The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

Chapter 10: A Peaceful Breakfast



The sun was shining brightly through his closed eyes. He opened them, only to be blinded by the morning’s rays. He held his hand up to his face to block the light, and then looked around him. There was a small fire burning weakly from the night before, but there was a small kettle resting above the flames. He looked up and saw that Desri was sitting next to the kettle, stirring its ingredients.

“Desri?” he asked. “You’re still here?”

She looked up at him, noticing that he was now awake. He could now smell that there was food being cooked in the small kettle.

“I decided to at least stay and cook a meal for us. It’s the least I can do to make up for what you did yesterday.” She replied. “I was thinking that it wouldn’t be right if I just left.”

“Thanks…” he responded, sitting up. The aroma of the food was enticing. “What’s in the kettle, by the way?”

“It’s homemade stew that I made from some wild vegetables and quail. It’s quite delicious.” She stated.

“Do you have any bowls?” he asked, wondering how he was supposed to eat from the kettle.

Desri smiled, and then replied, “Sorry, but I travel lightly. There’s another ladle by the pot that you can use.”

Damien looked down by the kettle and saw another wooden ladle lying next to the pot. He bent down slightly and picked it up. He could tell from its texture that it was hand-carved.

“What’s your hometown like, Desri?” he asked, looking from the wooden ladle to her. She was slowly taking a sip from her ladle.

“Talipok?” she asked. Damien nodded in reply. “Well, we Talipoks are a reclusive race. We live in the forest up north that humans cannot enter. There is a mist that shrouds the forest that normal people would get lost through. However, Talipok people have a keen sixth sense. We can find our way through it easily. I hate the fact that our people were cursed to live apart from the real world. Humans like you can travel freely without worry, while my people are persecuted for what they are. We have a port, but it’s not like we have anyone to trade with. All we ever use it for is to harvest fish from the ocean.”

“That’s terrible,” he stated, dipping his ladle into the stew and taking a sip from it. He could taste the wild herbs and spices in its broth. “I couldn’t possible imagine what it’s like there, being isolated in just a village that’s not open to the world.”

“It’s hard for you to imagine because you’re a human. You don’t have to go through what we do. Other than that, though, Talipok is a peaceful place. We live harmonically with nature, not apart from it like most humans. Besides, what’s your hometown like? You haven’t said anything about where you live.” She finished.

“You mean Palpalice?” he asked back. He saw Desri nod her head in reply. “Well, it’s almost like you just explained it. We don’t exactly live in harmony with nature, but we do like the scenery. It’s a small village set next to the Great Plains. All of the villagers are nice to me there. My house is next to a waterfall that flows into a large pond nearby. It’s actually very nice.”

“I see,” she responded. “Do you have any family there? You told me that you were on a journey to avenge your parents’ death, but do you have any other relatives living there?”

Damien shook his head.

“No, it’s just me there.”

She slowly nodded.

“Mm-hmm. Girlfriend, maybe?”

“I used to,” he answered. “But the thing is, she died.”

“…Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s okay, Desri,” he stated. “I learned to move on.”

“Well, that’s good.” She stated. “It’s not wise to chain yourself to things that would never last.”

“You’re right. What about you, though? Is there anyone waiting for you when you return home?”

“Me?” Desri asked. “Nope. I’m not interested in any of the boys in Talipok. It’s just me.”

Damien nodded quietly. He took another sip of the warm stew, enjoying its flavor.

“They’re too busy trying to gather food for the village than to look after girls. I’m looking for an intimate relationship, and I don’t think that they’re capable of that.” She finished.

“That’s a pity,” he replied. “I’m not going to worry about any more relationships right now. I think I’ll wait until my journey is over before I start that again.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” she stated. “Well, where are you heading to next? You hardly have any options up north.”

“Well, I was looking to see if I could find a port, that way I could check the outer islands for any ideas on where Zadok would be.” He stated. “I’ve been searching for him all over Crystalion, but I could never figure out where he went.”

“Well, I have an idea,” Desri began. “Talipok is the only place north of here with a port. Maybe I could try and get you into the village so that you can head out as soon as you need to. But I would have to talk to the Elders and see if you would even be granted access.”

“Are humans hated that much by Talipoks?” Damien asked.

“Yes, and it’s a pity.” Desri responded. “Humans and Talipoks have always been at conflict for well over a millennia. I only wish that they would both get over their prejudice.”

“Wow, you’ve surely changed since yesterday.” He stated.

“Well, you helped me see the world through a different perspective. You proved to me that most humans aren’t the cruel, selfish creatures that I thought they were. If I could get it across to the Elders, then I couldn’t think why they wouldn’t allow you in.”

“Are you sure that it would be okay?”

“Well, yeah!” she exclaimed. “Are you still interested?”

“Of course! I wouldn’t turn down anything exciting!” he exclaimed.

“That’s good to hear.” She said, drinking from the wooden ladle that was in her hands. “If we head north soon, we should reach Talipok by nightfall.”

“Your home is that close from here?”

“Yeah. It was close enough that I could run around and play in the fields when I was younger.”

“Wait a minute, you played here when you were a kid, too?” Damien asked. “So did I!”

“It’s funny how we never bumped into each other years ago.”

They both let out a small laugh. He could see a sparkle in her hazel eyes as her eyes met his. He quickly looked down at the kettle, avoiding her eyes and took another sthingyful of the fresh stew. She looked at him for a moment, and then her eyes fell down.

“Do you know why they died, Damien? You parents, I mean, or is it still a mystery to you?”

He slowly lowered his head. Desri quickly looked away after seeing what he did.

“I’m sorry I said that I said that,” she replied. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“No, it’s okay,” Damien responded. “You didn’t say anything wrong. I know who killed them ten years ago, and what his purpose was, but I still don’t exactly understand why he did it. My family was murdered because they were Chaos Mages. Zadok was after the genocide of the Chaos Mages because of the fact that his ancestors lost to a Chaos Mage in the War of the Magi 600 years ago. He left me for dead, but the village swordsman found me and raised me. He taught me everything I know and when to use my skills for that of justice. When I turned sixteen, I left the village so that I may go in search of Zadok and carry out my revenge for what he did. It’s been three years, and I could never find any traces of where he could be. I’ve just now started anew in search of him, and I’m hoping that I’ll find him before he finds me.”

