal. Trila and Singe stood up and she was still sniffing, but she had mostly forgiven Singe. He had explained that it was an order that he had to carry out, otherwise he would never have saved Sesilae. Sesilae felt horrible that the reason she was still alive was the cause of such death and destruction, but she was happy that everything was all right. She knew it would take some time for Trila to trust Singe, but she still wanted to hear everything.

When they were at the inn, Singe went to a room by himself, and the three girls went to a different room, of course. It was slowly becoming dark, the sun was setting, since they had spent most of the day traveling. Sesilae sneaked out of their room when Trila and Shade were talking. She walked down the hall to Singe’s room. She hesitated to knock at first, but then Singe opened the door. He was surprised to see her standing there.

“Uh… I was just about to get something to eat, I was wondering if… you would like something?” She asked, blushing. Singe smiled.

“Sure. Here, I’ll pay for it,” he said and took out a few coins. (Currency was gold in this region, so Sesilae did not have that much money to spare.)

“Thank you, I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she said happily and walked off. Singe waited for her return in his room. He was sitting on the bed when suddenly a sharp pain struck him in the head. He winced and bent forward. Sesilae came in and saw him. “Singe!” She cried and set down the tray of food quickly. She went over to him and knelt down in front of him. He looked up at her slowly and smiled.

“It’s okay. This is normal.”

“It’s not okay! Did the palace do something to you?” Singe winced again as the searing pain did not stop.

“Yes. This is the price I have to pay for… saving you. I wanted to save you though, it was my duty to protect my own kind. But, I still had orders to follow, so they had to give me a punishment. I’m… always fighting…” he stopped, tilted his head back and closed his eyes.

“What do you mean?” Sesilae asked, standing up. She sat in the chair that was lining the table and gave him a glass of water. He smiled and sipped some.

“You know what I did before, right? It’s a barrier. In that barrier there are multiple barriers. Each is like a different dimension, in my mind, I’m in one of those dimensions, fighting with their drones,” he explained. Sesilae was still a little confused, but she understood most magics, since she was a skilled sorcerer and a powerful dragon.

“So it’s like your soul is fighting these drones?” She asked. Singe nodded, blinking.

“Yes, basically. This is also a way for them to detect exactly where I am at any moment. They can’t control me though, they can only take pieces of my soul. The Winged Midnights are also behind this.”

“That’s who we’re trying to find! And we need to stop Chain as well. If she continues with this destruction, all of the Winged Ones will be demolished,” Sesilae stated.

“Why are you trying to find the Winged Midnights?”

“They stole something of value of Trila’s, so we want to help her get it back. We know it’s dangerous, but I’ve been able to survive, so I think I can handle it.”

“I don’t… want to see you get hurt again. I don’t like it when my loved ones are in pain.” Sesilae smiled as Singe also sat at the table. They ate in silence.

Meanwhile, Shade was trying to show Trila a locating spell. It was like the one Sesilae had used, only this was to find lost objects. Trila had her hand stretched out, and a red gem rested in her palm. It started to glow as Trila spoke in the old language. Her eyes were closed tightly.

“That’s it, now shout out the last part and open your eyes quickly. You should see where the coin is even though it isn’t visible,” Shade explained. Trila did so and everything around her went black. She could see different shadows, the desk, the beds, and the window. Then something shone bright yellow, and she turned quickly to the right. She then walked over to it and picked it up. The room returned to normal. Shade smiled.

“You did it! You’ve really gotten better,” she said. Trila smiled, but then sighed.

“This still won’t help me. I need spells that are more powerful. If I’m going to face Chain, and the Winged Midnights. I know I have Midnight’s Toll, but I need something more.”

“We’ll keep working. Don’t worry, Singe is here to help, and I’m sure Sesilae knows some powerful spells.” This made Trila a little angry, since she was still wary of Singe, but decided not to say anything. She wanted to bring all the Winged together, not tear them apart. She still had no idea on exactly how to do that yet, but Trila swore she would find a way.

Decisions

The next day was going to be a long one, Trila knew in her mind. She still did not like Singe all that much, even though she had forgiven him for what he did to her parents. She held back from complaining though, since she was friends with Sesilae, and she knew that her friend loved Singe. She did not want to give Sesilae any trouble.

The journey started out with kind weather, but then it had started to rain. They were on an open road, so there was no shelter. There were no trees to hide under either. Shade loved the rain. She could spend hours in it, even though she could get sick. Trila did not mind it and neither did Singe, since he had to work in some tough situations. Sesilae hated it. It had been raining on the day she was captured, and she remembered it well. She was dragged from her house, even though she was only eleven at the time, she could still fight back. She still failed to escape, and it was the rain that had stopped her from running. If she had not slipped, she could have gotten away. Now, silently, she cursed the rain.

“Are you all right?” Singe whispered to her. She blushed and nodded. She took his hand as they walked quickly in order to get to the next village. It was not far from the previous one, but Trila was getting anxious. She wanted to find a way to get to the Winged Midnights, as well as Chain.

“So, I see you have a friend with you this time,” a voice called out. Trila recognized the voice right away, it was Chain’s. Lightning struck the ground in front of the group, Chain was then made visible after everyone was able to see again. “No matter, I will still destroy you all!” She said, bringing her hands together, she started to form lighting in between her palms. The lightning grew stronger. Singe stepped in front of the girls and drew his sword. Chain laughed as she shot the lightning forward, which caused Singe to fly backwards. Sesilae ran to him.

