The World Cried Out

Woot I'm back! Okay, I know I said I’d post the next chapter on Friday, but where I am that’s only a half hour away. So I thought “why not post it now?” I’ve been itching to get this posted so that’s what I’m going to do. I’m way ahead of schedule too. I’ve had this chapter done for awhile and I already have Ch. 3 done too, but you don’t get that till next Friday. Now, I went through this chapter and made a few alterations. Because of that I think I might have accidentally forgotten to change certain things to go with it. So if you read something that confuses you or doesn’t make sense please tell me so I can fix it. Now again I have no reviews to answer, but hopefully next time I will *hint hint nudge nudge…threaten.* Okay, you crazy kids, go and enjoy Ch. 2!

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Avian looked around as he walked, the sharp rocks biting into his bare feet. In every direction there was nothing but dry, barren land. He had no idea how he had gotten there and even less of a clue on how to get home.

“Hello!? Can anybody help me!?” he called out loudly, his voice carrying over the deserted landscape. His only answer was the soft howl of the wind. It blew gently over him, caressing his skin in an almost tender way.

“This isn’t good. Where am I?” Fear was evident in Avian’s voice and his uneasiness was growing with each passing second.

Avian didn’t know where to go or what to do. If he could just get an idea of where he was he could try and find a way home, but it seemed hopeless.

A tumble weed suddenly passed by him and he watched it, for the lack of anything better to do. It bounced along without a care when a strong gust of wind abruptly blew and struck it right into the air.

Avian lifted his arms to protect his face from flying dirt that was swept up by the wind. When the gust ended Avian looked up to see where the tumble weed went. His eyes went wide and a sharp gasp escaped his mouth at what he saw.

The planet Salaria was hanging in the sky, but it was bigger than Avian had ever seen it. What made it even more alarming was an eerie red glow that surrounded the distant world. As Avian stared at it the light began to pulsate and turned a deeper red. Suddenly it shot out in all directions until the whole sky was crimson.

Avian looked around frantically as the landscape turned a pale red. He jumped in surprise when something wet hit his head. He then started getting pelted as more of them fell and he realized it was raining. Avian held up his hand to catch some of the drops. A small pool filled his hand and he looked at it oddly. It wasn’t clear like normal rain, it was red and thick.

“What in the world?” he whispered. His eyes then widened in horror when he recognized the red substance.

“Ah! It’s blood!” he cried out as he shook his hand to get rid of it. The blood rain then began to fall in heavy sheets and the young man became drenched in it. He could feel it run down his arms; face, body and his clothes and hair soaked it up greedily. It was all over him! Avian desperately tried to wipe the blood off, but only accomplished in smearing it.

“Ah! No! Get off! Why is this happening!?” he yelled as he started to panic. A bright, white light suddenly appeared behind him and he turned. He saw a dazzling ball of light streak across the horizon. It cut through the red sky and returned it to its normal blue color.

“Wait a minute, I’ve seen that before,” Avian whispered when a memory played across his mind. “That’s the shooting star I saw the night I got the mark on my hand!” he exclaimed in shock. He didn’t know how he knew it was the same one, but he was convinced it was.

The blood rain stopped as the star flew over him. Small, glowing sparkles came from the stars tail and gently fell to the ground. Avian closed his eyes as they showered him gently; it was like being out while it snowed. A feeling of warmth flowed through him and he looked down just in time to see the blood disappear from his skin and clothes.

He smiled, but noticed that the warmth in his body wasn’t leaving. His hands then began to radiate a bright green glow. He lifted them to look at the light and shook his head.

“No, not again…” He looked down when he felt a small tremor ripple through the ground. His eyes widened when small, green plants started to sprout out from the dry earth around his feet.

“No! Wait, stop!” he shouted, but the plants didn’t obey. Suddenly trees started shooting up from the ground all around him. In terror Avian spun around and started to run.

He ran with all his might, but the ground kept shaking. He looked behind him and saw that more and more trees were growing. It was as if wherever he stepped vegetation developed. Soon there was a whole forest left in his wake. Avian looked forward and gasped, skidding to a stop. He had run to the edge of a steep cliff and had almost gone right over.

He turned and saw the trees coming towards him like a wave. Avian unconsciously stepped back in fright and his foot slipped on the edge. He lost his balance and started falling.

Avian fell down and down and his body crashed into the gutting rocks coming from the side of the cliff over and over. He was sure he was going to die. Finally he hit the ground hard and rolled a few feet before coming to a stop.

Avian lay perfectly still, every inch of him throbbing in pain. Labored breathing escaped his lips and his body was broken and battered beyond imagination. *Oh gods…I’m dying,* he thought weakly.

“Avian,” a voice called out to him. Avian slowly opened his eyes, his body crying out in pain from just that movement. His vision was blurred and he struggled to focus it. When he finally did he saw a person leaning over him. It was more of a silhouette than anything else. Avian could see its shape, but it was completely black and featureless.

“Who…who are…you?” he wheezed faintly, causing him to cough harshly. When it subsided he felt blood ooze from his mouth and run down his cheek. The figure lifted a hand and gently moved Avian’s hair from his face.

“Avian,” it said again and its voice sounded male. “Avian, don’t fight your power,” he told him. “Accept it as a part of you. If you keep struggling against it, things will only end in disaster,” the man said then touched Avian’s forehead with his fingers. Again Avian’s body felt hot and a strange glow surrounded him. He closed his eyes from the brightness and he wondered what was happening to him.

