By Masquerade

Ice blue eyes, short and silky black hair rustled in the wind. Robes of crimson red, and a long flowing cape rippled behind him, rolling like waves upon the sea. Gauntlets of steal cloaked the strong hands that clutched a long staff a few inches taller than himself. Boots of strange leather planted firmly on the edge of the cliff, allowing him to see the foggy view of the land below him of the land that would soon become his realm. His eyes of ice roamed the swirling fog miles below him, covering all but the crowns of trees of a nearby forest…his home. The kingdom of humans would soon be his.

Gripping his staff like a lifeline, he leapt off the clifside, tumbling down the countless miles that pulled him to the now deadly ground. With his arms up in the air, hands clutching his staff, cape billowing and flapping sharply, the wind of falling brushing back his hair from his face, he plummeted to the surface, confident of his fate that didn't seem so sealed to him. The speed of his plummet helped him to think out what would happen now, now that the war of the wizards was finally over.

The misty clouds of fog finally rushed up to greet him. He plopped into the clouds like a diver into water. The ground was close, and he was prepared. With the grace and old wives tales of the common cat, he performed a perfect landing on his feet, unharmed, and unshaken. Any human would have been killed by the fall, but this man was no human. He was the last of the wizards, a man who struck fear into the hearts of fellow magic users, and the man who single handedly won the war against the wizard tyrant, BloodScar.

He slid his sword from it's shieth, and held it into the air. A silent prayer was breathed off of his lips, and the sword shone with a calm, green light. Reflecting off his skin and gloves, the light shone out like a bright fire, giving a heavenly light to the forest around him. Green lighting flashed from the gilded hilt, slithering up the sword like a striking snake, then gathered into a ball at the point, then shot into the air in a pillar of light. Lasting for a few minutes, the pillar of light slowly died away, and the sword lumiated like a tame lamp fire behind glass.

He lowered it slowly to his face, studying the marksmanship like he had many times. A long, slender blade of about two inches wide, two and a half feet long, held together by a gilded hilt decorated with two tiny emeralds on both sides. The handle of the hilt was a darker crimson than his vulnerable cloaks, but it marked the true color of the sword, since it was actually forged from the legendary red rock: Dream Stone.

DreamStone, the shaman. What had become of her? BloodScar had said that he killed her, brutally, and in blood as cold as the northern tundra. He missed her fair skin, white hair, pink eyes the color of the early sunrise, common brown cloaks that helped her blend into the forest easily. He missed the perfect body he would wrap his arms around, her lips pressed to his, love and passion that he would never experience again in his life. His teacher had warned him of love, and the punishment it would later bring. He never wanted to be lonely, or live a life without love. DreamStone, the forest wizard, was the only thing in his life he truly loved, she was his life! Why was he still living without her? His life had been turned upside down when BloodScar began describing how he tortured her, raped her, and killed her in horrifying detail.

"DreamStone…"

"Here you go again." A tiny voice sighed. He didn't have to look to discover who joined his company. Two dream spirits called nightmaren that pranced in total carefree, yet moved as quick as the wind when action called: the guardians of the sword, Masa and Mune.

"Stop dwindling on the past." Mune advised his master.

"To dwell in the past is to die in the present." Masa nodded his wisdom at the wizard.

"Why not?" the wizard asked, turning the sword around and pointing it over his heart.

"Because there's a whole world out there." Masa explained as Mune gasped in fear of his master's action. "A world filled of possibilities that could be waiting for you."

"What if there aren't any?" the man spat, still not looking at the spirits. "I don't want to wander the earth for nothing! I'm better off dead."

"No you're not." Mune argued. "Life is the greatest gift that mankind can ever receive! There's a miracle every day, but most everybody doesn't appreciate it."

"Babble. That's all it is, babble."

"Suicide is a permanent option, DragonBane." Masa continued calmly. "Don't think you'll ever come back after doing this."

"Good. I have nothing to live for. Everyone I know is dead, I haven't a possession in the world, what have I left to…"

"Your soul." Masa and Mune said at the same time.

