Breath of Fire 1. Prologue: The Rise to Power

I have been 'persuaded' into doing a fic by a number of my friends. Yes I'm talking about you guys: Mei Cera a.k.a. Gensui Meia, Sacred Bloodred RoseTear, and last but not least Idiot1988…so I want it to be clear that I'm doing this under protest. Everyone got that straight? Good. Now here we go…may Ladon bless us all…

Summary: We all know that before BoF One there were 8 warriors who sealed Tyr with the goddess keys, but we never knew the story behind it. Here starts the tale…the legend behind the Breath of Fire series…

Disclaimer: I don't own BoF or any of the characters. They belong to Capcom. So don't sue me.

This is (obviously) set before BoF One, so I'll have some references to events in it…well maybe. This is my first fic…so please people, be nice.

The Dragon Warrior Prologue: The Rise to Power 

          There was a time when the world was young, and humans were only but a part of the great cycle of Life, coexisting in harmony with the creatures of the land, sea and air.

          Now, all the humans were one and the same at the very beginning, and there were no distinctions between various clans as there is now. However, as centuries came and went, as the people of the land grew very much more numerous, it came to pass that they grew more and more territorial as there were too many of them for the land to conveniently support. Thus it was then that humans first took up arms against their own kind, weapons of stone and flint, which were once fashioned for the hunt, and did violence unto those who trespassed into their land. Also, it was then that they began to first coalesce into little groups comprising largely of family members, and then expanding into larger clans either through conquest or mutual consent, reasoning that there was safety in numbers, and also that having more people would facilitate later conquests in order to gain more territory. Inevitably, when there are large amounts of people involved, there are usually many people who would feel that they are suitable candidates for the post of the leader, so it was that even within a clan itself there would be internal strife and in serious cases, even larger clans would fall apart and disintegrate into tiny warring factions bent on eliminating each other, leaving themselves open to external threats who are ever mindful of these weaknesses.

          Thus it stood at that point. No one was truly powerful enough to achieve dominance over an extended period of time, for any clan who attempted to do so was either stopped midway or even if they did succeed, their reign would be marred by civil unrest and/or internal turmoil, before crumbling into nothingness. The world became one gigantic battlefield, where everyone was locked in a titanic but inconclusive struggle for power over all. Clearly it was going to take something spectacular for peace to return to the war-torn land.

          The 'something spectacular' eventually happened when the great Dragon-God Ladon awoke to this era. He was incensed by the fact that his creations (A/N: Yes, Ladon created the world and everything in it, in my story at least…and before I forget, Ladon had gone to sleep shortly after he finished all the creating…sorry about the interruption…J) had turned upon each other in hate and war. It was then that He decided to take steps to rectify the situation. He took those from amongst all the people in the land, those whose mind were untainted by blood and strife, who yearned for peace instead of war, and spoke to them, saying, "I have woken up to this world which has been corrupted by greed and strife, and I am wroth that it is so. Knowest thou that I intend to cause change in this land of bloodshed, and it shall be through thee that MY will wouldst come to pass. Thus it shall be thee, who wouldst be the instruments of my fury, and I shall grant thee with power unprecedented to allow thee to bend even the most stubborn of knees to thy will, and thou wouldst be unchallenged in all the world. I shall further aid thee by confounding thy foes and rendering them unprepared for thy onslaught. Go forth then, my Children, and show to all the true face of my wrath!" The chosen people were immediately enveloped in an incandescent light, and they felt a surge of raw power well up through every fiber of their being. And then they found that they could harness that power within them to transform into the totem of Ladon the Dragon-God, that is, a dragon. These were the first of the Dragon-People. Depending on their innate abilities, they could either transform into elemental dragons of Fire, Ice, or Lightning. There were also a very select few who could utilize the Rudra transformation spell, which was then the most powerful dragon spell there was. (A/N: No mention of Agni here…you will know why later…) It was also at the same time that when the Dragon-People received their powers that a veil of darkness descended upon the world. When it lifted, the people of the world could no longer recognize each other, for their appearance had been altered by the magic of the Dragon-God, each according to the clan the person belonged to. A great wail rose from them, and many bemoaned the loss of their own appearances. It was then that the Dragon-People struck. All unnoticed by the confused people of the land, they swept across everything in their path, meeting little or no resistance at first. But as the people began to regain their wits sufficiently in an attempt to repel the invaders, they were utterly confounded when the Dragon-People changed form to meet them, and they were even more chagrined to discover that ordinary weapons did nothing but bounce off the armor-like scales of the dragons, and even when they used their magic, the damage done was so measly that it was absolutely of no significance to the dragons. Devastating was the damage wrought by the Dragon-People, and many clans capitulated from sheer terror after witnessing the carnage in the neighboring territories. Thus it was a through a swift campaign that the Dragon-People fulfilled their God's will and humbled the entire land. The Dragon-God was well pleased by his loyal subjects, and after He had delivered a blistering remonstrance to the wayward peoples of the land and then sent them all home, He said this to His Children, "I am well pleased with thee, for thou hast accomplished the task that I have set thee in a most satisfying fashion. But now I must leave, for there are yet many things in other worlds that require my attention, and thus shall I turn the governance of this world to thy hands. Thou shalt not abuse thy power, but instead ensure peace amongst the peoples of the land, for in the day that thou wouldst rise above thyself shall I return to cast thee down with thy own blood (A/N: This obscure reference about the blood will be explained later in the story. I'm just laying down the groundwork now) and thou wouldst be left alone to bewail thy fate if thou wouldst see fit to disobey my words. Abide then in my return, and safeguard thy hearts against the serpent of ambition, for it doth lieth at the hearts of all mankind." Being a wise God, Ladon quickly perceived the need for a leader amongst His Children, and it was then that He appointed the wisest and bravest man amongst the Dragon-People, Talvar Drynatch, or Talvar the Lionhearted, as people later came to call him, to be the first of the Kings of the Dragon clan. Ladon blessed him and his descendants, so that they would be ever wise and just to the people. He then extended His blessings to the Dragon clan, so that their descendants would be as numerous as the stars and as uncountable as the sand in the earth. (A/N: Note the extremely obvious reference to the Bible, and it isn't the only one. How many other Biblical references can you people count?) When all was done, Ladon departed and the people saw him no more.

          Thus the Dragon clan came to existence and power, but ever mindful of their God's words, they chose not to interfere with the other peoples in the land, instead choosing to let the other clans govern themselves. The Dragons only interfered when conflict threatened the peace amongst the clans, and even then, all it usually took was a few threats of unleashing the horrors of the terrible war to quiet any dissidents.

          But peace could never endure forever, and history threatens to repeat, this time starting from the Dragons themselves…

Well, how's that for a first chapter? I apologize for it being so long and tedious, not to mention that it _also_ sounds like something out of the Bible. I came up with the idea for the story while I was busy being bored to death during a very long and tedious sermon at church, so I guess that's how it became like that…oh before I forget, I might as well apologize for all the long and windy speeches in medieval English. I didn't really plan on it being so long. It just came out, and before I knew it I had a whole chunk of speech. Sometimes I outsmart myself. *frowns* Ah well, I guess I'll wrap up for the day, and please everyone, R+R!!!!!  


	2. Young and Innocent

Hey people! I'm back! I'm so thrilled to see that there are people reading this at all. Many thanks to **To live is to be Evil, Artificer Urza** and **Kamislash** for reviewing. Also, thanks for pointing out certain flaws in the structure of my fic. I promise that I'll try my best to keep the advice in mind.

Note to **Artificer Urza:** I said in the first chapter that I was doing this under protest only because I was afraid of failing miserably if I ever did a fic. Actually, I enjoy writing very much and had wanted to do a fic for a very long time, but I didn't have enough confidence in my own abilities. It's a character flaw of mine having to do with an inferiority complex. Anyway thanks for your advice. I appreciate it.

Summary: The story of the 8 warriors who originally sealed the goddess Tyr with the goddess keys. What else is there to say?

Disclaimer: I don't own BoF. It belongs to Capcom. I only own the plot and my own characters.  

Legend:

+++~Change in scene~+++

^^PoV^^

The Dragon Warrior Chapter One: Young and Innocent 

---800 years after Ladon left---

          His Imperial Majesty, King Rayne Drynatch, the 49th King of the Dragon clan, descendant of Talvar the Lionhearted, was busy attending to state affairs with his childhood friend and advisor, Zaine Karnos, when a little blue-haired boy (1) rushed into the Imperial study without knocking. "What is the meaning of this?!" Advisor Karnos demanded of the diminutive six-year-old who had just barged in. The little boy ignored him and turned instead to the king, saying "Uncle Rayne! You have to come immediately! Kain and Karl are busy dunking Riana in and out of the pond!" King Rayne stared incredulously at his nephew, who at present looked extremely flustered and a little worse for wear, since he had a couple of bruises on his right arm and his clothes were a little dusty and torn in certain places. Advisor Karnos, on the other hand, ignored the boy's announcement and instead informed the boy in an icy tone, "I believe that the proper mode of address when speaking to the King would be 'Your Majesty', regardless of who you are. Might I remind you that disrespect to the King is a criminal offence? I suggest that you had better watch your language, little boy, or else…" King Rayne put up a hand to silence his advisor and said, "That'll be enough, Zaine. Don't be so hard on the boy. He's still a child after all. And what did you mean when you said that Kain and Karl were 'dunking Riana in and out of the pond', Ryu?" (2) Ryu took a deep breath and replied, but not before casting an apprehensive glance at the sternly disapproving expression on Advisor Karnos' pallid face, "Well, it's like this Uncle—I mean Your Majesty. Riana and I were out in the palace grounds, and when we met Kain and Karl near the pond, Riana got into an argument with them over them dunking a bucket of cold water over her head this morning when she was still in bed. The argument just got louder and louder until Kain decided to shut her up by shoving her into the pond. That's when the problem started, since they decided that jerking Riana's head in and out of the water was fun. I tried to stop them, but they were a lot bigger than me, and there were two of them, and I ended up being knocked off my feet. So I decided to come here for help." Ryu said all this very fast, and King Rayne just managed to get the gist of it. He immediately came to his feet and started towards the door. Advisor Karnos hurried after his king and protested, "But Your Majesty, this is a minor matter. We still have many important matters at hand to attend to. Surely this can wait?" Rayne shot back at his old friend, "I only have one daughter, Zaine, and I don't want her to drown at her own brothers' hands. Those two don't know when to stop. Besides, I need a breath of fresh air. It was getting stuffy in that room." 

+++~ Somewhere in the palace grounds ~+++

          "Let me *glug glug* up! *cough* *gasp* HELP!" spluttered Her Royal Highness, Princess Riana, who was presently at the mercy of her older twin brothers. Her plea, however, fell on deaf ears, and was instead greeted by raucous laughter from the surrounding crowd who had somehow gathered out of apparently nowhere to witness her utter humiliation. Of course, she was in no condition to notice how the crowd had gathered in the first place, since she was busy trying to keep from being drowned by her brothers, whom she was sure were the Devil incarnates. The laughter from the crowd served to re-ignite her fury and indignation, however, and she responded by throwing vile imprecations, which she was not supposed to even know about, but which she had routinely overheard being used with a certain vehemence, at her brothers, who were enormously impressed by their six-year-old little sister's command of the more 'colorful' side of language. It was to this scene that King Rayne, flanked by Ryu and Advisor Karnos, walked in upon. 