Gradually the light faded and the hotness went with it. Avian felt the man trail his fingers from his forehead, down his cheek and to his chin. Then his touch was gone. Avian opened his eyes again, but didn’t understand what had happened. He then realized there was no more pain in his body. He shifted a little and no jolting, mind numbing pain followed.

Avian slowly sat up and looked down at himself. He was completely healed. He smiled as absolute relief washed over him. He looked up to thank the man, but lost his words when he saw there were four more silhouette people behind him. Avian stared at them and he guessed that they were staring back. The man that had saved him then held out his hand.

“Avian, we need you. We need your help,” he told him. Avian stared up at him then looked at his hand. He was shocked at what he saw. He lifted up his own hand and looked at the green marking in the middle of his palm. Avian’s eyes then studied the figures hand. The marking was on his too, only there were more than just his. Five markings in all made a shape of a circle in the figures palm and they were all different colors. There was his green, a blue, red, purple and the last marking was a golden brown.

Avian looked up at the people in confusion. The four figures behind the man nodded and lifted their left hands. On each of their palms was one marking of the different colors.

“Things have already begun,” the man in front of him said. “The Earth is in peril. We need you. The Earth needs you. Help us, Avian,” the man pleaded.

Avian was confused by his words, but something inside him screamed at him to accept. That it was the right thing to do. Avian slowly reached out and took hold of the figures hand.

The man pulled him up and Avian suddenly found himself in his arms. The strange man held him so tenderly that Avian felt no need to struggle and actually relaxed against him. The four other people then surrounded them and Avian felt fingers running through his hair and touching his face. The gentle touching and stroking was so soothing that Avian found himself closing his eyes and letting the feelings wash over him.

“Avian. Avian. Avian…” he heard the man say over and over again, like a chant. The mans voice then started to fade away as did all of Avian’s senses.

“Avian. Avian! Avian, damn it, wake up already you lazy brat!!!”

Avian’s eyes snapped open as someone screamed into his ear. Then a sudden pain ran through his arm as it was bent in a way it wasn’t supposed to.

“Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!!!” he squealed in pain. “Okay! I’m awake, Celen! Stop trying to tear off my arm!” he yelled at his older sister. His arm was released and Avian was quick to draw it close and cradle it.

“Oh stop whining, I didn’t bend it that much you wuss. It’s not my fault if I have to take drastic measures when you refuse to wake up,” Celen told him nonchalantly. Avian scowled into his pillow then rolled over onto his side and glared at his sister.

Most would say Celen was a beautiful woman. She had long, flowing dark brown hair that reached her waist. Her skin was a bit lighter than Avian’s and the siblings shared the same eye color that they inherited from their father. But for how beautiful she was, she had just as sharp a tongue and attitude to match.

She was never afraid to speak her mind or tell someone off. If someone made her angry they most likely didn’t leave without hurting somewhere. Their father always said that she was a wildcat and that the man that married her would never be bored. Avian had a sneaking suspicion that man would be a certain best friend’s eldest brother. He just wished Celen would be married off already so he wouldn’t have to watch his back all the time.

“I must be the unluckiest guy in the world for getting stuck with you as a sister,” Avian growled at her. Celen put her hands on her hips and matched his glare with one of her own.

“I say that every day about you, little brother.” They had a glaring contest for a few minutes then both turned away with a humph at the same time. “Now come on, Avian, get up. Dad needs your help loading the crops into the cart,” she told him. Avian stared at her blankly then smacked his head with his hand.

“Oh, right, today is when we take them to Mr. Veches so he can sell them,” he groaned as he remembered. Celen sighed and shook her head.

“I swear, you’d forget to breathe if it wasn’t naturally done,” she mocked. Avian sat up and scowled at her darkly, trying to burn a hole through her head.

“Whatever, just get out already so I can get dressed,” he snapped, waving his hand at her as a sign to go away. Celen rolled her eyes and was about to go when she looked at Avian’s hand.

“You actually wear that glove to bed? Is your hand suddenly disfigured or something?” she asked. Avian blinked at her then looked at his hand, surprised to see his glove. *I must have forgotten to take it off last night,* he thought.

“No, my hand is not disfigured. I just fell asleep with it on,” he said defensively. Celen gave him an odd look.

“You sure have been wearing that thing a lot. I think you’re trying to hide something,” she said suspiciously and reached for his hand. Avian quickly pulled it away and hid it in his lap.

“Why don’t you just mind your own business, you evil witch?” he told her. Avian then cowered when Celen radiated anger.

“Evil? Oh you want to see evil?” she asked and suddenly pounced on him. There were many squeaks of pain and vulgar cursing as they wrestled. At one point Celen was almost successful in getting Avian’s glove off.

“Get off of me, Celen!” Avian yelled and pulled his hand away again. “No wonder you can’t get a husband with the way you act!”

All movement stopped and the two stared at each other after those words left Avian’s mouth. Celen then gave him the glare of all glares.

“Well, I don’t see you being such a ladies man either, you know,” she shot back. Avian glowered at her.

“Pfft growing up around you has made women less than appealing,” he sneered. Avian was surprised when, instead of getting angrier, a wicked smirk appeared on Celen’s face.

“Oh, so you’re going to chase after other men then?” she asked teasingly. Avian stared at her and he could feel his face flush.

“Wha…? I-I never said-” he stammered. Celen laughed as she got off the bed and straightened her dark green dress.