DragonBane hesitated. A soul was a sacred object to a wizard. If it was damaged, then passage to the heavens was impossible without it's destruction. Killing himself would indeed injure his soul forever. He hesitated.

"So what?"

"You don't care?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Nothing is important to me anymore. Now that DreamStone is…is…"

"How do you actually know she's dead?" Masa put his hands angrily on his hips. "The words of your greatest foe can never hold trust in them."

"I don't know where she is. There's no other explanation except…"

"If you don't know where she is, go look for her." Masa suggested. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained. You'll never know if she's dead or alive if you don't go look for yourself."

"…" DragonBane stopped to think. Was it possible that BloodScar had been lying? It was possible that the tyrant was trying to boil some blood, make DragonBane's own rage blind himself in battle, giving his foe the advantage. If this was so then DreamStone was still alive!

"You have found your purpose in life, my friend." Masa smiled.

"Yes." DragonBane nodded, turning his sword away from him.

"Yay!" Mune cheered. "You had me scared, Draggy!"

"Sorry." DragonBane smiled apologetically, then turned his head to the brother spirits bringing his smile to them. "What was I thinking, eh?"

"There's always a reason to live." Masa scolded, shaking a finger at the powerful wizard. "You remember that, pal."

"I certainly will. Thank you, Masa."

"My pleasure." Masa bowed with an arm across his stomach. As he lifted himself back up, he flashed a sly grin at his master. "You owe us a temple. You know the rules."

"Yes, I know." DragonBane slowly nodded. "Okay then…" He aimed his sword at the ground, and concentrated on the magic that gave the dreamstone sword its power. With a tight clutch, and with all the muscles in his shoulders and arms, DragonBane gave the sword a strong thrust to the ground, letting it sink into the soft dirt of the forest floor. The wind swirled around him, letting small wisps of it give off a white glow of heavenly light, lifting leaves of all species into the air, creating a tornado of light and nature. DragonBane closed his eyes, letting his power tap into the power of the natural world, telling it to obey his command. He felt the earthbound powers of a hard rock miles below the surface of the forest that was perfect for the temple he had in mind. With the blueprints of the building slowly forming into his head, the ground began to rumble, and the tornado expanded in size around DragonBane, and consumed the trees of the area, but only swayed them harshly, not uprooted them.

"It's Masamune time!" Masa and Mune called, spinning in mid air together, then vanishing to wherever they mysteriously came from. Meanwhile, the tornado began to grow and grow. Trees seemed to cower at its strength as it brushed them within the force field it created. Within a matter of moments that seemed to wear on like hours, the tornado completely surrounded the forest, creating a perfect circle.

The ground began to rumble fiercely as DragonBane called upon the stone resting miles below him. Quicker than he suspected, the stone rose into the form he chose. Black chunks of the strong rock crumbled away the dirt and muck of the forest along the lines of the tornado, and rose into the sky. Along the paths, the rock rose just inches from the path borders, stretching along with its brethren outside the forest. Suddenly, the rocks began to meld with each other like melting wax, forming corners and walls and ceilings. The rock slid like water as it proceeded to create the ceiling, covering the trees as it traveled in DragonBane's direction. All sides of the rock ceiling collided, then slid upward, creating a tower at the center of the building. More towers suddenly burst from the ceiling like steam from a geyser, and rose along with the middle one into the foggy sky. They formed their stone roofs as they peeked past the mist and fog of the forest, joining the crowns of trees of neighboring forests.

For a while, after the forming was done, there was silence, as though the whole world watched the construction and was too shocked to make a response to the phenomenon. Suddenly, popping up onto the stone like blemishes on human skin, bumps of bricklay speckled every corner of the new building in the opposite direction the rock slid from the center of the temple, and invaded outward like a rush of water. The bricklay ended at the foundation of the temple.

