Beleiving in Myself- Part 2

Well, what a fine... bleh. Well, after some time in a slump, I\'ve gotten to getting this chapter up... for a better look at this, or if you need a reminder, please look for \'Believing in Myself\' in the Originals section of the Read-Only archieve to read the first chapters. With that... let\'s get this party started!

Chapter 30


After one week had past, Karin felt John had handled all the basics as well. John would have wanted to stay and learn more advanced techniques from her, but two thing prevented this. One was the fact that, despite all he could learn from her, they still had a journey to complete, a place to see, and a demon to kill. There were still questions that needed answers. And further still, was this knowledge and understanding between Karin and that man. He had not told Jessica or Aivon about what he heard, nor did he mention or ask anything of it in front of Karin. But only that man in black would truely know all the answers... or at least, the ones to questions concerning him.

Everyone thanks Karin for her hospitality and for refilling their food supply. \"Think nothing of it companions. I trust your journeys will go well.\"

\"Thanks very much.\" Jessica said, and they all turned to leave. Karin however, stopped Aivon for a moment.

\"I must warn you in particular... There is one who seeks your destruction. Yet for one, your heart doesn\'t appear trapped in the shadows of evil. I wish you luck.\"

Aivon looked ot her for a moment then nodded, walking on past John and Jessica, who had stopped, dumbstruck over what they heard. \"Aivon!\" John rushed up to catch up with him as they exited the cave. The sun was out covered partly by a cloud, yet the snow did now melt under them. \"Aivon, what did she mean?\"

Aivon did not answer him right away. he sighed and looked down at the ground as he walked. Truthfully, he knew this day was coming... he had only wished not to explain himself so soon. \"It\'s nothing concerning you. Don\'t worry about it.\" Aivon didn\'t know why he wouldn\'t tell them, but convinced himself that this battle, the one he would fight one day, was his and his own. \"It any case, it doesn\'t concern where we must go. It\'s nothing to do with the demon called Beras.\"

John seemed unconvinced by this, but accepted it anyway. He didn\'t want to press on if Aivon didn\'t want to talk about it. He felt he would speak about it when the right time was, and obviously on the mountaintop was neither the right place or time. They walked on, hoping to get out of this place before nightfall or at least into some shelter. They trudged through the snow rather quickly, so their feet would not sink into the ground. It was around midday when they found a small patch of ground where the snow was gone, and decided to rest.

Aivon proved himself a good cook, as he decided to make them something to eat. John and Jessica walked off a bit and tried to practice magic. Jessica threw balls of snow up into the air, while John aimed spells a them. First was fire, the element that seemed most easiest to him, and next was wind, the more difficult one. Water was of no real used, as it did nothing to the snow, and therefore would be useless in battle here. The creatures from before were unaffected by Jessica\'s water spells, so he had expected that his own would make no difference. Earth magic was tricky, for it often came in a mix of earth and snow, but effective nonetheless.

When they had returned to Aivon\'s call of food, they ate in silence. John felt bursting to say something, but held back. The finished and were once again on their way. John felt an iching to try using his sword again, now that he had some training with it. But they encountered nothing that would hinder the path, as if the beasts of the mountains didn\'t want to dare come close. It may have been fine for Aivon and John, but Jessica was unnerved that no beast had come against them. She doubted it was a matter of numbers. Those wolves from before had easily outnumbered them all. Perhaps they had been scared of the magic used against them. Or had some other outside force stopped them?

They were nearing the bottom, back onto the trade path, as the dusk fell upon them, like a veil. There were no caves to find rest in, and they didn\'t feel like it would be safe to keep traveling by night. They rested again, setting up camp for the night. John had laid back against a rock, looking up into the sky, when Jessica came by to check on him.

\"Are you alright?\"

\"Fine. I\'m ok Jessica. I just wish we could get this over with.\"

\"Well, we are doing well. We\'ve made some good progress.\"

\"Jessica.\" John looked to her with a serious look on his face. \"Be honest Jessica... do you really think we stand a chance?\"

Jessica frowned. He had been thinking of Atrois and the man in black. Truely, if they were strong, the foes ahead, if any, would be stronger. \"I don\'t know that John. All we can do is keep going and find out.\"

John closed his eyes to this, and appeared to be in deep thought. Jessica leaned closer to him, hoping to catch some expression on his face. He reached foward and brought her in for a sudden kiss. Jessica was a bit surprised at this sudden reaction, but returned the kiss. When they broke away, John was not smiling, but looked ready to be brought to tears.

\"Please don\'t leave me...\" John got up and walked off, leaving Jessica to think over his words, and what may have caused him to say them.