| | | | More dreams...why nightmares? But wait, these weren't the scary dreams I had been receiving. This was of my past life... on a distant place out of the Spiral....
I saw the same green grass and blue sky as on Mooshu. A world of Mooshu? How grand a place that must be! I saw a red brick building, and when I looked inside, I saw a man and a woman; my parents? They were standing over some sort of caged bed... I realized that the word for them was a crib. They were laughing, and I heard some noises that resembled talking at a young age. What was going on?
The scene changed. I saw myself at a younger age-- maybe six, or seven? I saw two older people too.... my parents again, I suppose. They were sitting by a river, and were taking food out of a basket as I played around with doll nearby. When was this?
The scene changed again. This time, I was sitting on my bed. My parents were there again... but they looked angry and were yelling. I looked about the age I was when I came to Wizard City: twelve. I was looking at the ground, hate and frustration in my face. “Why won't you just explain what is going on?” my past self said angrily, “Why are all these strange things happening?” “Just ignore it!” my mother's voice said, “We can't explain this. Just let it be!” “I...WON'T!” I heard my dream self scream, “TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON!” My father in the dream shook his head as he and my mother exited my room, slamming the door on their way. “Ignorant child,” he muttered, “Crazy, impatient. Not even pretty. We should have disposed of her when we could have.” “We still can,” my mother said, “Tomorrow morning, take her to the dump. Then...” The scene faded away, and I was left alone in darkness. What had happened to make my parents hate me? Why had I gone? If my parents still loved me, where would I be now, two years later, at age fourteen, with my birthday coming around? Or if I hadn't been brought to Wizard City... where would I be?
I was awake. I felt a fire nearby, and opened my eyes. There was Lucas, sitting there, tending the fire. “Oh, you are awake,” he said. “Lucas... what...” I moaned. He felt my forehead. “Well, you don't have a fever anymore, but just to play it safe...” He gave me a large bowl of warm soup. I was confused. “Um.... okay, what is going on, Lucas? I don't...” Lucas sighed. “Okay, let me explain,” he said, “Someone was here....last night...I had to protect you from it.... and when you jumped out the window, you had broken your left arm and leg, so I came and found you. I realized you had a fever, so first I healed your broken bones, then I kept feeding you this soup until you woke up.” I realized that I could easily move my right arm and leg, and that I did feel a little sick. “How did you..” I started. “I second in life,” Lucas said, “Moolinda Wu has given me lots of advice on this stuff.” “Ooh...” I said, “I had such a dream....” “What was it?” Lucas asked quickly. I explained my dreams of my past life. Lucas looked at me. “What did you do to make them upset like that?” he asked. I shrugged. “I don't even remember my life there! I don't remember what it was even called...” “Earth?” Lucas asked. “Yeah... wait, how did you know?” “I... never mind,” Lucas said, “Did you defeat Cyrus?” “Uh, duh,” I said, “He was easy.” Lucas smiled, just a little. As I poured the soup into a canteen for later, Lucas said,“Well, all right. Let's go to Dragonspyre.” He seemed a little reluctant to say this, but, regardless, we went off.
We walked through the Spiral Gate to Dragonspyre, and, as always, I gasped. Lucas, who hadn't looked yet (his eyes were closed) said, “And, again...” I turned to him, and opened his eyes. “Lucas,” I said sternly, turning back around. Lucas also gasped. He gasped, like me, not in awe, like the other worlds, but in horror.
It was... ruined. Instead of a enclosed area, there was a spiraling ramp (which was kind of cool). Everywhere I looked, there were ruins somewhere. The ground was a light red color, the sky a darker red. There was a sense of evil in the air. “It's...spooky,” I said, shivering a little. “Yeah,” Lucas answered, as if it was no big deal at first. But when he saw the scared look on my face (I wasn't scared of much), he understood. “It's all right,” he said, taking my hand and leading me down the spiral ramp. There was a hollowed out door, and there was a platform. Cyrus stood in the middle, waving his staff around as if to keep away evil spirits. “Ah, there you are,” Cyrus said, “Let's get on with this.” He told us that we should go to the Atheneum first. “Behind and around me, there are 3 arches. In time, each shall have a portal. For now, there is only one, which leads to the Atheneum.” He gestured to it.