“So that’s your testimony,” she stated quietly. The fire had died, and only a few burning coals remained, glowing pink and white in the sunlight.

“Right now, what I’m worried about is Sakura…”

“Sakura?” Desri asked. “Is she a friend of yours?”

“Sort of,” Damien replied. “We helped each other out in a few tight situations, but now that she’s left, I have the worst feeling that Zadok is after her because she, too, is a Chaos Mage. She took off yesterday, and I was hoping that I could catch up to her in time.”

“I see. It’s good that you show compassion to others, not everyone that I know sticks out their neck to help people that they don’t know so well, unless it’s a fellow Talipok.”

“That sounds reasonable.” He stated. He took another gulp of the stew and asked, “You stated that we would reach Talipok by nightfall, right?”

“Yeah,” she replied.

“Well, if we’re going to make it, then we should leave now before it gets any later. We can keep talking as we head north.”

“Alright, that’s a good idea.” She replied with a smile. “Let’s clean this mess up, and then we’ll go.”

Chapter 9: The Fox and the Wolf



He could feel the rain softly beating down upon his face. His eyes twitched for a second, and then slowly opened. He was looking directly at the sky, which was filled with swirling dark clouds. He turned his head and saw that he was lying down in the grass on his back.

“Was that…a dream?” he asked himself. He slowly began to sit up. As he got up, his eyes fell upon his dagger that was lying near him. There was blood being washed off of the blade by the rain. “I guess not.”

He placed his hand to his back, feeling for the wound. He found the tear in his jacket, but the wound was healed. Damien sighed, and then got up onto his feet. The weather wasn’t going to get any better than what it was now, he thought. He began to walk back to his house so that he could get whatever he needed to take with him. He opened the door and walked inside, making sure not to waste any valuable time. He grabbed his sword and strung it to his side. His dagger was already placed back in its sheath hidden in his boot. He went into the kitchen and reached inside one of the cabinets, pulling out a bag of black string jerky. After making sure that he had everything that he needed to take with him, he headed out of the door.







He had been traveling north for a couple of hours, trying to cover as much distance as he could to possibly catch up to Sakura, if he ever found her. The rain had stopped, but the sky was still overcast. There would be a cold breeze later in the evening if he wasn’t mistaken. He was about to calculate the exact hour when an arrow shot past his face, barely missing his right ear. He stopped abruptly, and then quickly grabbed the handle of his sword and pulled it out of its sheath. Someone was out there in the high grass, waiting for him to advance. He stopped moving, waiting to counterattack their next move. A moment went by, then another arrow shot forward at him. With a quick motion, he blocked the arrow by using his sword as a thin shield.

“Who’s out there?” he demanded.

Another moment went by. He loosened his knees, awaiting the next move. After a few seconds, three more arrows flew at him. He quickly rolled to the side to dodge them and knelt there in the grass, using it as cover. He could hear the footsteps of whoever was attacking him coming nearer to him. Before he could prepare himself, a figure lunged at him, knocking him to the ground. A quick glance told him that it was a girl that was slightly younger than him, with a pair of fox ears and a fox tail. Before any other facts could register into his head, he tried to knock her off of him, but as he did so, her hand flew past his face. Her nails dug into the left side of his face, cutting three wounds into his cheek. He quickly got up, tightening the grip on his sword. Now that he was up, he could clearly see his enemy. She had shoulder-length brown hair, with a pair of hazel eyes. She wore a sleeveless green shirt that buttoned up and a blue skirt. She had a pair of brown boots on that came up to the middle of her legs. She reached behind her and grabbed the handle of a katana and pointed the blade at him.

“Wait! Why are you attacking me?” Damien demanded, but she paid no attention to his words. She charged at him, making him have to jump aside as she ran past him.

“It’s because of you humans why my people are dying!” she spat at him, turning around and beginning to charge at him again.

Without hesitating, he lifted up his sword to block the hit. He could tell that there was a deep anger burning in her eyes, one that he has never encountered before.

“I’ll take out every human that crosses my path!” she exclaimed, pushing him back and beginning to charge at him again. He quickly moved to the side to avoid being struck down by her swings. As he landed, he felt a minor tremor underneath his feet. The ground was still firm underneath him, yet he knew that he felt something. He quickly moved aside again and parried off another one of her hits. She obviously never noticed a thing.

“Stop it!” Damien demanded, but to no avail, the girl kept at him. She had stamina, he thought to himself, if she could continue like she was fighting right now. She ran at him again, but this time, he held his ground. I hate to do this, he said in the back of his mind. He flipped the sword backwards so that the sharp point was facing him as he swung forward, knocking the girl flying several feet in front of him. She landed on her side, but she was far from finished. She began to get up, glaring at him. She went to take a quick step at him, but then he felt the ground shake just like it did before, only this time it was stronger. She, too, felt the effects and stopped moving. They both began to look around them for some sort of explanation as to what could be happening before it dawned on him what it was: landwurms. It was coming closer, he thought, as he felt the tremors become more violent.

“Watch out!” he yelled, quickly jumping out of the way. She went to move, but before she could get anywhere, the ground underneath her ripped open as a full-grown landwurm lunged out of the ground and onto the surface world. Damien held his ground, waiting for it to lunge at him so that he could counter its attack. However, the fox girl was closer to it than he was.

“Get away from it!” Damien yelled, but it was too late. Before the girl could escape, the wurm moved forward at a quick pace with its mouth open and devoured the girl in one quick swallow. Wurms usually tend to swallow their prey whole, as they do not like to eat dead meat. Then their prey is slowly digested through its stomach acids. He could begin to hear faint screams coming from inside of the wurm’s stomach area.

“damn it,” he said to himself, grasping the hilt of his sword tightly. The wurm turned its giant head to him, its yellow eyes staring right through him. He knew that the wurm saw him as food. The wurm took a lunge at him, but he leapt into the air and landed on its scaly back.

“Don’t worry, I’ll try and get you out of there!” he exclaimed. He lifted his sword to sink it through the beasts hide, but its tail collided into his side, throwing him off. He had just enough time to roll out of the way as it tried to overwhelm him again. He managed to flip onto its backside again, but this time he quickly planted the blade of his sword deep into the neck of the beast. The wurm let out a loud screech, thrashing about, but Damien continued to hold on tight. With a forceful twist, he managed to disunite its head from its body. The cadaver jerked once more, then became still. Damien jumped off of its back and landed on the ground. Blood was flowing from the large wound that he had inflicted upon it. He moved over to its belly and placed the tip of his blade at the soft scales.

