Gift of Inheritance

The Shrine of Tenshioren


         Keon and Derron raced through the forest at a record speed, as they headed for the Shrine. Both of them wore grim expressions; the fire spout that had exploded from the top of the mountain may not have frightened them but a young boy couldn’t possibly face a beast capable of commanding a flame of that nature. The two boys simultaneously doubled their efforts as they envisioned the boy’s torn and bloody body lying on the ground beneath the imposing form of some terrible creature, his blood dripping, like his life, from its claws.
         “We’ve gotta get there soon!” Keon shouted over the rushing wind to his cousin. Derron nodded his agreement as he tried to shake the image from his head. He couldn’t, however, shake the feeling that they were being observed…
         Derron’s eyes shimmered a bright green as he sent the wind out to search for their spy. It found three. One was easily identified as the enraged Briana, closing in on them from behind. A second, though not as easily identified as Briana, quickly revealed itself to be the confused and defeated Teon. The third, however, had an insidious edge to it that clawed and tore at the wind as it flew towards them. Derron gasped as his control of the wind was severed violently, his heart fluttering as it struggled to return to its normal rate.          
                Keon glanced back and almost stopped out of concern for his cousin who had all but collapsed from some sort of strain. “You okay?” He called over his shoulder as Derron fell behind. His cousin simply nodded, though his pale face belittled his already feeble lie. Knowing that he would only be told to continue if he were to stop, Keon pressed on vanishing into the foliage.
         Derron watched his cousin dash off with a pang of guilt in his chest. He should have warned Keon of the incredibly strong presence that was flying towards them. He punched the ground in frustration; if whatever was giving off that ominous energy reached the shrine before they were able to escape it would be over. There was no way that they could ever stand up to that creature even if they were to combine their strength it would brush them aside like mosquitoes.
         Briana came up after a few minutes, scowling at the paralyzed boy on the ground.
         “You just left him on his own?!” She blew up. Derron shot her a nasty look.
         “Look, girl, I didn’t really have a choice!” He snarled back at her. Briana struggled not to hit the boy. “There’s something on its way. Something powerful.”
         Briana suddenly was alert. Derron felt his neck crack as she yanked him up by his shirt collar. “Powerful? How powerful?! Damn it! The king’s taking matters into his own hands! This isn’t good!”
         “No I don’t think that it’s him.” Derron said quietly as the feeling in his legs returned. He broke free from Briana’s grip and glanced up. The sky had turned an ominous shade of red above the mountains and village. “We may want to hurry though. It may not be the king but its still powerful. It has to be the strongest thing I’ve ever felt. And I’ve been training with the Elemental Sages.”
         Briana was shocked by the boy’s comment. He’d been training with the Elemental Sages? But they had disappeared years ago! She started to ask Derron about the events he had experienced before arriving at the village, but before she could get the words out he was gone.
         Briana didn’t wait and think of what was going on at the moment. She too dashed off towards the mountains.

         *                                                  *                                                  *

         Keon reached the base of the shrine in record time, stopping for a brief break only once he had reached the entrance. He could feel waves of energy and heat flooding the cave as he stepped into the dimly lit passageway - not that he was going to let that deter him from his goal.
         He breezed through the first floor with ease. Though he had expected traps to protect the sword, he didn’t expect them to be so obvious. Pit falls marked by lighter patched of stones and dodged with a small leap. Pendulums that were easily avoided with an adroitly timed roll, and creatures dispatched with a powerful swing of his blade.          However, getting to the second floor proved to be slightly more difficult.
         “Now, how am I supposed to get up there? I can’t fly!” He griped to himself as he stared twenty feet up to the opening in the ceiling that led to the second floor. He could not jump that high even with his new powers aiding him and it was to risky to use an energy blast to boost himself up to the opening - it would waste energy that he might need later.
         Keon unconsciously ran a finger along the hilt of his sword as he ran through his options. He could try to get Derron to help but he had doubts that he would be of too much use in that area. He could enlist the help of Briana, but the trip would cost him precious time. Both Kegan and Deunan would be useful in this situation, after all explosions and the ability to control the very ground itself would both be useful skills in a cavernous mountain such as the shrine. Still, the same problem existed; time was in short supply at the moment.
         Frustrated, Keon scooped up a large rock and heaved it at the opening. It flew up and over the outer rim- much to Keon’s irritation- and thumped to the ground somewhere above his head. Enraged that the rock was more successful than he was, Keon grabbed a long lance-like spire and threw it like a javelin at the ceiling. It hit the craggy stone and stuck fast. 