^^ King Rayne's PoV ^^

          Wild thoughts were running through my mind. What were my children doing? I hope Riana is safe. Her brothers have a tendency to overdo things sometimes. I can't imagine having to pass my crown to either one of those itinerant pranksters. They'll probably plunge the whole kingdom into disaster. Whatever did I do to deserve this? Ah, there's the pond Ryu was talking about…what in the world?! Is, is that Riana? How in the name of Ladon did she learn those  swearwords? I hope she doesn't really understand what those words actually mean…ouch…now _that_ was a pretty nasty insult…I hope she doesn't really mean it. But then again, she has had plenty of provocation…I had better do something about this though, before it gets out of hand…

^^ Normal PoV ^^

          King Rayne winced as Princess Riana shrieked out all sorts of curses in between being jerked in and out of the water. Even Advisor Karnos' usually impassive face was slightly pained and a look of mild horror and shock flickered in his ruby red eyes. Only Ryu did not seem to show any overt reaction at the sheer vehemence in Riana's swearing. He was already used to her little quirks, being her playmate and her closest companion. Rayne cleared his throat and stepped forward. A number of the crowd who were busy being entertained by the sight of the princess being tormented by her brothers paled slightly at the sudden appearance of the King, and immediately opened a path for him to walk through. "That will be enough!" King Rayne boomed in his most commanding tone. Everyone looked up. Surprise, then dread, registered in the faces of Kain and Karl, as they took in the six-and-a-half foot frame of their father towering over their crouched forms. Instinctively, or probably not, they both gave their little sister's head one last shove into the crystal clear depths of the pond before scrambling hastily to their feet. "Why hello, Father, lovely weather isn't it?" Kain said in his most cheery tone, hoping to lighten the tense atmosphere in the area. Karl said nothing, but then again, he never was one to waste words.

However, there was probably nothing Kain could do, no matter how eloquent he was. "Lovely weather, huh? How is it that _I _didn't notice it?" A sarcastic voice penetrated the silence. It belonged to Riana, who was being helped out of the pond by Ryu. There was murder in her eyes as she glared at her brothers. Kain opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by his father. "You will meet me in my study after the midday meal. I expect to see all three of you there. Ryu, please come along as well. And Riana, please go get cleaned up. You'll catch a cold like that. And no more of this nonsense, or else…" King Rayne left the threat hanging, knowing that the active imaginations of his three children would conjure up worse punishments than whatever he could devise. He then swept off majestically back towards the castle with Advisor Karnos at his side, leaving a silent audience in his wake.

**Footnotes (decided to try this out on Kamislash's suggestion)**

**(1):** Hmm…someone with blue hair…any clues who it might be…?J

**(2):** Yea, that's the first Ryu, and yes he's the guy who going to seal Tyr. 

Why do you think all the later Heroes in the BoF games are called Ryu? Try and guess. Well, another one done! I'm beginning to really enjoy this. Oh, before I forget, many thanks to **Mei Cera a.k.a. Gensui Meia**. She helped me come up with some of the names in the story. Arigato Cera-chan! Well people, R+R!                                     


	3. Squabbles, Punishments and Lessons Learn...

Hi! Here I am again! Many thanks to **BladeBreaker Girl, Artificer Urza **and **To live is to be Evil** for reviewing. Also thanks to **BladeBreaker Girl** for pointing out that I need to space out the paragraphs and sentences. I just realized that it's a little cramped. Me will remember to space it out. In addition, thanks for recommending that site to me, **Artificer Urza**, and rest assured that I'll go to read and review your fic. I'm sure that it'll be great.

Disclaimer: I don't own BoF. So stop trying to find excuses to sue me.

Legend: 

+++~Change in scene~+++

^^PoV^^

The Dragon Warrior Chapter Two: Squabbles, Punishments and Lessons Learned 

          Princess Riana was not in a good mood. In fact, if she was allowed to do whatever she felt like doing, half the palace would be lying in ruins now. Many servants were directing curious looks in her direction as she stormed her way back to her room, probably because she looked as if she had just came in from a rainstorm outside. Ryu matched her stride for stride, but remained silent, knowing that one wrong word from him could cause potentially disastrous repercussions from his best friend. When they finally reached her quarters, Riana slammed the door behind her, which was no mean feat for a little girl who was barely 4 feet tall, and almost squashed Ryu into the doorframe in the process. It was only through sheer luck, combined with natural reflexes, that Ryu avoided being plastered onto the doorframe. The disgruntled princess completely ignored her companion and instead flopped onto her bed, not caring that she was making the sheets wet. 

          "Err… Riana, don't you think that you should change out of your wet clothes first? You'll catch a cold if you stay in that condition." Ryu tentatively put the suggestion forward. 

Riana gave him a cold stare and snapped, "Who do you think you are? My father? I don't need someone like you to tell me what to do!" 

Ryu winced inwardly, and he inevitably also felt slightly offended by her spiteful remark, and before he could stop himself, he answered back a little defensively, "Well, I did help to get you out of that pond. Couldn't you be just a little grateful instead of acting like a completely spoiled child?" The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted saying them immediately. 

Riana's eyes flared dangerously, and her answer was flat and bitter, "Well well, what do we have here? Someone who thinks he's a great hero, is he? 'I saved the princess' indeed! Well, did you have to go to my father in the first place? Now I'm in trouble, and it's ALL YOUR FAULT. Go away, I don't want to see you ever again!" Ryu bit his lip. How could he have been so stupid as to say those words? Gathering up the last shreds of his dignity, he bowed stiffly to the princess before swiftly exiting the chamber, not noticing that right after he had turned to leave that tears had sprung to Riana's eyes and that she broke down into a storm of weeping the moment he was out of the room.

          Ryu was scowling, a rare emotion on that usually cheerful face of his. He was upset with himself for saying those hurtful words to his best friend, no _ex_-best friend. Hadn't she made it abundantly clear just now that she never wanted to see him again? He had never seen her with that expression on her face before, even when they had gotten into other arguments previously. He concluded that she must really hate him for yelling at her like that. He had never raised his voice at her, and no matter what happened he would always give in to her whims. 

"Well, enough is enough, I guess. If she doesn't want to be friends, I won't be her friend." Ryu mumbled aloud. "What was that, my son?" A tall lady stepped out of a doorway. Ryu looked up. It was his mother, Lady Schala, the half-sister of King Rayne. (1)

 "Oh nothing really, mother, I just had a quarrel with Riana, and we more or less did everything short of killing each other." Ryu replied, his own calmness surprising even himself. His mother looked startled and probed cautiously for more information, " So you two are not on speaking terms anymore…would you like to tell me exactly what happened?" Ryu sighed and nodded, before following his mother into the set of chambers the two of them shared. He then proceeded to recount the details of everything that had happened since that morning, which provided a certain degree of entertainment for Schala, since certain events of the morning _were_ a trifle ridiculous, not to mention also very comical. 

          After Ryu had finished his story, Schala nodded gravely and said, "You shouldn't have said that to her, you know. It must have hurt her feelings terribly, even if you were absolutely right about her behavior. Riana can be quite immature sometimes, but still, she's a girl, and you are supposed to be a gentleman and not shoot off your mouth the way you did." Ryu looked a little offended by that particular comment, but before he could open his mouth to protest, Schala continued, "I know it's not particularly fair, but it is going to be one of the things you have to learn to do in order not to offend the female population in general, my son. Look upon this incident as educational, instead of learning the hard way in the future." 

"But it's all so _unfair_!" Ryu blurted out in indignation, his face filled with a kind of innocent outrage. Schala smiled down beneficently at her young and as yet unworldly son and lightly teased him, saying, "Do you _truly_ believe that life is ever going to be fair to you? We all have to learn to accept these little setbacks once in a while. Besides, wouldn't life be so much less exciting if everything was so nice and predictable?" 

Ryu's eyes grew thoughtful and troubled, as he pondered his mother's words, before finally answering, "I think I'll need more time to think about all this, mother. Can you please tell Uncle Rayne that I can't go to that little meeting after lunch? I'm not really going to be involved in that meeting between Uncle Rayne, Kain, Karl and Riana anyway, so no one's going to miss me very much… I think I will have to take a walk, maybe near the shrine…" Schala agreed and told him not to stay out too late. As she watched his retreating back, she had a sudden, ominous feeling at the back of her consciousness. "The black wind howls…" (2) Schala murmured, as the icy grip of fear and dread insinuated itself around her heart, "Please, Ladon, keep my son safe…" 

+++~ In the King's study, after lunch ~+++

          The three children had gathered shortly after their midday meal. All of them were none too enthusiastic about the upcoming confrontation with their usually easygoing father, as they all had a premonition that _this_ meeting was not going to be all filled with joy and good cheer. 

          King Rayne emerged shortly from a back room. He glanced at his children, satisfied that they had obeyed him and came on time. He was about to address them when Riana interrupted timidly, "Father…isn't Ryu supposed to be here as well?" Her brothers also nodded their agreement. Rayne gave them, especially Riana, a somewhat amused look, "Didn't you know? His mother informed me that he needed to spend some time alone for a while." He delivered the last part of his response looking a little purposefully at Riana. Riana felt a wrench of guilt. She _knew_ that Ryu must have been hurt by their spiteful exchange of words in her room somewhat earlier. She felt bad for what she had said to him, that much she was willing to admit privately, although if someone were to say the same thing of her, she would have immediately denied it. 

Princess Riana was like that sometimes. 

Sensing her obvious discomfort, Rayne changed subjects. Instead, he delivered some very startling news indeed. "I have decided that, since you three can't seem to grow up and learn to be more responsible and to get along with each other, I will personally have to take more drastic measures." He paused for dramatic effect. The eyes of his three offspring were more than a little apprehensive. 

Smiling inwardly, he continued, "I will send the three of you away from the palace to the outlying cities to learn how to be independent. Don't think that you will be waited on hand and foot during your stint there. You _will_ have to fend largely for yourself. And you will learn how the day-to-day events that happen out of your sight here in the palace can greatly influence the stability of our kingdom. This will promise to be a very educational trip for all three of you. Don't think that just because you are only six years old exempts you from this, Riana. I was about your age when my own father sent me out on this sort of trip to gain more experience." He stopped, letting the information sink into his children's heads, while privately smirking at their chagrined expressions. (3)

+++~ Meanwhile, at the Shrine of Ladon ~+++

^^Ryu's PoV^^

          I've always loved coming to this shrine. It just seems so peaceful here, just the perfect place for me to sort out my thoughts…

          Mother gave me a lot to think about. She practically rearranged the way I looked at the world. I never knew that being a gentleman involved so much sacrifice, and I certainly never even realized that ladies enjoyed these little 'special benefits' from men. It's just isn't fair, but I guess mother was certainly right about what one thing: life was _not_ going to be fair.

          I guess this points to one thing, that I'm going to have to apologize to Riana. I hope she won't scream at me _too_ much…_I_ _hope_…I am so _not _looking forward to this…

          _"Ryu…"_ I jumped about three feet into the air. What was that? I was almost positive that someone called my name. Maybe I was just hallucinating…

          _"Come here…Ryu…follow mine voice…"_ There it was again. This time I was sure of it. I was most definitely not dreaming. However, before my confused mind had finished going through its logic process, my body had already begun moving forward, as if it had a mind of its own, toward that mysterious voice. There seemed to be some kind of subtle leash in that silent voice, urging, directing me towards it.

          I guess I should have been absolutely terrified by this strange and unexpected phenomenon. But I wasn't. There was something strangely soothing in that voice, as well as the presence that I sensed accompanied it. I was totally at ease. Somehow I just knew that whatever this was, it was not going to hurt me.

          I kept moving. I passed through the main body of the shrine, and started towards the inner chambers, which are normally restricted to the priesthood. Part of my rational mind informed me that I was forbidden to enter that place, but I just _had_ to get to that voice. No matter what the cost…

          I followed that twisting and winding passage further and further in. Surprisingly, I did not meet a single soul in the walkways. That should probably have disturbed me, but my mind was too caught up with following that voice to notice. Finally I emerged from the gloomy passages and stepped out into a light-drenched chamber.

          Blinking hard, my eyes finally got used to the dazzling sunshine and I was finally able to behold the wonders of the chamber I had just entered. This place seemed to have somehow been integrated with the mountain that flanked the back and sides of this shrine, and the ceiling seemed be refracting the sunshine into gorgeous shades. That's when I realized that the ceiling appeared to be underneath a stream of running water! How could that be possible? But it would certainly explain how the sunlight was being turned into a light show in this cavernous chamber. There was a profusion of beautiful plants growing in certain corners, where cracks in the ceiling allowed water to flow through and enable plant growth.