“Tell me when you find a good boyfriend so I can meet him,” she taunted as she started walking out of the room. “And hurry up and get dressed.”

“Hey! Wait just one-” The door slammed before he could finish his sentence and he glared at the door. “I hate it when she does stuff like that,” he grumbled as he tried to will his blush away. He grunted in irritation as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

“Whatever, I can’t let her rile me up like that,” he told himself. Avian stretched his body and shook his head vigorously to wake up properly before standing up. “Guess I better get dressed before she feels the need to bother me again.”

Avian went about his room, hurriedly trying to get dressed. He made the mistake of yawning as he tried to put on his pants and tripped himself up, crashing to the floor.

“Ow, that hurt,” he groaned then fought with his pants to get them up. Once Avian was fully dressed he walked over to his dresser and snatched up his brush. After he brushed his hair he tied it in the usual places and looked at himself in the mirror.

“Ah, who’s a handsome devil?” he asked his reflection as he examined himself. Avian did a few poses then poked the glass. “I’d say you are.” He then looked at his hand and frowned, sighing as he looked over the glove.

“This was supposed to help hide my secret, but it’s just making everyone suspicious,” he muttered. Avian continued to stare at it as flashes of his dream came back to him.

“For a dream, it felt so real…” He glanced at the door to make sure it was closed before pulling off the glove. There was the mark, nestled in his palm, but it seemed greener than he remembered for some reason.

The image of the mysterious man and the four other people in his dream appeared in his minds eyes. All of them had had similar markings as Avian did. Then what the man said echoed in his head.

“Things have already begun. The Earth is in peril. We need you. Earth needs you. Help us, Avian.”

“What could it mean? Was it just a dream or…or is something actually wrong?” Avian wondered aloud. The image of Salaria and the blood rain flashed before his eyes and he shuddered at the memory. He didn’t know what to think. Was his dream a warning or just a figment of his imagination?

“Avian, my boy! Are you expecting your poor old father to do all the work!?” Avian jumped as his fathers booming voice broke through his cloud of thought.

“Sorry! I’m coming!” he called back. He quickly put his glove back on and darted out of his room. He’d have to wait till later to figure things out.

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Avian stared up into the endless blue sky as he relaxed to the motion of the cart. He was forced to be in the back with the vegetables since there was no room upfront. His father was steering the cart and Avian’s mother and Celen sat on either side of him. But Avian didn’t mind much. Being in the back let him stretch out as much as he wanted, so long as he was careful not to bump the crates that held their precious produce.

They lived a little ways out of town in order to grow their crops. So to move their produce easily they had to set up their trusty cart and drive into their village of Lastar.

“Ah what a lovely day!” Avian’s father suddenly said joyously. “The sun is bright, the air is crisp, I’m with my beautiful family and the fruits of our labor are most pleasing this year!” He smiled widely and wrapped an arm around his wife while he steered their two horses with the other.

“My, you’re excited today, Stephen,” she giggled as she leaned against him, making herself comfortable.

“Yeah and it’s more like the vegetables of our labor, Dad,” Avian corrected him with a chuckle. Celen looked back at him with a raised eyebrow.

“That was just bad,” she told him. Avian stuck her tongue out at her and she returned it.

“Now, now you two that’s enough. Just once can you act like siblings?” their father asked.

“We do act like sibling,” they said in unison and Avian leaned over the seat between Stephen and Celen to talk easier.

“I meant siblings that are nice to each other,” Stephen rephrased. Avian and Celen stared at each other then turned away.

“No way,” they replied. Their mother chuckled and patted Stephen’s chest.

“Don’t worry about them, Dear. They’ll grow out of their silly fighting one day,” she reassured him.

“I suppose you’re right, Cenia,” he said with a sigh.

“Don’t bet on it,” Avian and Celen said together. They then looked at each other and scowled. “Stop saying what I say! No, you stop! Stop!” they yelled in unison. The parent’s stared at them then Stephen looked at his wife.

“Will it be any day soon?” he asked hopefully. Cenia smiled with a shrug.

“Probably not,” she replied. The man sighed then bated Avian’s head with the reigns.

“Ow! She started it!” he said defensively.

“I don’t care who started it, just both of you stop,” Stephen told them firmly.

“Then why did you only hit me?” Avian asked.

“You’re closer,” his father told him with a grin. Celen laughed at Avian, who glared at her.

“Now this is no time to bicker, we should be celebrating! This has to be one of the best harvest’s we’ve had in years!” Stephen looked down at Avian with a wide grin. “I guess all those extra hours we put in caring for them really paid off, huh boy?” he asked. Avian smiled back with a nervous laugh.

“Heh, yeah, must have,” he agreed awkwardly. Avian looked back at the vegetables with a frown. With his new powers the plants had grown a bit larger than usual and seemed healthier than ever. A part of him was glad because he had actually been trying to use his powers, but the other part of him wondered if it was cheating in some way.

Avian had also been wondering lately what his family would think if they found out about his new abilities. Celen would probably call him a freak, but all of them would most likely still love him. Avian just didn’t want them to be afraid of him. He loved his family deeply, even Celen, and didn’t know if he could bare seeing them be scared by his powers.

His father was a strong, kind man. Avian had taken after him greatly in looks. Black hair reached the base of Stephen’s neck and his green eyes always seemed to sparkle. Working on a farm most of his life had made him built and hardy. Avian respected his father more than anyone else he knew.