         Suddenly an idea formed in Keon’s head. He tore his sword from its sheath and tested the weight. It felt about as heavy as the stone lance. He then practiced throwing the sword. For a short time he had trouble getting it to travel straight and hitting where he wanted it to; the shape of the sword made it difficult to control unlike the streamline lance he’d jammed in the ceiling. Once he had more or less perfected his sword throwing technique Keon sheathed the sword and began searching; all he needed now was a long sturdy rope.
         “Let’s see…” He mumbled as he stalked through the seemingly man-made halls of the shrine in search of anything he could use as a rope. He absently kicked some stones as he trudged through the copious walkways of the shrine, paying little attention to the floor as he went. It was for this reason that Keon was late in realizing his mistake.
         The floor suddenly crumbled beneath the boy as he unwittingly stepped into one of the many pitfalls he had previously circumvented. Even as he fell Keon’s reaction was swift. He quickly unsheathed his sword and slammed it into the pit’s wall. Chunks of rock tumbled down and pelted him on his head, leaving several cuts and bruises on his face. Beads of sweat dripped from his chin as, with a jolt that nearly dislodged his grip on the hilt, his sword came to a stop. Keon glanced down and shuddered; his feet dangled inches away from a bed of sharp spikes that protruded from the pit’s floor.
         With a grunt Keon pulled himself up onto his sword and perched precariously on the Blade as he tried to find a way back to the top of the pit. He found it- and his ticket to the second floor- dangling over the edge of the pit a few feet away. A long green vine solved more than one problem for him. He was silently thankful for the fall into the pit.
         Keon judged the distance, threw caution to the air, and leapt. His hand closed around the long green vine and, before he could slide down, he wrapped the vine around his hand. Once he was sure it would hold, Keon swung over to his sword and wrenched it from the rock. Once it was sheathed the boy set to rappelling up the side of the wall.
         Can’t succeed without taking a risk here and there! He thought gratefully as he collapsed over the edge of the pit. His smile was broad as he coiled the long, sturdy vine over his shoulder, a feeling of triumph adorning his mood.
         A sudden mountain quaking roar far above his head snapped Keon back to the task at hand. He cut the vine at what he’d decided was long enough and darted off to the opening. With efficient speed Keon tied the vine to the hilt of his sword and let it fly. The point buried itself in the outer rim of the opening and caught securely. After checking the improvised grappling hook’s hold Keon climbed the vine and, finally, arrived on the second floor.
         Keon gathered the vine and his sword, turned, and ducked as an enormous blade ripped through the air where his head had been only seconds ago. He looked up in time to see the armored Lycanian back-flip away from him. It spun its blades at its sides as Keon too brandished his sword.

         *                                                  *                                                  *
         Far above Keon and his opponent a young boy dashed silently through the Temple. His golden hair shifted between various shades of color as his bare feet pounded against the floor. He had little knowledge of the layout of the temple, but he could tell by the increasing heat that he was nearing his destination.
         The boy stopped at a large pool of water and pulled out a grass whistle- just as an enormous lizard slunk out of the water. The creature opened its fearsome mouth, revealing a set of long sharp teeth. The boy paid little attention to the creature’s monstrous presence as he began to play a slow haunting melody on the whistle. Fear was nonexistent as the boy stared down the throat of the beast. Then, with a sudden jolt, the monster simply dropped to the ground.
         “Music soothes the beast.” The boy commented wisely as he pocketed the whistle. His eyes never once fell on the creature as he walked by. The only sign that the creature was alive was the slow, even rumble of its breathing as it slept. The boy continued on intrepidly- not even the vast sea before him hindered him for he simple pressed on, walking on the water as if he were still on stone.
         Upon reaching the far side of the room the boy leapt, sailing up and through a hole in the ceiling some fifty feet above. Beneath the surface of the water, however, a colossal shadow stirred.

         *                                                  *                                                  *

         Keon’s boots gouged rifts in the floor as the Lycanian repelled him for the umpteenth time. He was beginning to get frustrated, but still he was determined to save his power. Across from him the lycanian prowled like his canine kin were apt to doing before a kill. Keon’s expression was grim even though the shattered remains of one of the lycanian’s blades lay scattered across the floor. That, however, didn’t help for the fact remained that the creature’s claws were just as sharp and strong.