          However, what seized my attention was what was in the middle of the chamber. It was positioned in such an angle and in a position that when the light cascaded down, shifting through its myriad forms, it would fall exactly upon that object and cause it to be illuminated in a halo of rainbow light. It was a breathtaking sight indeed.

          _"Ryu…stretch forth thy hand and place it upon the orb which thou hast seen…"_ It was the voice again. Again I was unable to resist that command. I reached out my hand and started towards it… 

Footnotes 

**(1) Schala and Rayne have the same father, but Rayne was the son of his father's first wife, while Schala was the result of the union between the previous king and his second wife.**

**(2) Yes, I poached that from Chronotrigger. So I'll state here that I do not own that line. Satisfied? And Schala is actually a seer, someone who can see into the future, well, sort of.**

**(3) Yes, Rayne is being a little 'evil' in this chapter. But he's sending his kids away for their own good, for them to learn more about the kingdom.**

Well, how was that? It's slightly longer than my first two offerings, mainly because I'm building up to a mini climax. Plus, what do you think of the cliffhanger? Promising or not? What do you people think? And I apologize for Ryu sounding so mature. I didn't want him to think and talk like a baby. Next chapter will be quite a bit of fun, that much I can promise. Also, this story will not only focus on Ryu's journey to seal Tyr, but will shift slightly to the generation before him. In other words, about his parents and also about a certain someone... Just thought you people should know…there would be some violence in the next chapter. (Just to justify the PG-13 rating, I guess.) Remember everyone: **READ AND REVIEW!!!!!!**


	4. Awakened

Hey! Me back sooner than I thought I would be! But that's only because school's been suspended due to an outbreak of a new pneumonia-like virus…it's already killed someone already. Enough of the bad news, it's depressing. Anyway, thanks to **Tyrant722 **and **To live is to be Evil** for reviewing! I'm glad there are people who actually like this story. I was half afraid that it would bomb badly. Go read **Artificer Urza's** fics, they're good, much more fun than mine. I still think my fic is too formal and restrained…ah well, that's my writing style for you.

Disclaimer: BoF is not mine. If it was, I'll be rich and never even be here. So there.

Legend:

+++~Change in scene~+++

^^PoV^^

****

The Dragon Warrior 

Chapter Three: Awakening 

          Ryu, with his eyes strangely blank and devoid of thought, approached the raised pedestal, where the mysterious orb lay in all its rainbow-hued glory, at an implacable pace. He was some five feet from his destination when Gunthar, the High Priest of that shrine, came into the chamber.

^^Gunthar's PoV^^

          I had an uneasy feeling that something was going to happen this very day. It was making me restless and edgy, and I was even terribly short-tempered with the other priests of the shrine. It was this reason that brought me into the inner shrine, where the Orb of Testing was held. 

          Not many people knew of the existence of this orb, except for the royal family and selected members of the Dragon clan. The origins of this orb have been lost in the myths of antiquity. Legend has it that this mysterious jewel was found glowing at the last place the great God Ladon was at before He left our mortal plane. It is said to have great powers hidden within it, and that only the Legendary Hero, the Chosen One of Ladon, could fully unlock its immense potential. There were also other more practical day-to-day uses of it, as there are claims by my predecessors in much earlier times that the orb could _speak_ to them. I'm not entirely inclined to believe these claims, especially since I've never personally experienced such an incredible phenomenon. Two things were certain though, that this orb could grant the powers of transforming into either the Gold Dragon or the Zombie Dragon (1) through a test, hence the name the Orb of Testing; and a profound peace always came over me when I was in its presence. It was for the second reason that I came to the inner shrine.

          A jolt of profound shock shot through me as I emerged from the dimly lit passages. How did a little boy get in here? I watched, my limbs somehow paralyzed, as the little boy with short-cropped blue hair (2) neared the pedestal. The test was a most dangerous one, and there were several documented cases that potential candidates had been severely injured after it. What was frightening about the injuries was that it wasn't _physical_, it was mental, and there were also few cases where the candidates went mad and committed suicide. Whatever it was, it was not the place of a little boy to attempt it. He could be killed outright! However, there was nothing I could do, as I seemed unable to budge a single muscle.

          Three feet, two feet, then one…he was almost there. That was when I could finally move. I immediately dashed forward, but in my heart I knew it was too late. The boy laid his hand upon the Orb. My last thought was that his eyes looked strangely unfocused, and he looked almost as if he had been possessed. That thought done, my mind immediately deadlocked its focus onto the incredible event unfolding before me, even as I stood frozen in my tracks.

^^Ryu's PoV^^

          My vision whirred strangely after I touched the orb. I had a peculiar sensation that I was being somehow pulled into a different realm.

          I could see again. But now I was no longer in the cavern. Instead I was in a grey, empty place covered with a heavy veil of fog. There seemed to be almost an unreal quality here, like whatever I saw wasn't real. Even the 'ground' I was standing on made me feel uneasy, as if I felt that it would suddenly give way under me, or like I was walking on insubstantial air. I shivered. This place was so eerily quiet and so unnatural that it gave me the creeps.

          _"Art thou in some distress?"_ It was the voice. Again. There was again something in that voice that calmed me, but this time the voice was different somehow. Before, it was resounding within my head, and it seemed to be sourceless, or at least not within my ability to determine where it came from. Now, I could actually _hear_ the voice with my own two ears, instead of it echoing in my mind, and the voice seemed to be somewhere ahead of me, the source obscured by the thick fog that blanketed this place. I forged ahead, eager to see the person who had summoned me to this realm.

+++~ Back in the palace, in the royal study ~+++

          "Well, anything new to report?" Rayne looked at the other heads of the different major families (3). "Nothing really, Your Majesty, at least it's nothing the rest of us couldn't take of by ourselves without having to worry your most precious wits about," drawled Franz with a sly twinkle in his eyes. He was the current head of the Fire Dragons, a big burly man with a shock of bright red hair, and he was well known for his sharp wit and wry good humor. His sly jab at Rayne was nothing more than a long-standing joke between the two of them.

          Rayne smiled briefly and looked once again at the dragon clansmen in front of him. There was Eygus, head of the Earth Dragons (4), a good-natured young man with light brown hair, who tended to be somewhat conservative sometimes. The other council members have been trying to 'educate' him though. 

Thordus, head of the Thunder Dragons, cut an imposing figure with his size, and with a enormous blond beard that seemed to have a life of its own, he looked every bit the large and threatening bully. He was a good man though, although he seldom spoke, except to make a point, and he was a good ten years older than Rayne himself, which made him the second oldest in the council. 

Aisha, head of the Ice Dragons, was the only female on the council, and she was also the youngest among them. She was no pushover, however, despite her mild-seeming and almost childish demeanor, and can be quite assertive when the occasion requires it. 

Lastly, there was Zagato, head of the Dark Dragons (5), the oldest and most senior, and his words carried a great deal of weight in the deliberations of the council. He was also the father of Zaine, Rayne's advisor, and he was also a very good friend with Jaken, Rayne's father. 

Rayne represented the Light Dragons, of course, since the Light Dragons have always been in power, as Talvar, the first King, was himself a Light Dragon, and his line had continued unbroken even until now.

          The power structure in the Dragon kingdom was a peculiar one. The Light Dragons held the greatest power in the kingdom, of course, but it was the Dark Dragons who controlled the military matters. The other families had their own districts to administer, and they more or less had full control over their own districts. Everyone still deferred to the Light Dragons though, since there was a long-standing belief among the commoners that Ladon had blessed the Light Dragons and that as long as they were in power, the Dragon clan would prosper. 

Not everyone shared this view, however (6), for there was an undercurrent of feelings from time to time among certain of the great families that they had the qualities to rule as well as the Light Dragons. But as long as the line of the Light Dragons was strong, there was nothing that any dissidents could possibly do.

"There seems to be some trouble between the Fish clan and the Forest clan. I think it was over trade agreements. You know how the Fish clansmen are. But I don't think that the disagreement will escalate into anything more serious, at least not for now," Eygus stated with a slight smile on his face.

"Is it _possible_? Did Eygus-who-never-laughs just _smile_? What an astonishing thing!" Aisha gasped in mock shock, sounding for all the world like she hadn't a brain in her head. 

Everyone laughed at that, and even the normally reserved Zagato chuckled. Eygus wasn't too thrilled, however.  He never liked having jokes being made at his expense, and everyone who knew him had more or less given up on trying to persuade him that his face would not crack if he laughed. Aisha giggled at the huffy expression on Eygus' face. She always enjoyed teasing him. 

"All right, let's get back to business," a crisp and commanding voice rang out. It was Thordus; naturally, "There's something wrong in Winlan. There's a strange fog hanging over their capital city, and if any of the Bird People breathe in that fog, they get all weak and dizzy (7). There are some cases where this has been fatal. Our people in Winlan have reported that this occurrence is probably unnatural and they have been trying to track down the source. Hopefully, they'll find out the cause before the Bird People in the capital are wiped out."

Rayne frowned. That didn't bode very well for the Wing clan, and he didn't like that. He and the King of Winlan were good friends, and he didn't want anything bad to happen to his fellow monarch. 

          "Anything else?" Rayne asked his fellow clansmen. Zagato nodded, and then proceeded to make his report.

+++~ Back to the never-never land Ryu is in ~+++

          The clouds parted, and Ryu could see a figure outlined in the dimness somewhere ahead. He ran forward, and soon he beheld the person who had brought him here.

          The person in question was an old man who seemed incredibly ancient, but his eyes, so strangely out of place on that wrinkled countenance, seemed to be filled with a kind of eternal youth and energy. He was dressed in simple white robes not unlike those of the priests that Ryu had seen, and there was a power radiating from him so strong that for a moment, Ryu felt afraid.

          _"Thou hast no need to fear me, little one. I will not harm thee, for I have a greater purpose for thee. I can sense great strength in thee, both of mind and might. Thou wouldst serve mine ends well, but first thou must prove thy worth, then shall I grant thee with strength to quell thy foes in the days of darkness that do lieth ahead of thee."_ The old man's face was grave as he looked at Ryu.

          Ryu had a confused expression on his face, and he asked, "Who are you? And aren't I a little young to do whatever you want me to do, honored sir?"

          The old man laughed, a sound that made Ryu's heart leap with joy. _"Thou knowest me, boy. Search thy heart, and if thou art a true descendant of Talvar Drynatch then thou wouldst recognize me. And the task I have for thee is for thee and thee alone. No one else canst do it, no matter how powerful they are in the eyes of Man."_

          Ryu didn't know what happened. He just thought very hard about whom this strange old man could be, and then all of a sudden he just _knew_. His eyes widened, but before he could react, a great wind swept up, and again he had the strange sensation of being pulled away.

          He opened his eyes again. Now he found himself teetering on the peak of a mountain. Ryu gulped as he saw the distance between him and the ground.

          _"Who goes there?!"_ A great voice roared out in his mind. Ryu winced at the sound of that earth-shattering roar, before turning around.

          A great golden dragon rested on a peak opposite to his. It was immense, and the scales on it seemed to flash with an unearthly light. Ryu recognized it. He had seen pictures of it before. It was the legendary Gold Dragon that was the ultimate dragon spell that a Light Dragon could master!

          _"So you, little runt, are the one who would face ME? Hahahaha! You would not last a minute against me! Master must have been half asleep. He would never have let a little weakling like you to attempt the test!"_ The Gold Dragon seemed to almost be looking at Ryu in contempt.

          Ryu was incensed. He had been sorely afraid less than five seconds before, but when he heard the dragon call him a weakling, his fear had been washed away by a burning rage. How dare it insult him like that? Big or not, however, Ryu decided that it was time that dragon was taught a lesson. He almost wanted to leap right across the intervening gaps and start pounding on that big brute. But cold logic held him back. His mother had once told him that one should not allow oneself to hate their opponent in battle, for it would cloud their judgment and cause one to be prone to mistakes. He took a deep breath. He must not allow anger to overwhelm him.