Avian’s mother was a gentle, loving woman. Celen had taken after her more than their father. Cenia had dark brown hair that she normally kept in a bun. She had warm, hazel eyes that always made Avian feel better when he was upset. If the news of his powers upset his mother in anyway Avian would never forgive himself.

Avian came out of his depressing thoughts and focused his attention on his family as they continued their conversation.

“Well, I hope Mr. Veches can sell them for much more now since they’re in such good condition,” Celen said to their parents.

“Oh, I’m sure Raden will get our money’s worth, but knowing him it’ll probably be more,” Stephen assured her. Raden, or Mr. Veches, was Neil’s father. Avian’s family and Neil’s had been friends since most could remember and they had worked out a system to help the two families business wise. Raden was a well known merchant and was said to be able to sell anything to anyone.

When harvest season came around Avian’s family would give half of their crops to Raden and he’d travel across the lands, selling them and his other merchandise in various towns. When he returned they would split the profits from the vegetables evenly. It had worked for years and both families profited greatly from it.

With the other half of the crops Avian’s family had, they would keep as much as they thought they needed for winter then sell the rest in the village. In doing those routines year after year it was no wonder why Avian’s family lived rather well for small town folk.

A few minutes later they entered their town. People were already up and around, going about their business. Many waved to Avian and his family and greeted them with kind words.

“Ah, good, they’re already up,” Stephen said as they came near the Veches’ house and saw that the whole family was outside waiting for them. Neil was the first to spot them and started waving. That got the attention of his family and then all of them waved as Avian’s family approached. Stephen brought the horses to a halt in front of the Veches home.

“Well, isn’t it the Dyzeck family? I was starting to worry you weren’t going to show up,” Raden said as he walked up to them. He smiled widely, wrinkles forming on the sides of his dark blue eyes.

“Then quench your fears, my friend, because we are here,” Stephen told him with a hearty laugh.

“That, I can see. Here, Cenia, let me help you down,” Raden offered and held his hand out to her. “You’re looking lovelier everyday,” he then said as she took his hand. Cenia laughed as he helped her down from the cart.

“And you are as charming as ever, Raden,” she complimented. A woman with long, wavy blonde hair walked up to Cenia and they clasped hands.

“Menill, it’s wonderful to see you,” Cenia greeted happily.

“I’m glad to see you looking so well, Cenia,” Menill told her with a gentle smile. Stephen jumped down from the cart and kissed Menill on the cheek.

“Good morning to you, Menill. I hope your lazy husband has everything ready for us,” Stephen said jokingly, sending a teasing grin toward Raden.

“Watch it, old man, or I’m going to have to straighten you out,” Raden threatened. The two men then laughed then shook each others hands. “I hope you have some crops worthy for me to sell this year,” Raden told Stephen, running his fingers through his scruffy, light brown hair.

“Oh, believe me, you’ll be more than pleased,” Stephen assured him.

As the parents conversed Neil trotted over to the back of the cart. Avian leaned over it so he could look down at him.

“Hey, short stuff, todays the exciting day,” Avian told him with a wide smile. Neil rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“You mean exciting for my father and brothers,” he corrected. “They’re the ones leaving to go sell things.” Avian tilted his head curiously.

“Arnill is going this time too?” Avian asked reffering to Neil’s second oldest brother. Neil nodded and reached up to grab onto the cart. With some difficulty he hoisted himself up until he was hanging off the side and level with Avian.

“Yep, Dad said that Arnill was finally old enough to go see what it was like to be a merchant,” Neil explained.

Arnill and Avian were very close in age. Arnill had turned twenty last spring and was now learning what it was really like to be an adult. Most people thought that Arnill and Avian would become the best friends, since they were about the same age, but Neil had prevailed in that department.

“Well, good for him. Just think, in a few years you can go with them too,” Avian said with a smile. Neil shrugged and didn’t seem too excited by the idea.

“I don’t know if I will,” he told his friend. Avian frowned and looked confused.

“What? Why not?” he asked.

“Well, I just don’t see it as something I want to do. To be truthful, I’d much rather stay here and help Mom with making medicines and stuff,” he explained.

“Have you told your parents this?” Avian inquired and Neil nodded.

“Yes and no. I’ve already talked to Mom about it and she seemed really happy. She told me to wait a few years and if it’s something I really want to do she’d make me her official apprentice,” Neil said with a grin. “After she talks to Dad of course.” Avian gave his own grin and was happy his friend might have already found what he wanted to do with his life.

“That’s great, I was wondering who was going to take over that part of the family business,” he said and Neil nodded.

“Yeah, Draven has already said he was going to take over Dads business when he retired and something tells me Arnill is going to join him. We don’t really need three merchants in the family. But to change the subject…” Neil looked around to make sure that their families were busy mingling with each other before turning back to the older boy.

“Have you done anymore training?” he whispered. Avian turned to make sure no one was looking either before turning back and shaking his head.

“Not really, not after that tomato fiasco. Plus I haven’t exactly had anytime to try, what with harvesting and all,” Avian replied quietly.

It had been two weeks since Neil had found out about Avian’s powers. Since then the two got together often so Avian could practice using them. They had been using Avian’s family’s crops as test subjects, but the older boy made sure to use those that weren’t doing too well in the first place. That way, if something went wrong, it wouldn’t be that much of a loss.

Two days ago Avian had tried to revive a sick looking tomato vine. It had been going well when suddenly Avian had lost control and the tomato’s started growing to gigantic sizes. Then all at once they had exploded, covering both the boys in tomato juice.