         Keon took a deep breath and charge at the lycanian, deciding to change his heads on approach. The wolf-like feet of his opponent clicked against the floor as he too charge. His claws were poised to strike until, at the very last second, Keon spun under his arm. The lycanian, caught off guard, was unable to block the powerful swipe of Keon’s blade. It roared as the metal bit into his flesh mixing blood, and fur as it tore through.
         Both warriors leapt back.
         “You’re good.” The lycanian growled. Keon took some time deciphering it’s words. Then he realized what he was overlooking.
         “You don’t work for the king!” Keon exclaimed as he slammed his sword into it’s sheath.
         “No.” The lycanian answered. “I work for Seravice.”
         “Who is that?” Keon wanted to know.
         “The guardian of the King’s blade.”
         “What king?!”
         “The Ten king’s swords rest atop this peak.”
         “I’m here to retrieve that sword.”
         “I cannot allow it!”
         The lycanian flung his sword aside and pounced on Keon, who’s sword was thrown through the air coming to rest some thirty feet away.
         “Augh!” Keon cried as he felt the lycanian’s teeth tearing at his shoulder. He struggled to throw the creature off of him but ultimately failed. Then, with a loud crack, his pain intensified as his shoulder shattered beneath the wolf’s teeth.
         Suddenly the lycanian felt his breathing becoming shallow. He rolled off of Keon as he labored to find the life bringing air he greatly needed. Yet it never came; with one final gasp the lycanian’s eyes became distant as the blood in his body turned to ice.
         A few feet away Keon was struggling to rise as the waterfall of his blood formed a crimson lake at his feet. He winced as he slowly lowered the shattered arm to rest at his side. Then, as he bit his bottom lip, he plunged his fingers into the wound and extracted the few splintered remains of canine fangs. He tasted iron as his teeth sliced into his lip but he couldn’t stop what he was doing yet; he had a mission to complete. Keon was careful to touch the wound as little as possible as he removed his heavy vest and shirt. Then with his free hand and teeth he set to tearing his shirt into strips. The task was laborious and more than once he could have sworn that he’d heard something moving around above him.
         Once all the strips were done Keon pulled out a water bottle and doused the crude bandages. Then, as he clenched his teeth, He dressed his wound pulling the bandages as tight as he could before securing them around his arm.
         “It’ll have to do.” He muttered as he raced forward to the ramp that led up to the next floor. He was careful not to allow his broken arm move about too much lest it cause any further discomfort. This made his task laborious as the pain caused him to expend more energy than was convenient for his task. His teeth were clenched when he finally arrived at the next floor- and gasped.
         An enormous lizard-like creature’s eyes flicked open. Both of the human sized eyes locked on the boy before it. Then, with a fearsome show of bloody teeth, it roared. Keon was blown back by the sheer power behind the sound and slammed into a wall. He nearly lost consciousness from the impact.
         The was no way around it this time. With a broken arm Keon had no choice but to use his powers.
         “Winter’s touch.” He growled as the creature neared him. The words resonated through the air as the room was reduced to an almost sub-zero temperature. There was a visible decrease in the creature’s advance, much to the relief of Keon.
         “Dance of the Forbidden!” He ordered as he lifted his good hand. Suddenly the chilled air condensed around the creature. Solid spires of ice formed all around the creature and turned towards it. With a smirk Keon closed his hand, clenching it tightly into a tight fist. The spires shot into their target with the sickening sound of rending flesh and scale.
         Keon stood and strode forward, a confident smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Ice flowed up his arm and into his shattered bones as he walked over the enormous blood stain that had until recently been the giant lizard. He strode without caution towards the lake, even as an enormous tentacle rose from the depths and attempted to grab him. He simply batted it aside and continued to walk as the water before him froze into an icy path. He had made it only as far as the center of the lake when he returned to himself, and- now thoroughly drained- collapsed.

         *                                                  *                                                  *

         Derron and Briana hadn’t wasted time on the second floor, deigning to continue forward. It was for this reason that Derron caught a glimpse of his cousin as he collapsed onto his icy path. Briana entered the room just in time to see the ice melt away and watch as Keon sank below the surface.
         “NO!” She shrieked as she raced forward. Derron too dashed forward, but it was not to his cousin that he ran.
         “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Briana roared as Derron tackled her to the ground. He pointed to the water as he pressed a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet. Briana glared at Derron before turning to stare at the water. She didn’t know whether to thank him or kick him when she saw the enormous shadow gliding through the water.
         “So what!” She hissed as she shoved Derron off of her and stood up. “If it doesn’t attack us it will eat him!”
         Derron sighed. “It’s not attacking him though.”
