ShadowLake

hay guys. um, this post starts out being told by Jen, but the second paragraph, and probably the rest of the stroy, is in third person. sorry for any inconvienance:D
Jen​
 Fog swirled around me. I was standing at the edge of a lake. ShadowLake. My eyes strained to see below the surface. I even went so far as to step into the water, but as soon as I did, the water pushed me back out. Defeated, I turned away. I cried out as I met the eyes of the scarecrows. There were four of them, staring at me with blank faces. I whirled away and tried to run, but my legs wouldn’t move. My body twitched and pain overwhelmed me. Against my will, my body turned back to the cornfield and the scarecrows.
I sat up with a jerk, my breathing ragged and my entire body shaking with fear and the memory of the pain. The sun was just coming up.
Bad dream?
I looked up to see Fyrok sitting on a branch. “Your turn to keep watch?”
Yes. Want to talk about it?
“Not really.” I stood up and stretched. “I’m not going back to sleep, so do you want me to take over for you?”
Dawn isn’t far. We will be leaving soon. I nodded and began to wander restlessly around the makeshift camp. Kaylen was the first to wake. She sat up, saw me, and joined me in drifting around randomly.
“Are you worried?” she asked.
“I’m terrified.”
“I was trying not to imply you were scared.”
“Aren’t you?” She sighed and looked up into the treetops.
“Yes and no. I’m afraid of the unknown. I am afraid something is going to happen to one or all of us. But it seems surreal. We have been traveling so long, it seems like tomorrow will be the same. I don’t feel as if we are in any danger.”
You will.
“That’s not comforting,” she protested.
But true. They continued to debate until the others woke up, lightening my mood. But as we set out to cover the last few miles, all of us fell silent. We started at a jog, but within a mile of ShadowLake, we were plodding, having to force each step, going slower and slower. Kaylen huddled close to Ryan with one hand twisted in Luminor’s mane. Maseo and Reeba were in front. The twins were on either side of me. They each had one hand wrapped around wrist and the other hands around each other. Normally the close contact would annoy me, but not now. We burst out of the trees and my breathing became quick and shallow. Before us, was ShadowLake. A glance to my left showed me a large house. To my right was a small, green cornfield, the corn barely knee high.. A white fence wound around ShadowLake. The lake was hardly more than a pond with cattails growing on the far side. It all looked perfectly normal. There was no reason for the intense despair in my heart, the fear gripping my throat. Only the lake itself was not normal looking. The surface was so black that it seemed to absorb any light that tried to reveal what lay below the surface. We hesitantly stepped out of the cover of the trees and towards the lake.
“Too bad. I was hoping all of you would die on the way.” Our heads whipped to look at the house. Leaning against the doorframe, was Jaesh. “Or be killed by my Re-animates. But no matter. I can just take care of you now.”
(change to 3rd person)
Jen stepped in front of the group just as Jaesh sent out a bolt of red lightning. Jen caught it in one hand, the force pushing him back a half-step. It went into his hand and for a second noting happened. A bolt of green lightning came out the same hand. It flew towards Jaesh but he held up his hands, making a circle with his thumb and finger. The lightning went through his fingers and disappeared. All of this happened in two seconds.
“Good job, Jen,” Jaesh said. “But as fascinating as fighting you would be, in ten seconds it won’t matter. Because you are too late. ShadowLake is going to open, and the contamination contained in it will spread throughout the world.”
Kaylen thought it odd he didn’t even mention the Shadows themselves. She didn’t have time to think about it because the water in the lake began to swirl around and a whirlpool appeared. Kaylen slowly walked towards the lake, the others close behind her. They stopped at the fence. Jen kept his eyes on Jaesh, who followed them over, his face smug. The water went round and round, going faster and faster. Then it just stopped. The water settled back into a glassy smooth surface with uncanny swiftness. When the water completely settled, Kaylen noticed Jen stare at Jaesh with a questioning, intent look. But then her attention was drawn back to the lake when a ripple appeared. As they watched, a head appeared. A Shadow man walked to the shore of the lake, rising as he came closer. More began to appear, but Kaylen didn’t notice them. The pain that over took her body when the fist Shadow stepped onto dry land took up her entire attention. She fell to her knees and Ryan fell seconds after her. Reeba screamed and both twins had tears streaming down their face. Maseo teeth were clenched as he knelt on the ground next to Reeba, his eyes fixed on Jaesh. Kaylen closed her eyes in pain. She barely felt the hand that touched her shoulder. Then the pain began to fade. She was able to breath and open her eyes. Jen was standing next to her with a hand on her shoulder and another on Ryan’s. Maseo and Reeba were standing, each with a hand on Jen’s shoulders and the twins had a hand wrapped around his ankles. Luminor’s head was pressed against Jen’s back with Fyrok perched on his head with one wing brushing against Jen’s head. Ryan stood and pulled Kaylen to her feet. She looked around in amazement. Everything was changing. The grass beneath their feet withered and the dirt turned black. The fence also turned black and parts of it fell down. The corn grew over ten feet tall and the ears turned gray and the stalks black. The change was slowly but steadily growing outward from the lake. Kaylen could see it was going to reach the tree line in less than a minute.
“Okay, all of you can let go. I can keep it from changing you without needing the contact.” Kaylen cautiously stepped back. When Jen’s hand dropped, her heart jumped, but the pain didn’t come back.
“All settled now?” Jaesh asked conversationally. He was standing with the Shadows behind them. There were over thirty now and more coming. They were all small and very skinny, almost emaciated. Their clothes were simply pieces of cloth tied around their waists. They all held weapons of some kind: daggers, clubs and even what looked like a broken bottle. They stared hard at Kaylen and the others with an intense hatred in their eyes. They especially watched Kaylen and she flinched under their harsh gazes. Jaesh turned to the Shadows. “Kill the halfbreed,” he said simply. They immediately swarmed around him and towards the group.

sorry its short. big psyc test tues:eek:
 
if anybody asks, i was studying, not writing;)