“It took forever for that tomato smell to go away,” Neil grumbled. “So what are you going to use now that the harvest is over?” he then asked. Avian thought about it then shrugged.

“I guess just use plants in the forest. I’ll have to wait till the next season if I want to try it on our crops again.” Avian then frowned when a thought danced across his mind. “Neil, you don’t think it’s cheating do you?” he asked worriedly. Neil looked at him in confusion.

“Cheating? What do you mean?” he asked.

“I don’t know. It just doesn’t seem right to make our crops better than how they were supposed to turn out,” Avian explained. Neil stared at him then looked into one of the crates.

“I don’t see why not. It’s just like using really good fertilizer,” he said. “Plus, who’s going to complain? You get more money, people get better food. Everyone is happy!” Neil told him, like it was completely logical.

“Hmm, well, I didn’t think of it like that. When you put it that way I guess it’s a good thing,” Avian agreed, his uneasiness of the idea lifting.

“See, that’s why I say to always listen to-Whoa!!!” Neil suddenly cried out as he was lifted up into the air. Avian blinked in surprise as Neil was now sitting on a mans shoulders. He had short hair, like Neil’s, that was a pale yellow color. The man smiled at Avian and the young man could see himself in the others bright, blue eyes.

“What are you two whispering about over here?” he asked curiously.

“Arnill! Don’t do that! You scared the hell out of me!” Neil yelled at his brother and glared down at him. Arnill just laughed and patted his leg.

“But its fun scaring the hell out of you,” he told him.

“Wow, Arnill, I didn’t even see you coming. Getting snicker I see,” Avian praised with a light chuckle.

“What can I say? It’s a gift,” Arnill told him. He then looked up at his little brother. “Man, you’re getting heavy, Neil, soon I won’t be able to do this anymore,” he said.

“I don’t remember asking you to in the first place,” the young boy grumbled.

“Oh you used love it when I carried you on my shoulders,” Arnill said with a pout.

“That’s when I was little!” Neil snapped. Arnill sighed and shook his head.

“The young are always so eager to grow up, aren’t they, Avian?” he asked the black haired young man.

“Yep, then when they do get older they wish they had stayed young just a bit longer,” Avian said sagely with a nod. He then looked up at Neil. “Enjoy it while you can buddy. I know Celen never carried me around like that. If she had she probably would have tossed me into the nearest pit.” A sudden pain jolted through his ear. “Ow!” Avian quickly looked over into the angry face of his sister.

“You’re damn right I would have!” Celen growled at him, tugging his ear harshly. “Would have saved me all the headaches you gave me.”

“Ow! Let go of my ear you evil witch! You’re going to pull it off!” Avian yelled in pain as he tried to get away.

“Maybe I should so you’ll learn some respect for your big sister!” As the two bickered and fought, Neil and Arnill looked at each other.

“And I thought I was sneaky. I didn’t even see her come over here,” Arnill said in awe.

“Yeah, me neither and I’m all the way up here! And suddenly I’m very grateful you don’t treat me like that,” Neil told him and the two looked back to watch the siblings fight.

“Same here, little bro, same here.”

Just then a tall man approached the cart. He had light brown hair that was as long as Avian’s and was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He looked at the siblings in amusement with dark blue eyes.

“Beating on your brother again, Celen?” he asked with a playful smile. The woman sharply turned and looked surprised. She quickly let go of Avian’s hair that she had been pulling mercilessly.

“Oh, Draven, hi,” she greeted with a sheepish smile. “I didn’t realize you were there,” she said sweetly.

“Obviously,” Avian groaned as he rubbed his abused scalp. Celen threw him a dirty look before smiling at Draven again.

“You’re looking well, Draven,” Celen complemented. Draven bowed his head humbly.

“As do you, Celen. You seem to be getting lovelier with each passing day,” he said, brushing her bangs away from her face. Celen blushed at the gesture and struggled to keep her legs from turning to jelly.

“Eeew I think I’m going to be sick,” Neil whispered, making a face. Arnill gave a quick smack to his leg.

“Shhh I think its sweet. You’ll be courting girls like that one day too, so watch and learn from our older brother,” he told his younger sibling.

“But only Draven has the guts to try anything with Celen. She’d most likely de-man any other guy who tried,” Avian joked and the other two winced at the thought. Avian then felt like he was being watched and turned to see Celen glaring at him venomously.

“You really do have a death wish,” she hissed and Avian ducked down in the cart. Celen’s attention was redirected when Draven laughed.

“As fiery as ever, Celen. Before I go with my father I wanted to show you something, but it’s back at my house. Would you mind coming with me?” he asked and held out his arm. Celen smiled and lightly wrapped her arms around his.

“I’d love to, Draven,” she replied and they began to walk across the street, toward Draven’s house. Even though he lived on his own Draven wanted to stay close to his family so he moved into the house right across from theirs.

“Whoo don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, Draven!” Arnill called after them and let out a whistle. Both the older siblings turned their heads to glare at him before continuing on their way.

“You’re such a pervert,” Neil scolded his brother.

“Is she gone?” Avian asked when he thought the coast was clear.

“Yes, oh mighty farm boy, the evil sister is gone,” Arnill told him as he lifted Neil off his shoulders and set him back down on the ground. Avian peeked his head up to look around then sat up completely when he knew it was safe.

“Phew, thank the gods. Draven needs to marry her already so I don’t have to get beat up as often,” he whined, draping himself over the side of the cart.