“Hang on; I’m going to cut you out of there.”

He pushed the blade into the hide and cut it open, revealing all of its entrails. He quickly took in some air before the stench reached his nose and began to work through the organs with his sword until he reached its stomach. He sliced it open and reached inside and pulled out the girl. She was covered in greenish-yellow liquid, along with some slight burns on her skin. As soon as she felt ground underneath her, she immediately fell onto her hands and knees, looking as if she were about to retch.

“Are you alright?” Damien asked.

She coughed, spitting out some of the ooze, and then weakly replied, “Yeah, I’m okay…”







It was nightfall. The sky was clear, with the stars shining bright above the land. The moon was waxing, dimly lighting the sky. Damien had set up camp in the middle of the plains where they could rest. There was a fire burning cheerfully in front of him, along with some wood to add to the flames. The fox girl was sitting close to the fire, trying to warm herself up. Damien watched her curiously, and then asked, “You never told me your name.”

She glanced at him with an untrusting look, the looked back into the fire. He guessed that she was like this with everyone.

“…The name’s Desri.” She replied, unfolding her arms from her chest and rubbing her hands together near the fire.

Damien watched her for another moment before he, too, began to look into the fire. “Why were you attacking me earlier?”

She didn’t glance at him when she spoke.

“It’s because of the fact that humans are the reason why my people are made to live reclusively. The humans entertain themselves with warfare and destruction, destroying everything that they’ve ever known…”

Damien looked down at the ground. She was right. In the past, everyone was always at conflict. They waged war against each other, broke family ties, and put everything that they’ve ever known behind them for the sake of glorifying themselves.

“…My people are despised by your kind, and humans even take to hunting down my people. You’re monsters…every single one of you.”

He grew quiet. He had never known or heard about her kind, and hearing her tale was quite saddening. He looked up at her, who was trying to warm herself up. He sighed, then got up and took his cloak off and went over to her. He knelt down and wrapped it around her, stating, “Here, you’ll need this more than I will.”

Desri looked at him with a look mixed with shock and curiosity.

“Why are you helping me?”

Damien sat down next to her and looked into the fire. The flames were still high up.

“I’ll admit that mankind has done wicked things in the past, but I’m not one of them. I couldn’t be, after what I’ve gone through.”

She looked at him for a second, and then her eyes moved to the ground. Her hands were still clapped together, keeping the other warm.

“You’re like one of us, the Talipok people. We look out for one another, no matter the cost. Why is that?” she asked.

“My parents were killed when I was nine, and since then, all that I’ve ever wanted was to find the one that did that to them. I left home on a journey to find him, hoping that I could stop him before the same thing happened to someone else.”

“The same thing happened to me. My parents died when I was twelve. It looks like we have something in common. By the way, what’s your name?”

He looked at her, and then smiled.

“It’s Damien.” He replied.

“Damien…that’s a nice name.” she replied. “Well, I’m going to sleep now. Thanks for taking care of me.”

She smiled, then moved over some and laid herself down on the ground and curled up slightly. Her eyes closed with a slight smile on her face. He smiled weakly at her, and then decided that he too needed to rest for tomorrow.





*Desri is by far my favorite character in the series.*

Chapter 8: The Chosen One



This place is awesome, he thought as he climbed up the stone entrance to what appeared to be the city of the Goddess. He had traveled through a portion of the realm, admiring every little detail that he could see. Everything was different from what it was like on Zenith; the plants were greener, and there was no sadness, no anger. Everyone was happy here, and he admired that. Life would probably never be that way back home in a world consumed in sin.

He stopped at the foot of what he saw to be the great golden doors to the palace. He had to look up to see the very tops of the doors. Adorned upon it were letters and writings in a language that he couldn’t read or make out. In the heart of all of the words was a mural embedded in the gold of a very beautiful woman with a sphere in each of her hands. As he glanced closer at the spheres, he noticed that they resembled planets. Damien shrugged, then placed his hands upon the door and entered the palace. Everything was bright inside, seeing as how the Goddess was that of light and all things holy. He placed his hands over his eyes for a moment until they adjusted to the light, and then continued forward. The halls appeared to be made of the brightest and the purest of pearl, which shone radiantly through the palace. The hallway split into three sections: left, right, and straight ahead. He took the path that led straight, looking all around him as he went. There were paintings hanging on the walls that were by far the greatest he had ever seen on Zenith. He kept moving ahead, gawking at the fine architecture that he came across until he hit a door with his head. He stopped, rubbing his head with his hand.

“Ow…” he stated, looking at the door. He reached out for the handle and opened it, stepping through the doorway. He had stepped into a large garden, completely open to the sky. Kneeling down in the heart of the garden was a beautiful woman with long, white hair. She seemed oddly familiar to him.

“Excuse me?” he asked. She slowly stood up and turned to see who said that. “Can you tell me where the Goddess is in this palace?”

She looked at him for a moment, and then smiled.

“She is here, right in front of you, Damien.”

He stared blankly at her. After a brief second, he noticed that a certain aura was around her, one of light. He then remembered her face: she was the woman that he saw before he found himself in Elaine’s home. She was clothed in a long, white robe, shimmering in the light, which fell to her ankles. There was a platinum circlet adorned around her head that shone in the light. He could feel the warmth of the light that was radiating from her body and spirit.

“Y-you’re the Goddess?!” Damien exclaimed, taken back.

“Peace be with you, Damien. Why is it that you are so taken back?” the Goddess Cythera asked.

His face was red from embarrassment.

“S-sorry,” he replied. “I just wasn’t expecting to meet you here.”

“It is okay.” She stated. “You’ve journeyed along quite a ways. What is it that you need from me?”

“Um, well…” he started, “…there’s something that I need to accomplish, but the problem is, I’m…”

“…Dead,” Cythera finished for him.

“Yeah…” he replied. “I need to know: is there any way that I can somehow come back to life?”

She examined him thoroughly. He gulped, feeling as if he were under pressure.

“Here is not a good place to talk about this matter,” she stated. “Meet me in the Great Hall, and we will discuss this matter more thoroughly.”

She smiled graciously at him, which cleared all of his thoughts of nervousness, and then turned around with the swish of her robe and walked past him through the door. Damien looked behind him as the door closed, leaving him in the garden. He stayed there for a moment, and then before he turned and headed to the door, he looked around the garden for a moment, just to take in its entire splendor.