“Singe!” She cried. Chain laughed again. Trila grew angry and started a spell.

“Mah… temp… vol!” She cried, creating a fireball in the middle of her palms. She waved her hands around the fireball so that it would grow bigger, and then she thrust her palms out, the fire flew through the rain, and struck Chain, causing her to crash to the ground. Trila was breathing heavily, but smiling. Sesilae had gone to heal Singe, who was slightly wounded on his shoulder. Shade started to chant a barrier, and a clear shield surrounded them. Chain got up slowly, coughing up blood.

“All right, Trila! Now hit her again!” Shade cried. Trila started to chant again, this time, it was a binding spell. She raised her hands, and then shot them out towards Chain, but then Singe ran up to Chain and put his sword up to her neck. Trila finished the spell, and Chain’s hands whipped behind her back and were bound together by a glowing band. Her feet were also bound.

“Now, who are you and what do you want with Trila?” Singe asked. Trila blushed a little, trusting Singe a bit more now.

“I want her to die, of course,” Chain said, smiling. Sesilae got up and brushed herself off.

“Why would you want Trila to die?” She asked.

“She’s trying to bring all of the Winged together, right? For this reason, she must die!” Chain yelled and broke free of the bindings. Then she jabbed Singe in the ribs, causing him to release his sword, and she jumped over him and backwards. “I will let you go for now, but take my warning, next time will be different, I will definitely kill you then. And I’ll have the help of a few friends,” Chain said, and disappeared. Trila fell on her knees, and the rain stopped. Singe sheathed his sword and Shade and Sesilae went up to Trila.

“Are you all right?” Sesilae asked. Trila smiled, a little pale.

“Yes, I just wish I knew why Chain doesn’t want all of the Winged together. I mean, I do realize she’s evil and all, but still,” she replied. There was a pause, and then everyone laughed. “What?”

“What you said… about her being evil,” Shade said, almost in tears she was laughing so hard.

“I have never heard you laugh like that before. Sesilae, you too,” Trila stated, starting to laugh herself.

“Let’s get going. The town’s just over this hill,” Singe said, smiling. He was glad to see that things were progressing right. He then fell to his knees, and held his head.

“Singe!” Sesilae cried, kneeling in front of him. Blood ran down his chin.

“It’s… all right,” he gasped.

“What’s going on?” Trila asked, worried.

“I’m… I’m always fighting. It’s the price that I had to pay for letting Sesilae go,” he said, wincing. Sesilae almost started crying as she put a hand on his cheek.

“Always fighting?” Shade asked.

“In my mind. I am in another dimension, fighting demons, or whatever comes at me. Right now, I just fought against one of their leaders. Of course I won, but he managed to scratch me,” Singe explained. Trila was surprised. She never knew about this kind of magic, or rather, no one had ever heard of that kind of magic.

“Who put this spell on you?” Trila asked. Singe was able to stand, with Sesilae’s help.

            “It was… one of the Winged Midnights. They did it to keep me from disobeying orders, which I never did in the first place, unfortunately,” Singe said, looking at Trila for a second and then turning away. Trila smiled and went up to him. She put a hand on his shoulder.
            “I forgive you,” she said. Singe looked at her, sadly. He stood up slowly and wrapped his arms around her. Trila’s eyes widened for a moment, and then closed.
            “I’m so sorry. I wish I could take it back,” Singe said. Tears fell down Trila’s cheeks.
            “It’s okay, you had to. And if it weren’t for you, I would have never known Sesilae, one of my best friends. She is dear to me, and now so are you,” she said. Shade and Sesilae smiled. Singe blushed and backed away.

“Thank you,” he said and then went over to Sesilae and put an arm gently around her shoulders.

“Well, we have to decide what to do next,” Shade said.

“Right. I think we need to find out more about where the Winged Midnights are staying. If we can somehow sneak into their fortress, then we can find out what happened to the necklace,” Sesilae suggested. Trila nodded.

“Can we try that locator spell again?” She asked Shade. Shade nodded.

“Sure. Now that we’re in an open field, it should work in a wider range. I will help you so that you have more power,” Shade suggested. Trila nodded. They walked until they found a secluded area. It was in an area that was covered in trees. Sesilae and Singe sat down in front of one tree, while Trila and Shade sat in front of another. Trila sat cross-legged and held out her arm. She closed her eyes and Shade put her hand on Trila’s shoulder. She focused her energy at her friend, and a wave of power flowed over the land. Everything went blank, only a few objects could be sensed, like a tree, or a bush. Then Trila searched further, and found a larger heat source, figures, with wings. They were hovering over something. It was small, and it was white and circular. Then Trila made out the chain, and the pendant. The spell broke and Trila stood up quickly.

“I know where they are!” She said. Shade looked at Sesilae and then back at Trila.

“Are you sure?” She asked. Trila nodded.

“Well then let’s head out to their location. I know their weaknesses, or at least I think I do, so I’ll be able to fight them if we have to,” Singe stated, smiling. Sesilae had a worried expression on her face, but sighed.

“Thank you. You know that none of you have to go through with this,” Trila said, looking at each one of her friends. Shade stood up and brushed herself off.

“I’ve been your friend for a long time, I am with you to the end,” she said, smiling. Trila smiled.

“I’ve only known you for a little while, but I can tell you are a good person. I will stay by your side,” Sesilae stated. Singe nodded.

“As will I,” he said. Trila wiped away a tear that was about to fall, and then turned towards the road that was just a few feet ahead.

“Thank you. Let’s get going,” she said.