Kaylen pulled out her daggers and saw the others pulling out their weapons. Before the first Shadow reached them, Jaesh threw a white ball at Jen. Jen ducked and the ball hit a tree, turning it to ice. Kaylen didn’t have time to see anymore of their battle. A Shadow reached her and swung its club at her head. She ducked and Ryan swung his machete, cutting the Shadow’s throat. Black blood fell on Kaylen and she fought nausea as another Shadow approached. This time the Shadows surrounded them all, except Jen, and attacked from all sides. Luminor roared and launched himself at the Shadows. Reeba let fly arrow after arrow, but was soon out and was forced to fight with a small sword. Maseo stayed by her, fighting with a long, heavy sword. The twins were huddled behind them, messing with something in their bags. When a Shadow came close, Jake threw some yellow powder in his face. The Shadow screamed as the powder burned his face and chest. Fyrok circled the fight, diving down anytime one of his friends was in danger, his talons making deadly weapons. Every time a Shadow fell, it seemed like two more took its place. Kaylen wasn’t afraid of becoming tired. She was afraid that one of the Shadows was going to get lucky and hurt one of her friends. She could see more Shadows emerging from the lake, eager for a fight. Kaylen knew if they wanted to survive, they would have to close ShadowLake
Jen ducked as Jaesh sent a bolt of lightning towards him. Jen was stronger than Jaesh, especially after eating the Sillow fruit, but the magic it took to keep his friends from changing weakened him severely. And Jaesh was much more experienced. He sent magic at Jen that he had never seen before.
“Tired, yet?” asked Jaesh with a sneer. He clasped his hands, then let go. Two yellow balls appeared between his hands and soared at Jen. He was surprised when they veered off to float on either side of him instead of hitting him. He didn’t have long to wonder what they did. They both began shooting yellow sparks at him. He hissed in pain as the sparks burned his skin. He pushed his hands out towards both balls and they spun away from him, but came right back. Jaesh let out a deep breath and strong wind nearly knocked Jen of his feet. Jen gritted his teeth, crouched down with his head on his knees and began to breathe rapidly. He ignored the wind and sparks. After ten seconds, he jumped up. The ground and air seemed to rush towards Jaesh and he flew backwards, hitting the side of the house. The wind and yellow balls disappeared. Jaesh struggled to his feet. His breathing was labored, but Jen was breathing just as hard. Jaesh sent out another white ball and Jen darted to the side just in time. A terrible realization hit him as he returned fire. If he wanted to defeat Jaesh, he was going to have to let down the shields around his friends.
Kaylen heard someone cry out and she whirled. Reeba was on the ground, cradling a twin her arms. The other one was standing defensively in front of them, not letting any of the Shadows get to close to his brother. Kaylen saw him throw something at the feet of three advancing Shadows. The bag blew up with a bang, sending the Shadows into the air. Distracted by her injured friend, Kaylen didn’t see the Shadow approaching her. He punched her hard. He was strong and she went crashing through the fence. She hit the ground and rolled towards the lake. One arm fell into the water. Instead of going into the water, her arm rested on top. She stared at it in wonder. She tried to push her arm in, but it wouldn’t go. A roar from above her brought her back to the Shadow attacking her. She rolled to the side just as the Shadows rusted sword swung down, hitting the ground where her head had been. Kaylen jumped to her feet and, after some thought, put away her daggers. The Shadow swung his sword and she jumped, landing behind him. She kicked him hard in the back, sending him falling into the lake. He disappeared below the surface and didn’t come back up. Kaylen stared at the lake. Shadows were still coming out, but they were walking out of the lake and heading towards her friends, ignoring her. They hadn’t heard the command to kill her. Without thinking, Kaylen stepped out onto the lake. Her bare feet stayed on the surface. It was strange, walking on the water. It was bitterly cold and yielded just a little under her feet. She took another step.
“Kaylen!” She turned to see Ryan trying to get to her. She took a step back to shore, but memories assailed her.
I was to watch the house until I saw a baby with gray hair. And I was to steal her.
But I’m supposed to find the key.
An impossible key.
The Shadows created another key.
They want Kaylen dead. Not captured, not hurt, dead.
Kaylen suddenly understood. She took a step toward the center of the lake. She was the key. A half-human, half-Shadow. Another step. That was why she had to die. Her sister could open ShadowLake. She could close it again, so she had to die. Another step. If the magi had managed to completely closed ShadowLake, it would have been impossible to make another key. Another step. Humans and Shadows would have been forever separated. She was walking slowly. Some part of her mind acknowledged the fact that no more Shadows were coming out of the lake.
“Kaylen!” She heard Ryan calling as if from a distance. She knew he was standing at the edge of the lake, but he couldn’t come after her. She kept walking. She reached the center. She slowly turned to look back at her friends. Ryan was yelling at her to come back. Reeba was still cradling the twin. Kaylen could see her tears, though she was far away. Maseo and the other twin guarded them from one side and Luminor stood alert on the other. Jen and Jaesh were still fighting. Kaylen idly thought that watching Magi fight was rather beautiful. Magnificent colors flew back and forth and the moves they made reminded her of a dance she had once seen. She felt the water she was standing on fall, so she was standing in a little valley. That’s impossible, she thought, but her mind didn’t really register it. She felt so strange, kind of lightheaded and dreamy.
“Ryan, look out!” Maseo shouted. A Shadow snuck up on Ryan and shoved him into the lake. Just like the Shadow, he didn’t come back up. One part of her mind shouted at her, telling her to stop, telling her she would trap Ryan, but she didn’t listen. She looked up into the sky, reveling in the sun on her face. Then the water disappeared from beneath her and she disappeared beneath the surface of ShadowLake.
Jen saw Kaylen walk out onto the lake, but there was nothing he could do to stop her. All he could do was keep Jaesh from seeing her. He also saw Ryan fall in and Kaylen disappear. He saw Reeba holding a twin, Jake he thought.
“You can’t win, Jen. You’re too weak.” Jen turned his gaze from his friends to the man he had thought offered him everything.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered to the wind. Then he dropped the shield from his friends and threw all his energy at Jaesh. A ball of green fire shot from Jen’s hands and flew into Jaesh’s chest, ten times as big as the first time he had done it. This time Jaesh fell to the ground and didn’t move. Silence descended. Jen slowly approached the fallen man. There was a gaping hole in his chest and he was gasping for breath. Jen stood above him.
“I won,” he said quietly. “ShadowLake is closed. And you…you are going to die.”
“Have you?” gasped Jaesh. “Have you…won? You say…ShadowLake is…closed. I saw…that man fall…in. Your friend…is lost forever. He will die…soon in ShadowRealm. The halfbreed…the princess, she is dead. The key…is not a…halfbreed…but the death…of a halfbreed. Your remaining…friends have been…changed. You…have lost…everything.”
“I will change them back. I can save them. You are dying. The Shadows have been stopped and the contamination can’t have traveled beyond the Layo Continent.”
 
