A/N:
YAY! (I think) Someone call the police cause I've got an AUA update. WHOO! Well, before we move on, I'd REALLY love to give a big thank you to Level 24 Black Dragon Disciple, once again, for actually taking the time to write out his character's story for me. I apologize if you mind the fact that I just mostly copied and pasted, took things out, and cut out some parts that I really wanted to keep but felt would make things too long. Eeep slight plagiarism much?! O:
But yeah, I was really attached to Mark's story; I was especially clinging on to the ending part, I've still been wondering about it. Hah, I'm so uncreative, so I'm glad I can read something that's totally original. And since you wrote it anyway, feel free to skip on to Ash's story-telling part, cause she comes directly after. :D
Anyways, chapter 29 part two (yes there's a part three cause BOO I'm stupid.) Say hola to an update after three months. OH and I already have the sequel halfway planned. Yay me! *claps* But boo again me for not putting so much effort into finishing the rest of AUA.
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An Unlikely Adventure
! Ello, Raffi ™
Chapter 29
Histories In The Making
(Part Two)
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“And that was the last that we saw each other since the entire Organization thing and now this Alliance started,” Florence muttered, ending the story she had been telling, “Sometimes I would try to stop by and see him again but that visit would be only be a few minutes before I had to do more Huntsclan ‘duties.’ That was way back then when I was well trusted, just like Shade’s parents were with him.”
“Gee, I guess that’s how his parents got so worried,” said Amanda, “If I had a son who disappeared for an entire year and lied saying that he was going on an adventure when he was really going to a boarding school with his girlfriend, then I would be pretty upset myself – but, that’s just me agreeing to it a bit.”
Florence nodded, “Now that I think about it, I would too. His sister Megan was even more concerned – just take Shade’s parents’ extreme apprehension and times that by a million, and that’s a lot you have already. I hope Shade isn’t being lectured or anything, this being his first time making this huge lie to his parents.”
“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” said Kevin, “but I think you’ve better stop your worrying, too.”
“Anyway,” Amanda crossed her arms, everybody turning to her, “I guess it’s time we better move on, shall we?”
It was then that people started quieting down after Amanda had said that remark, overhearing what Emily and Mark were conversing about.
“Hey, Mark?” She asked him as the room fell silent and their attentions slowly turned to them.
“Yes?” He replied in somewhat surprise, as he was deep in thought before she spoke.
“I’ve always wondered; what made you come to DISOM in the first place?”
“Well…”
“Yeah, I've been wondering that for quite some time,” Jake added.
“I bet you have,” mumbled Kay to herself before repeating Emily’s question, “So tell us! What made you decide to come here?”
“Alright,” Mark said, almost with determination in his voice. “If you all want to know why I came here, then get comfy. I’m about to begin a very long story.”
Everyone’s attention perked as he took a small breath and began his epic tale, “I'm not from this world originally. I actually hail from the world of Thera, a sort of Alternate Earth, if you will. It was there that I was born in the small village of Riel. Where I come from, there is a specific gene that is found in one out of a thousand children. I was the one born with it. It's called the Psyanton Gene. It’s what allows me to go into my dragon form. Almost like how you all can go into dragon form.”
“Whoa,” the room was filled with astonishment. Surely, no one suspected Mark that he was from another world. Of course, no one up until now knew much about his past.
From there, he continued on after trying to make recollections of before, taking yet another small breath, "My parents were very kind to me as far as I can remember. I never really knew them that much. I was sent to a special training facility for those with the Psyanton Gene at the age of seven, so I don't remember them that well. That is where my story begins."
---
“Hey!” A voice called out.
“Huh?” Mark grumbled to himself sleepily. A pillow was then slammed down on his face, as if there had been a fight with them going on. He quickly awoke and looked around. A boy no less than eleven years old stood over him, holding a fluffy, white pillow in his right hand. A big smile was planted on his face as Mark groggily looked up. The boy’s clothes were not that different — if you were a regular at the Temple, that is. He wore what looked like a robe, with pants to accompany it. A cloth was also tied around his head. It would be such a sight of having everything white blinding an irregular’s eyes.