“Yes, it’s amazing how Celen can go from ballistic to calm when Draven is around,” Arnill said, giving Avian a sympathetic pat on the head.

“Hey, you know what, when they get married we’ll all be family!” Neil suddenly pointed out.

“Huh, I guess that’s true. So we’ll be adding another brother to the family,” Arnill said, slinging his arm around Avian’s neck.

“Hey, you’re also getting a sister out of it. Finally your mom will know what it’s like to have a daughter,” Avian pointed out as he pushed Arnill’s arm off.

“She’ll be relieved with that after having to deal with three sons and that Draven will finally be hitched. She’s been pressing him to marry someone soon too. She’s worried that since he’s twenty-nine now that it’ll be harder for him to get a wife,” Arnill told him. Avian snorted at that information.

“Draven, not able to get a woman? Ha that’s a laugh. He’s only the biggest stud in town,” Avian said, amused by the idea.

“Yeah, it’s a wonder we don’t get a lot of floods with how much the girls drool over him,” Neil said with a shake of his head. The older boys laughed and Avian looked over the way the two had gone.

“It’s funny that you say that about Draven. My mom has voiced her concern for Celen. She says twenty-five is a rather risky age for a girl to stay single. I guess both of our moms will be able to rest easy now,” he said with a smile.

“Yeah, until they try and marry the rest of us off,” Arnill pointed out.

“You bet your hide about that!” came Stephen’s joyous voice. The three boys jumped and turned to see that the adults had walked over to them. “Then once we do you can all take care of us so we can age gracefully,” he told them with a smile.

“Taking care of you will be a job all on its own,” Avian joked then ducked when his father took a swipe at him.

“I see you’re doing well, Avian,” Raden said with a smile when he popped back up.

“Yep, doing great, Papa Veches and you look great too Mama Veches,” he told them then leaned over the side of the cart to kiss Menill’s cheek. Since Avian was a small child he had always called the two Papa and Mama Veches and he wasn’t going to stop anytime soon and the two didn’t seem to mind anyways.

“Thank you and you look more and more like your father everyday,” Menill said when Avian got back in the cart.

“Yes, he’s sure to grow into a fine man,” Raden praised.

“Speaking of growing, look at little Neil,” Stephen said then snatched the young boy up.

“Yikes!” Neil squeaked as he was lifted into the air once again.

“Stephen, don’t scare the poor boy,” Cenia chided him.

“Oh he’s fine with it, Cenia. A few more years and I won’t be able to pick you up as easily, huh Neil?” Stephen asked and Neil smiled.

“That seems to be the topic of the day, Mr. Dyzeck,” the young boy told him. Stephen laughed as he put him down.

“Well, I suppose we should stop chit chatting and get to work. You’ll be leaving tomorrow, right, Raden?” he asked the other man.

“That’s right, but it should be easier since I’ll have two sons with me to do most of the work,” Raden replied and ruffled Arnill’s hair.

“I should have known that’s why you wanted me to come along,” Arnill huffed, pretending to sound offended.

“You can yell at your father after we get these unloaded,” Stephen intervened and patted Arnill on the back. Raden looked into the cart and whistled.

“My, my, you weren’t kidding, Stephen. These have to be the best crops you’ve ever given me and so much of them too!” Raden exclaimed as he plucked a tomato from one of the crates. It was big enough to fit in Raden’s hand and it was a deep red color.

“Goodness, it looks almost too perfect to eat,” Menill said in awe as she took it from her husband. “How ever did you do it?” she asked.

“We’ve all been working very hard this year. I think all of that care and nurturing was what did it,” Cenia answered and Stephen nodded vigorously.

“Yep, no one can say we don’t get the job done right,” he said proudly and put his arm around his wife.

Avian and Neil looked at each other and shared a secretive smirk. If only their parent’s knew the truth.

The two families then started to go to work. The men unloaded the heavy crates from the cart while the two women busied themselves by writing down what was in which crate and how much of it.

A few minutes into it Celen and Draven returned. They were teased endlessly for going off together by Avian and Arnill, but with their help the work went quicker.

As Avian and his sister were shifting through a crate of corn he happened to notice that Celen was now wearing a silver chain around her neck. Something was connected to it, but was tucked away under her clothes so he couldn’t see it. Avian was curious and made note to ask about it later.

Once the vegetables were written into the inventory they started loading them into Raden’s cart so he would be ready for tomorrow. As they were working Neil saw something strange down the road.

“Hey, Avian,” he said, tugging on the older boys shirt.

“What?” Avian asked and looked down at him.

“Look at that,” Neil told him, pointing toward the end of the street. Avian looked where he was directed and furrowed his eyebrows.

“What in the world?” Coming towards them was an odd looking horse drawn carriage. Two men sat in the front and were wearing armor.

“I’ve never seen a carriage like that before,” Neil said, looking at it curiously.

“It looks like it’s made out of metal,” Avian observed.

“Why would someone make one from metal?” Neil asked.

“I don’t know, let’s ask.” Avian walked over to his father with Neil at his heels. “Hey Dad,” he said to get his attention.

“Yes, Avian?” Stephen asked and turned to him.

“What do you make of that?” Avian inquired, pointing at the carriage that was coming closer. Stephen looked up and, just like Avian, furrowed his eyebrows.

“Those look like Westaria soldiers,” he said, recognizing their armor. Raden and Draven were near and looked up at Stephen’s words.

