Twilight to Destiny- Quest of Legacies

Chapter 31

"What now?" Tobi asked out of the blue. Nothing made sense to the past few days for the trio. Vale rubbed his reddened neck.

"Man, Phoenix strangled me pretty hard," he commented, kicking at the dirt and twigs on the ground. This time, whirlybird leaves were covering the ground, like a thick and heavy carpet, and they passed by the crooked trees and into a normal forest with pine trees and maples sprouting from below. Moss lapped up the sides of the trees which blocked out the sun.

"How did you even know where we were?" Artemis added, stretching his wings slightly after turning into his dragon form.

"I don't know," Vale muttered. "I guess he was using magic."

"I wonder why he wanted Valor if he could just go to her with his magic, then."

"Good question." A large wooden house came upon Tobi, it's walls crumbling before them. The color of the wood was just barely brown, its color fading away.

"Wow..." Tobi uttered. "Looks like this thing was up for centuries."

"Think someone lived here?" Artemis pondered out loud, inspecting the house. "We should investigate."

"Maybe we shouldn't-" Vale started, but he was too late for Artemis and Tobi ran up to the house, their curiosity getting the best of them.

"This is pointless," he heard Hassa grumble after them.

The little hut was not what Tobi thought. It had an ottoman, a lamp, and a bed. Its walls looked better on the inside; the mold had not taken its toll. The wooden floors were stained a dark brown through the tight space.

"Woah," Artemis gasped. "This place is SO COOL."

"W-we should leave," Vale said, shuddering. "We don't know if the person who lives here will come back. It looks too incapable of being left by itself."

"Come on, Vale! Don't be so rigid!" Tobi said, looking at the velvet love-seat. "Can't we stay just a little longer?"

"Fine," Vale huffed, picking up something from under the bed. "It's not like anyone's coming anyway."

"Um, what are you doing?"

"Getting my amulet," Vale muttered, picking up one of the floorboards and sifting through the objects inside. Tobi craned over his shoulder expectantly. "I left it here."

"What?" Tobi thought for a moment. "Is this your house?"

"Uh, yeah. I had to leave."

"What. The. Hell," Hassa snapped. "You could've told us that, you ignorant human."

"Why?" Tobi asked, ignoring Hassa.

"Aha! Found it!" Vale held a necklace with a dark teal stone on it. It glowed faintly. He slipped around his neck. "Perfect."

"Nice. Now can we go?" Hassa pressed on. "Your house just got creepy."

"Let my body be a shard of ice, my power regained and my soul replenished..." Vale suddenly blurted out in a monotone voice. "The frozen soul my corpse carries is now whole once more. Let other beings tremble in the quake of my power." The stone shone as Vale closed his eyes. Tobi gaped at him blankly.

"Uh, Vale? You okay?"

Vale murmured something else before slowly opening his eyes. They were crystal blue with an icy touch. He calmly grabbed his ice sword and swung it at Tobi.

"AAAH!" she screeched. Just in time, she clashed her sword onto his, blocking it. "WHAT the hell are you doing?" Vale didn't answer. He did a backflip over Tobi and swiped at her leg, the rusty blade slitting a perfect wound. Blood seeped out of it as Vale looked stone dead in her eyes. Tobi winced and clutched at her thigh.

"What is wrong with you?!" Artemis yelled, dropping a blue object and rushing to go help her.

"R-Ravanna..." Vale mumbled inaudibly, grasping the bedsheets behind him. He slowly slid down, his knees weak.

"What?" Artemis narrowed his eyes while searching through his pack for bandages. "Snap out of it, Vale!"

"A being who can replenish and kill. A soul who is like no other. Chaos will enrage and strike all magic and ensnare the weak and wealthy..." He crumpled to the ground slowly. "Ughhh..."

"Vale!" Artemis hurried toward him and tried to hold his body straight. "Hold on!" Tobi held her leg as she stumbled over to them.

"What happened to him?" Tobi whimpered to Artemis. He nodded slightly.

"I don't know... but I have a strong feeling that it has to do with the necklace."

***

"Are you sure this is the right island?" Jered asked. "Because I don't think it is."

"I'm sure it is!" Valor replied, glaring at her brother with a mighty rage. "It has to be!" She looked down at the map she had saved from the boat. It was a map of the continent of Heithewral. Valor sighed. "I just want to see my sister again.."

"So do I," Jered rested his arm on her shoulder. "And we will."

"Sure," she shrugged his arm off and sighed, giving him a gloomy embrace. "Because I don't even remember the sound of her voice..."Valor's eyes started to water. Sounds of people swarmed around her.

"Eh...I think you're being a tiny bit dramatic," Jered muttered.

"VALE!!! VAAAALLLLEEE!!! WAAAKKKEEE UUUUP!!!" they screamed at her. Where was the sound coming from? She thought the name was intriguing but she had never heard anyone call her that.

She bolted to the screams for the one called "Vale". It sounded like Artemis! Could he be here? But who was this "Vale" person? Had her sister made a new acquaintance? The brush from the forest was packed thickly but that couldn't stop Valor from finding her sister and then stopping Phoenix from his evil plans to marry her.

"Valor? What's wrong?" Jered blinked in surprise, following her.

"Where are they?!" she muttered, stepping into the muddy clearing and searching over the great hills.

"Who's they?"

"Artemis and Tobi! Duh."

"Well, they're not here, that's for sure."

"What are you talking about? Can't you hear them?"

"VALE! WAKE UP!" Artemis shouted. Valor froze.

"I think they're over here," she claimed, stepping over a bush. "Nope. Not here.... ARTEMIS?! TOBI?! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Wild birds flocked away from trees as her yelling continued.

"Valor, I don't hear them. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm FINE! I swear I hear them!"

"Well, I don't. Probably the wrong island. Or it's just a side-effect of Phoenix entering your mind."

"No! I know they're here! How come you can't hear them?"

"VALE?!" the screams continued.

"See?" Valor asked. Jered shook his head in confusion. Valor sighed. Maybe it was a side effect... but how could that be?

"Maybe it is my imagination," she smiled weakly. "Let's go." They stepped out of the clearing as mud sloshed and soaked up their shoes. Valor hung her head down. Was it really my imagination? They walked back to the boat and hopped on with Valor taking one last look at the island and sighing. Jered started the boat as roars erupted from it and he maneuvered it, setting the speed to sixty miles an hour and zooming away from the patch of land.

"I'm heading downstairs," Valor announced. After she hopped off the last step, she squeezed the railing intensely. Instantly, she fell to her knees with her stomach hurting and head beating in an irregular pulse. She clenched her teeth and frowned. What does he want now? She thought.

Hope you enjoyed. I'm surprised you made it this far :) I really appreciate it though

Stay tuned for Chapter 32...

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