         “How would you know?!”
         “stop shouting.”
         “How would you know if it was or wasn’t attacking him if they’re both under water?”
         “Because he’s sinking and it’s surfacing.”
         Briana began to object- after all there was no signs that the creature was surfacing- but was stopped when a churning sound filled the room. The two of them turned to the water in time to see a colossal tentacle burst from the depths of the small sea.
         Derron produced a spear from thin air at the same time as Briana drew her guns. The churning began to lessen to an ominous frothing as the creatures enormous head emerged along with another five tentacles.
         The creature resembled a squid and yet seemed much more fearsome. And it wasn’t just it’s size. It’s cold black eyes seemed to leak derision as it glared at the two warriors that faced it from the shore. The creature had a wicked, curved beak that was lined with hundreds of short sharp apparatuses. The creature opened it’s terrible maw revealing another beak within that spun like a grinder as it let out an earsplitting screech. The tentacles were covered with long serrated blades that moved at high speeds up and down the length of the writhing member.
         “Here’s the plan…” Derron began. Briana gave him an incredulous look. “What? You attack from the left and I attack from the right.””
         Briana let out a chuckle before darting off to the other side of the room. She leveled her gun and squeezed the trigger as she ran. The chatter of her gun was accompanied by flashing, fiery bullets as she poured her energy into the attack. She skidded to a halt, spinning away from a tentacle as it crashed to the ground, She grinned at Derron over the smoldering appendage, as she holstered her gun.
         Derron grinned back briefly before rushing forward. Briana couldn’t help but to be amazed as she watched Derron slice off a tentacle without ever touching it as he skipped across the water towards the creature’s head. His feet never linger for more than a fraction of a second as he skillfully made his way towards his target. Once he was almost a hundred feet away Derron leapt into the air.
         Briana flipped one of her guns over her shoulder and pumped it once, twice, three times in the same movement. Three enormous fireballs burst from the gun, flying straight for one of the creature’s eyes. The first fireball hit the eye and dispelled, leaving no signs of damage. The second hit the eye and left flames curling around the crack it left in the glass like membrane that covered it. The final fireball, however, pierced the organ at the same time that Derron drove his spear through the other eye. There were two simultaneous explosions- one fiery and the other bloody- as the eyes were reduced to shreds.
         Briana almost cheered from the shore, until she saw Derron plummet into the water.
         Derron used his spear to generated a wind that propelled him deeper into the water. Even at the depths he had reached he heard Briana cry out at the sight of his fall. He didn’t have time to reassure her, however, as he continued downward. He spread his energy out as he dove deeper, using it to search the sea floor until he found what he was looking for. With an abrupt swing of his spear Derron propelled himself towards a frigid region of the sea. He dodged the chunks of ice that had formed in the arctic flow of the water at the seafloor as he made his way into the colder waters. He was only just beginning to have trouble siphoning oxygen from the water when a glowing dome of ice swam into view. With a renewed vigor Derron shot towards the icy enclosure.
         He swam around the dome until he found an opening, barely large enough for him to swim through, in the bottom of it. He propelled himself into the tunnel, which widened until he emerged in a small cove. Derron took a deep breath and gasped as the biting cold entered his lungs. He quickly separated the cold air from the warm air and took several small breaths as he glanced around.
         He was floating in a corner of a small room in which a blizzard blew as if it were located high in the arctic mountains. Several feet away a floor of ice grew out of the water and reached to the far corners of the dome. From the middle of the room an odd bluish glow pulsed softly as if it were in sync with someone’s heart…
         Derron scrambled onto the ice shore and rushed towards the light. He was shocked to see that the light was emanating from Keon. Water welled up from the floor and seeped into the numerous wounds on his body. Derron watched in amazement as the wounds sealed themselves and faded away as if they had never existed. After only a few minutes of watching it the healing process finished and the light faded.
         Derron’s heart skipped a beat as Keon’s eyes popped open.
         “Derron?” He rasped. He held his head as if he’d suffered from a concussion. “What happened? Where are we?”
         “I’d tell you if I knew and had the time, but right now your girlfriend is fighting some giant squid or something and she might need our help.” Derron answered. Keon gazed up at the ceiling as he rose to his feet.
         “She’s not my- Giant squid?” He remarked as the blizzard began to fade. Derron nodded. “A Kraken. You know of them, Derron. The travelers always used to come to our village and tell us of the terrible creature that protected the northern seas.”
         Derron frowned. “This isn’t the time for a nostalgic trip down memory lane, Keon.”
