Chapter 14.
  
  ‘What about the King,’ the general complained. ‘I mean
the real King Seth?’
  ‘Good question.’ Ksid noted. ‘Where was the one place
that the imposter forbid you to go, that was usually open
to you?’
  The general sifted through different rooms in his mind.
‘His bedroom. Usually, when we had important news to tell
him, we’d knock and he’d let us enter. The imposter
forbid us from going anywhere near that room.’
  ‘Then, I suggest we start there.’ 
  The army were sent back to their varies duties around
the city, whilst the general escorted Ksid and the group
through the palace. 
  The kings quarters were in the right wing, on the
ground floor. 
  ‘Here it is.’ the general announced as they came upon
two giant wooden doors, that were set with in a splay. He
grabbed one door by the handle, and wrenched it open. 
  The room was large, dominated by dark colours. The bed
was placed opposite the door. The walls were a dark
maroon colour, where many painted and framed faces from
history, left their marks. The floor was carpeted with
skin rugs dotted here and there. Dressing tables, bed
side tables, and chairs were all oak, and finished with a
dark coat of varnish. A cupboard stood up against the
wall on the right side of the bed, and on the other side
was a door to the royal bathroom. 
  ‘Help me look for him.’ Ksid ordered, walking over to 
the cupboard. 
  The group scattered, combing the room evenly. Enigma
took time to search the bathroom.
  The bathroom was half the size of the bed room. There
was an empty pool in the centre and a giant mirror at the
far end with a small basin and a tiny bath tub beside it.
The floor was tiled in white, with several torches at
various points around the room, lighting the place up
brightly. 
  Enigma skimmed his eyes across the area, then turned to
leave. A deep moaning caught his attention once more. He
moved cautiously towards it.
  Inside the empty pool, bound, blind - folded, and
gagged, with his hands tied to his feet, a lightly
dressed man lay. 
  ‘In here everybody!’ Enigma yelled to the rest of the
search party, as he descended the steps. He took the
blind fold off, and ungagged him.
  ‘Thank the God’s he’s all right.’ the general said 
joyously. 
  ‘Don’t start celebrating now.’ Ksid warned. ‘He’s
almost dead.’ He too descended into the pool to give aid.
  Enigma untied the King’s arms and legs. ‘We have to
help him.’ 
  ‘You know what to do.’
  He looked at Ksid, than at the others. Concentrating on 
Seth, he placed his hands on the Kings chest. Enigma’s 
hands went green, and in turn, King Seth pulsated. The 
sensation he usually got in his head was completely gone 
now. He finally had full control over his powers, knowing 
exactly what he was doing, when he wanted to do it, and
how to control it.
  Seth’s face, pale when found, was recovering its rosy
pigment, and his body warmed up somewhat. When the
process was complete, the glow stopped.
  A silence awaited a verdict.
  ‘He should be fine now.’ Ksid predicted. ‘Help me bring
him back to his chambers.’
  Seth was placed in his bed, and left in the care of the
local physician to monitor his progress. 
  For their help, the group were given the highest
quality rooms in the right wing, in some cases, leaving
the other guests in the halls with their luggage. The
general, the highest ranking knight was placed
temporarily in charge, as the prime minister had to leave
for a few weeks.
  ‘I’d like to thank you for all that you’ve done.’ he
acknowledged, as he showed the group their rooms. ‘I hope
we didn’t offend you earlier - with the catapult and
all.’
  ‘Nobody got hurt.’ Enigma replied. ‘No one on our side
anyway.’
  ‘I’m General Mundo, by the way.’
  Enigma introduced his group.
  ‘Pleasure to meet you. Would you like me to send
someone down to get your belongings?’
  ‘There are only a few bits and pieces I left behind - 
mainly cloths, plus the horses. I forgot to pay the inn 
keeper as well.’
  ‘Don’t worry about any of that. We’ll handle it for
you.’
  They picked out their rooms, then assembled in Ksid’s
quarters.
  ‘Enigma, I thought I told you to stay put.’ Ksid
scolded as everyone got settled around a table. 