I took a deep breath. I had teleported before, obviously, but who knew how different this would be? Lucas hadn't let go of my hand yet; I took this advantage and nearly dragged him to the portal. “Um, Sarah?” Lucas said, but before he could speak, we were on the other side. I turned to him. “Yes?” I asked. “....dangerous,” he said. “Seriously, why is it dangerous?” I asked, “No one but you has told me that before!” “Um...” Lucas began. I noticed that he was looking for the right words to say. “You know what? Never mind,” I said. I was starting to get annoyed. I still had all these questions... and yet, he never told me anything!
After I talked to the right person, I had to go to the Tower Archives. “Wonderful,” I said, “First fighting task.” I turned and saw Lucas staring at the sky. “What is it?” I asked. He shook his head. “Nothing....” he said, but then he gasped. I looked at the sky, but saw nothing. “Um... you coming?” I asked. “Uh... later. I... gotta go do something. I'll help... later...” With that, he teleported away. I was stunned. “He's never turned me down when I've asked him before...” I said. There was something going on. Something big, that was getting in the way of our friendship. I sighed. “Well, better call for help,” I said. I whispered, “Hey, Blake, you busy?” My good friend Blake StormShade answered, “Nah. Just doing arena battles. Why?” “I need some assistance in DS,” I said, using the abbreviation for Dragonspyre that apparently everyone knows. “K. I'll port,” he said. Then, I whispered to Elizabeth GriffonBlood, “Hey, buddy. Whats up?” “Nothing,” she replied. “Wanna help me with DS? Blake's coming too.” “Sure, buddy! I'll be there asap,” she replied. I waited, and then storm sparks and life sparks appeared on either side of me. “Hey, peeps,” I said, smiling, “Let's do this!”
Blake and Elizabeth were a big help. The only problem was, I really needed someone to talk to that wasn't a wizard. Elizabeth had been a big help, but I needed someone who didn't get around often. Someone who had big secrets and lots of knowledge. As I thought about this, suddenly I knew who I should see.
As Blake, Elizabeth and I finished off some enemies in the Plaza of Conquests, I said, “Hey, guys, you've been a big help. But there's something else I need to do that doesn't require battling, and I know I can do it myself.” “All right, then,” Blake said, “Just call if you need anymore help.” “Same here, Elizabeth said, “See ya!” Then, they teleported off.
I walked through the Spiral Gate to Wizard City. From there, I went to Merle Ambrose. “Ah, hello, my favorite student!” he said, smiling, “How is Dragonspyre going?” “Fine, thanks for asking, Professor,” I said, “Um, could you tell me something?” Once I had asked my question, and Merle had given me the answer, I thanked him and went back to Barteleby. I went around to one of his roots; the 5th one on the left side from the front. I chanted some magic words: “Heba encha cusha min. Elco umo lin!” The root opened, and I jumped inside.
There was the familiar landscape, and a familiar friend. “Hello, Sarah!” Delia Leapfrog, the lonely shopkeeper in the special storm shop said, “What can I do for you today?” “Actually,” I said, “I just need someone to talk to.” And with that, we sat down in one of the fountains and I told her my story. Every single question, every way I felt. Delia listened to the whole thing, without interrupting even once.
When I was finished, Delia said, “It looks like you have a lot to think about, don't you?” “Yeah,” I said, “And the worst part is that Lucas won't tell me anything! Why can't things just be like old times?” I looked down sadly. Delia put her green frog hand on my shoulder. “Well, when you think about it, dear, it can't be like old times, because you feel this way about him.” I nodded. “Yeah, but... it's so awkward now. That's not how I want it to be!” “Did you ever think that he might have put some sort of spell on you?” she asked. I looked up, shocked. “What do you mean?” I asked. “Well, just so you know, I mean about the dreams, not the feeling. But the point is, you said that he told you he dreams the bad future, right?” I nodded. “Well, he said that he had dreamed a normal day. And then, something good much later on. Obviously, this is the opposite of what it normally is. So he probably accidentally put a spell on you, that gives you dreams of the future. Well, the first dream was. Apparently, the other dreams were dreams of present day, but somewhere else.” “So, what you are saying,” I said slowly, “Is that Lucas accidentally gave me his power, and he got a different one?” “Right,” Delia said. I thought for a moment. “I suppose that could be true,” I said, “But who could Lucas be talking to? And....” “I'm afraid I don't know, dear,” Delia said, “But maybe if you think about all these clues that Lucas had accidentally given you, perhaps you can figure it out on your own.” “Maybe you're right,” I said. Delia smiled. “Thank you for spending time with me, dear. It gets mighty lonely here,” she said. I got out of the fountain and smiled. “Once this is all cleared up, I'll bring a bunch of my storm friends here, and it'll be so loud you'll wish you were alone again. Delia laughed. It seemed like the first laugh she had had in a long time, and that made me happy. Waving goodbye, I climbed up the rope ladder (which apparently appears when you decide to leave).