         “You can control the wind, right?” Keon asked, completely ignoring the prior comment.
         “Yeah. Why?”
         “Can you make a tornado?”
         “Yeah…”
         “Ok, then. When I say now I want you to make one.”
         “But why?”
         “NOW!” Keon shouted as he slammed his hand down. The ice dome shatted at the same time that Derron slammed his spear into the floor and willed the air to spin. The wind immediately adhered and began to spin up towards the ceiling as the water flooded into the dome.
         Briana severed the last tentacle of the creature with a well aimed blast of flames. She had to kill the creature before Derron drowned. She leveled her gun and placed he hand on the pump, just as the water began to spin. She gaped as a waterspout blasted the creature up into the air and slammed it into the ceiling. However, the strange occurrence didn’t last long; the waterspout dispelled as quickly as it had appeared and the creature began its fall back down to the sea.
         Briana decided to take her chance; She pointed her gun, following the path of the creature as she poured as much of her energy as she could into her gun. Then, with a roar that was quickly drowned out by the louder, fiercer roar of the flames that burst from her gun. The flame leapt, greedily towards the falling creature and devoured it, leaving no traces of it’s existence other than a few drifting ashes.
         Briana dropped to her knees, exhausted from her effort. She rocked back on her heels and plopped herself down on the shore of the sea, her gun laid beside her the destroyed barrel exuding wisps of pungent black smoke. With worried eyes, she scanned the surface of the water for any signs of her friends.
         She wasn’t waiting long.
         After what seemed like only a few seconds, the water once again began to churn. Briana, though almost completely spent, rolled forward, pulling out her guns in one deft movement. The barrels watched the white froth, keeping their sights trained on the exact middle of the disturbance. What ever was coming to greet her would be dead well before it became aware of the fact that it had reached the air above its home.
         Suddenly the froth shot up towards the ceiling. Quick as the thought, Briana’s fingers began a rapid tempo assault, sending a wall of flaming bullets into the spray. Each of her bullets sailed through the waterspout, except the ones aimed at its peak. The bullets highest up were deflected with loud metal on metal ringing sounds. Frustrated, Briana once more brought her guns up to aim.
         She never pulled the trigger.
         Her guns were holstered as quickly as they had been brought out as the water spout evaporated to reveal an airborne Keon and Derron. The two of them arced downward falling towards the rocky shore. Briana allowed herself a wry grin. She almost laughed when the two cousins hit the ground.
         “Miss me?” Keon remarked as he sheathed his sword and walked over to Briana. She looked him up and down with an analytical gaze. Then she cocked her fist back and punched him full in the face.
         “You idiot!” She roared. Keon, now on the ground, looked up at her with a slightly hurt and confused face as he rubbed his sore jaw. “You’re the biggest idiot I’ve ever seen! Why the hell would you come here alone?! You could’ve died!”
         “But I didn’t.” Keon replied as he rose to his feet. Briana hit him again, knocking him down for the second time. Derron simply looked away, searching the room for the way up to the next floor. He could feel an abnormal amount of heat on this floor so they must be close to the top where the plume of flames had erupted from…
         “That’s not the point, Damn it!” He heard Briana scream behind him. His eyes fell on a darker patch in the ceiling on the other side of the sea. “You left without telling anyone else what you were doing! They have a lot of faith in you, but you’re still just a lost kid! Why don’t you stop playing hero for one second and take a look around you?! This isn’t your world! Your bandits and rouges are nothing like the dragons, deft-elementals, and creatures of my world!”
         Derron turned around just as Keon leapt to his feet, anger flashing like flames in his eyes.
         “Must be nice up there on that high horse!” He growled. His fists clenched with the fury that was lacing his words. “You act like I came here on vacation and just decided to save the world! Well you’re wrong! I didn’t want any of this! All I want is to find my friends and go home! And you know what?! If that means I have to kill a thousands evil kings I would do so gladly! I couldn't care less about your people, or your damned world! If its so damn great then why can’t it help itself? Why are you all turning to the kid lost in a foreign world?! You want me to stop playing hero?! Well why don’t you all stop playing Damsel in distress!”
         Briana took a shocked step back as Keon turned around and walked towards the water. Her hands hung limp at her side as she stared at her feet. He was right. The people were asking for help before they tried to help themselves…
         “I’m… sorry.” She muttered. Keon turned to glare at her.
         “What?” He hissed, obviously infuriated by her response.
         “I’m sorry!” She cried, tears streaming down her face. Keon’s hard glare didn’t change in the least.
