Chapter 1
A simple turn of events

Every good story starts off with a question.  Whether implied or directly written,
there is always one to be found.  You just have to look for it.  These questions are usually
deep and philosophical, ranging from "What is the meaning of life?" to "Is there a god in
the universe?".  I will make your job simple.  My question will not be philosophical, nor
will it be hard to find.  It will be a simple question posed by a simple boy wandering
through a simple forest.
"Where are we Janus?  This is a part of the forest I�ve never seen before."  Samus,
a young boy, had followed his twin brother Janus into the Mortian Woods near their
house on the outskirts of Deltre, the capital city of the continent of... well, that's not
really important now, I'll get to that later.  Now Samus was lost and confused and blindly
following Janus, thinking that they might eventually get to where they were going.  
The only sign of where Samus was to follow was the occasional flick of Janus�
long black hair in the moon light and the fading spot of light on the forest floor from
Janus� lamp.  They had been walking for close to an hour, through the deeply covered
foliage, until now the sky could barely even be seen, only the seldom light of the moon
being filtered through the nightly mist that surrounded the forest showed that they were
in fact in a forest and not a cave.  The only light they brought was a small metal lantern
that Janus had, but it was barely shedding enough light for Janus� path, and nowhere near
enough for Samus�.  Samus kept stepping on roots from the great trees that surrounded
them, losing his balance and nearly falling over again and again.  Yet he continued to
trudge on, ever curious as to what his twin had in store.
Finally they arrived at a clearing in the never ending forest.  A place that, for
some reason, was free of mist.  The air smelled like burnt wood.  With every breath
Samus tasted something familiar, but he couldn�t put his finger on what it was.  The large
blue moon shown down brightly in this part of the woods, making the night�s ground
almost as bright as the day�s.   In the middle of it was a moss-covered tree with a small
arched doorway cut into it.  The tree was a makeshift house from Samus� best guess.  The
grass around the mighty oak had long since stopped growing, instead trampled mud
surrounded its well-rooted base.  There were obvious footprints leading into the hole,
some larger than others, but all seemed, to Samus, to be human.  Janus walked over them
and entered the small doorway, beckoning him to follow.  He did, although reluctantly at
first, after all, he was a small boy, not a small fool.  They were soon inside the belly of
the great tree.
Inside there were several candles and various lighting instruments.  A few were
interesting to Samus, for they were lanterns of great antiquity.  Ancestral carvings could
be seen running around the rims of them, and the ancient parts of machinery used to keep
them alight were wearing thin and it looked as if they would stop working soon.  Samus
walked over to one and touched the metal engravings.  He pulled his hand back quickly,
the pain of the burn from the hot metal rushed through his hand.
Janus let out a sigh and then called to his brother, "Samus, stop fooling around
and come over here."  Janus was over by a table standing on an ornamental rug.  He was
looking deeply into a book and mumbling to himself.  Samus walked to him and looked
over his brother�s shoulder.
"Where are we, and how did you get all of this stuff?" Samus asked inquisitively.
He was now reading, or trying to read, the ancient runes on the pages of the old
manuscript set before Janus.  The writing was very fluent and polished, it must have been
taken by a scribe.  Janus was continually mumbling under his breath.
"Misha juna cung tao luh sanh."  It seemed, to Samus, that those words were just
being chanted over and over again.  The words flowed effortlessly from Janus� lips and
he began to chant them louder and louder.
"Janus, do you understand what you are saying?"
"Misha juna cung tao luh sanh."
"Janus!  What are you doing?"
"Misha juna cung tao luh sanh."
"Janus! Stop it now!"  Samus jerked his brother around and slammed the book
shut.  He pulled his hand back away from the book just like he had from the lantern
because it too was hot.  Janus� eyes were wide with terror, and then a smile crossed his
face.
"What�s wrong Samus?  Do those words scare you?"  Janus mocked Samus and
turned around laughing.
Samus wanted to say with all his heart, yes, those words did scare him, but he
knew that would just egg his brother on.  "No, I just wanted to know what you were
saying, that�s all."
"Oh, really, well, here you are, my curious brother.� There was a brief pause and
then in an overly dramatic and deep voice Janus spoke, �I was saying: �Dark Lord, revive
my flesh and set my hands aflame!�"  Janus paused again for a moment, for effect, and
then continued, in a normal voice as if nothing had happened, "Although that is just a
rough translation, you get the meaning."
Samus just stared blankly. Not even his father had ever dared to mention that