^^???'s PoV^^

          I could sense the strong energy radiating from the lad. I knew he was too weak to face the Gold Dragon now, but I needed to test his spirit. To see if he was fit enough to face the challenges ahead. He will need a lot of guts to confront his destiny in the future. So far he hasn't disappointed me…

          I could feel fear mixed in with resolve in the boy's heart. That was good. Fear was the reflex that kept Man alive, and one who is without fear is foolhardy indeed. Of course, one could also not let fear overwhelm him, lest he be consumed by it.

          Ah, the fight has begun. Draciel (the Gold Dragon's name) has leapt forward. Ryu is never going to dodge this…wait, how did he do that? How did he jump onto Draciel's back? This little boy is something else to reckon with all right. This promises to be an interesting duel. 

^^Normal PoV^^

          Ryu was hanging on for dear life. The dragon was trying its darned best to throw Ryu off its back. Loop-the-loops, zigzags, you name it, the dragon tried it. It was to no avail, however. The Gold Dragon roared its frustration and tried, unsuccessfully, to twist its long neck around to bite the unwanted passenger on its back. Then it started banging its entire body against the mountain's side.

          That finally worked. The jarring impact that came with each slamming action was too much for Ryu to take. His fingers slipped, and he fell down to the abyss below.

^^Ryu's PoV^^

          I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. No way I'll survive this. Why didn't I apologize to Riana before? Now I'm not going to get the chance…

          Hey wait! There's a tree branch! I reached out desperately and caught hold of it, which immediately halted my downward plunge. I breathed out a sigh of relief. Guess this isn't over yet…

          Oh, great, there's that silly dragon. No doubt here to finish me off. I braced myself. I will _never_ show weakness to an enemy even in the face of death. 

          _"Humph, you were better than I expected. Not bad for a runt. All right. I'll make you a deal. If you can control me for more than one minute, my powers are yours. What do you think? Fair enough?"_ The Gold Dragon was hovering beside me.

          Of course I accepted. It was better than dangling from a tree branch, after all. But I had spoken too soon.

          I felt my mind merging with the Gold Dragon's. His name was Draciel. That was odd. I didn't even know dragons _had_ names. 

          Then I felt it. An incredible surge of power. But what accompanied it was beyond imagination. It began as an urge, then growing to an overwhelming instinct to search and destroy.

          _"**KILL! BLOOD! MORE BLOOD!"**_ That was approximately what I felt. It was more than that of course. It was beyond words. The bloodlust was so strong…I was losing myself…

          Then, images began intruding themselves upon me. Draciel was older than I thought, and he had been through the Great War. Memories of blood and devastation assaulted me from all sides.

          I wanted to retch. But there was something else as well…part of me wanted to see those images again. I was shocked at this. How could this be?

          Then I understood. The dragon that was Draciel had wound his own personality into mine. That perception belonged to the dragon, not me. But if this went on, I would lose myself, my own identity…

          Again! More of the scenes of war. Corpses strewn over the plains. Stray bloody limbs and heads abounded. Mauled bodies. Screams and shrieks of horror and fright. I saw a few dragons gathered over a group of Forest clansmen. They were…they were…eating the people!

          Horror, then revulsion, surged through me. I was confused. These were my ancestors! How could they do this? It's inhuman! Wait, they aren't exactly human then, the dragon's killing instinct must have gotten too strong for them to control. Still, wasn't this too much?

          I had no idea how long it had been since Draciel's mind merged with mine. It felt like an eternity though. I was slowly sinking deeper into the mindless bog of blood and war. I felt like my humanity was slowly, steadily, being stripped away from me. Clinging on to the last shreds of my sanity, I cried out in desperation to anyone that could hear me…

+++~ In Riana's room ~+++

          **_"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"_** A cry of pure agony echoed through Riana's mind. Startled, she sat up straight in her chair. "What was that?" She said aloud, deeply shaken by the despair and rage in that voice. 

+++~ Somewhere else in the world ~+++

          A little girl sat perched on her windowsill, her wings folded neatly behind her back (8). An undulating shriek of pain and agony suddenly roared through her mind, almost knocking her out of the window. "What, what's going on?" She mumbled in confusion, deeply affected by the almost total lack of humanity left in that spine-chilling sound.

+++~At the shrine~+++

^^Gunthar's PoV^^

          I had waited there for some time now. There seemed to be no reaction on the part of the boy. I was getting impatient. What in the world was going on?

          I was about to find out. Suddenly, the boy's previously impassive face twisted in an expression of horror. Evidently something was going on. But there was nothing I could do. I could only pray that Ladon will keep the boy safe.

          Suddenly, a mindless, soundless, shriek echoed through my mind. It was coming from the boy! I winced at the awful screech. I could only hope that the boy could survive this…

          What in the world?! A strange image is superimposing itself on the little boy! It can't be! It's the Gold Dragon! But how did he pass the test?! It's impossible!

          Then with a great surge of energy, the change began. The boy was turning into the Gold Dragon! When the transformation was complete, the dragon raised its head and bellowed.

          Then something else happened. The Orb of Testing was shimmering strangely, fading in and out, before dissolving into a stream of light! The light then flowed upwards and seemed to merge _into_ the dragon. When that was done, a strange symbol had etched itself onto the dragon's forehead (9).

          The Gold Dragon bellowed again. And then it raised its reptilian eyes to gaze at the ceiling. With a great burst of powerful light magic, it broke the ceiling and flew out. 

          The inevitable then happened. The ceiling had been a riverbed, and since it had been blown apart, the water cascaded down in enormous torrents. Hastily, I erected a magical shield to temporarily hold back the water. Then I turned and ran. 

****

**Footnotes:**

**(1):** Gold Dragon is the ultimate form a Light Dragon can take. Zombie Dragon is the ultimate form for the Dark Dragons.

**(2):** Yea, Ryu has short hair now, but that'll change when he's older.

**(3): **The Dragon clan is organized into different sub-sections, each according to the kind of elemental dragon transformation they can use.

**(4):** I made up the Earth Dragons. Their disappearance will be very obvious why later in the story.

**(5):** The Dark Dragons are not essentially evil, yet, that is. They only got their name because they can use attack magic in addition to their dragon powers. Just like the Light Dragons can use healing and defensive spells.

**(6):** Guess who's unhappy? Should be obvious…

**(7):** That's the Xeon gas, incidentally. Wonder who made it?

**(8):** That's right, someone with wings. A member of the Wing clan. And a girl nonetheless. Wonder who? And why can she hear Ryu's cries? That's for me to know and for you to find out. XP

**(9):** That explains why BoF1's Ryu had a strange symbol on his head…at least that's what I think…

That was the most incredibly long chapter I have written so far. I must have been out of my mind. And some action finally! I bet the readers were bored by the lack of action in previous chapters. Well, now you've got it. The bloody graphic descriptions were fun for me to write. Hope you'll like it. Well, as usual, R+R! 


	5. Aftermath

Hi people! I'm back! It's almost my birthday, so I'm thrilled. And no, I won't tell you how old I am. Thanks to **Mei Cera a.k.a. Gensui Meia** and **Artificer Urza** for reviewing. 

And Cera, that has got to be the corniest review you have ever submitted. As punishment, I'll include more scenes of your disliked pairing. Evil, aren't I? 

Oh, and Happy Birthday in advance to **Artificer Urza.** You're the second person with the same birth date as me!

Disclaimer: BoF is Capcom's! How many times do I have to say this?

Legend:

+++~Change of scene~+++

^^PoV^^

^~*^~*Flashback*~^*~^

The Dragon Warrior Chapter Four: Aftermath 

          The shrine was trembling violently. Gunthar was dashing as fast as his legs could carry him, panting and gasping for breath. The walls of the underground passages seemed to pulsate and bulge in and out with every single tremor. The very floor appeared to heave up and down, glowing in a strange way. Gunthar did not like those signs, for they gave him a sense of foreboding of the things to come.

          Behind him the roar of gushing water rose in rhythm. The great pressure exerted by the tumultuous cascade of water must have broken through his magical barrier! Gunthar then knew that if he failed these passages within the next minute or so, the water would catch up with him and inevitably sweep him to his death. Even if he did survive it, the injuries sustained would not be light.

          He ran faster. He knew that ordinarily no other priest would be this far down in the passages, so he did not have to worry about anyone else being hurt. But there might be others closer to the main shrine, and that was to be fretted about. However, worrying about his personal safety was already a great enough chore. He really didn't need the extra pressure at the moment.

          He was tiring rapidly. Gunthar was not a young man. If it had been about 20 years ago, he would have no trouble with running such a distance. But now at the age of 48, he was no longer at his physical prime. _'Too much soft living doesn't help either…'_ Gunthar thought a little ruefully to himself.

          _Huff. Huff. Just. A. Little. More._ Gunthar knew he was getting closer. But, unfortunately, so were the torrents of water. He still had some time though. He halted about 100 meters from the stairs that would lead to safety. Magically projecting his voice, Gunthar yelled, "Everyone! Get out of the tunnels NOW! There's a flash flood!"

          That yell could have been fatal for him. In the time that it took for him to project his warning, the water had rounded the last corner and was now hurtling at full speed towards him. Gunthar swore, something he normally wasn't supposed to do, and started sprinting towards the stairs.

          It was just a little too late. Just as he reached the steps, the water reached him and engulfed him. He was swept away like a rag doll in the onrushing torrent.

+++~ At another set of stairs further down the passage~+++

          Bandon, a junior priest, had been tidying one of the chambers in the passageways when he heard High Priest Gunthar's voice magically project a warning. He immediately ditched his broom and sprinted towards the nearest exit, all the while thinking, '_Why would there be a flash flood right now?_"

          He reached the stairs. There were many other priests, both junior and senior ones, and all of them were jostling each other to go up to the safety first. Human survival instinct, at its best and worse, was at work here.

          Perhaps it was the ominous sound of onrushing water that signaled the coming of the flash flood. People started shoving each other even more desperately to get out as quickly as possible. Bandon shook his head. This was not good. At this rate he would never make it out. He then turned and started further along the passage towards a lesser-known passageway he had discovered while cleaning sometime back.

          Bandon had almost reached the secret passage when he faintly heard screams from where he had been at the previous set of stairs. _'Fools,'_ he thought a little contemptuously. He then quickened his steps.

          The sound of the rushing of water grew in volume. Bandon had reached the passageway out. He was about halfway up the passage when the rush of water hurtled past underneath him. "That was close," he murmured to himself. He was about to continue upwards when a familiar aura jolted his senses. 

          Turning sharply, he scuttled back to the edge. A familiar figure was being borne on the onrushing water. The High Priest! Without hesitation, Bandon swung himself out as far as possible and caught hold of one arm of the unconscious Gunthar. Then with the practiced ease born of hauling whole nets full of fish at the fishing village where he grew up, Bandon hauled Gunthar to safety.

          Puffing slightly from the effort, Bandon just managed to drag the High Priest out of the passage. He collapsed in a heap next to the still unconscious Gunthar, trying to get his breath back.

          "At least we're safe now…" Bandon said aloud even as he leaned over Gunthar to check the nasty head injury on the High Priest's forehead. Almost as if in sudden contradiction to his words, there was an ominous rumbling, cracking sound, shortly followed by a sizable chunk of the ceiling landing with a heavy thud right next to him.

          "Alright, correction. We are so definitely _not_ safe now," Bandon commented as he looked up at the cracking ceiling. Hefting the limp body of Gunthar onto his shoulders, he grunted and swiftly exited the crumbling chamber.

          The shrine was in an uproar. The very walls shook and heaved, and even the supporting pillars had cracks on them. Pieces of the ceiling had already crumbled and fell in great chunks. There were people who were unable to get out of the way in time trapped underneath the debris. No one bothered to help them, however. Everyone was making a mad rush for the exit.