He opened the door to the Great Hall and entered the room. It was a fairly large, long hallway, with chandeliers spread across its ceiling. The chandeliers were lit with what appeared to be a white flame that brilliantly lit the entire chamber. As Damien walked through the hallway, he saw elaborate tables set on either side of the Hall that stretched across the entire room. Beautiful oak chairs were positioned at set points at the tables. He looked up ahead and saw that the Goddess was standing at the end of the Hall, facing the great window that allowed the light to enter the Hall. As he neared her, she looked back and saw him approaching.

“Welcome, Damien Skye,” she greeted him as he stopped near her.

Damien fell to one knee and kneeled before her in respect and reverence.

“You told me in the Gardens that you wish to be brought back, am I correct?” she asked softly.

“Yes,” he replied. “That is what I’m after.”

“Why is it that you wish this?” she asked curiously, looking down at him.

“There’s some unfinished business I have down there,” he replied, “business that I needed to accomplish when I had the chance.”

“As do many other souls that now live here,” she replied.

“Yes, but this is different!” he exclaimed, beginning to get up. He stopped himself and resumed his kneeling position. “I’m sorry for being so rash.”

Cythera simply smiled, then replied to him, “It is okay, Damien, for you are the Chosen One.”

“The…Chosen One?” he asked, confused.

“Everything that has been happening throughout history leads to this day. You were meant to die, Damien, but death is not permanent, for there is life after death. Right now, you are not alive in either Zenith or here, but merely waiting to be brought back. I have chosen you, Damien Skye, to protect Zenith from a threat that is to come.”

“Threat?” Damien asked. “You mean Zadok!”

“It’s his actions that will bring about the destruction of Zenith. Little did anyone know that Zadok was after more than just the genocide of the Chaos Mages. He wanted to make sure that no one would be able to stand up to his true plot, and they were the only ones capable of doing so.”

“What is it that I am able to do?” he asked, unsure of the fact of him protecting the world.

“You have lost loved ones close to you because of him. You have something to fight for, and both you and Sakura are the last of the Chaos Mages. You are the only one left that carries the genes of Elisea, your ancestor and the wielder of the Heaven’s Justice. Zenith needs you.”

“But isn’t there anything you can do about it? You’re the Goddess!” Damien asked, looking up at her.

“I do not interfere with the actions of mankind. It is not in my wishes. However, I can grant you your wish, as long as you wish to prevent Zenith’s fate.”

“Of course I would! Anything to stop Zadok of his wretched plans!” Damien exclaimed, getting up.

“That is what I like to hear,” she finished.

“What is it, Goddess Cythera, that I need to do first?”

She rested her hand on his left shoulder, which began to make his body glow a bright white.

“Seek the Four Crystals. They will hold the key to saving Zenith.” She responded. Her voice was beginning to grow dim, as was everything around him. “The Crystals hold the light that will vanquish the darkness from the world. I have faith in you.”

“Wait! What’s happening to me?” he asked as he began to lose all feeling in his body.

“You are being brought back into Zenith. Never lose track of the light inside of you. No matter how deep the darkness penetrates the soul, there will always be a shred of hope, of light. Never let go of it.”

As she finished, everything around him grew black. He felt his senses swirling about him, nauseating him. He closed his eyes to try and focus, but he immediately lost his consciousness. The last words that he heard were from the Goddess.

“Go, and may the Light of Zenith be with you.”







*This one is currently being altered. This is the old version of the chapter, and once it is fixed, I will update it.*

Chapter 7: Betrayal



There was a knock on the great oak doors to Zadok’s chamber. It was nightfall, and lightning could be seen flashing in the distance. It would storm soon. Another clap of thunder could be heard.

“Enter,” Zadok stated, his head resting on his hand, deep in thought.

The doors opened and a man strode in. He was tall, with long, brown hair that rested on his shoulders. He wore an imperial uniform, with a black cape tied around his shoulders. His eyes shone blue through the shadows of the room.

“Ah, there you are, Sgt. Knells,” Zadok stated, a different tone of voice. It was more of an amused tone of voice. “Tell me, what is the news of Arctic?”

The man named Knells cleared his throat, and then replied, “He is dead. It’s been reported that he had been defeated in Greenrose by the same two Chaos Mages that you are after.”

Zadok growled. Lightning flashed directly behind them through the window, illuminating the entire room. The thunder echoed through the halls in the castle.

“So, these are not our ordinary Mages,” he stated slowly. “I’m amazed that someone of Arctic’s caliber lost to them. These two Chaos Mages are beginning to intrigue me.”

“Sir?” Sgt. Knells asked politely, wondering what was going on in Zadok’s head.

“Sergeant Zachariah Knells, I believe that you outranked Arctic in both weapon mastery and magical abilities, am I right?” Zadok asked.

“Yes, sir. I graduated at the top of my class at the Crystalion Academy,” Knells replied, flicking a tuft of hair behind his ears. His voice had a curious ring to it.

“Good, good,” Zadok replied. “I believe that sending him to complete that objective was a foolish decision. However, I still have another plan, one that shouldn’t require sending another to do my work.”

He slowly emerged from the throne and strode over to the window. He reached inside of his cloak and pulled out a sheet of parchment and a quill. Sgt. Knells glanced at him, curious about what he was doing. Zadok scribbled some words on it, and then whispered a few words that he couldn’t hear. Without warning, Zadok threw the piece of paper into the night sky. The letter flew through the air softly, as if it were being carried by an invisible hand.

“What was that?” Knells asked.

Zadok turned back around and began to walk back to the throne. He sat back down, answering, “Hopefully, this letter will reach her. If it does, then we will have no more need to send anyone to cut them off.” He looked at Knells, who was still standing in the heart of the hall. “Knells, I want you to muster up a group of men to take with you and head out to Nyora. I need up to come back with information about the Shrine that is said to exist around the outskirts.”

“Yes, sir,” he replied. He bowed, then turned and briskly walked out of the hall.







It was a foggy morning. The sky was dark and overcast, with a high chance of rain later that day. Damien was inside of his house back at Palpalice, preparing to pack up whatever he would take when he left. Sakura didn’t need anything, and as sitting outside, playing her pan flute before she left. While she was playing the flute, a stroke of lightning flashed through the sky. She looked up to watch, but then noticed a piece of paper floating down to the ground. Her eyes followed it until it landed softly on the ground near her.