“You can’t…save them. You know…that. You haven’t the…energy. You can…barely stand. And do…you really think…I was the…one behind this all? This…has been planned…for centuries. He…will find another…way.” Jen watched as Jaesh let out a shuddering breath. His eyes closed and he went still. Jen knelt down and felt his neck. He was dead. Jen stood back up and gathered his courage, terrified of what he would see. Sitting on the fence was a large, black raven beside a black cat. The only thing moving was the tail of the cat as it twitched back and forth. Dark clouds covered the sky, blocking out all sunlight. A thick, low fog had descended. It was his dream in reality. With stiff movements, he turned my head to the cornfield. Four scarecrows looked back at him. Two were identical, staring at me with blank, expressionless eyes, a sneer on their face. Of the other two, one was a boy, the other a girl. The girl’s face was painted as if she were screaming. The boy’s was impassive. He shuddered and looked away. He would save them, he told himself. Somehow. He walked to the edge of the lake, exhaustion making his steps slow and heavy. He peered below the surface, desperate for any sign of Ryan or Kaylen. Nothing. The surface was opaque. He tried to step in, but the water resisted him and pushed him back out. He stepped back and tried to walk to the cornfield to help his friends, but his legs gave way. His head began to pound as the curse took advantage of his weakness. It started to change him, but he pushed it away. Then he raised his eyes to the scarecrows looming above him. What was the point? There was nothing left for him. His friends were gone. Kaylen was dead. He had no home.
Do not forget me.
The curse made his head pound, and he couldn’t focus on who had said that.
Promise you won’t forget us.
But he couldn’t remember. Pain coursed through his body and he stood up jerkily. He walked with stiff steps to the cornfield. It became hard to think, then hard to breath. He stepped into the cornfield and spread his arms like the others. And he was changed.
 
im not stopping just yet. There is more, not much, but more than I would like there to be:( i was going to end it there, but i figured out a diff ending, but i need to change some parts of the story.
1. The magi all have a complete and total superiority complex. They think that just by existing they keep the world in order and all non-Magi are indebted to them. The Insititute pretty much brainwashes the kids. Jen and his friends stuck together mostly b/c they werent quite as radical about it (they still thought magi were better, i mean, come on, they have been told that thier whole lives:))
2. People everywhere in the mainland are extremely poor; there are maybe two of three families in the entire land that dont worry about what to eat. Slaves are basically anyone who doesnt have enough to eat sell themselves. the mark of a slave is short hair (Kaylen how has short hair, though its grown some over the weeks). use barter system low population b/c starvation and high infant death. basically everything is really bad. umm..i thinks thats everything...

Ryan slowly opened his eyes. The sky above him was low and gray, but cloudless. He closed his eyes tight, then reopened them. The gray sky was still there. He slowly staggered to his feet, every bone in his body aching. Where was he? He tried to remember, but he couldn’t recall anything. Not his name, his home, anything. All he knew was that he did not belong here. So that meant he had to get out of here. He turned full circle. All around him were gentle rolling hills. A thick, low fog hid the valleys. Everything was gray. He looked up, studying the sky. No sun. So no sense of direction. He turned around again and looked for some sign as to which way to go. Nothing. Everything was exactly the same. So he picked a direction at random and set out. As he walked, he tried to recall his memories, any memory. But the more he tried, the harder it was to remember. It was like trying to remember a dream. Now and then a memory would hit him, but it would slip away again as soon as he had remembered it. He didn’t know how long he walked. It could have been minutes, hours, days, weeks. Time was irrelevant. He didn’t become tired or hungry, just kept walking. Finally , there appeared a smudge on the horizon.
Kaylen couldn’t see of feel anything. There was no up or down. She couldn’t even feel her body. “Hello?” she called. Or thought she did. She couldn’t feel her lips moving and couldn’t hear her voice. Panic began rising up in her and she thought she began to cry but she couldn’t tell. She was beginning to get hysterical when the light began to change. It took on a greenish cast, not really lightening, but changing color. The green began to surround her. It began to stick to her, enabling her to see her body again. The green became brighter and brighter until Kaylen had to shut her eyes. She gasped as her body was jerked forward, them slammed to a stop. She hesitantly opened her eyes. She was kneeling on the ground, soft grass beneath her. The sky above her and the very air were all green. Even her skin had a green cast.
“Hello, Kaylen. I have been waiting for you,” Kaylen looked up.
“Darien?”
 