          It was to this chaotic scene that Bandon, burdened with Gunthar on his back, came upon. "Damn," Bandon muttered. Under ordinary circumstances, priests were not supposed to swear, but Bandon didn't give a damn about that at the present.

          He managed to come up with several new swearwords when he saw that there were still people trapped under the debris with no one to help them, even as he strode purposefully towards the exit. All his instincts told him to help, but he could not afford to stop, not with him carrying the High Priest and all. He gritted his teeth and moved on.

          The shrine continued to shudder and groan as it slowly, but surely, came undone at its seams. Everyone that could possibly have made it out on their own two feet had gathered on the wide plains right in front of the collapsing shrine. Bandon had deposited Gunthar on the ground, and several other priests were currently performing some rudimentary healing magic on the wound to stop the bleeding.

          There was a profound silence amongst the crowd as they witnessed the shrine, first crumbling, then groaning like a woman in labor, on its last legs. The marble colonnade in front of the shrine had already been reduced into rubble, and the rest of the shrine seemed to be following in its footsteps.

          **_C-cr-crack!_** The right wing of the shrine disengaged itself from the main body of the shrine and slowly sank into the ground (1). The left wing also met with the same fate. 

          Now all that was left of the great shrine was the main section. It too, did not show any signs of lasting any longer. It seemed to shudder even more violently, and as part of it had already started sinking into the ground, it appeared to freeze for a single instance, before crumbling into a massive heap of rubble with a great sigh.

          The crowd looked on in silent disbelief. Some of the older people fainted from the shock. The Great Shrine of Ladon was no more.

+++~ Later, in the palace~+++

          "WHAT????!!!!!!!!! What happened to the shrine?!" King Rayne exploded at the messenger in knelt down before him.

          "Sire, the Shrine of Ladon has just collapsed for no apparent reason that we can explain. The High Priest may be able to shed some light on the matter, but he's currently in no condition to seek an audience with Your Majesty…" The messenger replied, looking just a little apprehensively at Rayne's shocked and infuriated face.

          "What's wrong with Gunthar?" Rayne, having finally gotten a hold on his emotions, queried the messenger.

          "He has been injured, Your Majesty. It was a fairly nasty head wound, as the healers have informed me. But they are confident of treating him. It would take some time though…" The messenger delivered the rest of his report, visibly relieved that the King did not show any more outward signs of fury. 

          Rayne sighed. His day was not going as well as he had hoped. As if to add to his worries, Schala suddenly stormed in, her face filled with a kind of dread. 

          "Did you see Ryu? He said he was going to the shrine for a walk…" Schala began, and Rayne suddenly felt cold inside. Did his nephew get out in time?

          There was a respectful knock on the door. Everyone turned to see a man dressed in a healer's garb stride in. 

          "Your Majesty, the High Priest is conscious and seems to have something important to report to you. He is however still not fit to walk yet, so may I entreat Your Majesty to come with all possible speed to his chambers?" 

          The healer had almost finished delivering his message when Rayne swept past him with Schala at his side.

+++~At the chamber where Gunthar is~+++

          "How is he?" Rayne queried the healer in charge. 

          "We have done everything we can, Your Majesty, but the wound is grave. If he survives tonight then there is still hope for him, but now all we can do is to wait and hope," the healer answered gravely.

          "Your…your…Majesty…listen to…me…" It was Gunthar. Rayne came quickly to his side.

          "What happened? Why did the shrine collapse?" Rayne asked urgently.

          "The Orb…is gone…Gold Dragon…there was a boy…blue haired…" Gunthar was not talking coherently now.

          "It's Ryu! What happened to him, to my son?" Schala gasped in worry. Rayne too was stunned also by the news that the Orb of Testing was gone, as were all others in the room.

          "The boy…passed the test…Gold Dragon…the Orb…went into him…it flew away…the Gold Dragon did…" Gunthar was definitely not all right now. His eyes were wide, and little shocks ran through his body, making him jerk and tremble uncontrollably. 

          "Please, leave him be. Your questions are distressing him greatly. His condition will worsen if you continue to press him for more answers," the healer's voice was firm and brooked no challenge from the surrounding people.

          Rayne sighed. The High Priest had answered a few questions, all right, but those answers had in turn given rise to even more questions. He looked at his sister's pallid face. She had not taken the news very well. First she lost her husband indirectly due to the test, and now she also lost her son for the same reason.

          Still, there were other matters to see to. In a crisp voice, Rayne ordered all that were present not to reveal the true cause of what had precipitated the fall of the shrine, and also not to mention that the Orb of Testing was lost. He then gave orders for his troops to search for Ryu, as well as to check with the people in the surrounding area to see if they had seen where the Gold Dragon had gone.

          After all that was done, Rayne turned to a silent Schala and gently led her back to her rooms. He knew that it was a great blow to her, this unexpected disappearance of Ryu. 

Cyrus, her husband and a great friend of his, had reportedly been killed, on his way to undergo the test, by a group of demons. His body was never found, and Zaine, who was with him, was the only survivor, and he had brought back Cyrus's pendant with him as proof of his death. Schala wept for days after that, although she never truly believed that Cyrus had perished. That incident took place only a few months before Ryu was born.

+++~In Schala's room~+++

^^Schala's PoV^^

          I sat down numbly on the edge of my bed. Where was Ryu? Was he safe? Tears were streaming down my face, but I didn't even notice. All I knew was that I could have stopped him from going to the shrine earlier, then all of this would not have happened.

          This gift, no, it's a curse, of mine, had always plagued my life. Sometimes I would just suddenly get little flashes of what was yet to be, and if it was something bad and I had failed to prevent it from happening, I was always overcome by an enormous sense of guilt. Not even my parents knew of this, or my brother Rayne, and I didn't even tell Cyrus about it.

          _Cyrus…_ As usual his name would conjure up all sorts of wonderful memories for me. But it also brought back the time where I saw him for the last time.

^~*^~*Flashback*~^*~^

           "_Cyrus!" A young woman of twenty-one with long, flowing blue hair scurried with surprising agility to greet her husband_ (2)_. The young man in question was tall and blond, with eyes a deep sapphire blue. His features were finely chiseled, and he could well have been a model for a statue. Even white teeth showed as he smiled at his radiant wife._

_          "Well now, Schala, what did I tell you about running around while you were four months pregnant?" Cyrus scolded her gently, trying hard to keep a stern expression on his face. Schala put on her best puppy-dog face and smiled winsomely at her husband._

_          Cyrus sighed. He could never say no to her when his mischievous wife decided to turn on her not inconsiderable charm. He gazed down into her gorgeous emerald eyes and grinned at her, saying, "All right, you're forgiven. But have you thought of what we are going to name our son _(3)_?"_

_          Schala nodded and answered, "What do you think about the name Ryu?" Cyrus smiled, "Whatever you think is best, my dear. I'll have to leave to go and undertake the test now, though…"_

_          A sudden sense of foreboding went through Schala. "No, you can't go!" Schala cried out rather desperately. Cyrus looked surprised._

_          "Why not, my dear? Besides, this is an opportunity of the lifetime. Not many people are deemed worth of undertaking the test. Anyway, I won't be gone for very long, so you don't have to worry, alright?" Cyrus soothed his anxious wife._

_          Schala reluctantly agreed, but deep down in her heart something was screaming a warning. _

_          Later, much later actually, word came to Schala that Cyrus was dead, killed by a roving group of demons. Zaine handed a bloodstained pendant that Schala had given to Cyrus, as all he could find was that. Not even Cyrus's body could be found._

^~*^~*End flashback*~^*~^

          I broke down after that, crying myself to sleep on my empty bed.

+++~Three days later, in the Imperial Study~+++

          "Your Majesty, there has been reports from some peasants that they saw a dragon rising from the shrine's direction and heading into the northern mountains. I have already sent my men to scour the mountains for signs of the boy Ryu. But so far there has been no results." The commander of the Imperial forces in the capital, General Debonair, reported.

          This did not please Rayne. Schala was getting more and more depressed, and she steadfastly refused to let anyone come near her. He was on the verge of delivering a blistering reply to the general, but at the last moment held his tongue. It wasn't Debonair's fault, after all, and he had no right to be surly with his troops.

          He dismissed the general, and then went silently back to his thoughts.

+++~In Riana's room~+++

          Riana sat by her window. She was greatly upset by this turn of events. By eavesdropping on her elders, she had surmised that Ryu had somehow vanished, and also that everyone was baffled by the fact that they have yet to find him.

          She was obviously downcast and understandably short-tempered the past few days. Somehow, she felt that it was _her_ fault that Ryu disappeared without a trace. She desperately wanted to find him and then apologize to him, not caring if she would have to throw her pride out of the window.

          All this was however, not to be, for they never saw Ryu again, at least not for another twelve years…

+++~When Ryu had first woken up~+++

^^Ryu's PoV^^

          Owww…my head hurts… Where am I? I got up unsteadily to my feet, shaking my head to clear my blurry vision.

          I was in an enclosed valley, it seemed. The moon glowed brightly in the dark night sky, and lent an unearthly sense of unreality to the scene in front of me. I wandered aimlessly for a while, trying to get my bearings, and then I felt the hairs on my neck stand straight up.

          Unconsciously, I fell into a fighting stance. How in the world did I do that? I don't ever recall having fighting lessons…

          But quick as I was, I was much slower than the one I faced. Right after I had gotten into position, I found myself on my butt a moment later.

          "Ouch! That hurt! Who's there?" I grumbled. 

          "Who are you? And how did you get here?" A voice rang out clearly in the darkness.

          I blinked, and then I saw a man dressed in rags and holding a staff standing right in front of me. His eyes were a strange milky color, and they didn't seem focused. That was odd.

          And then it hit me. He was blind! But then how did he manage to topple me off my feet then? Sheer luck? No, that was impossible. At least something told me that wasn't the right answer…

          He repeated his question. I opened my mouth to answer, and then I stopped. _Who am I?_ I tried hard to remember, but came up blank. Then I tried thinking about how I got here. 

          Disconnected images flashed past my half-closed eyes. Another awareness. Blood. Rage. Terror. Screams. I shied violently away from the faint memories, willing them to go away. But it wouldn't leave my mind. Instead it continued to assault my mind. I screamed and blacked out. Again. 

^^Man's PoV^^

          I was getting ready to rest for the night when I felt an incredible surge of energy disrupt the calm energy field in my valley. Startled, I braced myself on my staff and rose to my feet. Then I followed the magical trail to where the energy had originated.

          It was night. I knew that, felt the cool breeze stroke my cheek. But night or day meant little to me, for I was blind. Guided by my acute hearing and almost phenomenal sense of detecting the energy fields that every living creature possessed (4), I followed after a moving creature.

          I struck once I was within range. Then I immediately realized that the 'creature' was a human. And one of my clan too, a Light Dragon, judging from his aura, although it seemed that his aura was mixed with some Dark Dragon aura in it. I was of the Dark Dragon family, so I knew. I quickly reduced the force applied, but still it was enough to sweep him off his feet.

          The person cried out in pain, and I realized then that it was only a little boy. Now that truly mystified me. How did a young lad come to possess such an incredibly strong aura?

          He did not answer when I asked him how he got here. I was surprised to see someone else here too. According to my own best knowledge, there were no entrances or exits to this valley. _Except through the sky._ But how? The boy was too young to have been able to transform into a strong enough dragon to fly over into the valley.

          I repeated my query, but again he did not answer. I could sense doubt and fear in his aura. Then suddenly, his aura grew more agitated and then he screamed and collapsed. Startled again, I dragged him haphazardly back to the cave where I lived…    

**Footnotes:**

**(1):** It sank into the ground because the foundations under it had already crumbled, and also remember that there was this maze of passages underneath the shrine, which amounts to a whole lot of empty space for it to sink into.

**(2):** Agility is surprising for a woman who's several months pregnant.

**(3):** They know about the gender of the baby before he was born because they can cast a spell to check the gender.

**(4):** Every living thing has an aura, kind of like the Force in Star Wars. And so, since the guy is blind, he relies a lot on that to guide himself. And who is he anyway? Find out for yourself!