“Someone must’ve lost something of theirs,” she said to herself, putting away the flute and walking towards the piece pf parchment. She reached down and picked up the piece, and then noticed that it was a letter addressed to her.

“That’s odd,” she said, reading the letter.



“To the Huntress,

I know of your relation with Damien Skye and what you are. I have taken your younger sister hostage, and if you ever wish to see her again, kill Damien Skye and meet me at Galbadia.



Zadok”



Her eyes widened with horror. She read through the letter again, hoping that it didn’t say what it did, but to no avail. Her hands were shaking with sorrow, and with anger. Who was this Zadok, she asked herself, and why does he want Damien dead? What does he want from me? Why did he take my sister?

“Sakura!” she heard Damien call out from the house. He must be ready to go.

Hurriedly, she hid the letter within her cloak pocket as he began to walk over to where she was. She didn’t want him to find out what she now learned.

“Sakura, I’m just about ready to…huh?” he asked, looking at the expression on her face. Her eyes were filled with tears. “What’s wrong?”

Without warning, she threw her arms around him and began to cry on his shoulder. He hesitated, the placed his arms around her to try and comfort her. He had never seen her act this way before, and it threw him off guard.

“I…just found out…” she started, speaking through sobs, “…that someone captured my younger sister…”

“What?!” he exclaimed. “Who did this, and how do you know? Can you get her back? What happened?”

While she was crying on his shoulder, she was also reaching for the dagger that he always had strapped to his side. Her hand slowly gripped the handle of the blade. Damien began to notice what she was doing.

“…Sakura? What are you doing?”

He could hear the sound of metal coming out of its scabbard. His eyes looked into hers, which were full of regret.

“Forgive me…” she whispered.

He could feel a sharp pain in his back where his heart was. The dagger that Sakura grabbed was protruding through him, with his blood flowing from the wound. She let go of the blade and took a couple of steps back, realizing what she had just done. Damien fell to his knees as he weakly watched Sakura turn and run away. He reached behind him and pulled out the dagger and looked at the blade, which was now covered in his blood, shining red in the dim light. He closed his eyes, and then softly fell onto the ground, darkness consuming him.







He could feel nothing except for the cold blasts that hit him. He had his eyes closed, feeling too nauseated to look around. It felt as if everything around him were swirling about, wrapping around him. His senses were disturbed; it was as if he were in a womb of some sort.

“Damien,” a soft female voice spoke out to him.

What? Who is this? He didn’t open his eyes, but moved his head as if he were looking around.

“It is time. Everyone is waiting for you,” the voice called out to him again. This time, he opened his eyes, only to be blinded by an extremely bright light. Everything was white around him. As his vision slowly came into focus, he could see the face of a very beautiful woman, with long, white hair. He looked at her, puzzled, and then reached out to her. Before his hand could reach her, everything around him vanished into a different setting. He was in a room, with light pouring in from a window above him. He could hear birds chirping outside. He blinked a couple of times, still staring at his hand that was reached up above him. After a brief moment, he began to sit up. It looked as if he were in a room…one that felt very familiar to him.

“Hey there, Damien,” a voice said next to him.

Damien turned his head and saw a girl close to his age sitting down next to him. She had long, blonde hair, with blue eyes. She smiled at him.

“…Elaine?” he asked.

They looked at each other for a brief moment, and then warmly embraced each other. Everything felt so warm, so real…was he alive?

“I can’t believe it, it’s really you!” he exclaimed.

“It’s nice to see you again, Damien,” she replied happily, hugging him tightly.

They let go of each other and looked at each other happily.

“This must mean that I’m dead, right?” he asked her. She slowly nodded in reply. Damien sighed, and then glanced about the room. It appeared to be early in the morning, when the sun was at its brightest. “But…where am I? Are these the heavens?”

“Yes,” Elaine replied. “You’re now in the realm of the Goddess Cythera.”

Damien slowly sat upright. So, this is what it was like to be dead. It actually wasn’t that bad. He then remembered about Sakura.

“Elaine…do you know exactly what happened down there before I died?”

She lowered her head.

“It’s a sad gift, being able to view the lives of those that we love. Yes, I know exactly what happened.” She replied.

He leaned in a little closer to her. Her eyes looked up to meet his. Her eyes were full of regret.

“I need you to tell me what you know, Elaine,” he replied softly. “It’s important to me.”

“She told you about the letter, but she never mentioned that it was from whom you despise the most…Zadok.”

“What?” he exclaimed.

“He set up a trap to where she would take you out, and then she would head right to him, so that he could take her out, also. You know very well that he’s after the genocide of all Chaos Mages in existence. This was just one of his greater plans.”

He was growling in anger. Elaine looked down again, trying to avoid his glare.

“I’ll kill him, I swear, I’ll…”

“Please, don’t say such things,” she pleaded, but Damien was standing up at this point.

“Look, this can’t keep going on forever! Sure, even if I helped out, I would keep her alive a little longer, but its mankind’s destiny to perish. But if I just sit here, she’ll die anyway. The death toll would just continue to rise, Elaine. I’ve got to do something about it.”

“But Damien, you’re dead now. How are you going to do anything about it?” she asked quietly.

He paced back in forth through the room, thinking to himself quietly.

“Do you know of any means that I can come back to life?” he asked her.

Elaine thought for a minute, and then replied, “The only one that holds that power is the Goddess herself. Damien, I think that you should go and pay her a visit.”

He stopped pacing and turned to face her.

“Do you really think that she would just bring me back that simply? No, there would have to be more than that.”

“Still, how would you know if you don’t go?” Elaine asked.

Damien sighed, and then answered, “Alright. I guess I’ll go. But I won’t be able to say goodbye if I do get brought back.”

“It’s okay.” She replied. “But if you do, move on with your life.”

“Huh?” he asked, puzzled.

She smiled timidly, and then replied, “You’ve been thinking about me ever since you’ve found about my death. I don’t want you to live life chained by your memories.”

“But Elaine…” he started, but she cut him off.

“Damien, it’s okay. Besides, our relationship wouldn’t last forever. It was more of a simple dating.”

She smiled at him. He looked at her for a moment, and then smiled back.

“Okay, I’ll do that.”