“Jen, wake up. Come on, I need you’re help to do this.” Jen felt like he was waking up, but it was harder then waking up had ever been. “That’s it Jen. You’re doing good. Just a little more.” The voice sounded familiar. Who was it? “Almost there.” Jen’s head cleared a bit more and he was able to recognize the voice. But what was Nayl doing here? Jen tried to ask, but his mouth wouldn’t work. “A bit more…there!” Jen opened his eyes to find himself standing in front of Nayl. Tyen and Skikit were supporting a pale Reeba, Franj and Branot in front of Maseo, and four girls Jen had never seen before were with the twins. One of them was tending to Jake’s side, which was bleeding as if it had just happened.
“What…how…when…” Nayl put a hand on my back and led me away from the cornfield to where another girl was tending a fire.
“Sit down, all of you.” I sat down on the ground while Maseo and Reeba collapsed on one side of me and the Josh on the other. Franj carried Jake over and stretched him out with his head in Josh’s lap. The five girls and my friends completed the circle.
“What are all of you doing here?” Jen asked.
“We’ve been following you for a while,” Skikit said. “I’m officially a seer now. Well, I would have been official if we had stayed at the Institute. Well, in a few years, I would have been officially a-” Tyen clamped a hand over Skikit’s mouth.
“What he’s trying to say is that he saw Jaesh betraying you.”
“And he came bursting into my room screaming we had to go after you,” Nayl said.
“And we tried to talk him out of it,” inserted Branot.
“But he wouldn’t be talked out, so we all came,” finished Franj.
“That’s not the only reason we left though,” said Nayl. The others sobered and Jen stiffened. “The teachers were all acting strange. Classes were more rigid than ever, but ended sooner, and the teachers were always off together, discussing something.”
“Then they began bringing in non-Magi,” said Tyen. “They even brought in girls.”
“Why on earth did they bring in non-Magi?” Jen asked in bewilderment. Nayl grimaced.
“They wanted us to practice on them.”
“Practice?” repeated Reeba.
“Kill them,” Tyen said bluntly. “They wanted us to kill them with magic to prove our loyalty to the Magi.”
“Did anyone do it?” Jen asked in a whisper.
“Out of about five thousand Magi, a hundred of us refused,” Franj said. “I thought they were going to kill us on the spot. When they didn’t, we decided a hasty escape was in order.”
“We almost didn’t make it,” said Branot with a shudder.
“We didn’t know what to do or where to go, so we went after you,” said Skikit, pulling down Franj’s hand. “But we got sidetracked when I had another vision.”
“That’s where these girls come in,” said Nayl, motioning to the five girls. One was older, maybe thirty or so. The others were much younger, the youngest probably fifteen and the oldest nineteen. “When Skikit got close to the Kiorn Mountains, he began having visions of them.”
“And they are…?”
“Magi.”
“But they’re female,” protested Jen. “All female Magi are killed!”
“Unless we find them first,” said the woman. “My name is Lia. Ever since the genocide of female Magi began, there have been those of us who have tried to save as many as we can. The older ones search the land for our sisters, while the oldest train the young ones. Your friends found us. The young Skikit told us of his visions of you and an evil Magi. The five of us decided to join them in following you.”
“The other Magi that escaped with us are with the other women. They are headed to Kiarsh.”
“The old capital? Why?” asked Maseo.
“That’s where we’re headed too, once all of you are ready,” said Skikit. “That’s where Em is.”
“Aww, Skikit, enough with the Em,” said Tyen with a groan.
“What else am I supposed to call him?” Tyen shrugged.
“Who’s Em?” asked Josh.
“The evil Magi. You know, the ’e’ from evil and ’m’ from Magi. Em.”
“You just had to ask,” muttered Tyen.
“He lives in the ruins of Kiarsh,” said Skikit as if he hadn’t been interrupted.
“I thought you were talking about Jaesh,” said Maseo.
“Jaesh and all the other Magi are working for him,” explained Skikit. Jen turned to look at Nayl.
“Yeah, I know. Ever since you left, he’s been having visions, dreams, whatever everyday. He knows lots of little things. It can be really useful, or really, um, awkward.”
“Yeah,” said Franj with a laugh. “Like Nayl and Tyca-” Nayl made a slashing motion with his hand and Franj started coughing as his voice cut off. Jen raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment. Jake suddenly groaned and sat up. The bandage fell off to reveal a nasty, but healed, scar.
“We’ll leave in the morning for Kiarsh. ShadowLake may no longer be a factor, but that doesn’t mean its over.”
“What about Kaylen and Ryan?” asked Reeba. “Where are they?” Jen turned around and looked at the lake.
“Kaylen…she’s dead, Reeba. And Ryan is trapped. He may be dead too.”
“No,” Reeba said in a broken voice. “She can’t be dead.” Maseo put an arm around her as she began to sob. Jen suddenly jumped to his feet. He walked over to the fence and held one hand over the raven and the other over the cat. His eyes rolled back in his head and a white light went from his hands into the animals. The cat jumped off the fence and when its feet touched the ground, he was Luminor again. The raven took a bit longer. It finally took off, let out a screech, and changed back into Fyrok.
That was not fun! How long were we out?
“Three days,” said Branot.
We seem to be missing two. No one answered. Fyrok dove over the lake, circling just above it.
“What’s he doing?” asked Tyen.
“Calling for Ryan and Kaylen,” answered Jen. “He and Ryan have known each other for years. And he saved Kaylen when she was a baby.” Jen raised his voice. “They’re gone, Fyrok.” Luminor let out a roar and tried to get into the lake. When he couldn’t, he began to run around it, disappearing into the fog. After a few minutes, he finally laid down by the lake, maoning softly.
“And what’s with him?”
“Kaylen raised him.”
“Oh.” Fyrok landed beside the distraught gryphon. Jen walked over to them and sat down by them. He watched in amazement as a single tear fell from Fyrok’s eye. It was a ruby. He picked it up and rubbed his thumb over it before putting it in his pocket. A few minutes later, the twins, Maseo, and Reeba joined them. They all stared at the lake that had claimed two of their friends.
“Goodbye,” whispered Reeba

hay guys. like i told alex, i have NO IDEA what happens to Ryan in ShadowRealm or how he gets out. So im just gonna skip him until he gets out. im open to suggestions!
 