         “You and your whole damn world. Tell me something I care about.” He replied coldly.
         “You’re right.” Briana told him. “We don’t have the right to ask you to do any of this and still you do with no complaints. I was wrong to say any of that to you.”
         “Yea you were.”
         “If you want to leave then I’ll help you find your friends and a way back to your world.”
         “Don’t worry about it.”
         Throughout the whole scene Derron had remained quiet, now that they were done he spoke.
         “Let’s go.” He suggested, gesturing towards the far side of the sea. “I found the next way forward.”
                The two of them simply stared at him.
                "How the hell do we get up there?!" They growled together. Derron chuckled as he pointed at Keon.
                "Well he gets us under the opening," He explained with a broad grin. "He'll freeze us a path to the opening then i'll lift us up there. Simple right?"
                Briana started to screeam about how dense the boy must have been until Keon's hard glare caught her eyes.
                "And if we are too exhausted from the output of energy?" He inquired of his cousin. Derron grinned knowingly and pointed at the water. Keon frowned as he tried to figure out what his cousin knew that he didn't. Finally he gave up and asked,"What about the water?"
                "You can't feel the energy in the water?" Derron remarked with a chuckle. "It's so strong that even i felt it and i'm a deft aero! Come on man you can feel it you just don't realize it."
                Keon stopped and thought hard for a moment. Hadn't he lost control in this room? And yet his power should have been exhausted from his injury and the fight with Teon. And now that he really thought to pay attention he could feel a slightly refreshing energy in the air...
                Derron took a deft step back as Keon sent a wave of superchilled air out across the water with a powerful thrust of his arm. The water froze instantly, waves and whirlpools frozen as if trapped in time. Keon turned to his companions and grinned. Briana tensed as his eyes glimmered an icy shade of blue. Derron, however, stepped towards him. His dark eyes had shifted to a pale, airy green color that matched the powerful feel of Keon's blue ones. And yet, there was something different from the times before when Keon had lost control. 
                She glanced from Keon to Derron and back before she realized what was different. The usual wild and overflowing nature of the glow was gone, replaced by a calm and controlled light that seemed to flow from somewhere deep inside of Keon. A quick glance confirmed that Derron's glow was of a similar controlled nature.
                The power that now emanated from the two of them was unbelievable! Boulders began to grind down into sand. The air grew thicker and Briana felt her own power retaliate with a ferocity that she hadn't known existed within her. The three forces seemed to battle until, after only a brief strife session,  they came to rest.
                "Wow." Briana murmmered as she took in the full extent- no it wasn't the full extent, for she could feel the fathomless resevoirs within herself- of her immense power. The combined pressure of their power threatened to reduce the sacred mountain to rubble. Yet, The three of them could feel two more pressures above them; one was calm, controlled, and very similar to their own. The other, however, was fierce, wild, and terrifyingly immense.
              "Dragon!" The three of them gasped together as they realized the nature of the pressure. Then, with a smirk, Keon dashed forward across the ice path. Derron and Briana followed close behind him. In under a few seconds the three of them had reached the area just beneath the opening. Derron drew the air in the room to him and prepared to lift the three of them through but Keon seemed impatient. He leapt into the air lashing out with powerful kicks that propelled him from one side to the other as he made his way up and through the opening.
                "Damn!" Derron hissed. For once Briana didn't want to argue with him; The two pressures above them seemed to be aware of their presense in the shrine. He relesed all of the collected air in a column that sent both himself and Briana soaring up into the next floor.
                The room they landed in was unbearably hot and impossibly dark. Derron waved his hand in front of his face getting closer until he could finally make out the sillouette, by that time his hand was grazing his nose. Briana moved forward despite the dark. She didn't need light, she could feel the cold pressure of Keon nearing the dragon's volcanic presense. Derron too felt him approaching the pressure but held his position; his eyes followed the center of the mysterious second pressure as it too approached the dragon.
                Keon moved to get between the dragon and the young boy who had to be the son of the Falls. The darkness hadn't hindered him at all, with a simple shift of his focus he had created his own way of finding what he needed to see. He followed the moisture in the room to the dryest area in the room; the dragon's nest.
                "Who are you?!" A voice roared from the center of the dragon's presense. Keon was startled. For the threat to be a dragon the voice seemed small, even human to a degree. "You dare enter this shrine?! You who must work for the Forsaken King?!"