Chapter 6: Hidden Strength



As he finished these words, the door swung open, along with a quick delivery of fire. The ball of flames collided into Arctic, which sent him crashing into the bar counter. Several bottles fell from the counter, crashing to the floor and shattering into pieces. Damien weakly turned his head and saw that Sakura was standing in the doorway, her hand aimed at Arctic.

“Well, it’s about time that you showed up!” Damien said, attempting again to squeeze through the ice. “Now melt me out of this thing!”

“Chill out, Damien. I’ll help you out once I’ve collected my bounty.” She replied.

“Chill out? Chill out?!” he asked, amazed at her nerve.

Arctic had gotten up from the ground to see who delivered the fire spell. His eyes grew from anger to pleasure.

“Ah, so now both of the remaining Chaos Mages are here. This makes matters much easier. Once I’m finished with you, Lord Zadok will greatly reward me.”

Damien continued to break free from the ice. He could feel his temperature start to go down, which began to weaken him. Sakura, however, stood her ground. Her hand was still aimed at Arctic, who wasn’t even fazed by her courage.

“You fool,” she stated. “An Ice Mage doesn’t stand a chance against fire magic.”

He smiled, and then replied, “True, but the wind determines the path and the strength of the flames.”

“Flaria Manah.” She said. A stream of fire rained from her hand at Arctic, who had his hand also aimed at her.

“Aeroria Manah,” he chanted. A gust of powerful wind entered the room and blew the fire back at her. She quickly jumped aside at the fire hit the floor where she was last standing.

“Icia Manah.”

Sakura had to roll out of the way as a flurry of sharp icicles rained down where she was last. The icicles hit the floor, their tips sinking into the oak wood. As the two of them fought, Damien continued to squirm through the hole where his head was protruding. It’s already been several minutes since he’s been incased in ice. If he was to make it out alive, now would be the best time to do so.

“For a bounty hunter, and a Chaos Mage, you’re not the best of fighters,” Arctic mocked. His hand was facing directly towards Sakura’s chest. “Aeroria Manah.”

Another strong gust of wind burst into the room, wrapping around Sakura and lifting her into the air. With a quick motion of the wrist, he sent her flying through the tables and into the wall. She landed on the floor, knocked out from the hit. Damien, who saw everything, closed his eyes in anger. He could feel rage burning beneath his skin, rage that fed him his strength back. He clenched his fists, which put a crack in the ice. He tightened up all of his muscles to make some extra room in the icy barrier, and then released the strength that he built up, which shattered the black of ice completely. Arctic backed a few steps away as Damien opened his eyes, glaring down at him.

“Your eyes are as red as blood…” he whispered in a slight tone of fear. Damien looked down at the floor and saw that his sword was still there. He threw it into the air with a flick of his foot and caught the handle with his hands, pointing it straight at Arctic. Arctic reached inside of his black cloak and drew from it a giant flail that was as clear as ice. He took a strong swing at Damien, who jumped deftly out of the way. The spiked ball crashed into the table that he was last standing in front of, shattering the wood into pieces that flew across the room. He turned to take another swing at Damien, who blocked the hit with his sword. The ball wrapped around the sword, breaking the blade off of the handle. He dropped the handle and rushed towards Arctic. Arctic went to take another swing at him, but Damien grabbed his arm just before he could swing. With a sharp twist, he shattered every bone in Arctic’s arm, hearing the bones splinter and crack through under the skin. Arctic yelled in immense pain as Damien quickly grabbed the dagger from his boot. Before Arctic could break free from him, Damien plunged his dagger through Arctic’s chest and twisted the blade, feeling his blood run down his arm. Arctic let out a small gasp of air, and then fell to the floor, dead. Damien wiped the blood off of the dagger, and then slid it back in his boot. He turned and moved over to where Sakura was laying on the ground. He bent down and slowly helped her up into a sitting position. Her eyes slowly opened as he touched her.

“…Damien?” she whispered, reaching for his arm.

“It’s okay now,” he replied, wiping Arctic’s blood off of his arm. “Your bounty’s lying over there on the ground.”

She turned her head and looked over at Arctic, then back to him. His face was calm, but his eyes were as red as the blood that was on his arm.

“Why are your eyes red, and how did you break free from all of that ice?” she asked.

Damien smiled, and then answered, “Luck, I guess.”

He helped her up, still weakened from the crash, and helped her out of the now ruined bar. Before he left, he looked back and thought to himself, “Well…there goes that drink I wanted.”







“I never would’ve guessed that he would be that strong for an Ice Mage,” Sakura stated the next night, back at Damien’s house. They were there to rest before they headed out again the next day. She had already collected the reward of 20,000 midel, and was now enjoying the pleasure of counting all of the small gold coins. “Usually, they wouldn’t fight someone that knew fire magic. Why was he after us?”

“He told me that Zadok is now trying to finish the job that he started years ago,” Damien replied, taking a relatively large bite from a roasted turkey leg. “I guess that this Arctic was one of his followers.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter anymore,” she replied, throwing another hundred midel into the pouch. “He’s gone, so that’s one follower down.”

“I really doubt that Zadok’s going to stop there. He’ll probably send out another, probably a stronger one. Either that, or he’ll come after us himself.”

“Well, this should be plenty enough midel to help my sister out for a long while,” Sakura stated, placing the rest of the money into the bag. “I’m going to leave later tomorrow to head back to Karan so that I can check on my sister. What will you do, Damien?”

He finished swallowing the food, and then answered, “I guess that I’ll be leaving tomorrow as well. I might head north of the Plains and get a ship.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” she replied. “Won’t you need a crew, though? It’ll be pretty difficult for you to guide a ship all alone.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Sakura smiled, then walked over to him and hugged him. This caught him off guard slightly, but he hugged her back.

“This is for your travels,” she stated. “I wish you good luck when we depart tomorrow.”

“Take care of yourself, Sakura,” he said, letting go of her.

She smiled, then turned around and headed to the same room where she slept the other night.

Chapter 5: A Cold Unwelcoming



Fort Bilay was a walled city south of Greenrose, just under the base of the Mountains. Fort Bilay was a place where the hunters from across Crystalion would gather to find new missions or to get rewarded for completing a mission. There was activity going on in the Hunter’s Guild. Several hunters were gathered around a parchment scroll showing a man with long, black hair. They were murmuring excitedly to one another.

“20,000 midel? Who could turn up an offer like this?” one of them exclaimed.