“Darien?” asked Kaylen in amazement. “But…but you’re dead.”
“Yes,” he said holding out a hand. Kaylen hesitantly took it and he pulled her to her feet. “And so are you.” She stared at him in horror.
“I’m…dead?”
“Yes.” Darien smiled. “Don’t worry, it’s not so bad.”
“Not so bad!” shouted Kaylen. “I’m dead, and you tell me it’s not so bad!”
“Yes.” Kaylen looked away from him. There were other people milling around. Most of them were expressionless, their eyes blank. Kaylen slowly turned back to Darien. He looked different. His eyes were less bright, his expression a bit slack.
“You said you were waiting for me,” she said slowly. “How did you know I was going to die?”
“Everyone dies.” Kaylen slowly nodded. One of the people wandering around came striding over, one of the ones that looked normal. Kaylen’s mouth dropped.
“Jaesh?”
“Hello halfbreed.” Kaylen didn’t think. She walked over to him and slapped him across the face. “Ow!” he cried. He flung one hand at her, but nothing happened.
“Are my friends alright? Tell me!” Kaylen screamed. “Are they hurt?” Jaesh wasn’t listening. He clasped his hands and flung them out, but again nothing happened.
“Yeah, uh, magic doesn’t work here, so you can stop trying.” Kaylen and Jaesh turned to see a young man approaching them, another one that looked normal. “Gen, what are you doing here? I thought you were back at the Home,” he said, addressing Kaylen.
“Excuse me?” she asked.
“How’d you get here so fast? I just left you there.”
“You must have me confused with someone else.”
“You’re twin sister. Her name was Gen,” interrupted Jaesh.
“You aren’t Gen? You look just like her.”
“Hence the word twin,” sneered Jaesh.
“Hey, calm down,” he said in surprise. “Just making a comment.” He turned back to Kaylen. “I can take you to your sister and mother, but since you’re new here, we should just wait here until the soul-grab passes.”
“S-sister?” Kaylen stammered. “Mother?”
“Yeah. You’re mother has been here longer than I have, but your sister came just a few hours ago. This will be her first soul-grab too.”
“Soul-grab?” Kaylen asked dazedly. She slowly backed away from both Jaesh and the man, taking two steps before whirling and running back to Darien.
“Darien, what is going on?” He turned to her.
“Hello, Kaylen. I have been waiting for you.” Kaylen stared at him with huge eyes.
“Darien?” She reached over and touched him, bringing his eyes to hers. “Are you okay?”
“Hello, Kaylen. I have been waiting for you.” She dropped her hand.
“You won’t get anything else out of him.” Kaylen jumped. The young man was right behind her.
“Sorry,” he said. “Anyway, all he has done is stand here since he came. Just says he’s waiting for his friends. Actually, I’m surprised he has lasted this long. The Magi almost never last more than one soul-grab, and he has lasted for over twenty or so.”
“What are you talking about?” Kaylen whispered.
“Sorry. Let me start over. My name is Fayo. I am eighteen and have been dead for ten years. You are dead, in the land of the dead. Everyday, once a day, and in two minutes, the soul-grab comes. If you don’t resist it, you will become like them,” he said nodding at the blank-eyed people, from little children to people who died of old age. “Those are just the ones from yesterday.” He shrugged and opened his mouth to say something, but a column of green light shot into the air behind him. He turned and looked, then looked back at Kaylen. Very calmly, he said, “The soul-grab. Listen carefully. You have to hold onto your memories. You will feel them slipping away, but don’t let them.” Kaylen nodded fearfully. The top of the column spread out so it was like a green cloud, swirling around them with the column in the center. Kaylen felt something touch her mind. Fayo was right: she could feel her memories being taken. She closed her eyes tight and ran through her memories, refusing to forget them. Jen talking nonsense to Mrouta. The twins finishing each others’ sentences. Ryan and Fyrok fighting. Reeba singing. She heard someone scream and her eyes flew open. Jaesh was on his knees, clutching his head with both hands. She watched in horror and fascination as his mouth opened and a green smoke came out of his mouth and floated up to the sky. She turned to Darien. His teeth were clenched and his face intense. A bit of green smoke slipped between his teeth. Then there was a sucking sound and the green cloud seemed to roll back into the column and it disappeared.
“Still with me?” asked Fayo. Kaylen nodded. She was staring at Jaesh. His eyes were blank.
“What happened to him?”
“Who? Oh, him. His soul is gone.” Fayo shrugged. “Come on, I was supposed to be back before the soul-grab.” He began to walk away and Kaylen hesitantly followed. “It’s Kaylen, right?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Well, Kaylen, welcome to being dead.”

And Ryan does something somewhere in ShadowRealm.:D
 
Thanks. Very informative. :rolleyes:

OK, what I want to know is... what's the point to being dead? And who operates this soul-grab? Also, is there another level of being dead? Sorta like, if you survive enough soul-grabs, you get taken somewhere else, or something.

As to Ryan, howsabout if he destroys ShadowRealm? Maybe he could find some way to collapse the universe of ShadowRealm, and then get out just before he does, or something like that. *shrugs* I dunno.
 
There is a point to her being dead, believe it or not. and im getting to the other questions... i mean i have the answers, but i cant tell yall just yet. will post more later today. parents are coming home and the house is a mess:eek::eek::eek:
 
oh, yeah. i still dunno about Ryan. Alex suggested somein w/ the Sillow fruit... i dunno, he could destroy ShadowRealm...but i still dunno how he would get out. i will continue to devote massive amounts of time and brain power to this immense, catastrophic problem:D
 
Jen didn’t dream of ShadowLake. Instead, he dreamed of what could have happened to Kaylen and Ryan. He woke up covered in sweat and breathing hard. Luminor whined and came to lay by him, putting his head in Jen’s lap.
“Are you alright?” asked one of the girls. She got up and walked over. “Do you remember my name? “ Jen shook his head, too tense to be embarrassed. “I’m Fiona.” she knelt down beside him, potting one hand on his shoulder and the other on Luminor’s head. “It’s is okay.” Jen turned haunted eyes to her. “okay, maybe it’s not. But it will be.”
“How do you know?” he asked a bit harshly. She sat down beside him. “Because I know. I wasn’t one of the lucky ones. Your teachers didn’t find me until I was five. I was an only child and my parents weren’t going to give me up. I had to watch as my parents were killed. Lia and some others were too late to save my parents, but just in time to save me.”
“I ‘m sorry,” he muttered. “I’m okay now. Like I said, you will be okay. It still hurts, and I think it always will. But it’s better.”
“I miss them. I miss Ryan calling Fyrok a stupid bird. I miss Kaylen fussing over Luminor.” He let out a small, bitter laugh. “I miss how they refused to admit how much they liked each other.” He let out a sigh. “And it’s only been four days.”
They fell silent, each lost in the past and what could have been.
Two hours later everyone was awake. With one last look at ShadowLake, they headed back into the forest and towards the boats. Jen thought the trip to through the forest would be as easy as it was before. Three minutes into the forest, they all realized it wasn’t going to be easy. An earsplitting screech made them all flinch and draw close together. Suddenly a chatter launched itself from the treetops, sharp teeth bared. It landed on Josh’s head and began pulling out tufts of hair.
“Ahhhh!” screamed Josh. “Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!” The chatter screeched and clung with both arms and legs to his head and Josh ran around, trying to pull it off.
“Hold still!”
“Get it off!”
“Stop moving!”
“Hold him!” Nayl grabbed Josh, wrapping him in a bear hug. Lia grabbed the chatter and it went limp. Josh had scratches all over his face and patches of his scalp could be seen where the hair had been pulled out by the roots.
“Stupid, evil chatter,” growled Jake. Josh was panting too hard to mimic his twin, but he nodded in agreement. Jen stepped forward to examine the animal. Instead of green and silver, it was black. It had three inch fangs, way too big for the animal, and long, curved claws.
“It’s been changed,” Fiona murmured.
“What did you do to it?” asked Jen.
“Put it to sleep.”
“How?”
“Not now, Jen,” Nayl muttered. Another scream made them all jump. “Maybe we should get moving,” he suggested. Jen nodded and they started forward, but the ground moved underneath them. Jen slowly looked down.
“It’s a moss.”
“A what?” Before Jen could answer Tyca, the giant moss they were standing one jerked, knocking them all to their knees.
 
thanx!!!
sorry its been so long guys...