  ‘I saw a navy cape jumping out of a window.’ Enigma
explained himself. ‘I wasn’t just going to let the person
go so she could come back when ever she felt like it.’
  ‘What were you doing up that late anyway?’
  ‘You woke me, then I couldn’t get back to sleep.’
  ‘Then what happened here in the kingdom whilst I was
gone?’
  ‘We were jailed,’ Power answered for Enigma, ‘then
attacked by an army in a siege situation on a tower that
we were hiding in. The tower was totally destroyed by a
single boulder.’
  ‘Sound’s like you had a better time than I did.’
  Arem pulled Betra and Kolga out of her pockets, letting 
them go on the table. ‘What were you doing when you 
were gone, anyway?’
  ‘I was recovering some information from home about 
what’s involved in our next step - mainly history.’
  ‘Where is you home?’ Ice asked. ‘You keep on sneaking
out, and I’ve alway’s wondered where you go.’
  ‘My home’s every where.’ Ksid answered, handing back 
all the important bits and pieces that he recovered from 
the inn.
  Her eyebrows rose.
  ‘Trust me. When you see it - all of it, you’ll 
understand.’
  ‘Before you go on with what you found,’ Enigma
interrupted, ‘I have some important information of the
next step my self.’
  ‘Go ahead.’ Ksid said.
  Enigma opened his book to the recently gained message. 
‘“To the top of the pinnacle shall you all journey,”’ he
read, ‘“where the hymn of the Dreamer shall mystify it’s
name, opening the passage to the house of worship where
the object you seek should lie. Fate, though, will not be
in your favour, thus you must seek, and gain, before the
moons unite. All of this, however, not before further
deceit. The preceptor shall come to your rescue.”’
  ‘So your telling me you trust your future all on a
book?’ Arem said bewildered.
  ‘Why do you ask?’
  She hesitated. ‘It just sounds so silly.’
  ‘But you believed everything else we told you.’ Terrol
contradicted.
  ‘Maybe.’
  ‘Well?’
  ‘It’s a book!’ She knew she was loosing the battle.
  ‘Why is what we say more believable than to what a book
say’s.’ Ksid asked.
  She couldn’t find an answer.
  ‘You wouldn’t believe it, but books are more reliable 
than information told orally. Oral information is usually 
passed down, where as, information in a book is solid, 
and unchanged.’
  Arem looked to her servants for back up.
  ‘Do you even know where the book comes from?’ Reenoco
helped Arem out.
  ‘My master gave it to me to give to the Conscripted boy
before he disappeared.
  ‘Do you even know who wrote it?’ Orpten also helped.
  ‘I never got had the chance to ask.’
  ‘We’re straying from the point here.’ Enigma
intermitted the debate. ‘Ksid, now what were you going to
tell us?’
  ‘I went home and did some research about our next step. 
I know why where here, and I know what we have to do, but 
I thought I’d better clear up some things first.’ He 
opened an ancient book he had brought with him, with 
golden pages and a reasonable build up of dust on the 
cover. ‘From the Book of Ancients. I’ll only read a few 
selected pieces, and skip all the finer details.’ He
opened it to the first page. ‘“Long ago, a tiny vessel of
three settlers wandered upon the uninhabited planes of
what is now known as Krestia. Tired and deprived of food,
with senses that fooled them, they were prone to be lured
by anything, explainable or unexplainable.
  ‘“As they continued onward, with brows saturated and 
spirits low, the leader, Kerstrestia, withdrew his hat in 
the heat of a summer day, and wiped his face. He looked 
up into the sky, and saw a great bird with wings of fire, 
sweeping back and forth in front of their view of the 
sun. 
  ‘“In awe and with curiosity, the great bird took their
breath away, and thus they followed it, despite their
fatigue, on fast heels, towards a great mountain on which
it perched. 
  ‘“Stoping they did not, neither to eat, nor to sleep.
For their minds had been captivated. Never, when set
sail, leaving friends and family behind, did they ever
begin to expect such a creature, such an inhabitation.