I headed back to Dragonspyre. I had finished the Plaza of Conquests, and next up I had to do the Grand Chasm. I was about to enter when I saw storm sparks above me. Lucas jumped down, but no flip this time. “Hey,” I said. “Hey,” he replied. “I finished the Tower Archives and the Plaza of Conquests,” I said, “Wanna help me with...” “Sarah, I have something to tell you,” Lucas said. “Well, okay then,” I said, “But did you have to interrupt me?” “Yes,” Lucas said. I kept quiet. He took a deep breath. “I can't... can't help you anymore,” he said. My eyes were wide. “W-what?” I said, “What do you mean?” “My...err...father doesn't want me to hang out with you,” he said, “He says that you are a...um....bad influence.” I gasped. “ME, a bad influence?!?!” I said. Lucas nodded. “So....”
“HOLD ON A MINUTE!” I said, angrily. Lucas looked at me, surprised. “Sorry for yelling,” I said, my voice still angry, “But things have been happening lately that I don't understand! What's worse, you won't tell me ANYTHING! Strange dreams, you randomly teleporting and leaving me to fight without you, and now you can't hang out with me anymore? WHAT IS GOING ON?!?!” I guess you could say I... kind of exploded. I just couldn't take it anymore. Lucas' eyes grew angry. He yelled and stomped the ground. He threw lightning bolts from his wand at the sky. “WHY?!?” he yelled at it. “WHY DO YOU HAUNT ME?!? WHY ME?!? I HATE YOU!” I was shocked. How could.. he say that... to me... Before I could respond, Lucas pulled me into the tightest hug of my life. He was grasping me like this was the last time he'd have the chance. It was then that I realized it. He wasn't angry at me. But if it wasn't me....
I couldn't help but hug him back. He looked into my eyes and hugged me even tighter, so tight I thought I might pass out. I could feel tears in my eyes, though I didn't know why they were there. Lucas looked into my face, quickly leaned in, and...
BOOM!!!! A huge lightning bolt came from the sky. It landed right between us, separating us. Suddenly, there was a strong wind pulling me away. I grasped one of Lucas' hands, but the wind was strong. Soon we were lying on the ground, wind coming from both sides of us, pulling us away from each other.
I had the feeling that this would be the last time I would see him.
“LUCAS!” I yelled over the roaring wind. “I-” My hand slipped out of his, and while I screamed, I was sucked away, pulled into an endless darkness....
Plop! I was suddenly in my dorm room. It was dark. For a split second, I forgot what had just happened... but then I remembered. I pulled my pillow to me and cried. I cried for what seemed like hours, cried until I couldn't cry anymore. In other words, I cried until I feel asleep.
I didn't know where I was. “Son..” the dark voice from many times began. “I'm not your son,” Lucas' voice growled. “Sigh...nephew...” the dark voice continued. “It is time...”
Then, all the clues suddenly fit together. The dark voice who wanted me dead, Lucas not wanting to kill, Lucas being angry at the sky, looking at the sky for messages, Lucas randomly teleporting away without telling me, he being the only one saying that 2 people teleporting at the same time can be dangerous, the last name I had never heard of before, the dreams, the drawing away from me, the reluctance....the final piece was the nephew. I finally knew who Lucas had been talking to. As I sat up in bed, half awake, half asleep, I whispered his name to the darkness.
“....Malistaire....”
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