Jen tried to get to his feet, but the rolling moss beneath him made it impossible. Suddenly the moss began to roll up like a giant carpet, trapping first Jen, then the others. Jen struggled against the suffocating moss around him as he listened to his friends yelling. Jen’s arms were trapped by his side, limiting his magic, so he forced his palms outward and they began to glow red. His hands burned through layer after layer of moss until he was finally able to crawl out. The completely rolled up moss rolled over him, pushing him to his stomach. Jen jumped to his feet, only to be plowed into by Luminor, who was running after the moss.
Jen, you alright?
“Fine,” he said, spitting out black, foul tasting dirt.
Well, get going! Jen jumped to his feet and ran after Luminor and his friends. He caught up with Luminor and Fyrok, jumping over Nayl and Lia as they broke free. Jen knew the Magi could get out, but Maseo, Reeba, and the twins would be trapped. Branot, Tyen, and Tyca were the next to get out, then Fiona, Hrava, and Skikit. That left the non-Magi, Franj, and Cidie. No, just Cidie, Jen thought as he jumped over Franj. Nayl and Fiona were running on one side of him, and Lia and Tyen on the other. They caught up with the moss, jumped over it and kept running. After they gained fifty yards on it, they all whirled around and thrust out both hands. The moss lurched to a stop and began to unroll. The end landed exactly at Jen’s feet. Several human sized burn holes dotted the moss and Jen almost felt bad for it. Almost. Jake and Josh ran to him and darted behind him.
“First the demonic chatter-”
“And now the evil moss-”
“Can we get out of here?” they chorused.
“Where’s Cidie?” asked Franj. Jen looked around, but the small blonde was nowhere to be seen.
“Cidie!” called Lia. “Cidie! Where are you?” Lia turned to look at them. “She could be anywhere. She figured out how to instantaneously go from place to place, though she can’t completely control where she ends up.”
“Okay,” Nayl said. “Split up. Jen and the non-Magi stay here. Jen, do something about that thing,” he said, motioning to the dying moss. He paired off the others and they were about to go off into different directions when they heard a piercing scream. They all took off running, streaks through the forest. Two miles from the moss, Cidie was standing in a dirt drawn circle. All around her were the creatures of the Layo Continent, twisted and deformed. The burrows digging claws were now dagger sharp and their eyes glowed red. The hopalongs were now a dull black and their teeth were oversized, distorting their mouths. Other creatures surrounded Cidie, trying in vain to get to her. Until they noticed that Jen and the others had arrived. The animals stopped snarling at Cidie and approached them Jen turned to Nayl, wondering what to do.
“Um,” was all Nayl had to say. Over two hundred different animals crept closer. Jen might have been able to thing of something to do against the animals if another threat had not made itself known. The trees around them began to groan, then sway, though there was no wind. A branch reached down and swiped at Franj. He ducked just in time, but another branch knocked him to the ground. Nayl pulled him back up, ducking as a burrow hurled itself at him.
“Run!” shouted the twins, both taking off like lightning in the direction of the sea. The others followed without a word. Cidie dropped her shield and fell in line. Jen could hear the pounding of hundreds of paws behind them, along with the eerie chatter’s scream and something’s high pitched wailing. Jen and Nayl kept at the back, making sure everyone was in front. Jen had never been more grateful for the endurance the Sillow fruit gave them. By dawn the next day, they were tired, but at the sea. None of them paused as they got into the two boats. The Magi levitated the boats into the water and immediately a water twister sprang up between the boats and the shore. For an instant, Jen thought it was going to race towards the boat.
“The curse didn’t reach the water,” Maseo called from the other boat. “The twisters and whirlpools are still under my family’s power.” Jen breathed a sigh if relief. For now, the danger was over. The Magi all turned to look in the opposite direction, toward the mainland. With five Magi on one boat and six on the other, Jen knew the trip would be much faster than coming to the Layo Contintent. As they sailed away, Jen looked back one last time. Red eyes peered out from the twisted black forest while a thick, knee high fog hid the ground. Above the trees, black clouds swirled around and around like a whirlpool in the sky. As Jen looked at it, he debated setting it on fire to rid the world of it. But before he could come to a decision, the land grew smaller and smaller until it was a black smudge on the horizon.
“Jen, come help us!” Skikit called. Jen slowly turned and helped his friends propel the boat so fast wind whipped past them and the slightest wave sent them pitching into the air. Two days later, the shore came into view. Even from a distance, Jen could see thick plumes of smoke rising into the air. The town was on fire.
 