  ‘“It took two days to climb the great mountain, their
goal becoming greater and greater with each step.
Freezing temperatures and poring rain did not hinder
their quest.
  ‘“As they finally made it to the top, they saw the true
vastness of the bird; almost twenty times taller than
they were. It had eagle like characteristics with red and
gold plumage, with the tips of each of it’s feathers
ablaze. It had built a nest of sorts, out of whole trees
and branches. 
  ‘“Peering at the strangers closely, the magnificent
wonder spread it’s wings out as wide as they could reach,
bellowing tremendously. Suddenly, to the travellers
horror, it ignited, and it along with the nest, went up
in flames. Out of respect, the explorers persisted by
it’s side until all that was left was a pile of ashes. 
  ‘“The wind picked up not long after. The travellers 
were devastated with the great birds demise. They were 
unsure why, but for some reason, they could not leave the 
sight. They couldn’t bring themselves into turning their 
backs and walking away. Still, they continued to sit, and 
watch, as the wind ever so slowly, blew the ashes away
into the atmosphere.
  ‘“Once the ashes had totally disappeared, the wind died
down, and the mesmerising spell was released from their
minds. They were free to continue on. 
  ‘“As they packed up camp and began their descend back 
down the mountain, a very tiny, but bright flicker caught 
their eyes. Returning to where the ashes once were, they 
looked down upon a tiny worm, the offspring of the 
Phoenix, as they decided to name it. 
  ‘“They praised and worshiped it, for surviving the 
dreaded blaze, and in it’s honour, they built a great 
temple, the biggest structure ever erected.
  ‘“They worked furiously at it, carving the stone’s out
of the rock face about half way down the mountain where
the best material was. Toil they did, completing the
structure with in two weeks. 
  ‘“Once it was complete, they looked upon it with humble
minds, the worm in the leaders hand. From above the newly
built temple, a great voice came from the heavens. To
place the worm inside the temple, was their instructions.
It was to guard a special object. 
  The settlers had a choice, either to leave, or to spend 
the rest of eternity in the birds care. They graciously 
decided to stay, and were given powers for the basic 
running of life, as well as immortality. Once they were 
inside, the object was placed with it, and the temple was 
sealed of by a circular wall of fire, and an invisible 
field of energy.
  ‘“It’s said that every five hundred years, marked with
the alliance of the two outer moons, when the bird starts
to create it’s own death bed - which takes up to seven
days - the invisible field disintegrates, and all that is
left is the wall of fire which can only be extinguished
by a special jewel. Once the bird dies, the field is
replaced, and will only relinquish the next time round.”’
He closed the book.
  ‘That’s our next step?’ Arem asked in disbelief.
  ‘That’s our nest step.’ Ksid corrected. ‘You and your
accomplices aren’t going any where. It’s to dangerous.’
  ‘Are you telling me what to do?’ She rose to her feet.
  Ksid opened his mouth and began to say something when
something held him back. ‘Dam. The promise.’ He cursed
under his breath. ‘All right, you can come along. Just
don’t get yourselves into trouble.’
  Arem smiled with victory.
  ‘Sorry about this,’ Power spoke up, ‘but I think I’ve
missed something here. What exactly is our next step,
Ksid?’
  ‘You can’t see what the next step is?’ 
  He shook his head.
  ‘Me neither.’ Terrol admitted.
  ‘How can you not see what’s next?’ Iikin said.
  ‘The book just doesn’t make sense.’
  ‘Well, for those of you how didn’t follow,’ Ksid 
continued, ‘let me explain. Like the story said, every 
five hundred years, the two outer moon’s join, 
relinquishing the field of energy that perimeters the 
wall of fire. Its at this point the bird begins too build 
its nest in preparation for its death. Keep that piece of 
information in mind. 
  ‘Next point, the name of the settler that stumbled upon 
the mountain was called Kerstrestia. Think about that 
name for a little “Kerstrestia”. Shortened to “Krestia”. 