“Oh, hey Sert. What's happening?" The drowsy nine year old asked, adding a yawn afterwards.
Sert sighed, “You totally are a scatterbrain, aren’t you?” His pal scratched the back of his head and beamed. Sert returned with a smile as well. It was then that the start of a friendly morning conversation was about to end…
“Well, well, well, looks like the little baby is up. It’s about time! I was starting to wonder if he died in his sleep,” A voice cackled in an obnoxious tone. Sert’s face formed a frown as he turned around, Mark looking past him. Standing in the doorway, his back leaning against the wall, wearing the same attire that Sert had — only covered in black — was Nieril.
“Nieril! That
wasn’t a very nice thing to say!” Sert called out in annoyance, arms crossed.
Nieril shrugged coolly and said, “Really now? I could care less about what happens to that little nuisance. If he dies, it's a burden off of my shoulders.”
It was then that Sert, for the first time in almost a few months as far as Mark could see, blew up furiously and threw what he had been holding at Nieril, “Get out, you worthless excuse for a Chosen!”
Nieril punched the pillow swiftly. A black, scaly hand poked through the hole in the middle of it. Later, it flashed a black flame and in its place was a human hand. Nieril took the ruined pillow and wretched his hand from it, letting it fall onto the floor.
“Get one thing straight, Sert. It will be
me who will be able to wield the Meteor Hammer AND the Searing Dagger, not
this lame-o,” And with that, Nieril sauntered off intensely, slamming the door behind him.
Mark cringed at the loud resonance that came from the door and then looked down nervously; he had seemed a bit embarrassed that Sert had stood up for him. His friend noticed this and said, “Don't worry about him, Mark. Everything’s going to be fine. If it’s anyone that can wield those two Heroic weapons, it’s you.” Mark looked up and saw Sert smiling again. Mark paused for a second before he returned the smirk.
Sert then remembered that it was time to take care of business, “Okay, let's go. Today’s the day for the annual Exam! Hurry up and get into your Training clothes. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
Mark watched Sert exit the room. They exchanged friendly smiles once again then quickly changed out of his sleeping wear, making his way over to the Training Square.
---
“Ooh! That Nieril is a real meanie!" Kay spurted out all of a sudden after Mark finished up the last sentence.
“Kay!” Everyone shouted, wondering if they had interrupted his storytelling.
She formed an anxious grin and said, "Sorry. But I just really had to point it out!"
“Yes… Nieril? He was a person I couldn’t stand back then, as you can tell. Of course, he sort of became my competition…”
“You mean for that Hammer and Dagger thing, right?” asked Ash, trying to recall from what he had told so far. Mark nodded and she continued on, “But why exactly did Nieril hate you so much?”
“It’s probably because I was always the best in that class. There were only ten students there at the time, so there wasn’t really much competition for those weapons. Of course, only Nieril and I were likely candidates for them. Everyone else either didn’t have enough strength or the required level to wield them.”
“Level?” Florence wondered aloud.
“Glad you asked. In the Temple, we wore robes with differentiating colors. White, what Sert was wearing, meant that you were only a new recruit with less than a year of experience of training. Black, what Nieril had on, symbolized the color for the highest advanced trainees.”
She nodded in a sense of understanding, adding a simple remark. “Interesting. Go on.”
Mark then continued his story, everyone still paying full attention to him, “Okay. Well, right when I made my way over to the Temple after Sert, all ten of us lined up and then one of our Instructors, Gelv, explained what was so particular about the day after…”
---
“Tomorrow is a very special day indeed. That is when we will announce who will rightfully get to wield the Meteor Hammer and who will get to wield the Searing Dagger,” He then continued, “It will also be the day that our youngest student, who has even surpassed Nieril here, will celebrate his tenth birthday.” Everyone clapped at this, but then it soon fell silent.