Kaylen followed Fayo through the green world. After only a few minuted of walking, they came to a wall of green fog. Fayo stepped confidently through it, so Kaylen followed. Intense chills wracked her body, and then she was out. Instead of being in a park like area, they were now in a forest. The trees were normal except for the greeness, and for what looked lie giant pods hanging from all the branched. Kaylen studied them, trying to figure out what they were. Instead of being attached by only one end, they had stems- or something- from both, so they hung parallel to the branches above them. Kaylen looked around. They were literally hundreds of thousands of them in the trees, and those were just the ones in sight.
“Come on,” called Fayo. He was striding through the forest at a quick pace that caused Kaylen to almost have to run to keep up. They came to the center of the forest where a massive tree stood. In its branches, instead of the strange pods, there was a treehouse. There were platforms spread throughout the branches, linked by rope bridges. Kaylen counted five actual rooms plus one very large platform that she assumed was a gathering place. Over thirty people were in the tree, talking on the platforms, running along the bridges, and staring at Kaylen.
“Let us up!” called Fayo and a man dropped down a rope ladder. Fayo climbed up with practiced ease. It took Kaylen a bit longer. When she reached the top, Fayo helped her onto the platform. “This way.” He set off over one of the rope bridges. Kaylen hesitated before taking a step onto the bridge. The bridge swayed with each step she took and by the time she reached the middle, she was almost petrified. Fayo came back when he saw her taking baby steps across the bridge. “Kaylen. Calm down. You’re dead. You can’t die again. You fall, you get back up without a scratch. Trust me. Most of us have tried to commit suicide enough to know it doesn’t work.” Kaylen did not find this comforting, but crossed the bridge with slightly greater confidence. Fayo led them up two more rope ladders, three rope bridges, and across countless platforms before they came to the highest room. The room was made of intertwined branches that wouldn’t stand a stiff wind. The door was a piece of cloth hung from the roof. “Mia? Can we come in?” Fayo asked softly.
“We?” came a woman’s voice. The flap moved aside and a woman stepped out. But Kaylen barely saw her. Instead, she found herself face to face with…herself. Gen was an exact replica of her. The two girls studied each other. Kaylen thought she would feel something towards her twin sister, but she was a stranger just like any other. The woman gasped and stepped forward, taking Kaylen’s face in her hands. Tears poured down her face, but Kaylen remained dry eyed. The woman wrapped her in a hug that Kaylen hesitated to return.
“Both my daughters within hours of each other,” she whispered, letting Kaylen go. “What is your name, dear?”
“Kaylen.”
“You closed ShadowLake,” stated Gena. Kaylen nodded, not sure what to expect from a girl raised by Shadows. “Good. Those demons shouldn’t be allowed to live, let alone to be in the real world.” The words were bitter, and Kaylen realized her sister’s life had been as hard as hers, maybe harder.
“The council is almost starting,” said Fayo. “We should head over there.” He turned and headed toward the large platform.
“Come on girls. You’re questions will be answered there, and we will have lots of time afterwards to catch up,” Mia said, following Fayo. Gena and Kaylen silently followed. They were the last to reach the platform. Kaylen did a quick count. Thirty-seven people counting her. They gathered in a large circle and sat on the platform. Mia sat between her daughters and Gena sat next to Fayo. An older woman sat next to Kaylen. They quieted down and a man stepped into the center. He was older, though not old. Kaylen wondered how he had died. He looked around the circle.
“Everyone is here. Can the new arrivals stand up?” Kaylen fluidly got to her feet with Gena. They were the only new ones.
“Two of them. We haven’t had two in one day on a long time,” said a woman.
“What are your names and how did you die?” asked the man in the center. Kaylen and Gena exchanged a glance. Gena went first.
“My name is Gena and I died opening ShadowLake. Against my will,” she added. A gasp went up from the crowd.
“My name is Kaylen and I died closing ShadowLake.” This time silence met her announcement. Kaylen hesitantly sat down with Gena following her lead. The man in the center stared at them for several moments before introducing himself.
“My name is Briol. I was the first to ever come to the land of the dead, around two hundred years ago.”
“But that’s impossible,” said Gena. “People died before that.” Briol shrugged.
“I was the first, and that was two hundred years ago. That is fact. What you make of it is up to you.” Silence descended. Briol cleared his throat. “Normally we would ask you to tell your story if you had one, but today we are going to demand it. We know of ShadowLake and the plan to open it. We would like to here the rest of the story.” Gena went first, telling of her life in the ShadowRealm. Though technically a princess, the daughter of the ShadowKing, she was treated as his slave. When the time came, he shoved her into the ShadowLake in ShadowRealm, opening it all the way. From there, it was Kaylen’s story. She took much longer, telling of her friends, how she met them, and the last she saw of them. When she was finished, she turned pleading eyes to Gena.
 
“Is there any way for Ryan to get out of ShadowRealm?” Gena slowly shook her head.
“None that I know of. I’m sorry.”
“If he died, would he come here?” Kaylen wondered, tears in her eyes. Briol shrugged.
“Shadows have never come here, but he isn’t a Shadow. But it maybe because they are in ShadowRealm. I just don’t know.” He glanced around at the rest of them, but nobody had any hope to offer her.
“Now, we will ask you questions, then you may ask,” Briol said. He sat down in the circle. A small thin man stood up and demanded form Kaylen a very minute description of the way things were going in the world. Another man had questions for Gena about ShadowRealm. After that and a few more general questions about her travels, Kaylen was allowed to ask her own questions.
“What is the soul-grab?” Briol answered.
“Just what it sounds like. Hundreds of people die everyday, and almost none of them make it past their first soulgrab. Maybe one out of every hundred thousand. After that, several more can’t make it past the next soul-grabs. So after two hundred years, you only have the thirty-seven of us who have consistently dodged the soul-grab.”
“Where are all the ones that haven’t made it?” asked Gena.
“That will be answered later. Next question.”
“What are the seed things in the branches?”
“Later. Next question.” Kaylen and Gena continued to ask questions, most of which were deferred to later. Finally they ran out and the council was dismissed. A man came towards Kaylen and held out a hand to help her to her feet. She took it and he hauled her up. When she was standing, she found herself craning her head back to look into the man’s face, a face that was vaguely familiar.
“Your Maseo’s father, aren’t you?” The man smiled.
“Masin, at your service. I am very grateful to you for your information on my family, especially my wife and youngest son.” Kaylen nodded, hearing the sadness in his voice.
“Come on, Kaylen,” called Mia. “We are going to take a tour and answer some of your questions.”
“Do you mind if I join you?” asked Masin. Kaylen shook her head. Fayo also joined them. They climbed down to the ground level.
“First, a quick mental tour. You can explore later,” said Mia. “This is the forest region. There is a mountain region, sea region, though that one is a bit…odd, a village-type region, which is where you both came in, and meadow region. To get from one to another, you simply go through the fog walls. What we have to show you is in the mountain region.” They walked as Mia spoke and she led them through a fog wall. The chills were just as bad and Kaylen teeth were chattering even after she got out.
“It doesn’t get any easier,” said Fayo apologetically. Instead of a forest, small, mountain like hills were in front of them. They were shaped like mountains, but in extreme miniature. Fayo took the lead and went part way up one of the mountains and into a small cave. Kaylen found she could still see in the dark, but her mother, sister, and Fayo each pulled a torch from a pile. After lighting them with some flint, Fayo headed deeper into the cave. The floor began to slope downwards. The tunnel they were in opened into a huge cavern. Kaylen gasped when she saw what was in it. Thousands upon thousands of people were in the cavern. They all had blank faces. Some were standing, some were sitting and some were even lying on the floor. Nothing moves or made a sound.
“We’ve gone back further and found over a hundred more caverns like this, but we never had the courage to keep going and see how many there actually were,” said Masin.
“So all these people are the ones that couldn’t take the soul-grab?” asked Gena in a whisper. Kaylen stepped further into the room. At the edge of the crowd, Jaesh stood with his eyes staring ahead at nothing. He gently touched him. Or tried to. Her hand went right through him. She let out a little gasp and jerked her hand back. It was cold. She blew on it, but even then, it was several minutes before it was warm again, and even then it wasn’t as warm as the other one.
“Can we leave?” asked Kaylen. “This..this is wrong. Can we go?” Fayo silently headed back out. Kaylen ran the last few feet out of the cave and into the green light that came from nowhere. Even the strange light was better than the feeling of being in the cavern. Kaylen and Gena were led through the other regions. The sea region was the strangest. There was a beach and about ten feet of water, but then it stopped. There was no way to describe it. It just ended. The sea was there, and then it wasn’t. The sight made Gena sick and they left qickly. They were almost back at the Home when Kaylen remembered her question about the pods. When she asked it again, Masin, Mia, and Fayo exchanged a glance.
“If you want to know what they are, go look at them. But don’t touch,” said Mia gently. “But I advise you not to look. It will make sleeping in the Home very hard for a long time.” Kaylen nodded, though she had no idea shat she was talking about. She and Gena climbed the nearest tree and began to edge out on one of the branches. A pod was hanging just in front of Kaylen, level at her chest. Gena squeezed next to her on the thin branch and Kaylen found herself longing for the large branched in the Layo Continent. Both girls turned their attention to the pod. From below, it looked like an oval seed. From above, Kaylen could see it was hollow. She peered inside, not sure what she was expecting. Inside, nestled under a thin brown blanket, was a baby. Kaylen jerked back when she realized what it was. Slowly she turned to look at the rest of the tree. The baskets hung from every branch in every tree. Thousands of them. And all of them held a dead baby.
 