They built a temple out of stone from half way down the 
mountain. Coincidence or not, but this city sits half way 
down a mountain. Do you see the connection?’
  The big man’s eye’s rolled to the roof, and after a
little thought, he agreed. 
  ‘Every five hundred years, the field disintegrates,
leaving the wall of fire that can only be extinguished by
a special jewel. We have the jewel, and we want what’s on
the inside of that temple.’
  ‘Since when did we have the jewel?’
  ‘Enigma picked it up when you and Ice turned up,
remember?’ He lifted up a red gem that was attached to a
chain. 
  ‘I remember that.’ Enigma recalled. I’d forgotten all
about it. I’ve alway’s wondered what it was for.’
  ‘If it’s so important, then how come the enemy Enigma
encountered never took it?’ Power questioned.
  ‘She probably didn’t know she needed it.’ Enigma
answered. ‘She stole my book and she was trying to blast
it open when I got to her. And there it was, sitting
right in front of her in her very own domain.’
  Arem frowned. ‘So we’ll be going up against a giant 
bird?’
  ‘A dying giant bird.’ Ksid corrected. ‘He’s not
anything to worry about, but Enigma’s passage is. It only
just hit me, but, by the sounds of things, it looks like
we’ll be losing one of the most important things on the
earth to the enemy. That’s what I’m worried about.’
  ‘Let’s worry about it when we get to it.’ Ice said.
‘Hopefully it won’t be as bad as you may think. Now,
according to the book, the temple should be at the top of
this mountain. With the Split Biplatenium beginning -’
  ‘Tomorrow night.’ Ksid helped.
  ‘Tomorrow night,’ Ice went on, ‘We’ll have seven day’s
to get ourselves to the top of the mountain. I’m pretty
sure Split Biplatenium is what is meant by “alliance of
the two outer moon’s”.’
  ‘You have the “Split Biplatenium” part right. But, in
fact, we only have seven day’s to get in, and out before
we get sealed in.’
  ‘That’s heaps of time.’ Arem noted.
  ‘Not quite cutie.’ Iikin countered. 
  Arem’s jaw dropped.
  ‘Judging by the era the temple was built, I’d say that
it’d be jam packed with traps and other little nasty
things that will surely get in our way.’
  ‘Cutie.’ she still couldn’t believe it.
  ‘I studied ancient cultures,’ Iikin continued, ‘and all 
protected important things the best they could. The best 
protection is inconspicuous protection, in which case 
would be - booby traps.’
  ‘It makes sense.’ Ice said in a trembling voice, still 
trying to adjust from her previous tone. ‘Over the many 
years, as their wisdom becomes wiser, they would have 
installed more and more traps - advanced traps more like 
it.’
  ‘We’ll have to be careful.’ Ksid announced. ‘We’ll make
plans later. Gets some sleep. I’ll wake you all up in the
middle of the night, and we’ll get started. We’ll need as
much of a head start as possible.’
*  *  *  
  Enigma was given the honour of an adjoining room once
again - most likely a nursery for the guests - next to
royal trio. It was smaller than the others. He didn’t
like sleeping in big spaces. To much room for trouble. 
  His unusually soft bed was in the far corner. Beside it
was a small, round table with three candles in a candle
holder. A comfy chair was in the other corner, where
Enigma sat, thinking, dreaming. 
  Things were different, stranger now than when he grew
up. He once lived in the country with his mother, father,
sister and pet. It was in the middle of no where, and
nobody did anything. No one in the family had jobs, but
yet food and clothes provided for them seemed to just
appear in front of him. 
  Their house was amongst a forest beside a small creek 
that ran past their door step. He recalled the noise of  
splashing of the crystal clear water, and the intense 
laughter of when he, Iern, his sister, and Hastupid, his 
Terrier, used to play there on a hot summer’s day’s 
whilst his mother and father sat on the porch, arm in 
arm. On cold winter night’s, they’d light a fire, and sit
in front of it, all raped in blankets, whilst story’s
were exchanged over warm drinks. Hastupid used to
playfully lie on his back, chewing on an old boot he’d
received as a pup. 