“He must be hard as hell to deal with, having 20,000 midel on his head.” Another hunter replied, just as excited.

“This could be our best target yet!”

“And I know why…” a voice replied from the shadows. The hunters turned around and noticed that Sakura was standing in the corner of the room. Her arms were crossed, slightly covering up the bandages on her left arm. She emerged from the shadows and walked towards them.

“He’s an Ice Mage that knows magic that can freeze next to anything. He usually goes by the name of Arctic.” She continued.

All of the hunters in the room grew quiet. Some of them began to whisper to one another, losing the excitement that they had just felt.

“So…how do we intend to catch him?” one of them spoke up from the back.

She smiled, and then continued, “One must counter an element with its opposite.”

“You know fire magic, right?” another hunter asked, standing up. “Why don’t you go after him?”

Another hunter quickly got up.

“Don’t say that. Sakura’s already lost to her last target, what makes you think that she’ll be able to turn in this ice-freak?”

Her face grew stern.

“Damien Skye is by far stronger than any of us in this room. I believe that several of you have encountered him before, am I wrong?” she asked, examining the hunters.

The two hunters standing up grew quiet, then slowly sat back down. Some more whispering began between the others. Sakura unfolded her arms and walked closer to the group.

“Do any of you know where your precious ‘ice-freak’ is heading?” she asked simply, looking down at everyone.

No one dared to raise a hand. She continued to examine them, and then stated, “No? No one in this room knows? I guess that I’ll just have to give up and find an easier target.”

She started to turn around. Before she could take three steps away, one hunter in the back spoke up.

“I heard a rumor that a man that fits his description was heading to Falls. He would have to go through Greenrose first to get there.”

Sakura stopped, and then looked back. A moment passed quietly, and then she spoke up.

“Then I’ll head to Greenrose. I can get there in an hour by horse.”

She turned from the room and exited, leaving everyone’s eyes to follow her. After she was gone, they began to speak again.

“Do you actually think that she’ll be able to bag this guy?” one asked nervously.

“She’s stronger than most of the hunters here in the base, and she still lost to Damien Skye.”

“That would be awesome if Damien and this Arctic guy got into a fight. Two powerful people fighting it out. But is Sakura finds him, and then she’ll probably melt him away.”

“What makes you think that they would even want to fight?”

“I dunno, just carried away, I guess.” He replied.

“Either way, we’ll have one hell of a fight to miss.”







The bar was empty except for a few people. Damien walked across the dark oak floors over to the counter and sat down on one of the stools. He glanced over to his right and saw another man sitting down near him, wrapped in a black cloak. The figure, too, glanced at him, and then went back to drinking. Damien knocked once on the counter, and a young woman walked towards him. She had long, brown hair, tied back in a ponytail, with a pair of green eyes.

“Been a while since you’ve last been here,” she stated as she saw who was sitting there. “What’ll it be for today?”

“The usual, Sarah,” he replied. Sarah nodded and polished up a mug, then proceeded to fill it. She came back to him and set the cold, foaming mug of beer in front of him.

“I thought that you said that you would be staying back at Palpalice for good, Damien. What brings you back here?” she asked, since she didn’t have any other customers to take care of.

Damien took a gulp of the cold liquor, and then replied, “Raised spirits.” He set the mug down on the wooden counter and continued, “I’ll find him, though.”

“You’ve been hunting him down for three years now. Why don’t you just go back home?”

“He murdered my parents. I don’t care how long I’ve been traveling, I’m still going to continue hunting him down. It’s revenge that I want, after what happened to me many years back.”

The figure in the black cloak near him had been listening intently. He had totally forgotten about his drink, which was sitting on the counter in front of him, still half-full.

“…So you’re Damien Skye,” he stated curiously, slowly getting up from the barstool. As soon as he did that, a chill filled the room, as if a cold breeze blew in.

“And who are you?” Damien asked, setting down his mug.

The figure threw back the hood of his cloak, revealing his face. He had long, black hair, with pale skin and pale blue eyes. His facial features were sharp, like that of a wood carving.

“Most people call me Arctic,” he replied calmly. “I’m an Ice Mage.”

“Another mage…” Damien muttered. He, too, slowly got up from the seat to face him. “What is it that you want from me?”

The man named Arctic snickered, then rolled up the sleeve to his right arm. His arm was covered with strange letters and symbols that Damien had never seen before, nor could read.

“I was hired by the Dark Lord, Zadok.” He answered. “I think that the name rings a bell, does it not?”

Flashbacks shot through Damien’s mind. He remembered seeing his father lying on the ground, dead, alongside his mother. He could also hear that same twisted laughter that haunted him for years. Zadok was the one that killed his parents and left him for dead ten years ago.

“So, he’s after me know, huh?” Damien asked, reaching for the hilt of his katana and pulling it out of his scabbard. Sarah backed away from the both of them, knowing what was about to happen. “Sarah, get everyone out of here, including you.”

She nodded slowly, and then called the drunks in the corner to leave the bar. She looked back at Damien before she ran out of the bar, then closed the bar door. Damien glared at Arctic, who was smiling calmly.

“Icia Manah,” he whispered quietly, his hand pointed straight at Damien. A cold blast of wind shot from his hand and lifted Damien off of the ground and threw him into the wall. Ice formed around his body, encasing him to the wall, leaving his head and neck protruding from the thick layer of ice. Damien growled in anger, trying to break free from the ice, but his efforts were useless. “Ice magic can be highly appreciated, Damien Skye,” Arctic continued, slowly advancing towards him. “It can be used for a great variety of things, in and out of fighting. However, its true power is seen in battle. It can freeze you enemies solid, trapping them wherever they are…”

His hand was still aimed at Damien. Without warning, a razor-sharp icicle formed in front of his hand and shot through the ice and into Damien’s shoulder. He yelled in pain, a thick trickle of blood beginning to flow from the wound.

“…To skewering them with razor-sharp blades of ice. Ice, also, has a greater affect on the body. If you are constantly in the cold weather, the ice will close up all of your arteries, cutting off all blood supply. You will die a slow, painful death, and I will stand here and watch you suffer. Do you have any last words before you die?”

Damien glared at him, still trying to free himself from the thick mass of ice that he was trapped in. Arctic smiled sinisterly, watching his futile attempts.

“They’re in there. Do whatever you can.” He heard Sarah’s voice outside.