“Before I dismiss you, I will let you know who will be taking the Exam. Those that are not taking it will go and study, train, and practice for when the day comes when you will be able to take up one of the legendary weapons,” Gelv said, “Mark and Nieril. You two will be the only ones taking the Exam, as you two are of level."
Mark and Nieril looked at each other for a fleeting instant before returning their gaze on the instructor. "I expect each and every one of you to attend the Exam Results at noon sharp tomorrow. I will hear no excuses. Is that clear?"
All ten students nodded, "Yes sir!"
“Good. That will do for today. Everyone except Mark and Nieril, you are dismissed.”
---
“Mark, Nieril, your Exam will consist of no more than three tests. The Physical, the Elemental, and the Mental. Each test will challenge your knowledge in the Draconic Powers, your elemental strengths and weaknesses, and your understanding of who and what you are as Inheritors of the Psyanton Gene,” Gelv explained.
“Now, you have two hours to finish each test. Finishing a test quicker than your opponent is the key here. Only those that can act and think fast have a chance to live in this harsh way we call life. Now when I say begin, you will immediately be faced with real monsters that we have caught. One of the clues to the next area where your second test will take place will be on one of them. I wish you both the best of luck.”
---
“Ooh, that sounds intense,” remarked Amanda with glee, “So, was it like really hard or something?”
“Actually, it was a piece of cake,” replied Mark proudly, “It was so much easier than I thought, so I ended up passing all three parts of the Exam.”
“So, what happened to Nieril if you made it through first?” asked Florence.
“Let’s just say that he didn’t take the time to think about things and ended up in a ‘messy’ situation…”
“Hah, shows him who’s the boss!”
“Aww, even back then you sounded like a grown up,” Emily said almost out of random.
Mark blushed slightly and said, “Um, yeah, I… was kind of like that, but that was only so that no one could see me like I was more vulnerable than I seemed. Of course, I was carefree, but not so much as to let myself be fooled by Nieril.”
"I bet you looked cute as well, when you were little," She added, almost fully ignoring what he had said disregarding Nieril or how he was back then.
"OKAY! Let's get back to the story, shall we?" Mark directly continued after that, sustaining on with the story after making a nervous laugh.
---
“Mark! Mark! Wake up!” Sert’s voice called out to him. Upon hearing his name being called, he woke up as a wave of cold hit him like a brick wall.
“AAAH!” He screamed, jumping out of bed. Sert was standing there, holding an empty bucket in his hands. “What did you do
that FOR?”
Sert calmly said, “You’re going to be late for the Exam Results. You better get dressed, since you’ve already taken your shower.”
His friend had stepped out of the room, placing the bucket on the floor. His footsteps faded with each step until they disappeared. Mark followed to the Square after he finished getting ready.
When Mark got there, all the trainees and instructors were sitting in specific seats, which were set up like a school assembly. “Mark! Over here!” Sert called out. Mark quickly sidled towards Sert and took his seat next to him.
“If there are any other disruptions, then please hesitate to do them until after the results,” Instructor Melor said calmly.
“Now, as we all gather here today, one person will be crowned the wielder of the Meteor Hammer, while the other with the Searing Dagger.” He said with a smile on his face. All ten trainees wondered the same thing: Who would have the right to wield either of the weapons?
A small envelope, like on one of those game shows on TV, appeared out from a small chest and landed in the instructor's hand, “And the wielder of the Meteor Hammer is—“
---
“AHHH! Who was it? Who was it? Oh! I bet it was that Nieril guy!” Ash called out, “I knew it! He’s such a—“ She stopped, realizing that everyone was facing her.
“Actually, it wasn’t,” Mark said politely, as if he weren’t bothered by Ash’s sudden interruption. After he had spoke, though, he started glancing away a bit discreetly.
“Ohh,” Kay nodded along with everyone, “But wait, if you and Nieril were the only ones who took the test and were qualified for it in the first place, then… who got the Searing Dagger?”