  Though dreaming of happiness and laughter, his thoughts
were invaded with the horror that took him away from
tranquillity. His nightmare’s still a clear memory,
shade’s of darkness that still ran back and forth in
front of his eye’s. He was playing in the forest one day,
Iern and Hastupid hiding from him in a friendly game, his
father cutting wood in preparation for the on coming
winter, and his mother in the kitchen preparing dinner.
The day that he lost his family.
  The events of his family’s death began to run in it’s
usual sequence, but luckily, he was interrupted when Ksid
woke him. 
  ‘It was so real.’ Enigma whimpered, wiping his eye’s.
He had unknowingly unto himself, actually fallen asleep
in his chair. ‘My family, everything. It was as if I was
reliving my past.’
  ‘There’s more to your past than you really think.’ Ksid
blurted.
  ‘How’s that?’
  ‘Hhmm. Oh nothing. Don’t worry about it.’
  The group had already assembled in Ksid’s room, Enigma 
being the one they were waiting for behind Arem and her 
little group. Wisely, each were rugged up tightly, a 
supplement from the general, to battle the frigid 
mountain. 
  There were several hours left until the sun came up.
They were overwhelmed with the biting chill of the wind
that had picked up since dusk, cutting deeply into the
parts that were mistakenly left uncovered. Dry sleet
added to the imparity of their visibility given by their
previous disadvantage, the darkness. They were vulnerable
for attack.
  Leaving their horses and pets behind, a flight of
stairs began their hard journey upward, not before a set
of guards and a gate that let them through unquestioned. 
  As what little light was left still burning in the city
disappeared, Enigma gave each group member sight, their
eye’s lighting up a dull yellow, though inconspicuous
under black pieces of cloth. 
  ‘This is extraordinary!’ Arem yelled over the screaming
gale. No matter what natural thing stood in her way, she
could see every solitary thing in front of her - even
blindfolded.
  Terrol lead the way, attempting to stick to the better
paths. There was a track, but not much of one. The upper
half was obviously travelled less. What little track
there was, was covered by the snow. 
  Instead of winding around the mountain like the first 
day of rugged climbing, they proceed straight up, which, 
though hard on the legs, seemed to take less longer. At 
times, they were lugging up vertical stone formations, 
and even dangling from over hanging boulders to get to 
the next ledge. 
  Of tough times, this was one of the toughest for most. 
Their legs ached of petrified muscle, shriek loudly their
agony in the form of intense pain, the numbness of the
cold not helping either. 
  They continually climbed until dawn, before coming
across a cave, a god - sent if they ever needed one. Rest
was a priority.
  ‘Maybe I should have just stayed back at the castle.’
Arem huffed, removing her blind fold.
  ‘I wish I had the option.’ Enigma replied,
concentrating, then releasing the spell. 
  The cave wasn’t all that deep, but it was enough to
keep them warm. There was evidence of previous use given
away by charcoal and half burnt sticks near the back of
the cave, being once a camp fire. 
  As the sun gave off more light and warmth, Terrol
ventured outside to fetch firewood and any flammable item
he could find.
  ‘I know I asked this the first time we started climbing
the mountain,’ Iikin said to Ksid, curling himself up
against the wall, ‘but can’t we just fly to the top?’
  ‘If our opposition are close by as you all said, then 
they’d be constantly monitoring us. This next step where 
taking is pretty important, and if they track us down, 
they could wait until we do all the hard work - get what 
we want out of the temple - and then ambush us. We can’t 
let them take our prize away, and I’m not going to let 
them, no matter what Enigma’s book says.’
  Terrol soon came back with an arm full of wood. ‘This
is the best I could do.’ He placed it where the last fire
had been. ‘The wind’s died down and it’s not as cold. The
sleet faded as the sun came up.’
  ‘Funny,’ Reenoco chuckled, ‘I never noticed the change.
I still don’t notice the change.’ She shuddered.