name before.  The only reason he knew about him was from the old war diaries he and
his brother had stumbled upon one day while they were looking for things to entertain
themselves.  When their father had found out he immediately took them away and burned
them, telling the boys never to look at their great-great grandfathers writings again.
Since then Samus hadn�t, but upon closer inspection of the book that he had just
slammed shut he saw his ancestor�s name scratched into it, obviously his brother hadn�t
followed their dad�s orders.
"These are the writings of one of the most famous magi in history, our ancestor,
Grand Mage Kitler.  He wrote all of his spells here, in these books, and now they are
mine.  All but the two father burned are collected here, and I have studied them.  I now
possess a power beyond your comprehension, brother, all I need is someone to translate it
for me.  And even that is falling together perfectly."
Before you read on I should probably tell you a bit of the story between Samus
and Janus.  First, they are twins.  Identical in every way but one, their hair.  Samus has
bright white hair and Janus has hair as black as  midnight.  This is very convenient for
you, the reader, as it will help to keep them separate in both personality and appearance.
Samus is a naive boy with hopes and aspirations extending no further than waking up the
next morning and having a good breakfast.  He is a simple boy who is appeased easily.
He lets life drift by.  While Janus is the antithesis.  He is a brat, simply put.  He likes to
pester his brother and torture woodland animals into being his slaves.  It is not
uncommon to see a squirrel or a chipmunk run out of the door to his room with a singed
tail and a wild look in it's eyes.  In short, he is the leader, albeit a cruel one, and Samus is
the follower, as shown by this nights antics.  
"Janus, when did you get this idea in your head?  You aren�t a powerful Mage, or
even a minor Mage, your thirteen year old, you aren�t even old enough to apprentice as a
Mage.  You have no magic ability what so ever."
"Who are you to tell me what I can do and who I am.  I am descended from the
great Kitler.  I have more magic in my ring finger than most mortals have in their entire
body.  I am akin to a god."  The last bit was too cocky to put in writing, but I did the best
I could.
"You have gone mad with any little power you might have."
"You are sadly mistaken, I am more sane than you could ever hope to be."  Janus
was now yelling at the top of his lungs.  "I will be a powerful Mage, Jarroh has foretold
it."
"Who is Jarroh?"  Samus� sudden change of flow in the conversation caught Janus
off guard.
"Who is Jarroh!? Jarroh is!  Nothing more, nothing less."  Janus paused again, but
this time his eyes darted behind Janus.  "You can look behind you to the door to see for
yourself, if my answer doesn�t please you."
Samus turned around and looked.  The door way was empty, all except for a small
wisp of smoke.  Then the smoke grew larger.  It turned into a small cloud and then it took
form.  A man, wearing dark gray robes stood before them at the door.  His face was
covered, but a long braided beard of gray hair fell to the middle of his chest. He spoke in
a deep voice.
"Welcome, Samus, to my home.  Please, make yourself comfortable."  He nodded
and suddenly Samus fell to the ground with a thud.
"What are you doing?  What happened to my legs� and my arms!"  Samus could
feel the coldness of his legs and arms falling asleep.  He tried to move them, but it was
like they weren�t there.
"Well, I�m sorry to be a rude host, but I must leave now.  Janus, are you coming?"
"Yes, Master Jarroh, right behind you."
"Janus, where are you going?  What is wrong with you?" Samus cried out in a
now panicked voice.
"Goodbye, brother."  With that farewell Janus stepped over Samus and walked out
of the tree.
Samus raised his head and looked out the wooded porthole.  His brother was
walking away from the hollow trunk.  He turned, a smile still on his face.  "Now, brother,
look upon the power I already control."  He mumbled some and then it became apparent
that he was no novice.  Both of his fist burst into flames.  The red orbs licked the air and
heated the chilled night wind.  The fire balls grew to three times their original size and
then turned to a dark green.  Janus laughed and hurled them at the rotting tree.  The tree
was engulfed within seconds.  His brother smirked and was gone, headed into the forest.
Samus lay there, still unable to move.  The flames came closer and his face began
to get incredibly hot.  His legs and arms may have gotten hot too, but he couldn�t tell.
The tree was collapsing above him and pieces of burning wood fell around him and ashes
fell into his eyes and burnt his flesh.
Samus had past the point of worrying about his brother, he now was only
concerned with getting out alive.  He was totally helpless, nothing he could do was
helping.  He tried rolling over, but it didn�t help any, so he rolled back onto his back. He
let out a primal scream of rage.  He saw little white stars around the edge of his vision
and then the room went white and then black.  Samus lay in a deep sleep.