“That’s because they are Westaria soldiers,” Draven confirmed after getting a good look at them.

“And that looks like an iron prisoner carriage,” Raden said, uneasiness growing in his voice.

“Iron prisoner carriage? What’s that?” Neil asked curiously.

“They use them to transport prisoners from one town to another,” Draven explained.

“The question is what are they doing here in Lastar?” Stephen voiced what all of them were thinking. Since they had stopped working to watch the carriage they caught the attention of the women and Arnill.

“Hey, what’s up? Why did you all stop?” Arnill asked as they walked over to see what was wrong.

“There are Westaria soldiers here,” Raden answered.

“Westaria soldiers? What could they want in our dinky town?” Celen asked quizzically.

“That’s what all of us want to know,” Avian told her. They watched intently as the carriage came closer. It stopped and one of the soldiers talked to a couple of women that was walking by. They conversed a bit then one of the women looked around and when she spotted the two families she pointed at them.

“This does not bode well,” Menill said quietly and both women moved closer to their husbands. When the soldier looked over at them he nodded at the women and the carriage continued on its path. The tension around the families was thick as it drew nearer then stopped a few feet away. The two soldiers jumped down from their seat and walked over to them. Stephen patted Cenia’s hand comfortingly before stepping forward.

“Is there something we can help you with gentlemen?” he asked when they stood in front of him.

“Good day, sir. Which one of you is Avian Dyzeck?” one of the men asked. Avian’s eyes widened and many glances from the others went his way. He slowly raised his hand and a lump of dread formed in his gut.

“Um I-I’m Avian,” he stuttered. The two soldiers looked at him and were surprised by how young he looked.

“What business do you have with my son?” Stephen questioned, moving to stand in front of him protectively.

“We’re sorry for this, sir,” the man apologized. He then took a scroll that was hooked into his belt and unfurled it. He then held it up so the two families could see it. “Avian Dyzeck, we’re placing you under arrest for the illegal use of magic by order of Lord Westaria.”

There were many gasps and cries of outrage from the families. Avian stood in complete shock, his eyes wide and his mouth open. *How? How did they find out? How did they find out about my powers!?* he questioned in his head in absolute disbelief. Neil was just as shocked and looked up at his friend. Worry and fear for Avian gripping him.

“There must be some kind of mistake!” Cenia cried out. “My baby can’t do magic!” She quickly ran to Avian and grabbed hold of him. “Tell them Avian! You can’t use magic, can you?” she asked him desperately.

Avian stared at her and his heart ached at how upset she was. He held her and shook his head.

“N-No, I’ve never used magic,” he told her then looked over to the soldiers. “I can’t use magic,” he told them firmly.

“Let me see that!” Stephen snapped and snatched the parchment from the soldier. He scanned it and Raden and Draven read it over his shoulder.

“I don’t believe it, it’s an official order,” Draven said in astonishment. “It has Lord Westaria’s seal and everything!” Raden looked up at the soldiers with a scowl darkening his face.

“You can’t be serious, he’s just a boy! Do you honestly believe he’s one to use magic!?” he yelled at them.

“It doesn’t matter what we believe. We’re just doing as we’ve been ordered,” one soldier told Raden calmly.

“Even so, you have no authority here,” Menill said, stepping forward. “Westaria does not rule over Lastar so you can’t take him,” she told them. Stephen nodded at her words.

“She’s right. If my son has been using magic, which he hasn’t, then the people of Lastar will decide what to do with him. So I suggest you get back in your carriage and go back to Westaria where you belong!” Stephen snarled venomously. The soldiers were unfazed, but their patience was wearing thin.

“Lord Westaria believes that the boy is a threat to the whole country. Now please hand him over,” one of the soldiers ordered. Stephen was about to say something when Celen walked by him.

“Leave this to me, Dad,” she told him. Celen stood in front of the two soldiers with her hands on her hips and a mean glare on her face. “Now, let me get this straight. You two have come here because you think my brother has been using magic and is a threat to those around him?” she asked. The soldiers nodded and Celen laughed.

“Oh please, just look at him. You think a guy like that is a threat to your precious city?” she questioned and the two men glanced at Avian. “Look, my brother is hardly competent enough to learn how to use magic and even if he was he’s not a threat to anyone. As stupid and childish as he is he’d never hurt a soul in any way,” she told them with confidence.

Avian was in shock once again. He never thought his sister would try and defend him. *Wow those have to be the nicest things she’s ever said about me,* he thought. *And yet so insulting at the same time.*

“We’re sorry, ma’am,” the soldier said. “But no matter how good of a person you say he is, we still need to take him.” Celen glared angrily and Stephen took hold of her arm and pulled her back.

“We’re not going to let you take him. Westaria has no say here and the charges are complete bull shit,” he told the men and the others nodded.

“Yeah, you’ll be taking Avian over our dead bodies!” Arnill yelled, moving over to Avian protectively. Neil followed and held onto Avian’s shirt nervously. The older boy glanced down at him and they shared a worried look. The soldiers were now beyond their last nerve with the families.

“Look, again we’re just doing our job. Now either you will cooperate or we will resort to force,” the soldier said, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword and the other followed his example. Stephen glared furiously at the actions.

“I’d like to see you try,” he challenged. Avian’s eyes widened as he realized how serious this was getting. *Oh gods, they could really get hurt because of me!* he thought, imagining the worst.

“Dad stop!” he yelled. Everyone looked at him in surprise and Avian felt nervous under their stares. “I-I’ll go with them,” he said. Cenia’s eyes widened in horror at his words and she held onto him tighter.