  ‘We’ve made good time.’ Ksid noted. ‘We’re moving along
quicker than I expected, probably because we’re going
straight up instead of around.’ He sat back against the
wall. ‘I want everyone to get some sleep. We’ve got some
time under our belts, and we’re not going to get much
chance to sleep over the next week. I’ll wake you all
soon.’
  Enigma found a little corner tucked away into the side
of the cave. Though uncomfortable, it keep his body in a
confined space, thus warming him up some what. Despite
the cramps in his legs, nothing could stop him from
retreating into the land of dreams. 
  His family and their death returned to haunt him. The
same sequence of images ran through once more, but this
time, at different instances, he’d see flashes of the
Master, each time, his sick twisted features becoming
clearer and clearer, closer and closer, until he couldn’t
stand it any more.
  ‘Enigma, wake up.’ Ice was shaking him by the shoulder.
‘You were twisting and turning viciously. A bad dream by
the looks of things. What was going though your mind?’
  Enigma rubbed his eye’s. ‘I can’t remember any more. I 
woke up to quick for my brain to recall.’
  Then a blurry image of Ksid stood over him. ‘You okay 
boy?’
  Enigma rubbed his eye’s once again and nodded.
  Arem then came up and stood between the two. ‘Having
trouble sleeping?’
  ‘Apparently.’ Enigma replied, sitting up. His legs were
still a little tight, but his back and neck pained him
the most. ‘Is everybody already awake?’
  ‘They are now.’ Arem smiled. 
  The fire had been lit. Enigma’s now awoken companion’s
were sitting by what was left of it, with their hands out
stretched, warming themselves up. 
  ‘Nightmares Enigma?’ Orpten questioned.
  ‘Why’s everybody worried about what I dream all of a
sudden?’
  ‘You did wake us up.’ Orpten defended herself. 
  Grumpily, he scratched his face, then walked over to 
the mouth of the cave. The sun had risen above the 
lingering cloud not to far above them, leaving the 
surrounding land in constant shadows. The city was only 
partly visible now. It was tiny, and didn’t look all that 
big.
  ‘I suggest we get moving now that we’re all awake.’ 
Terrol suggested. ‘The weather’s good, and I think it’d
be best to get most of the work done when the sun’s up.
It’s much more easier on the body when there’s warmth.’
He rubbed his shoulders.
  The flame was extinguished, then they continued their 
long haul up the mountain. The terrain became more and 
more rockier. It wasn’t long before their footing failed 
them. They bound each other by rope at the next ledge 
they came across. The big men were at the start - Terrol
leading the way, followed by Power, Iikin, Enigma, Ksid 
with Ice, Arem, Reenoco and Orpten, at the bottom. 
  It didn’t take long for the team to disappear within
the cloud that persistently loitered three quarters of
the way up the mountain. The inside of the cloud was
thick and dark, some of the worst fog that most of them
had every experienced. 
  The fog got thicker and thicker as they climbed, almost
blinding them totally. The wind had completely died down,
leaving an eerie silence.
  ‘There’s a reason for all this fog.’ Ksid huffed. ‘For
the life of me, I can’t seem to remember what for.’
  The reason for the fog was soon to be found. Somewhere
within the mist, a shallow sound called. 
  ‘Not now.’ Ksid sighed. 
  ‘What is it?’ Power asked.
  ‘His name’s Guardian. It only just hit me. I think
we’re in for a spot of trouble.’
  The call was vibrant, a metallic sound that only lasted
short periods of time. An inconvenience was on its way. 
  It was quick. Enigma only got a quick glimpse of it.
Swiftly, the beast dove at them, quickly moving in then
out. Several of the group members lost their place,
slamming into the side of the mountain. 
  Guardian was a bright red creature, with human like 
qualities standing about nine feet tall. It was intensely 
muscular, with skin like leather. It’s body was naked, 
with hair covering him from the waist down. Expanding 
from his back, a giant wingspan that was totally out of
proportion compared to himself. 
  The few that still clung to the mountain strained to
hold on. The floundering few struggled, panic stricken to
realign themselves. Again, the metallic call.