                Keon shielded his eyes as a superheated pillar of flame erupted before him. He heard Briana cry out just as he felt a crushing blow hit his chest. He was lifted and thrown by the sheer power of the attack. He hit the ground, rolled back to his feet, and leapt to the side as a thick, reptilian tail whipped down towards him.  He stood up and glared into the eyes of a dragonoid. Its long red and white tail whipped around behind it as it advanced forward on powerfully muscled legs. Its clawed hands clenched causing its muscles to strain against its scaly skin.
                Briana rushed forward, but stopped when Derron grabbed her by the back of her shirt.
                "Get the kid." He told her. His eyes were serious and calculating as he scanned the room. "Keon and I will handle this."
                "Why don't you get the kid and I help Keon?" She growled. Derron sighed.
                "Who's more likely to survive dragonfire?" Derron reasoned. "A Deft-Pyro or a Deft-Aero?"
                "A Deft-Pyro." She answered angrily. Flames began to emerge around her feet. "All the more reason for me to help Keon and for you to get the kid!"
                "If the dragon's holding the kid captive then it will attack the rescuer with its flames. Of course a Deft-Aqua would work, but he's already fighting. And a Deft-Aero can try, but wind sustains flames. So that leaves you as the best choice since you can control the flames."
                Briana sighed.
                "Yeah you're right. You'd better keep him safe!"
                Briana dashed around to the other side of the dragonoid as Derron rushed to the aid of his cousin.The Dragonoid had only just dashed forward, using its powerful wings to propel itself at Keon when Derron skidded between them. He quickly released the thin strands of wind he'd once used to battle Aegis and lashed out, catching the Dragonoid and crushing his wings against his body as he restrained it.
                "We don't have to fight you." Derron informed the enraged and struggling Reptilian. Footfall and the sound of a sword being unsheathed told him that Keon had come to stand at his side.
                "Seravice..." Keon began. Derron was surprised to find that Keon had known the dragonoid's name. "I am the king's son. However, i do not support his actions. My friends and myself are fighting him. We need the sword at the top of the shrine."
                  Derron felt the strands explode as Seravice's wings burst from his restraint. The sheer force blew him back, slamming him into the wall. Derron let out a sharp gasp as he crumpled to the ground. Both Briana gritted her teeth; if Derron was out then Keon was without backup and she had to keep the boy safe.
                  The boy? Where had he gone? While she had been distracted she had managed to lose sight of him. Briana scanned the room looking for the boy and finally found him. He was approaching the fight calmly as if they were merely talking to each other.
                    Before Briana could shout for the boy to come back both Keon and Seravice lashed out.
                    Keon blocked a powerful tail swipe with his sword and retaliated with a blade of energy. Blood gushed from Seravice's shoulder but he showed no signs of pain and attacked again. This time it was Keon who took the damage, blood trickling into his eyes as Seravice's claw struck his head. The two of them leapt away from each other to catch their breath before rocketing towards the ceiling.
                    Briana tookher chance and ran to Derron's side.
                    "Hey!" She hissed. She shook him roughly but it was useless; his eyes remained shut. "Wake up dammit! We need your help!"
                    Suddenly the young boy was next to them, staring down at Derron's unconscious form and Briana's futile attempts to wake him up. Without saying a word the boy lifted his hands, drawing water up from below them and into his hands. He kneeled down and ran the water over Deroon's back stopping once at his shoulders and the middle of his back. Briana watched as he worked with a confused look. Why was the boy helping strangers?
                    "He'll be fine..." The boy said as he stood and looked up to where Keon and Seravice were caught in a stalemate. His fist clenched as he watched the two of them recoiled from each other. "Too much. Why won't he listen? Can't he remember? No, that must be it. He doesn't remember me. Or who he's waiting for. But why? Well watever I'll have to jog his memory..."
                    Briana felt the boy's energy converge at his feet before he blasted up towards the fight. Briana was astonished by the amount of power the boy displayed. Never before had she felt such immense power at such a young age!
                    The boy flipped through the air as he flew up. Keon's shock was apparent as the young boy soared past him. The two of them locked eyes for a moment before the boy flipped for the last time and slammed the heel of his foot into Seravice's head. Chunks of rock exploded from the wall as the shockwave from the powerful kick collided with wall. Briana quickly threw herself over Derron to shield him from the second shockwave produce by the Seravice's impact as he hit the floor. Dust filled the room as the floor cracked and crumbled. Derron's eyes cracked open as the rumbling of the mountain shook him awake.
                    "What the-" He murmmered. Briana frowned as she rose to her feet. Flames leapt around her hands as she glared into the cloud of dust. Something was about to happen...