seems like you have a lot more than you'd thought, marissa...lol. but that's ok, b/c your story always keeps me guessing!!!!! but we still need to figure out how to get ryan out of the shadowrealm...i do love hat you had kaylen ask about how to get him out...haha
 
Jen jumped onto the dock as soon as the boat was close enough. He dimly noticed the others calling after him, but he ignored them, running toward the blaze that was engulfing the town. People were running and screaming. A woman called a name over and over. Jen could feel the heat from the flames as he ran into the center of the town. He raised his hands to the sky, then brought them down fast until they touched the ground. Jen stood back up, staring at the sky. Rain began to fall, slowly at first, then faster. The flames hissed as the water hit them, but otherwise the water had no affect. Jen gritted his teeth and the rain fell faster, but still nothing. He frowned and the rain stopped.
“Jen!” Fiona came running up. She was panting and bent over to catch her breath. She pointed in one hand. “Over there…two magi…keeping the…flames going.” Jen took off in the direction she was pointing. He heard their laughter before he saw them. He felt sickened when he identified two of his classmates.
“Gio! Javen!” he called. They looked around and finally focused on him. Their mouths dropped.
“Jen! We thought you were dead!” Gio said.
“Well, I’m not. Put out the flames!” The two Magi looked at each other, then back at Jen.
“No way,” said Javen. “We’re having fun.”
“Fun!” shouted Jen. “People are dying! Stop it now!” Gio and Javen stared at Jen in disbelief.
“They aren’t Magi, so who cares?”
“They do! I do! You should! Your families, your parents weren’t Magi.” Gio shook his head.
“The only family we have is the Magi. Everyone else is…entertainment,” he said with a wicked grin. Jen stared at them in horror.
Jen started to ask more questions, but the screams and running were still going on around them.
“Put out the flames,” Jen said softly.
“Make us, Jen,” said Gio. “Since you are such a special Magi.” Jen studied them, deciding whether it was really necessary or not. When Javen raised one if his hands, Jen reacted without thinking. He stepped forward and pushed his hands out. Gio and Javen were flung backwards and onto the ground. Gio was the first up, his movements unsteady. Before he took a step towards Jen, a man came out of the shadows and hit Gio over the head with the broad side of a sword. Javen struggled to his feet, saw the fallen Gio, and took off. Now that the Magi were no longer fueling the fire, the rain- Jen assumed Nayl and the others had made it because all the stars were visible- started to put out the fires. Jen turned to the man who was kneeling over Gio. He walked over.
“Hey, thanks- “ Jen cut off when the man raised his face. “Ryan!” Ryan’s grin was easily scene by the light of the dying fires.
“Hey, Jen.”
Ryan! You’re okay!
“Sorry to disappoint you.”
I’ll get over it.
Jen rolled his eyes. Two streaks ran into Ryan, knocking him to the ground.
“You’re alive!” shouted both twins as they scrambled off Ryan.
“I’m not sure I am anymore,” Ryan said with a groan. Jen helped him to his feet.
“Jen! There you are! Hey, what happened to him?” asked Reeba as she walked around Gio, giving him a wide berth as if he was going to jump up and attack her.
“Ryan hit him over the head.”
“Huh…Ryan…what?” She slowly turned to look at Ryan. “Ryan!” she shrieked. “You’re alive! And here!” She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed so tight he thought he was going to have bruises. “Is Kaylen with you?” Ryan’s grin faded.
“She…she isn’t here?” Reeba let go and took a step back.
“Ryan,” Jen said, wishing for a better time and place, “she’s dead. She died closing ShadowLake.”
“No.”
“Yes, Ryan. Jaesh said that for ShadowLake to close, Kaylen had to die.”
“No!”
“Ryan…”
“NO!” He turned and punched the blackened wall of what used to be a house before stalking of into the night.
I’ll keep an eye on him, Fyrok said quietly. Jen hesitated, wanting to follow his friend, but the cries of people around him could not be ignored. Ryan could wait. The people trapped in collapsed buildings and dying of severe burns couldn’t.
 
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