Aha! Another one done. Quite a bit of action, wouldn't you say? But I still think that there are some parts of the chapter that are incredibly crappy, so please try not to be mean about it since I've already admitted it. Plenty of hanging threads unsolved so far…and I shall continue leaving people in suspense…oh well, since it's a few more hours to my birthday…Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me…and people, R+R!


	6. A New Beginning

I'm so very, extremely, incredibly, excruciatingly sorry!!! I'm so ashamed of myself for not updating any sooner! *sobs guiltily* Whatever can I possibly do to atone for it?

Damon: You could make it up by cutting short your long-winded ramblings and getting into the story.

Me: Who are you?! How did you get here?!

Stefan: Relax. Me and brother Damon are your first and newest muses.

Me: Now there's TWO of you??? *faints*

Stefan: Oh dear. She's out like a light. So I guess I'd better handle the things around here until our revered authoress decides to wake up.

Damon: Who says that YOU should handle things? I'm the older twin here!

Stefan: Alright already. You thank the people who reviewed, and I do the disclaimer. Fine with you?

Damon: Okay…Thanks to **Darth, Mei Cera a.k.a. Gensui Meia, Urika, Luna's Meow and Arcia** for your kind reviews. *mutters under breath* I never knew that the little twerp actually has people who LIKES her story…

Me: *eyes snap open* LITTLE???!!!! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE CALLING _LITTLE_??!!! I'M GONNA MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS!!!!! *whips out a mallet and chases after Damon*

Stefan: *sweatdrop* They're a little occupied at the moment…so I guess I'll do the disclaimer now…Elenaholyfire owns nothing here but the plot and her own characters. BoF belongs to Capcom. Any questions?

*Elena and Damon still running around in circles around the room*

Legend:

+++~Change of scene~+++

^^PoV^^

^~*^~*Flashback*~^*~^

*~Dream Sequence~*

The Dragon Warrior Chapter Five: A New Beginning 

*~ Ryu's Dream (or more appropriately, Nightmare)~*

^^Ryu's PoV^^

          Huh? What? Where? How? What's going on?

          I was sitting on a ledge. A ledge that was very high up in the sky. It appears that I'm on a mountain. How did I even get here in the first place? The last thing I remembered doing was being knocked off my feet by a blind man. How humiliating.

          I rose unsteadily to my feet, trying not to look down. Then suddenly I felt a great force come from behind me and knock me off the ledge. 

          I was falling. The sheer speed of the rapid descend was making my stomach heave, and my head was spinning wildly. I felt sick. If I could, I would vomit right there and then.

          Then, a voice, "…do you accept…?" Again I was completely baffled. Accept what? But before I had even realized what I was doing, the fatal words slipped out of my mouth, "Yes…"

          Pain! Agony shot through my very consciousness, sending fractured images to my dazed eyes. I felt like someone was pouring boiling pitch into my skull, then setting it on fire. It was excruciating.

          Then, I felt someone, or something, slide into my mind. It didn't seem very friendly to me, and when our both our awareness touched, I gasped. Hatred seared in that malicious being whose soul had begun to entwine itself with mine. And that moment of contact revealed that the hatred had lasted a thousand, thousand years, or more.

          I felt infinitely tiny in the face of that immense presence, completely helpless, like a little mouse being held at bay by a venomous snake intent on making me its lunch. I did not like the feeling, not at all.

          Thus it was that I sought to force this unwelcome visitor to my mind. However I met with a great resistance, a resistance so powerful that it threatened to overwhelm me and consume me utterly.

          My power was fading. I could only sit back in a corner of my mind and watch as the being took control. As it imposed its utter dominance, I could see it's memories flashing across my mind's eye. 

          Blood, entrails, vultures circling overhead. A battlefield full of carnage that was the customary aftermath of every battle. Dismembered corpses, severed limbs, and loose heads with wide, staring eyes. I watched, unable to tear myself away from the gory images.

          Revulsion rose from the deepest pit of my stomach. But the alien presence in my mind would not let me turn away. I clenched my teeth and looked on as more images came to life.

          A new scene flashed in front of me. A void, anger from a new awareness. A strangely alien and ancient awareness. It was just waiting, that much I could gather, but for what?

          Mindless shrieking echoed through the enclosed space where my mind was, erasing all thought. Then a high-pitched, spine-chilling laughter ensued, before a deranged-sounding voice rang out, "You spineless weakling! Dost thou truly believe that thou canst challenge mine strength? You are nothing! And the day will come where thou shalt be bent to mine will, and then all the world shall bow before mine wrath!" 

The world spun once again, and I lost consciousness, but not before I saw a single eye gazing at me, and a soft voice…

*~End Ryu's Dream~* 

^^Normal PoV^^

          Ryu sat bolt upright, even as rivulets of cold sweat streamed from his forehead. He was profoundly chilled by the images in his dream. 

          Most dreams that every human experience, no matter how horrifying, are shaped by our own minds, so there always is a sense of familiarity to them. However, in Ryu's case, he could most clearly feel that the nightmare had been externally imposed by a hostile awareness, twisting what had at first felt vaguely familiar to something that made his blood run cold.

          "Boy, are you alright? You were screaming in your sleep. Was it a nightmare?" The blind man's voice had a touch of concern in it.

          Ryu turned his gaze towards the source. He then timidly asked, "Who are you?"

          "My name no longer means anything. I am no better than a dead man living here in this place. You never did tell me your name, boy." The old man's reply was almost indifferent, but there was just a hint of bitterness when he said that his name no longer meant anything.

          "My name…I can't… remember…" Ryu's head began to throb again as he strived to recall. 

          The man must have somehow sensed his distress, for he quickly added, "If you cannot remember, then don't try to force yourself to. Perhaps in time you can regain what you have lost…"

          "Alright, but how can I address you? It would be very impolite of me not to address you properly."

          "A boy with a sense of propriety… How refreshing. Just address me any way you want, I am not easily offended. Besides, it's good to have company after so many years…" The man mused.

          So it was that Ryu came to settle down in the valley, and very soon he had struck up a firm friendship with the man, who could have easily been old enough to be his father, and soon twelve years had passed…

+++~Twelve Years Later, in the valley~+++

          The clear sound of a flute floated across the air. 18-year old Ryu sat on a rock near the spring as he played the tune his master had taught him.

          His master was of course, the blind man. Over the years, Ryu had been learning battle techniques and other skills from him, and Ryu had almost unconsciously taken on that form of address.

          The learning of the battle skills had happened all because of an accident. Ryu had been out gathering some berries for food some twelve years ago, when a huge wyvern had swooped in from the sky, talons outstretched, to attack him. He instinctively retaliated, but was still no match for the wyvern. Just when he was about to collapse, his master had arrived on the scene and easily defeated the wyvern. His master had then decided that he had better teach him how to defend himself before any other accidents happened.

          One thing led to another, and with Ryu proving himself to be an extraordinarily gifted student, his master began to branch out, honing his other skills, to make him an even more deadly warrior. He had even gone as far to help Ryu develop his innate Dragon abilities, and now Ryu was already able to utilize the level 1 Dragon spells. Also, with the help of his master, he had been able to learn how to exercise more control over his dragon form and not let the dragon's instincts take over entirely.

          Ryu, after all these years, had progressively matured into a fine young man. His blue hair was fairly long and had a streak of bright silver through it, touching his shoulders, and he customarily kept it tied up loosely. His eyes were now a silvery color, with just a hint of blue in them. A strange symbol adorned his forehead, but did not do anything to mar his handsome features. At way over six-and-a-half feet tall, he cut quite an impressive figure. Had he been in the outside world, he would have been the object of many a young girl's desire.

          He, however, did not know, or even care, how he looked like. What he really wanted was to find out about his own identity. Even after so many years he had been unable to recall anything useful about himself, although strangely he had managed to remember when his birthday was, except sometimes he would get flashes of the dreadful nightmare, varying slightly, while in his sleep. He had long sought to puzzle out it's meaning, but to no avail.

          Ryu sighed and stood up. It was almost evening, which indicated that he ought to return to his master to share the meal which had been made out of what Ryu had caught while out hunting in the valley (1). 

          A strong disturbance in the calmness of the energy fields in the valley startled him out of his brooding state. It was quickly followed by a rumbling sound, and then the sound of tumbling boulders came quite clearly to Ryu.

          Drawing the sword his master had given to him as a present on his 18th birthday (2), Ryu started towards the disturbance. He knew that whatever it was, it needed to be investigated.

          He followed his senses to the far side of the valley. Previously, when he occasioned to be in the same vicinity, he had noticed that there was a cave mouth whose entrance had been sealed up by large boulders. Now, however, the boulders had somehow been freed from their original positions and had been scattered around, leaving open the previously sealed cave mouth.

          Ryu was about to go into the cave to investigate when he vaguely heard a human voice within the cave. A female voice, it seemed. It was quickly followed by a thunderous detonation. Startled, Ryu quickened his steps.

          The sight that greeted him was to put it mildly, a disaster. A young woman with wings on her back was being cornered by a bunch of monsters. Ryu was convinced that if he had been in that position, even with his superior combat skills, he would have taken ages to get out of that nasty little situation.

          The young woman was, however, holding out fairly well on her own. She even looked like she could handle all the monsters without any help, that is, _if_ she had noticed the fairly large, and terribly ugly, monster sneaking up on her.

          She didn't notice. The monster pounced, fully intend on ripping her apart.

          Unfortunately for the monster, Ryu was there. With a single downward sword stroke, he clove the offending creature in two. 

          It split apart, and its blood splattered all over the place. The girl then spun around slightly in response to the blood splattering on her. Her clear, sapphire eyes widened with surprise when she saw Ryu. Ryu also paused as he saw her.

          However, this was no time for gawking. In the single instant that the girl had taken to look at Ryu, a snarling lizardman had leapt forward with claws outstretched, heading straight for the girl.

          "Look out!" Ryu was in front of her in a flash and blocked the blow with his sword. He then ran the lizard through with another quick twist of his mighty blade.

          The girl also quickly reacted to another slime-like creature right behind the fatally wounded lizard, blasting it with the Cold spell (3). The slime froze, literally, as it was turned into a block of ice. Ryu, almost nonchalantly, then kicked it out of his way as he moved on to confront the next monster, not noticing that his kick had smashed the frozen creature into smithereens.

          Within a few minutes, with the combined strengths of Ryu and the girl, the monsters had been reduced to bloody corpses, some of which were even either frozen or charred by the girl's spells.

          Ryu lowered his sword, after making sure that the surrounding was clear of any monsters, and turned back to the girl. She looked a little pale, and her aura betrayed a kind of exhaustion that indicated that her extensive use of spells during the fierce battle had taken a lot more energy out of her than he had thought earlier.

          There was a kind of tense silence between the two of them, as they looked each other over, both not knowing what exactly to say. It was just beginning to get awkward when Ryu decided that this was getting just a little ridiculous, and he then broke the silence.

          "Who are you and what are you doing here?" Ryu asked, feeling a little silly for being so direct, but just by looking at her had somehow robbed him of his ability to speak. 

          The girl took a deep breath, and then answered, "My name is Nina (4). I am from the Wing clan, as you may have already guessed. My purpose here is to gather some herbs as medicine for my father, who is ill." She spoke with an easy confidence of someone who was used to public speaking, and even her answer had sounded a little like she was addressing a crowd. This was however, totally in conflict with her true feelings, which she was currently trying to come to terms with over the handsome stranger in front of her.

          Ryu nodded slowly, but was immediately stuck over what he had to say next. Evidently he was going to have to introduce himself to the gorgeous young lady in front of him, but he had absolutely no idea who he was, much less what his name was, so he was in quite a dilemma.

^^Nina's PoV^^

          I gazed nervously at this mysterious-looking young man in front of me. Somehow, he had managed to evoke feelings in me that I have yet to experience. I believe that this was what my mother was talking about when she said that all women go through 'stages' that often lead them into more trouble than anticipated. Perhaps this was one of them?

