Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

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--|Nuemia Crosswinds|--

--|Chapter 2: Preparations|--

Page 6

In the middle of the night, Alex began to toss and turn. He got this uncomfortable feeling, as though something was poking and prodding him as he slept. Indeed, someone was.

"Up and at 'em, Alex," Ruby urged as she continued to poke Alex's side.

After another minute of Ruby's poking, Alex leapt up angrily and grabbed Ruby's arm. "What do you want?" he growled.

"Well, sleepy pants, it's a surprise! Come with me."

Ruby swiftly turned around and started out Alex's room. Alex, who still had not let go of Ruby's arm, was dragged out of bed, and landed hard on the floor. Alex moaned, "Ahh ... I'm up."

Alex then followed Ruby out his house and across Neopolis. All the buildings were hard to see. Alex noticed that the Neopolis night was much darker than the nights in Neoasis had been. He couldn't see a single star in the sky. Neither did the moon shine. Alex felt haunted by the darkness, relieved only by the street lights' glow.

"Do you find the darkness frightening?" Alex inquired.

Ruby turned to Alex. "Not too scary," she said with a smile, which Alex returned. I do miss the stars though ... and home."

"To me," Alex sighed, "this is my home, and Absolute Zero is my family."

Ruby took a deep breath. "I agree. We really are like family, but still," Ruby frowned, "my home is beautiful, and I miss all my friends."

Alex felt like hugging Ruby. He could empathize with her feelings of loneliness and her longings of home. He also knew what it was like to miss his friend. Alex scooted closer to Ruby as they walked, but he was far too shy to hug her, so he pushed the thought aside.

"What is your home like, Ruby?"

Ruby smiled again. Jorica is a beautiful jungle paradise on a huge island. It is a place full of life. I look after the island, and perform rituals in the temple. The island, in return, looks after me. It's usually a peaceful place."

"So, why did you leave?"

"One day, an evil presence entered the temple." Alex could see the frustration on Ruby's face. "It tried to make me its prisoner. It wanted me to be its 'ultimate warrior.' After that, I guess ... I guess I needed to find a way to remove the evil presence."

"Was it the Dark Matter?"

Ruby was stunned by the suggestion. Somehow, she had never connected the two ideas together. Could it be that from the very night the evil presence entered the temple of Jorica, Ruby had been fighting the power of the Dark Matter?

"Maybe..." Ruby guessed.

Alex and Ruby were now approaching a park in Neopolis. Court Jester was leaning against a tree, obviously waiting for the two cats. "Are you sure he's going to be able to handle this?" he asked.

"Of course!" Ruby said affirmatively.

Alex looked at Ruby confusedly. "Who? Ready for what?"

"You," Ruby replied.

"For battle magic," Court Jester added.