***

A dark figure stood alone in a dark tower filled with torment.  The epitome of all
grief and sorrow, he ruled over his underworld with an iron fist.  A flash of red light
filled his chambers and two figures appeared before the master of darkness.
A deep voice as loud of the rolling thunders and as harsh as the winds that
followed them called to the pair.  �What is your report Jarroh?�  The mere sound of the
voice made the ground tremble and the very air part from its presence.
�The Other is dead.  He saw to it.�  Jarroh hissed to his master.
The voice boomed again.  �Is this so?  Has the Other been destroyed?�  He spoke
to the shorter of the two figures.
�Yes, master, the Other has been destroyed by my own hands, as you have
foreseen.  All glory to you.�  The shorter answered in a monotone and almost controlled
voice.
The demon was pleased.  A smile crossed his face, though barely perceivable.  In
a low tone he continued, �Good, your work with me is through for now, go to the resting
place and prepare for what is to come.�  Without another word the two turned and
proceeded to leave the monsters palace.
Then the beasts eyes widened and flames roared up around him.  He growled and
let loose a horrible roar.  His wings outstretched and arms raised he filled the room with
unholy light.  The two turned around immediately to face their master.
�THE OTHER LIVES!�  The beast howled at his two servants.
�But that...,� the shorter was cut off by a strong gust of wind that sent him to the
far wall.  He fell into a crumpled pile, dust flew up around him.  Jarroh looked at his
master then to his fallen comrade.  Before he made a choice of what to do the Dark Lord
fiery nails scratched across his face and then his fist pummeled him into the wall beside
his cohort.  The demon then etched into the minds of the cretins what they were to do
when they awoke.  After ensuring that there would be no mistakes on the second try he
snapped his fingers and the two disappeared.
Again the beast was in his tower alone, to rule over his world until the time had
come to claim the other.

***

Samus awoke in the forest.  He tried to stand up, but he was too sore.  It was pitch
black and he had no idea how much time had passed.   There was a faint noise in the
distance.  He couldn�t tell what it was, but it was definitely there.  He lay in silence trying
to figure it out, but it was too distant.  He couldn�t do anything else, so he just stayed
there.  Hours probably passed, but Samus couldn�t tell.  The noise had long since faded
out, just leaving the sound of the nocturnal insects around him.  He could move his legs
and arms now with minimal pain, so he decided to get up.  He stumbled his way through
the darkness in the way of the sound.  About ten minutes later he came to a clearing.
Being careful to stay behind the trees he looked around.
The remnants of a camp fire could be seen in the darkness, the red coals were
clearly visible against the black night. He peered around the trees and saw several
makeshift tents set up that could have housed anywhere from five to twenty men.  He
decided it best not to tempt his luck.  He backed away and laid down under some brush to
get some more sleep.  He would approach the camp at first light.  Before he drifted off he
thought back to the events that led him here.  He wondered how he had been saved, and
if someone had come to his rescue.  It annoyed him not to know, but he eventually gave
up and let the night envelop him.  He was sent to a dreamless sleep that prepared him for
the next day�s tasks.

***

Cerant was the first to awaken in the cave.  A group of men he had come to call
brothers lay around him, still asleep.  Life hadn�t been easy for them in the last years,
since the Beast of Caerbanog had come to ravage their towns and villages.  These men
were the last warriors from the doomed countryside of West Junica.  Their wives and
children were all dead, and those who didn�t have any, like Cerant, were nomads, people
without homes.  No past and no future.  Their only reason left to live was to see the beast
dead.  
The sunlight of a new day crept into the cave.  The shadows it cast were a
welcome sight to Cerant.  Something was wrong though.  There was something in the air
that didn�t catch him right.  Then he realized what it was.  It was silent.  There was no
noise at all.  Then he also realized that there was no wind either.  Running to the cave
entrance he looked out over the edge of the mountain they were camped on.  Looking
down he could see nothing, it was too bright.  And above yielded the same result.  Then
he thought of something.
Sprinting through the cave over the bodies of his friends still asleep he found the
other exit to the cave.  He looked out over the horizon and saw what his gut had been
telling him all along.
It was still night.
Back through the cave at full gait he ran until he reached the other side again.
The light had faded.  Behind him he heard his men stirring.  Then the ground started to
shake.  Below he saw the rocks from the mountain rolling down the side cause a huge
cloud of dust to engulf the avalanche.  Minutes past, but they seemed like an eternity.
The men had all gathered around him to see what had happened.  When the dust cleared
the men all gasped in unison.  Two men stood around a huge mound.  That mound was
the beast.
And the beast was dead.