“Avian, you can’t! You’re innocent, they have no right to take you!” she sobbed into his chest. Avian hugged her gently.

“Its okay, Mom, you don’t have to worry about me. You’re probably right and this is all some sort of misunderstanding. If I go with them I’m sure I can sort it out with Lord Westaria,” he told her. “Please don’t cry, Mom.” Cenia looked up at him with watery eyes and he untangled her hands from his shirt. “I’ll be okay,” he said again then started to walk away.

“Avian, don’t do it,” Neil pleaded weakly, holding onto the end of his shirt with a vice like grip.

“It’s the best thing to do,” Avian told him and forced him to let go. He walked towards the soldiers, staring at the ground so he wouldn’t have to look at his family and friends faces. Stephen grabbed his arm as he walked by and Avian looked up at him.

“Avian, no, this isn’t right…” Stephen said softly. Avian smiled gently at him and laid his hand over his fathers.

“You always told me that the greatest treasure a man has is his family. That he needs to protect that treasure no matter what the costs. Dad…I’m protecting my treasure,” he told him. Stephen stared at his son and reluctantly loosened his grip. Avian gave a squeeze to his fathers hand before letting go and continuing. When he reached the soldiers he looked at them with confidence.

“I’m ready,” he told them. One of the soldiers nodded gratefully and took a pair of shackles off his belt.

“Hold out your hands,” he instructed. Avian did so and the shackles were locked around his wrists tightly. Celen watched all this as her body trembled with suppressed rage. She suddenly ran forward, toward Avian, but Stephen quickly caught her around the waist and held her back.

“Avian, you idiot! Are you crazy!? This is an injustice! They have no right to do this and you’re just letting them!? You haven’t done anything wrong! You can’t go!” she screamed, fighting against her father. Avian blinked at her reaction then smiled.

“Thank you, Celen,” he told her. She stopped struggling and stared at him.

“For what?”

“It makes me really, really happy to know that you’re worried about me,” he said. Celen continued to stare then tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks.

“You’re such an idiot. Such a stupid idiot. My stupid idiot brother…” she said as she let the tears flow. Her father hugged her to him and then pulled Cenia in and hugged them both tight as they cried. It tore Avian’s heart apart to see his family so devastated, but he knew he was doing the right thing.

“Don’t worry, Avian, we’re going to figure out what’s going on. We’re going to get you out of this,” Raden vowed as he drew his own family close. Avian smiled at him.

“I’ll be fine, Papa Veches,” he reassured him. One of the soldiers gripped his shoulder and Avian looked up at him.

“It’s time to go,” the man told him and Avian gave a small nod. The two soldiers led him around the carriage and Avian saw that there was a barred door on the back. One of the soldiers unlocked and opened it.

“In you go.” The two men hoisted Avian up into the carriage then closed and relocked the door. The soldiers disappeared and Avian glanced around his temporary cell. It was like being inside a metal box. He looked through the bars and saw many people were watching what was going on. *I guess we made quite a scene,* he thought.

“Neil! Come back!” He suddenly heard Menill yell. There was the sound of running feet then Neil appeared. Avian saw that his face was tear streaked and his eyes were red. He wiped at his eyes before grabbing the bars tightly and looking up at Avian.

“Avian, you have to believe me. I didn’t tell anyone, I swear…” he sniffled softly. Avian kneeled down and covered Neil’s hands with his own then smiled.

“Don’t worry, I believe you, Neil. I know you would never tell,” he reassured his little friend. Draven appeared the next second and, with some difficulty, pulled Neil off the bars and picked him up.

“We’ll get you out of this, Avian, I swear it,” Draven promised as he held the quivering boy to him.

“I’m sure this is all a mistake, just make sure my family is all right,” Avian told him and Draven nodded.

Suddenly the carriage jerked as it began to move. Avian slid forward, but luckily didn’t hit the bars. Draven and Neil watched as the stagecoach started moving away and soon both families came into Avian’s view. They all looked after him with sad looks and he tried his best to make a comforting smile and waved to them.

Many people watched as the carriage passed and no one knew what to make of it. They had all known Avian since he was a child and knew no reason why he was being taken off in a mobile prison. Soon the stagecoach left Lastar’s boundaries and Avian gazed through the bars as his town got smaller and smaller.

As Lastar began to disappear from view, Avian’s brave face crumbled and tears spilled down his cheeks. He covered his face with his hands as he began to cry. He had no idea how his secret had been found out or what was going to happen to him. What was worse was that there was an overwhelming possibility he would never see his family or friends again if the Lord found him guilty of his charges.

Avian looked up as he saw a raven flying in the sky. He watched it soar through the air, going over his prison and out of sight. The young man felt that, just like the raven, his freedom had flown away.

========================= Ch. 2

Well, now the plot thickens. I’m pretty sure you guys figured out that that isn’t any random raven, right? Right? Okay so Ch. 2 is done and things are moving along nicely I think. I wasn’t fully happy with this chapter before, but I believe I was able to fix a few things to make things run a bit smoother. Okay, just to let you know something about Avian’s charges. In this universe it is a major crime to do magic illegally, it’ll be explained a bit more in the next chapter, but I just wanted to say that so you understood that Avian’s family and the others were freaking out that much for a very, very good reason. Okay so I shall be back next Friday with the next installment. Let’s just say Avian is in for a looooong day. Please review!