“I’ll do what I can,” another female voice replied, one that was very familiar to him. If it was who he thought it was, then he shouldn’t have any trouble at all.

“Yeah, I do,” Damien answered. “I’ll see you in hell.”

Chapter 4: The Start of a New Journey



Far northeast of Palpalice, over next to the mountains, a city was recently constructed. This giant city, now under the name of Galbadia, was being ruled by a man named Zadok. Before Damien had left on his journey to find Zadok, there was no empire or city. No one inhabited the place, for Zadok’s men housed there. The sky was dark, with clouds swirling about. He was sitting on a golden throne, consumed in shadows. He formed a ball of electricity and started tossing it in the air, then catching it. A knock appeared from the great oak doors that led to his throne room.

“Enter.” He said in a bored voice.

The doors opened and a man entered the throne room. He had long, black hair, with pale blue eyes, almost as pale as his skin. He wore a black cloak covering his whole body except for his face, which had sharp features.

“What is the report?” Zadok asked, continuing to play with the ball of energy he had created.

The man hesitated, but then said, “Two Chaos Mages still remain…”

“What!?” Zadok exclaimed, the orb vanishing from his hand.

“Before you grow upset,” the man rushed, “I must tell you that they are only adolescents. They shouldn’t be much of any worry for you, lord.”

Zadok growled quietly, and then asked, “Did you, by any chance, get any information on who they were?”

“Yes, I did.” He replied. “The first one is a young woman working as a bounty hunter for Fort Bilay known as Sakura Hisami, and the other one is a swordsman named Damien Skye.”

Zadok grew quiet.

“The name Skye seems oddly familiar…If I recall correctly, there was a family of Chaos Mages with the name Skye that I had taken care of…I remember them having a son.”

“He left home three years ago to find the man who murdered his parents so that he could claim revenge. Everyday, he becomes more skilled with his sword.” The man continued.

Zadok slowly stood up and emerged from the shadows. He looked to be in his early thirties, with long, brown hair tied in a ponytail behind him. His eyes shone a blood-red.

“So…he survived.” He said slowly. “I have a mission for you, Arctic.”

“Mission, sir?” the man named Arctic asked.

“I want you to find where young Damien is heading to and cut him off, then find this Sakura and take care of her. I won’t tolerate there being anymore Chaos Mages left in the world after that War. If either of them were to be as skilled with magic as their ancestors, they can grow to be a problem for me.”

“I understand, sir. I’ll go at once.”

Arctic bowed, then turned and headed out of the doorway. Zadok stood there, fuming at the thought that a young boy could survive his wrath. He despised Chaos Mages, for his ancestors lost the war because of them. In an act of vengeance, he carried out in the destruction of every last living predecessor of them. His goal was to wipe them out, and then build an empire that would be unmatched throughout history. He growled, then turned around and sat back in the shadows.





It was mid-afternoon. Damien had always hated traveling under the sun, but the sky was cloudy, so the heat didn’t bother him. Usually, travelers had nothing to worry about except for thieves during the day, but at night, the creatures would awake. Most of the time, they would leave you alone if you continued along the path, but there were also those that would defend their territory. Damien was heading through the woods that led to Greenrose, a small town to the south of Palpalice. He had been traveling for several hours since sunrise. He stopped for a minute to put down his sack containing some items that he would need during his travels. He reached inside of the bag and pulled out a canteen of water. In the Great Plains, there were about two or three small freshwater creeks that he could fill the canteen with. He took a sip of water from it, and then turned back around to place it back in the bag until he noticed that the bag was no longer there.

“What?” he asked himself. He looked up the path and saw a goblin-like creature running off with the bag. “Hey, get back here!”

The goblin turned around and noticed him. It let out a shriek and ran faster along the path, carrying the bag over its shoulder.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Damien shouted, taking off after it. The goblin must’ve known the path better than he did, for it dived into several bushes nearby. Damien slowed down and examined the bushes. He grasped the hilt of his sword and sliced trough the bushes, but the creature was already gone. He sighed, and then placed the sword back in its scabbard.

Well, there goes all of my stuff…” he said quietly. He threw the canteen around his neck and continued down the path. “No medicine, no food…”

He could hear his stomach growling under his clothes. He sighed, and then said to himself, “Great, this makes things more difficult.”





“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” a girl’s voice asked from behind him. He turned around and saw a teenage girl with blonde hair standing near him, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Elaine…” Damien sighed, putting his supply bag down next to the gate and started walking over to her.

“You said that you weren’t going to leave!” she exclaimed, brushing back a strand of her hair.

“I need to leave.” He replied. “It’s something that I think needs to be done.”

“…I don’t want you to leave, though. I care for you.” Elaine replied softly, her face downcast.

“I know you do, Elaine, but I’m still going. Look…what if my parents weren’t the only ones who were killed? What if he’s still killing? Someone has to stop him.” He stated.

“Are you sure that you’re strong enough?” she asked, looking into his eyes. “What if he’s still stronger?”

“That’s a chance that I’m willing to take,” he replied, tightening the strap to his waist that held his sword. “This journey will have challenges, but it will still be fun.”

She rushed forward and embraced him in her arms, catching him off guard slightly.

“Don’t go, Damien!”

He embraced her, feeling her rest her head on his shoulder.

“It’s okay.” He replied. “I’ll return. I promise.”



He quickly sat upright. It was the next morning. He looked around him and noticed that he had fallen asleep in the grass. He sighed, and then quietly got up from the soft earth. There were wooden coals glowing dim from the previous night. He remembered now that he had stopped to start a small fire, cooking a dead quail over it. He had already eaten most of it last night for a meal. There were no longer as many clouds in the sky, and the sun was high in the sky. He held his hand up to his face so that he could see. A few birds flew past him, making their way towards an unknown destination that only they knew. He moved over to the dim coals and put them out with his foot. He bent down and grabbed his sword and tied it to his waist. After he had made sure that he had all of his belongings, he headed down the path through the forest. His thoughts went to Sakura, for he was wondering how she was doing. She didn’t seem like a bad person, he thought. She just wants to look after her younger sister. Being a bounty hunter could be rough, but that’s what she wanted to be.

He came to the edge of a cliff where the forest ended. When standing on its edge, he could see the small town of Greenrose below him.

“Well, here’s the start of a new journey,” he told himself, pulling the gloves on his hands tighter.