From Mark came no response at first, until he came to realize that he had to reveal it at one point, “Well…”
---
“What? No, it
can't be! This has never happened before!” Sert exclaimed, just as shocked as the instructors.
Mark was just as shocked. “How could I have won the right to wield
both weapons? It's never happened before!”
Nevertheless, the instructor beckoned Mark to make his way up. Nervously, he stood to his feet and slowly made his way to the Dagger's case. He hesitated, taking a glance at the instructors. They looked back at him, mouthing to him, ‘Go on!’
Once there, he knelt before the dagger, and for a second, the instructors thought that the envelope had been a fake. Their thoughts were quickly destroyed as the Dagger flashed a white light before reappearing in Mark’s hands. It stayed there for a second before it flashed again and its power intertwined with his.
---
“Why did you win both of the weapons?” questioned Kevin after he had explained to everyone who clearly had the power to acquire it.
Mark shrugged and said, “I've never really given it that much thought, but I think it was because I was more pure of soul than Nieril. He only wanted to use them for power, and I had no real use for them. But, I guess that's the only thing I can think of.”
“So, what exactly happened next?” asked Amanda, “I mean, you’ve got those two… weapons. Wasn’t there something else?”
“Well, around four hours after that, it was really close to the celebration of my tenth birthday at the Temple. Everyone was really happy for me, knowing that I now held the possession of the Searing Dagger and the Meteor Hammer. It was entirely filled of joy all around; that is, until there were humanoids and random creatures that attacked. We all took combat…”
---
“Aahh!” One of the girls exclaimed.
“What are these things?” Mark called out.
Nieril smirked, changed into his dragon form, and said, “I don't really care, because they're going down!” He charged at one of the purple beings, slicing it in half, before targeting another and repeating what he had done to the first one.
Sert changed into his dragon form and said, “Everyone, we have to fight! We must defend ourselves like the Instructor's taught us how to!”
Mark slipped back into his dragon form as well, and the battle between the endless waves of enemies and the ten students began. Pretty soon, one by one, each student fell to the ground, either exhausted or wounded, leaving Sert, Nieril, and Mark as the last ones on their feet.
As Mark continued to fight, it seemed as if a sense of hopelessness began to overwhelm him.
‘We're going to die,’ He thought to himself repeatedly with each monster he had slain. Suddenly, it came to the point where his vision began to blur in a reddish color before fading to darkness.
---
“What happened? WHAT HAPPENED?” Emily screamed as she jumped a little from where she sat with anticipation, wondering what had happened next.
Mark crossed his arms, “Well if you’d let me
finish…”
“Oh, sorry,” She glanced around anxiously.
“Anyway, after I eventually got up, which took quite a while since I was badly injured, I found myself close to this clearing. And then, after I got a good look around, I was shocked to find all of this destruction and calamity everywhere. It was just horrible, really. Then, I suddenly spotted Sert, unconscious on the ground…”
---
Mark rushed as fast as his body could, and then he fell to his knees. Tears started to form in his eyes as he whispered, “No, please! Please don't be dead!”
His friend coughed and then slowly opened his eyes wide. He looked around and the first thing he had seen in his returning vision was his own pal, “Where did that… that… monstrosity come from?"
“W-What monstrosity?”
Sert looked at him, “I… I don't know, exactly. It just came out of nowhere and it killed the other seven students. I saw it. It was…”
Mark stopped paying attention once he saw Nieril amble into the view in front of him, asking him, “What… what happened here, Nieril?”
His nemesis frowned, "I have no clue. I was too busy killing whatever those monsters were off a ways away. I just came back here, and look what I found — seven dead students, a ‘scared-out-of-his-mind’ Sert, and a broken down Mark. But you know what else is amazing? I don't even know WHY those two weapons bothered to choose you. They should’ve chosen me! I have the power to wield them. You, on the other hand, don't.”