          It was odd though. Throughout my years of growing up, I have yet to meet a member of my clan that I have felt any attraction towards, and now here comes a total stranger from another clan that has somehow wormed his way into my heart. This was completely absurd. What would mother think of this?

          Attempting to break the silence that had immediately stemmed up after he had asked me who I was, I asked for his name. The uneasy expression on his face turned to one of intense concentration, as if he was trying hard to recall something. I frowned. Surely such a simple question would not elicit such a reaction?

          Suddenly, I felt a strong surge in his aura. The slightly confused expression twisted to one of intense agony, and his sword dropped to the floor with a great clatter. He groaned, clutching at his head with one hand, while the other was tightly clenched into a fist. 

          Worried, I stepped forward. As I laid a hand on his trembling shoulder, trying to comfort him, fractured images suddenly hit me with the force of a speeding arrow.

          It passed in a second, but I would never forget what I saw in that single instant. Blood reeked in those images, and faces filled with despair and horror was abundant. There were other things which I had no name for, but they would also no doubt haunt my dreams. I also instinctively sensed that these were the images flashing through the young man's mind, although I could only guess at the amount of pain it caused him.

          But a single question bothered me. Why was it that I could see those images? And yet another question also loomed large in my mind. How did someone like him manage to suffer so much when he was so young? For some reason I just knew that whatever had happened to him occurred when he was only a child. This rare flash of insight too troubled me very much.

^^Ryu's PoV^^

Ouch. Yet another memory flash coming back to haunt me. These were the same images from my dreams, of course, but this time I saw something else. A face, I think it was, and it was vaguely familiar.

When it finally passed, I looked up through bleary eyes to gaze at the beautiful angel in front of me. Her icy blue eyes were filled with worry and concern, but I also managed to see a faint hint of shock and horror in those sapphire orbs. I wonder why…

Anyway, I straightened, and after assuring her that I was perfectly alright, I picked up my bloodstained sword. After I got rid of the worst of the stains off it, I re-sheathed it and turned towards the entrance to the valley I had come to call home.

^^Normal PoV^^

          As Ryu turned away, Nina blurted out, "Wait! You still haven't told me your name!" 

          Ryu smiled sadly, and without turning, he replied, "I have no name that I can remember. You can enter the valley to find the herb you need."

          Without another word, Ryu left, although deep down he had wanted to stay and talk to the girl Nina.

          Nina stood silently in the shadowy depths of the cave. _I have no name that I can remember…_ His words echoed inside her head. Does that mean that he has amnesia? Or was it something else?

          Shaking her head, she strode into the valley to find the Full Moon Berry (5) that was the last missing ingredient for her father's medicine.

+++~At the cave where Ryu's master was~+++

          Ryu stepped into the cave. His master sat silently in one corner, the meal already laid in front of him.

          "I'm sorry to have been late, master. There was something that I had to investigate," Ryu apologized even as he sat down opposite his master and surrogate father.

          "What was it? I felt a great disturbance, and then I felt your aura moving towards it. There was also another unusually strong aura nearby."

          "Well master, I found an exit from the valley. A young woman that I met when I went to investigate caused it. She said that she was here to look for a herb to cure her father's illness. Also, she was from the Wing Clan," Ryu then went into further detail of what had transpired just now. 

          The man nodded. He was strangely unexcited about the fact that an exit had finally been found. All these years he had yearned to leave the valley, but now, faced with that option, he hesitated, unsure whether he should go forth to face his future or stay in blissful ignorance until he died in this peaceful valley.

          Ryu sensed some distress from his master. Privately, he suspected that it probably had something to do with his master's past, of which he knew very little. What he did know, however, was that his master had ended up in this valley, blinded and half-crippled (6), because one of his best friends had betrayed him and left him to die.

          The man sighed pensively, trying to pull himself away from his unhappy thoughts. Instead, he faced his pupil and basing something on a hunch, he tentatively probed, "So, the girl you mentioned, she was beautiful, was she not?" He said it with a sly smile on his face, knowing that the next question would no doubt embarrass his pupil, "You do like her, don't you? That's why you are trying to avoid her, because you are not sure how to behave around her."

          Ryu blushed deeply, and he was suddenly profoundly grateful that his master could not see his reddening face. It had never even occurred to him, however, that his master did not _need_ to see his face to determine his emotions. The discomfort in his aura in response to the question had already betrayed what he felt about Nina to his blind teacher.

          Ryu's master smiled beneficently. It was perfectly natural, of course, for his student to have such emotions for the first young girl he meets, after so many years of isolation in the valley. He was fairly sure that it would fade in time, if he had been out in the world for some time, although there was a distinct possibility that the feelings might _not_ diminish.

          That thought also suddenly jerked him to an abrupt conclusion. His pupil, whom he had come to regard much like his own son, would eventually leave the valley. It was inevitable. He was reluctant to let him leave, of course, but the boy was still young and adventurous, and it would be unfair of him to force his pupil to stay with him in the valley for the rest of his life. 

          Eager to change the subject, Ryu then asked, "Master, now that we can leave, do you want to? I mean, I could help you seek revenge on whoever left you here to die…and I can also try to find my past…"

          Sighing deeply again, the man's reply was sad, even weary. "I am getting old, my child, and revenge doesn't really matter anymore. It would be better for me to live out the rest of my life here in this valley peacefully than to go out into the world and wrestle with the harsh reality again. You, however, are free to leave. Just remember what I told you about the outside world, and _trust no one but yourself_. Perhaps one day you will find someone whom you can trust, but until then it is much safer to rely on yourself…"

          Ryu was shocked, but at the same time, elated. He was torn over being able to leave the valley and leaving his beloved master alone in this valley. He wanted to see the world, certainly, and to try to rediscover his past, but leaving his master alone in the valley would be most un-filial, for over the years he had come much to regard him as his own father.

          "But master, how can I leave you here alone?" Ryu protested.

          "Are you afraid that I cannot survive alone by myself here in this valley? You can put that worry to rest. Don't you remember that I lived here for many years before you came to me?"

          "It's not that, master. It just…just wouldn't be right…" 

          The blind man smiled at his protégé. Here was a boy who was well schooled in courtesy and the fine trait of loyalty. He felt a burst of pride run through him. He had raised the boy well, and in some regard, this was the kind of person he would have wanted the son he had never seen to be like. 

          The rest of the evening was filled with silence, for there was really nothing to be said between the two. They had been around each other long enough to know what the other was thinking and feeling, which generally made words largely unnecessary.

          "It's going to be a full moon tonight," Ryu observed, looking out from where he was sitting at the edge of the cave. He was thinking about the girl, Nina. He had never had any real experience with girls, since his master was the only person he was with for those interminable twelve years.Thus, naturally, he had no idea what to do or think around her, nor what to say without giving offense. It was a very awkward situation.

          "Maybe you should take a walk," his master commented.

          "Okay…maybe I'll feel better if I did…" Ryu mumbled half to himself. 

+++~ Now let's see what Nina's up to…~+++ 

          The winged girl stood at the face of a cliff. She was gazing up, waiting, for the full moon to arrive in all its glory.

          "Luckily I made it here on time…if not I would have to wait for the next full moon before I can pick the flower…" Nina muttered absently to herself.

          The sun's baby sister decided then to make an appearance. The forbidding clouds pervading the gloomy sky slowly parted like stage curtains, and the softly glowing disk almost shyly peeked out from behind them. Then, growing in confidence, the luminescent orb seemed to glow brighter, slicing through the obscuring veil of clouds that masked it.

          Nina stood almost in awe of the beautiful sight. She had seen many appearances of the full moon before, but none could beat the sheer artistry with which this particular full moon had appeared.

          A single ray of moonlight seemed almost to fall on a specific spot on the cliff-face where Nina was standing, illuminating a single flower. The lopsided petals, which had appeared somewhat limp before, seemed almost to be rejuvenated by the moonshine bathing it. Then, slowly, the flower hesitantly opened its petals one by one, glowing like a pale flame and refracting the moonlight into iridescent shades. In the precise middle of the flower lay a berry that had a faint violet tinge to it.

          Nina drew a deep breath. That was the berry, all right, but now she was going to have to retrieve it. That was easier said than done, even with her wings, since she had no wish to damage the flower in the process. Full Moon flowers were rare and had immense medical and healing properties, and there were only few of them left in the world.

          But Nina had a job to do. She spread her wings, bent her knees slightly, and leapt up. Her wings helped her stay in the air, and she worked her way up slowly to the flower. It would be much easier for her to fly by simply changing into a bird, but she was not yet old enough to do it. Only when she was past her eighteenth birthday, which was only a mere two months away, could she change form like her elders.

          Three feet, two feet, one more, and then she was level with the flower. Up close, the flower looked even more enchanting than it had before. Nina steadied herself and reached out with a shaky hand to grasp the glowing berry that would save her father's life.

          As she slowly descended to the ground, floating down like a leaf borne aloft by the wind, she silently contemplated the prize lying in the center of her palm, which she had come so far for. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she failed to notice a shadow looming behind her…

          "Screeeeeyyaaaaaa!!!!!!" a wyvern, its talons outstretched, dove directly towards the oblivious Nina!

          Nina looked up just as the strike was about to tear into her. Reacting instinctively, she dodged to one side.

          But it was still too late. The cruel talons wrenched a foot-long gash along the side of her wing (ow!), and the sheer force of the attack slammed her slim body forcefully against the unyielding earth. (OW!)

          Nina felt light-headed and more than a little nauseous. Miraculously though, she had somehow managed to keep a hold on the Full Moon berry. Only to death would she surrender the berry that would heal her father.

          Her vision faded in and out. She could faintly see the outline of the huge wyvern gearing up for another strike. 

          The blurred image lunged at her. And that was when she blanked out.

Footnotes 

**(1): **What do you think he survived on for twelve years? Vegetables? Yeah right. And he probably learned how to fish from his master.

**(2): **The sword he got for his present belonged to his master. I don't think there are any weapon shops in the vicinity. And btw, the old guy (Ryu's master I mean) can't use a sword anymore because the SOB who left him to die cut certain tendons to make sure that he would never have the strength to lift a heavy weapon anymore. Poor guy.

**(3):** Me using the spell list from BoF1. I might also decide to throw in a few other spells just for the heck of it.

**(4):** Yes! It's Nina! Duh. Did you think I was going to leave her out of this? Besides, no BoF story is ever really complete without her…and also, I (obviously) decided to let her be a kickass magic user. I thought the Nina from BoF2 was really cool! Nina as a healer is nice, but I have already someone else in mind covering that particular spot…

**(5): **Yeah. It's a lame name. But I couldn't think of anything better. Besides, the fact that the flower blooms on the full moon gives me a chance to show off my vocabulary a little bit (Damon: Yeah like anyone cares.   Elena: I'm still not FINISHED with you yet! So SHUT UP!)

**(6):** The guy's crippled, but only in the sense that he has some difficulties with lifting heavy stuff. And also his movements are sometimes stiff and awkward because of the fact that some of his tendons were cut (see above explanation in **(2)**). But over the years he has managed to heal himself partially so he could at least move about easily. Yes he can use magic. But he can't use his battle spells anymore because his ex-best friend sealed it somehow. But he can still use certain types of magic. Which will be VERY useful in some of the later chapters. And try to hazard a guess about who this guy is. He will play a pretty large role in the fic.

Elena: Well, finally! The chapter's done! I'm so happy! Although I'm not so happy about the fact that my mid-year examinations start tomorrow…

Stefan: Hey cheer up! Nothing's gonna faze you in some stupid exam. You weren't the First in Standard last year for nothing ya know.

Elena: *winces* You just HAD to bring that up, didn't you? You're just as bad as the rest of my classmates…

Stefan: *smirks* Oh ya, did you see Damon anywhere? I've been looking for him for at least half an hour now…

Elena: Oh, that. I defenestrated him.