***

Samus awoke dazed and confused.  It wasn�t the first time he had been away from
home by himself, but he definitely wasn�t used to it.  He sat up and looked around.  He
wasn�t sore anymore, but now his stomach was growling.  Light was just beginning to
break through the trees and the morning song birds were doing what they do best,
annoying Samus.
Samus stood up and stretched.  Stepping over the roots and fallen branches that he
had tripped over the night before he carefully made his way to the camp again.  Sneaking
his way up to the clearing he gazed through the low hung oak branches.  The camp was
gone.  Not even a trace.  The fire pit was covered with random branches and the party
had left no sign of their being there at all.  Samus looked up at the trees and started
talking to himself, "This is definitely the place I was at last night.  Where could they have
gone?  They must have been in a hurry."
"Not really, we are just trying not to be seen," a calm voice from behind Samus
spoke a whisper into his ear.  Samus spun around and found himself looking down the
shaft of an arrow.  Behind the arrow four men stood.  Samus would have taken notice of
their features, but his thoughts were interrupted by the brash voice of a dwarf on his left.
"So, boy, where ye be from?"
"Umm, I... I... I�m from a town west of the M...M...Mortian Woods," Samus
stuttered.
"You�re a far ways from home, ta be certain boy.  I�ve never heard o� these
Mortian Woods.�
Shock overcame Samus.  "What?  No, something�s wrong.  We are in the Mortian
Woods," Samus thought to himself, but all he could muster to say was, "I... I just woke up
here this morning.  I don�t know how I got here."
"Don�t lie to us, we saw you sneaking around here last night.  Now, try again."
"I really don�t know.  The last thing I remember...," Samus recounted the story
about the tree.  He was careful not to use the words of the spell or name the man in gray.
The whole group stayed quiet while Samus spoke, they almost seemed to be paying too
much attention.  After a few minutes he finished up, "and then I woke up this morning to
an arrow in my face.  So you see, I really have no idea how I got here."
The men just stood there.  Their faces remained like stone.  Then, without
warning they all burst into laughter.  After a good bit of amusement they calmed down
again.  One that had remained silent until now spoke up.  He was tall man, nearly three
heads taller than Samus.  "That�s a good one, kid, but your gonna have ta try better than
that to fool us.  What do you say, men, shall we tie him up and cover him in honey for the
bears?"
The other three cheered and the man that held the bow put it down.  He turned
and got a long piece of rope from a bag behind the men.  He took it and held Samus still
while the dwarf tied Samus� arms close to his waist.  Samus didn�t put up a struggle
figuring that it would be futile.  Soon he was completely incapable of moving.
"Well, men, there we have it, where�s the honey?"  The man that tied him up said.
Another man turned to the bag.  Samus was beginning to sweat.  Until now he thought
they were just kidding.  He never expected them to actually get the honey.  Before he had
a chance to think of something another man stepped forward.  Samus hadn�t paid much
attention to him before, probably because he wasn�t able to be seen so well behind the
taller men.
"Leave the boy alone, he speaks the truth.  Let him come with us, he will be a
welcomed hand," the man spoke in a delicate voice, very soft, but strong just the same.  It
was easy to see who had the authority in the group.  The rest of the men turned, almost
shocked.
"Did ye... "  the dwarf spoke up, but a glance from the leader stopped him.
Immediately the other men began to untie Samus.  The leader stood there, like a statue,
not moving, just standing, not even blinking.  They were done quickly and Samus was
able to move again.
"So, boy, you really don�t know where you�re at?"  This was the voice of the man
that tied him up.
"Umm, if you�re not joking, and we�re really not in the Mortian Woods, then no
sir."
"Well, your on Hri, the forth patch of land in the Lone Islands.  You do know
where the Lone Isles are, don�t you?"
"Well, to be honest, no, I don�t.  I have never had any lessons in where anything
is, I always just assumed that Deltre was it."
The man smirked.  "Deltre?  You have some weird names for towns.  But OK
then, I guess this will be your first lesson in maps."  He pulled a piece of worn parchment
from his pocket.  "This is the world as me and these men know it."  He opened the paper
and showed it to Samus.  "This is where the Lone Islands are.  This is where we are now."
He pointed in the middle of the map.  Then he pointed to a small island to the left. .
"Now, as far as we know, this island isn�t inhabited.  That�s why we were so cautious
with you.  We thought you might be a native."
"Oh, I see, well, I�m not, so don�t worry.  What are the rest of these islands?"
Samus tried not to sound disappointed when he saw that nothing on the map resembled
his home land.
"That�s a little complicated, so I�ll save that for a later lesson.  Come on, the rest
of the men and I are hungry, you want some food?"
"Yeah, sure."  Samus had forgotten how hungry he was, he was famished really.
He eagerly followed the men on a path that led to a clearing where they set up camp
again.  Samus could tell that they did this often because every man knew exactly what to
put where and when it needed to be done.  They worked in complete silence until they
were finished.  Then they sat down in a wide circle and offered Samus a seat on a log.
He accepted.