Legend of Parocaav II: Against the Darkness (rough draft)

Chapter VII: Auzt, Ruins of Beginnings

"Drayk," Roku whispers into his ear, "Drayk?"

Drayk slowly opens his eyes while letting out a yawn. He looks up into Roku's yellow eyes and smiles.

"Morning," Drayk says, "You doing ok?"

"Of course. I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Seems like you had had a bad dream."

"Oh.... yeah. You could call it a nightmare, but I'm fine now."

Without further words, Drayk stands to his feet and glances around the area. This land is rather flat, miles can be seen all directions. A large crumbled structure lies far off in the distance. Roku stands next to him, holding onto his arm and looks out towards the ruins ahead.

"Well, let's wake up Sammi," Drayk jokes.

"Ok!" Roku agrees.

They look down towards where Sammi had decided to rest, but she is no where to be found. Where she had been laying is vacant. A sinking, worrying feeling hits Drayk instantly.

"Sammi?!" Drayk calls out for her.

"Stop being such a worry wart. She probably just went to use the restroom," Roku jokes, hoping she's right.

"Yeah.... I hope she doesn't take long, or I'm going to go looking for her," Drayk sighs.

"You ok?"

"Why do you ask?"

"You're always so quiet Drayk. You know you can open up to me."

"Yeah."

"So stubborn.... some things will never change."

Sammi walks up behind them, then around to stand at Drayk's side. He notices her presence and turns to face her. A look of relief is written all over his face.

"I'm fine Drayk. Just had to pee," Sammi tells him, "I wouldn't have gone quietly if it were possible to kidnap me!"

"Fair enough little sister," Drayk says with a smile, "I know, you're not the innocent little girl you were before."

"I'm not sure if that's suppose to be a compliment or not, but I'm going to take it as one anyways," Sammi teases her brother.

"You had a nightmare last night, didn't you?" Drayk asks as he faces Roku.

"Yeah.... it wasn't really a nightmare, more of a strange dream," Roku explains, "I spoke with Merii as if she were a normal sister. It seemed like it was as real as this conversation we're having right now. I think someone had us telepathically speaking in our dreams."

"Did you speak with someone else?" Sammi inquires.

Before Roku replies, she takes a moment's pause, "Yes. He didn't say who he was though. He did warn us to fear the Seeker's presence."

"His presence? Is he that terrible?" Drayk wonders out loud.

"We won't know just standing here. We must keep moving," Roku mentions.

"Agreed. To the ruins," Drayk and Sammi agree together.

An hour later ~

The three Bringers of Hope all arrive to the place that started it all. Auzt. The central point of Gaia. A calm and cool mist fills the air. It is surprisingly tranquil here, and the Bringers find themselves relaxed. All of the tension lifted off their shoulders, even out of their minds. All is calm. In their own minds, the ruins crumbled back through time and reconstruct the mighty temple that once stood. This illusion feels completely real to them. The three can even sense people walking about. Footsteps and chatter is heard as a mild echo. It's almost as if the past is speaking to them, the memories of the temple. Then, all returns to normal in the blink of an eye. The reality of the ruins clear to them once more.

"What was that?" Drayk asks.

A woman's voice echoes throughout the air around them, "I wanted you to know what this place was Bringers of Hope."

"Gaia?" Sammi wonders aloud.

"Yes Samantha. I am Gaia. It is nice to finally speak with you," Gaia says with a soothing tone, "I know you have many questions, but we do not have as much time to talk as you'd like. Please limit your questions to one each. You three seem to have found your true destiny."

"I have one request, please," Roku pauses before spitting it out, "Can we trust Leon?"

"There is no one you can trust more. Leon has nothing but a pure heart," Gaia answers, "Almost as pure as you Bringers."

"Who is the Seeker?" Sammi asks outright.

"Tao, he is not from this time, but he is ultimately here.... to help you," Gaia answers.

"What are we looking for here?" Drayk asks her, "What do we do next?"

"To answer both questions, you are looking for something very dear to me. A long lost charm of mine," Gaia pauses then her voice slowly fades, "It will guide you to your destiny. Remember, always follow the light in your hearts."

"A charm?" Roku wonders.

"Let's go look," Sammi jumps in.

The three of them walk into the ruins, most of the temple has tumbled to a pile of rubble. Only part of the first floor remains intact with the ceiling overhead. Walls untouched by man for thousands of years. Not even scholars have sought out the secrets of Auzt in millennia. Carvings are scratched into the stone walls. The first written language of man after Gaia had brought life here.

"Legend has it, that when Gaia first arrived to this desolate world, this spot is where Gaia gave her life force," Drayk explains to Roku, "It is said that Gaia named these lands. Auzt is an old Ragnarok word meaning Land of Beginnings."

"That's part of the reason that Ragnarok was so feared," Sammi adds, "At least, that's what Kraag once told me."

"When I bestowed the Ultimate Magic, I had seen visions of this place," Drayk continues, "Ragnarok Mages were holy symbols that reined in these lands. When they retreated to the northern lands is beyond me. That's also why the great war has confused me since we've found out about it."

"I wonder what really happened back then," Roku mentions.

"There's only one person who would know for sure," Sammi smiles, "Father Time... Bahemyth."

"We'll find some time to speak with him another time," Drayk says.

"Right. Let's find that charm!" Roku agrees.

The three walk down a hall that dead ends at an unmarked wall. A panel in the floor appears to be raised just a smidge higher than the others. Drayk walks over to it to examine it closer. He draws a small alchemy circle next to the lifted tile and presses it with his pointer finger. The tile lifts gently up from its resting place. Drayk then easily slides it out of the way, on top of the surrounding tiles. Without the tile, an old wooden ladder is shown leading down into darkness.

"Looks like the only way to go is to go down," Roku jokes.

Once the Bringers of Hope have descended the ladder, they soon realize it's pitch black. Drayk casts a small fireball, levitating over the palm of his right hand. He then uses his left hand to cast a small wind to lift the flame above them. After it's settled, Drayk makes it big enough to illuminate the corridor. Just a straight shot in one direction. The carvings on the walls down here seem to be even older than that on the ground floor. An entire part of Auzt forgotten to time.

"I don't think anyone's been down here in a long time," Sammi says in disbelief.

"A very, very long time by the looks of it," Drayk points out, "Not even the spiders have lasted here. The cobwebs have all but vanished."

"Everything is so preserved here, it's remarkable," Roku says admiring the wall carvings.

"The heart of Gaia," Drayk states, "I've read about a secret labyrinth under Auzt. It's said this place goes deep beneath the surface.... I always thought it was a hoax."

"The Heart of Gaia, huh? A labyrinth.... sounds like we'll be here awhile," Roku jokes with seriousness in her voice.