  ‘He’s returning!’ Ksid yelled.
  Guardian again attacked, this time, hitting his target,
grabbing Iikin with it’s powerful arms. It lifted him off
the mountain and into the air, in turn, dragging the rest
of the group with him. 
  They flew precariously, rapidly moving higher and 
higher into the air. Eventually, the fog began to weaken 
in strength, and soon, they were met with the blue sky 
above the clouds. Guardian continued his upward climb.
  ‘Halt!’ Ksid yelled. ‘I am the Ksid, first chosen of 
Lord Serenity! Before you is the Conscripted Boy! Should 
you dare attempt to strike us down, we will be forced to 
eliminate you!’
  Guardian looked below him, slowing up his pace. With a
screech, it began to lower them down. 
  Non - reluctantly, they were placed down on the peak of
the mountain. 
  ‘Ksid, first chosen of Lord Serenity,’ Guardian said in
a deeply toned voice, still hovering just above the
ground, ‘you have cursed me to eternal damnation. I long
to be with my deceased friends.’
  ‘I know of your sorrow.’ Ksid replied in a booming 
voice. ‘Your time of crime, though, has dammed you to 
this fate. Only one thing can change what you’ve done, 
and your the one who has to find it.’
  ‘Why must it be a riddle?’
  ‘So no help can be given. You must find it on your
own.’
  Guardian lifted his head backwards and stretched his
arms out wide. He then put one hand out in front of him,
as if he was palming something. Terrol and Iikin both
lost control of their bodies, and began to rise.
  ‘Enigma!’ Ksid yelled.
  With out question or hesitation, Enigma’s hand began to
glow a dull red. He drove his hands in front of him. A
red stream of energy was cast forward, directly hitting
Guardian in the chest. The power was strong, so strong 
it sent the beast plunging over the edge of the mountain 
back into the cloud mass. Iikin and Terrol fell to the
ground.
  ‘What was that all about.’ Power asked.
  ‘Nothing.’ Ksid was quick to answer. ‘And I don’t want
to here another word about it.’
  ‘If that’s a sign of what’s to come, I don’t think I
want to be part of this any more.’ Iikin said, clutching
his back as he was helped to his feet. 
  ‘Hopefully we won’t have to worry about that.’ Ksid
replied.
  The peak of the mountain was flat, but small - about 
three times the size of the city below them. The fog 
stopped sometime before the top of the mountain. It 
reached out in all directions seemingly forever. The sun 
pounded on it, reflecting it’s ray’s off the soft, foamy
like material a bright white. 
  Enigma turned away from the majestic view. ‘My
goodness.’ he said in awe of the great structure before
him. 
  The rest of the group turned around in unison. Before 
them stood a giant temple. It was the same size as the 
city in width and in length, but it’s height was uncanny. 
It rose up to a point, blending into the actual mountain 
itself. It was made of dull black stone pieces,
brilliantly cut with exact precision.
  What caught everyone’s eye, though, was the glowing 
orange that surrounded it. It was like a thin sheet of 
tin. It wavered continually, like the sea in a cyclone. 
  ‘It’s so pretty.’ Arem murmured.
  ‘Pretty, but deadly.’ Ksid informed. ‘That’s the wall
of fire. It look’s harmless and is meant to lure people
with bad intentions in mind.’ 
  Power picked up a descent sized rock and through it. It
disintegrated in thin air before reaching the fire. 
  ‘That’s the invisible field of energy.’ Ksid said. ‘It
doesn’t repel, it destroys. With the luring forces of the
fire, the two make a deadly combination.’
  Iikin dropped to his haunches. ‘So what do we do now?’
  ‘We wait for night fall.’ 
  Guardian wasn’t heard from for the rest of the day. He 
couldn’t have survived the fall, so he was not intended 
to return. 
  The time was spent with quiet chatter and preparation. 
Ksid’s conflict with the beast was not mentioned, as they
all steered clear of the subject. If it was not meant to
be discussed, then they dare not discuss it. 
*  *  *