Stefan: *pales* You WHAT?! That's a horrible thing to do!!

Elena: *confused* What? What's wrong with defenestrating someone?

Stefan: YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! IT'S A TERRIBLE THING TO DO TO A MAN!!!

Elena: *even more confused* Why would throwing an annoying person out of a high window be that terrible??

Stefan: YOU DON'T…wait what did you say? You threw him out of the window?

Elena: Yeah. Off the top of a 70-storey building to be exact.

Stefan: So you didn't… *blushes* 

Elena: So I didn't what? What did you think I did to him? *suspicious look*

Stefan: *still red in the face* Oh…it's nothing…don't mind me…I'm just nuts…

Elena: Men! All such big babies! No offense to any guys out there though. It's just a personal opinion. XD And I almost forgot something. To** Darth**, I just wanted to inform you that Ryu IS of royal blood. His mother is the daughter of the previous king after all. And I'm sure that everyone caught all the hints of a possible Ryu/Nina romance…but it isn't really decided yet. Remember Riana? She MIGHT cause some problems…*evil grin* So be prepared for a love triangle…not going to be much angst though, I'm not good at that, but there will be some verbal battles between the girls, with a totally clueless Ryu smack in the middle of the 'battlefield'. *eviler grin* I love myself…

Damon: Yeah you are some stuck-up pompous ass.

Elena: YOU?! I thought I got rid of you!

Damon: Yeah right. It takes a lot more than that to kill me.

Elena: Well why don't we talk about that… *advances on Damon*

Damon: *backs away nervously*

Stefan: This looks dangerous. I think I'd better end this here. Who knows what those two would do if this went on any longer. Please read and review people, and I'll try my very best to drag Elena back on to type up the next chapter. Adios amigos!

*Elena and Damon giving hide-and-seek a whole new image*


	7. Time to Begin? Again?

Elena: I'm back~~~~~! *looks around* Ok, no welcoming party…*sigh*

Stefan: Well, if you hadn't been gone so long then maybe people might still remember you…

Elena: Oh yes…now that you remind me…I'M SO TERRIBLY AND HORRIBLY SORRY!!! I didn't mean to be gone for so long! I was just, just, err…..

Stefan: Lazy perhaps?

Elena: *winces* not quite the word I would have used…but you're right. I was lazy, and busy, and occupied…but mostly lazy… *looks embarrassed* Oh and my computer got hit by a virus and everything got wiped out, including the half-finished chapter I was planning. So I had to retype everything.

Stefan: See, I'm right. *smirks*

Elena: *grumbles* Why are you acting like your brother now? I thought only Damon could be the main jerk around here.

Stefan: Well, we're twins…some of it is bound to rub off…which reminds me, where IS Damon? I haven't seen him for ages.

Elena: Oh, humph, that, well, I sent him over to KC's for a vacation…

Stefan: Aw man! Why didn't you invite me?! Hey wait, this is KC we're talking about right? The KC? As in Kenzy-chan?!

Elena: Yep. Got a problem?

Stefan: How could you do that to Damon!! To send him to KC….that's just plain mean! Not to mention evil…

Elena: Hey what's wrong with KC? She's perfectly nice, plus she gave me a new muse…*checks watch* who ought to be here later. I lent Damon to her so her male muse there could have some company.

Stefan: Yes, but, sending Damon to KC's is like sending a sissy guy to boot camp for the rest of his pathetic life!!

Elena: Oh just shut it will you? Damon will live through it, hopefully in one piece…

Stefan: Aha! There! You gave yourself away! Damon is doomed….

Elena: Whatever. It's not like he's irreplaceable. Just like you aren't irreplaceable either…And let's just stop blabbering and get on with the story shall we?

Stefan: *shudders* Right…Don't forget the disclaimer: Elena doesn't own BoF, its Capcom's. Got that? Let's go then.

Legend:

+++~Change of scene~+++

^^PoV^^

^~*^~*Flashback*~^*~^

*~Dream Sequence~*

**The Dragon Warrior Chapter Six: Time to Begin?**

^^Nina again, this time when she wakes up^^

            I felt…odd. That was the only thing I could use to describe the strange almost-out-of-body sensation that I seemed to be experiencing. My limbs were all jelly-like, and I felt really disconnected with whatever was happening. That sort of alerted me to my situation. The last I remembered, there was this nasty thing trying to tear me into little bits. A wyvern I think… Hey wait! Then am I dead now or something?! 

            It was a chore to even open my eyelids. I felt like I was trying to swim against a very strong current. I felt something, no someone, prop me up and urge me to drink something. I was too weak to resist anyway, and I felt a warm, thick, liquid slide down my throat. It tasted, coppery, and there was a strange tang to it, but it rejuvenated me considerably, and I was subsequently able to at least open my eyes. 

            The image I was getting was still blurred, but when the figure offered more of the strange substance for me to drink, I took it with no hesitation. If it could make me feel better, why not? Besides, I needed to be strong enough to return home to deliver the medicine to my Father. Wait, the berry! Did I still have it? With clumsy and sluggish movements, I tried to ascertain the presence of the berry.

            "Don't worry, you held on to that berry with a death grip even though you were out like a light. I'm almost surprised you haven't managed to crush it despite being able to cling on to it while being flung around like a rag doll," an amused male voice reassured me, a hidden chuckle evident in his voice. I relaxed immediately when I heard that, although I felt a little indignant that he seemed to be laughing at me. How could he still laugh at me when I'm injured?! The nerve of him!

            It took several minutes, but I felt a little more refreshed, albeit a little numb and strangely floaty. I could finally get a clearer view of my savior, who I was leaning on now. I felt my throat tighten, when I realized that the person who had most likely rescued me from the nasty wyvern to be the handsome blue-haired stranger. I didn't know why, but I was suddenly very nervous. I think he was too, as his face suddenly got a little apprehensive as he watched me with cautious eyes.

            It probably didn't help that we were currently in a semi-intimate embrace with his arm snaked around my waist, and me basically on his lap, in his arms. I was on the verge of blushing really hard, something I had failed to do many times before, which probably earned me my Ice Queen reputation in certain quarters. But I stopped myself. How could I, of the Royal House of Winlan, just start blushing because of such a situation? 

            Still, it was an undoubtedly compromising situation. I suddenly froze as a sudden thought occurred to me. He didn't try to take advantage of me when I was out cold did he? But then again he didn't seem the sort. But I had learned long ago not to rely on appearances to judge character. Growing up in as royalty does that to you.

            I decided to take small tentative steps to sound him out. "So…what happened?" I inquired, my speech still slightly slurred from extreme fatigue, among other things.

^^End Nina's PoV^^

^^Normal PoV^^

            "Well, I saved you from that wyvern, brought you back here to treat that gash on your wing, that's about it," Ryu half-shrugged, still painfully aware of her weight on his lap. That was not to say that she was heavy, just that he was uncomfortable with having a female that close to him. Plus, the lack of any human, female, contact for as long as he could remember made him awkward. He felt really out of his depth, silly even, especially when forced to confront this girl whose overpowering femininity weighed rather heavily on his senses. He _was_ male after all, and puberty without sufficient human contact had left him rather introverted and with difficulties communicating his thoughts and feelings with others. But the sudden appearance of this girl quite suddenly brought him all the way back to the beginning stages of his emotional development during puberty. He suddenly felt like an awkward, babbling teenager. And he didn't like it too much.

            To one side, the old man smiled. He couldn't see the expressions on the children's faces, but he could clearly sense the tension in the cave. This would promise to be interesting, the old man thought. However, before things got more awkward than they already were, he decided to help Ryu out by going over to them.

            Nina turned her head at the sound. She was just that little bit surprised to see the blind old man coming over. 'What's someone like him doing here?' Ah well, I could apply that question to that cute guy too…oh wait what did I just think?!' Nina's mind was immediately scrambled by that little slip in thought. The old man smiled benignly at her. "Don't worry; you just lost a lot of blood. Normally it would take days for you to regain your strength, but you seemed to be in a hurry from what the boy here said, so we sped up your healing process a little. I don't think I need to go into details of what we did do I?"

            Nina was curious about the methods used though. She had always been interested in healing herbs and the like, and it was probably by sheer chance, combined with what were probably innate talents, that she ended up as a black magic user instead of a healer. She probably should have kept her mouth shut this time though. Some things were better left unknown after all.

            "You gave me WHAT??!!" Nina half-screeched at them. Both men, young and old, cringed a little. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned indeed. Although in this case, they did not actually subject the female in question to scorn, but Nina obviously was not happy by whatever they told her. Actually though, she was more shocked than anything else, although that began to wear off soon enough.

            She took a deep breath and clambered off Ryu's lap, reaching out as she did so to steady herself and prevent her self from succumbing to the sudden dizziness that threatened to overwhelm her. "Are you all right?" Ryu questioned anxiously. Nina grinned a little weakly, "Weak, tired, dizzy…and I feel like I'm gonna throw up any second. Aside from all those, I'm fine. Any other questions?"

            Ryu blinked. To cover up his slight confusion, he gave an almost flippant reply, "As long as you avoid throwing up on me that is. Now where do you think you're going young lady?" Nina gave him a strange look. "You are not old enough to call me young lady you…you blue haired twit!!" She burst out in a very un-Nina-like fashion.

            Sensing an imminent quarrel, the old guy stepped in to intervene. "He's right, Ms Nina. You are not well enough to travel yet. The, ahem, tonic, we gave you will speed up the recovery process, but you still need some rest for it to take effect. You should be able to travel the next morning, but you might not be strong enough to ward off any monster attacks. My suggestion would be for you to rest…" He had not finished his sentence when Nina held up a hand. 

            "I MUST leave tomorrow. My father…he needs the herb as soon as possible. I cannot afford any delays." The old man frowned, deep in thought, then he seemed to come up with something.

            "Boy, you escort the lady home."

            Ryu's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "But, but, master, I…"

            Nina's jaw had dropped. She couldn't believe it! How would she be able to handle having this…annoyingly good-looking guy with her? Wait she DID NOT just think he was good looking. _But you did…_ The annoying little voice in her head mocked.

            The old man sighed. "Ryu I cannot keep you here forever. The world outside is vast, and a youngster like you should be out there to search for your path in life, not staying here with an old man who has reached the end of his path and is waiting for death to come. Besides, you would like to know who you are and where you came from after all, don't you?"

            Those words struck a chord deep within Ryu's heart. All this time while growing up, questions had haunted him, questions of his own identity. It was one of the single obsessions in his life, his search for his past. He wanted, no, _needed, to know who he was._

            "I'll go," 2 simple words slipped out, signaling, finally, the start of an epic adventure that would be the highlight of his life.

Elena: So there it is. Short chapter I know. I wasn't feeling too inspired. Well at least I finally got round to starting the whole story going… It was torture going through the dreary buildup scenes.

Stefan: Well at least you can begin writing the fun bits now.

Elena: Yes I know, problem is now to go through the process of gathering up the party and defeating random baddies along the way.

Stefan: Sounds like fun J 

*loud crash heard in kitchen*

Elena/Stefan: What the???

*girl walks in from the kitchen*

Elena: Oh hi there. I thought you weren't coming. KC sent you right, Candy?

Candy: Yep, she said you needed female company because all you had were male muses.

Stefan: *blinks and stares at Candy*

Elena: Well I have only one of them with me now. I sent the other over to KC. Did you see happen to see him?

Candy: No I don't think so…unless you count some guy who stepped out from a FedEx delivery crate outside KC's…looked awfully like the twit that's staring at me now…

Stefan: *blinks and shakes head to clear it* huh?

Elena: Oh right. That would be Damon heheh. I shipped him off via express delivery. Well anyways, next chapter should be coming up soon. And it would signal the beginning of the adventure! Will Ryu find out who he is soon? Or do we have to wait more than 5 chapters? Stay tuned to find out!!!

Stefan: And now she sounds like a radio show host….

Candy: Shut up. *whacks Stefan*


End file.

Breath of Fire, Adventure, Fantasy