Mark, too saddened to even care, had just simply ignored Nieril's words.
“I'm leaving now…”
“But wait. Shouldn't we go back to—?”
“The Temple? Well, obviously you’re too dumb to figure it out but it’s long gone; it doesn't exist anymore. The monsters made sure that it didn’t." Mark felt horror strike him in his heart.
Sert stood up irritably, "I’ll find out who unleashed those monstrosities on the Temple! I will go and hunt down that very demon that which killed the other seven students. And I vow to restore the Temple so that future Inheritors of the Psyanton Gene can learn to control their powers!"
Nieril laughed in a mocking tone, “Well, have fun with that. As for me, I’m going to become more powerful than I already am. I guess I’ll see you weaklings or not.” With those words being said, he reverted into his dragon form and flew off, leaving Sert and Mark alone together.
“Mark,” Sert muttered softly, “I just want to ask you this: what are you going to do now?”
His pal looked up and said, “I'm going to go to the one place that I know people like me can train. A place I’ve only heard of in rumors before I came to the Temple — a place called DISOM.”
Sert nodded, placed a hand on Mark's right shoulder, “Just keep in mind that I’m still here. Train yourself for whatever dangers will come our way in the future. And I just want you to know that we'll always be friends. No matter what.”
Mark smiled back, and said, “Don't worry, I won't ever forget.”
---
“After I said goodbye to Sert, I quickly found my way to, what my planet calls, The Portal. It allows people from my world to enter other worlds and, hopefully, mingle with the other inhabitants of that world,” Mark then clasped his hands together, concluding his story.
“I can't believe that a monster would do that to those seven students,” Ash cried slightly.
He looked down at the floor, having certain horrible memories returning to him of the bloody carnage, “Yeah…”
Kevin spoke out, “So, out of question, how do you train? We’ve never exactly seen you do it, unless you count slight effort from the training classes we’ve had here at DISOM.”
“Every night since I’ve been here, I’ve been training in a secret place that only I know of. I don't wish to be disturbed while I train, so I go there and practice my abilities.”
“I guess it’s not our right to know if it’s really that private,” Kay said, after seeing that nobody had any idea about what to reply about that.
“Well, I hope you guys don’t mind, but… I’ll be right back,” Mark said with a bit of silence.
“Don’t be long! We still have a lot of other stories to share,” Emily reminded him. He just nodded and then he closed the door behind him.
He sighed, muttering to himself, leaning his back against the door, “Well, at least I left out the part that… I was the one who killed those seven students.”
---
When Mark had decided to make his return back to the room everyone was in, he shut the door behind him once again and then took his seat next to Emily as usual. She was about to ask him why he had his momentary leave, but didn’t have the chance to receive a reply since he probably didn’t hear.
“Okay everybody! Listen up!” Ash grinned, expecting all eyes to be on her. Only, this didn’t turn out so well; the room had still been filled with voices of people speaking over one another, “I SAID, LISTEN UP!”
The entire group, after hearing her shout loudly, then turned to her with either awkward or confused stares.
“Now,” She continued, “Who would like to share next?”
“Well, Ash,” said Kevin, “If you’re
that interested in calling out just to get people’s attention, then why not you?”
“Fine, if you insist,” Ash pouted as if she didn’t like being focused on anymore, “Okay, where should I start?”
“Where did you
come from?” suggested Leah with a slightly stifled yawn. Everyone slowly quieted down and brought full attention to Ash, who was now beginning her own tale.
“Right. Okay, well, I originated from Palmer, Alaska and I was born without the knowledge of my parents, because I was given up as a baby. I turned out to be growing up in a foster home with a bunch of kids for quite some time — until I was nearly eight, actually. It was then that a family finally took me in and I was moved to Fairbanks in their dwelling. I was pretty happy now that I could experience life with people who really care about me. Then, let’s just say things went on from there after a while, because it all changed when one day, our family decided to spend some time together in the beach on the fourth of July…”
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