                    Derron felt the change in the atmosphere as well and leapt to his feet just as a powerful gust of wind tore through the room and blew away the dust cloud revealing the now battered Seravice struggling not to be overpowered by the gale. Opposite the struggling dragon stood Keon and the boy. The young boy stood with his arms up and pointed at Seravice. There was no doubt in Either Derron or Briana's minds; the boy was controlling the gale.
                    Beside the boy Keon held the shattered remains of his sword. Or the hilt of the ruined blade to be more accurate. A quick glance back at Seravice showed the fate of the rest of the grand sword; the long heavy blade was protruding from the torn and bloody shoulders of the Dragonoid. With a frown, Keon flung the useless fragment of the blade aside and charged into the gale. With a mighty leap and the help of the hurricane wind, he flew the rooms length of distance before slamming his elbow into Seravice's head. He followed up with a swift kick to the Dragonoid's jaw and a powerful uppercut that sent him up into the gale.
                    Now helpless against the power of the wind, Seravice was thrown back against the wall. Derron gritted his teeth as he noticed the change in the dragonoid's body begin.
                    "KEON!" Derron shouted as he and Briana raced towards him.
                    Keon hadn't noticed the change yet, but the boy tensed as he watched them begin. The blood and muscle in Seravice's shoulder mended and slithered back under his skin. The scales quickly sealed the wounds as the muscles began to expand. By this time Keon had noticed the changes; his eyes watched with both anger and childish curiosity as the Dragonoid began to grow. Seravice's tail swished around to curl around his now enormous body. His claws grew to a collossal size as he dropped to all fours. With an almost sickening crunching sound his neck and head expanded and lengthened. With a roar Seravice unfolded his wings, exposing a set of super sharp fangs. His tail slammed into the floor sending boulder's tumbling into the sea below as he tore a new entry into his lair.
                    "All talk." The boy muttered. Keon glanced at him with serious disbelief. How could this kid be so cocky when facing a dragon with teeth that could easily turn him into a meal?
                    Keon shook of his disbelief as he dashed at the dragon. Its head lashed out narrowly missing Keon as he leapt into the air. Stones and scales rose into the air as he landed lightly on top on Seravice's head. With a twitch of his hand Keon summoned a blade of ice and sliced into the Dragon's shoulder.
                    There was no effect. Seravice tossed his head and threw Keon through the air. Before he could recover Seravice lashed out. Derron sent out a burst of wind in an attempt to stop him but there was no effect. Seravice's jaws prepared to snap shut on Keon as Briana and Derron rushed to try and help him. Just as his jaws were about to snap shut the boy flashed between the two of them, stopping the dragon's head mid-bite.
                      "Remember me?" The boy asked, his voice sounding somewhat pleading, as he slammed his fist into the top of Seravice's head. Derron sent out a lifting wind beneath Briana and himself as the dragon crashed into the floor, destroying it as he continued down into the sea below. "Please... Remember. Why... can't you... remember me? YOU SAID YOU"D NEVER FORGET!!!"
                      Keon, Derron, and Briana stared at the boy in disbelief, shifting their eyes every so often to stare down into the rippling sea until the waves died and the only thing to focus on was the boy.
                      Then a voice resounded through the shrine.
                        "Nev... Never forget... Memory... Who are you... Who am I?" The voice rasped. "Why... Why can't I... Remember? Seravice... Vireer... which one... am I? Do... Do you know? Tell... me. TELL ME!"
                        Keon and the others all flew to the far wall as Seravice erupted from the sea. They struggled to stay air born as he blasted through the ceiling, buffeting them with the backdraft of his wings.
                        "Follow him!" Keon ordered as he too shot up through the opening the ceiling. He was followed closely by the boy, and finally Briana and Derron. The four of them landed atop the mountain on an odd plateau. Keon and the boy were the first to notice the odd blue tinted light that filled the air. Searching for the source the two of them found what Keon had come for at the same time.
                        "The Ten King's sword!" Keon gasped. As he leapt for the blade.
                        "Tenshioren!" The boy rasped as he too dove for the blade. The two boys caught onto the blade at the same time, both of their hands latching onto the hilt. Or in the young boy's case, attempting and failing to gain a handle on it. The boy cried out as a powerful barrier repelled his hand. He was repelled backwards through the air, right into the hole they had just flown up through. Derron's reaction was far swifter than the boy's; he summoned a powerful updraft from below the boy throwing him back onto plateau.