Gargoyles grew from the newly formed entrance, and atop the roofs of the towers, serving as a warning to trespassers, glaring out at the world not to disturb the magic force that would soon sleep here. Gargoyles of dragons, griffins, Mystics, unicorns, imps, elves, and hideous creatures that would give many second thoughts of continuing. Atop the tallest tower was an enormous dragon with spread wings, mouth frozen in mid roar showing all of its sharp teeth. After the forming of the gargoyles, the temple was finished.

The temple was a gigantic, enclosed maze fit for a rat. To roam around it would take at least one week if one was on the right track. DragonBane had designed the maze similar to the one he had to navigate to reach the Masamune; it was tradition for the brother nightmaren to test those who dared to come after the Masamune. This test would prove if they were worthy of the sword or not. Those that weren't worthy were likely to die if they tried to come after it. The Masamune had the powers of the entire planet locked inside its blade, and only a chosen one every three hundred years could take the blade for a just cause.

"Well?" DragonBane asked the nightmaren brothers. "What do you think?"

"Nice." Masa and Mune nodded at their surroundings.

"But…" Mune began, looking around at the dark stones of the walls and floor, "why does everything you make have to be black, Draggy?"

"Black is many a wizard's color, my friend." DragonBane half-frowned. "Besides, it keeps the cowardly away."

"Not just the brave wield the Masamune, wizard." Masa warned. "Many a coward has taken this sword into his hands, and many more will follow."

"So, what will happen now?" DragonBane looked the spirits into their eyes. They looked up at him in complete innocence and serenity that surpassed the greatest horizon view in the land.

"The choice is up to you." They harmonized, twirling in the air twice, and flickering into nothingness. They were at rest for the next three hundred years.

DragonBane looked at the sword stuck into the ground, that would never be moved in three hundred years. He had no clue what to do now. He was going to die, but the thought of DreamStone being alive gave him second thoughts. He wanted to be absolutely sure she was alive before he did any serious searching. But to gather information on her would lead him into a wild goose chase. All the people who knew her were all dead, and the only one who truly knew of her fate was BloodScar, and DragonBane had killed her.

Masa's words bounced in his mind like the echo down an empty cave. Finally, he made up his mind.

Whether you are dead or alive, my love, DragonBane silently vowed as he materialized out of the maze, I will come for you. I will find a way for us to be together again.

He closed his eyes as he felt his body slowly fading from the toes up to his face, and then he felt a gust of wind as the feeling traveled back down to his toes. He opened his eyes, and found himself standing on the bottom step of the temple. He didn't look behind him, something he trained himself to do, and took the first step foreword.

Suddenly, a vision flashed into his head, blocking his sight…

DragonBane gasped as the vision popped out of his sight. He felt as though the sword ran though himself, meaning certain death to the wizard. He put a trembling hand to his heart in protection, not knowing what the vision meant. He took another step, and suddenly, names popped into his head…

"What?"

DragonBane slicked back some of his hair by instinct. What was going on? What would the next step bring? Why was he seeing these things? Taking and holding a breath, the wizard took another step, and another vision popped before his eyes…

The vision flickered away, but the red eyes of the mysterious BlueRaven burned in the back of DragonBane's mind. They gave him a strange sense of fear that chilled his very soul. Who was this man? He was a magic user, with a name of the wizards…but all the magic users were dead…

DragonBane was almost scared to take the next step, not sure what he would see or experience. Why was this happening to him? Were Masa and Mune sending him a message, or was it something else? Something that wanted him to see these images…something that whispered strange secrets into his ears…DragonBane took the next step…

Nothing happened.

No vision flashed before his eyes, no words echoed into his ears, nothing came to mind. Looking around cautiously, DragonBane took another step…and another…and another…until he found himself walking. No other visions came to him. He was free from the strange messages.

"At least for now…" he sighed. "I wonder what that was all about…" He walked through the forest, heading for the nearest town, where he would get a room at an inn, find some form of travel rather than his own feet, and go in search of DreamStone.

"DreamStone, my love," he breathed into the fog, "where are you?"

A bird sang up in the canopy above him, slightly lifting his solemn mood.

A new era of peace had began.