Rejuvenation

Chapter 21

Falos continued to tred through the vast,lush,greenery of the forest. He looked around as if searching for something that he couldn't see," It should be around he somewhere", Danae noticed his confusion and heard his words and asked almost immediately after he finished,"Is that what you are looking for?" she questioned as she poinnted at a gem that seemed to be stuck in a tree trunk. They walked over to it and while Danae and Dorin stared in awe of the blue crystal he knew exactly what it meant,"If your going to play these games Grandmother you should at least wait until these two know who you are" he said smiling toothily. When he finished a cloud of black and grey mist formed in front of him sbout 5 feet away, it formed gnarled old feet then veiny legs, bony hands and finally a sunken old face of a rather old woman. She immediately walked up to Falos and he knelt to be closer to her height -4'8- and spoke, "I have missed you, how have you been?" he asked. She raised her long, dark hands to his face and ran a finger across his forehead,"A young boy has returned to his Grandmother after she left him to wander, fare now he is... much taller than I remember" Grandmother said jolting to life and turning her eyes to the other two in her presence, "And what a beauty and handsome boy you have come with Falos"She stated proudly as she held out her hands and cupped both of their faces. As she did the image of an old woman fell away like ash and was replaced with a girl bo

oler than fourteen at most by the looks of her, "Your a pretty lady" Dorin said, eyes gleaming brightly. "And you are charming, but I am much too old for you.Try again in a few centuries" she smirked, "Around 9 should do it." Danae looked down at the completely infatuating woman before her, "Who are you?" The woman immediately turned to Falos, "You haven't even told them about me yet?" Falos sighed and rose from his knee, "No I had been waiting to arrive here to begin.

The Woman that Falos kept calling his grandmother walked over to him and touched his side where his odl wound was, "Your energy haas been scattered and ripped from you? I can sense most of it here in these two but, some of it is" she trailed off then turned back to Dorin, "Please come in, just dont eat too much" she laughed as she trotted up the step to a house that had appeared behind the origins tree trunk with the stone. Only now there were four pillars at each corner of the house about fifteen feet from it, "And what do those do,Falos? He began to walk toward the house with Danae close to his side, "You'll find out in time" he siad as he grabbed her hand and squeezed it softly,"Are you sure you want to continue?" Danae looked at the house then back to him and,finally nodded.They both walked up the steps and through the doorway to reveal a fairly large home with stones for walls and a hearth that was big enough for both the kids to fit in. There were also strange carving out of some stone that Danae had neer seen, "These four statues represent my four grandchildren as they are and will forever be" Danae looked at the hearth again, "There are only three here, the one on the middle right is broken,why is that?" the girl looked at Danae smiling and wide eyed, because he hasn't grown into who he is yet" she cooed as Danae looked back at the fireplace as the girl pisces up one of the statues. "I carved this a few years after meeting Falos over there. For some reason he wound up here and had no idea how or why," "But you know why, dont you Grandmother" he asked as she stopped immediately,"Yes and I still see your a bit touched about losing your memories for a time?" he looked at her and laughed, "twenty years is not,just a time". Danae was about to interrupt again when the girl suddenly stopped her with a finger, "Before you ask that question little girl you should know I go by many so please choose the right one". It didnt sound like a threat even as the words left her mouth and fell on Danae's ears, "Your the Lady Shade arent you!" Danae said aloud as the woman stepped closer, "I see this one has heard something about me" she huffed and walked over to the table and sat, "No matter I know you have more questions so ask them" Falos looked at her with his now dark eyes and came to another realization, "Falos are you telling me your one of the Lady Shades..." He stood up straight gaining a smile from Grandmother, "I am a Shades envoy". Danae suddenly was slapped with realization, "She is the one who taught you everything you know isnt she" Grandmother stood, "Ah ah, still teaching he lft before he could finish" Danae had an air of sudden curiosity, "Why does he call you Grandmother?" the girl was in her face in a flash, "Old names die hard, you should come to be known by many as well the one prominence being" Falos cut her short, "Can we just sit for a while?" he asked, Still Danae hadnt finished so she asked one last question, "Can you teach me as well?"

Lady Shade stopped in her tracks once again, "I haven't had a new student in so long, I wonder if Im still good at it?" She said as she disappeared into the same black and grey smoke as before. Her voice began to rumble throughout the room, You want to become one of my envoys and grandchildren, she reappeared behind Danae, "How long are you here for?" obviously addressing the question to Falos who answered,"I dont know Grandmother I have to tell you something." she looked at him, "Has your mind gone dark or have you just forgotten me? I already know everything that happened with Lilith and I am sorry that one of my grandchildren is gone. But I see you and she have planted new seeds in three others already Lilith with the girl Xola, and you with these two." She said as she began to glide across the floor to both of them, to no ones surprise Dorin was smiling brightly again, "Show me your eyes both of you" Each of them did as they were told and both the dim purple light or Dorin and soft gleam from Danae showed brightly for Lady Shade to study. "Amazing, the boy has the capabilities of a shadow man and she," She said looking at Falos, "Is someone you need to keep close Grandchild". "Now let me see if I can do something about your magic and that ugly scar thats ruining your body. Give me time to treat him, Use one of those rooms there for each of you and after, we have a story to tell.

Falos followed the young looking girl into one of the many rooms that were some how inside her tiny home, "Why did you have to make so many rooms? I imagine you dont even use most of them." She scoffed at his clear disrespect, "For your information I have a need for each room in here, now come." He did as he was tol and followed her into a dimly lit room with a be in the corner,what looked to be a few wooden cabinets lining the right han wall and a set of vials was sitting on a table unopened. Each of the vials that Falos saw looked to be either pulsing with some unknown energy or swirling. "Lie down, I will try to be as quick as I can" Again he did as she told him and sat heavily on the bed, "I know there is something else troubling you, tell me what it is and maybe I can help?" Falos looked down and sighed as he removed his shirt and lifted his arm for her to start. "I am just worried about those two out there, I may have been protecting them by giving them my magic but, with this man after me I dont know how I can keep either of them or myself safe." Lady Shade sat, continuing to work giving him an occasional glance until she spoke, "You cant protect everything and everyone one from everything and everyone out in the world." She said as she jabbed him with one of her nails that had somehow grown to be about three inches and was still in his side. "Now look at this. Do you think you could have protected yourself from that?" She prodded," No, because some things dont need too much attention and unlike those two out there you have a knack for protecting and trying to help others. These are good qualities for a man like you Falos, just dont over do it and cause even more damage." Falos sat and looked at a the wall while he sifted through her word finding meaning in each one, "Thank you, also can you lose the little girl look I havent seen you like that since i was much younger and it doesnt sit well" he laughed. The Lady stopped working on his scar and stepped back from him, "How about this?" A gleaming light blinded Falos for a moment before it died down and before him was standing a tall dark haired woman with delicate features and a soft glare with an accompanying grin, "I haven't looked like this in a while maybe

I am getting too old for that other form" she said as she went back to work on Falos. "So how do you plan on freeing Lillith? From what I can tell it wont be easy for any of you." she stated as she finished and grabbed one of the pulsing vial on the table, "Also, did you want them to keep those powers?" Falos looked up at her immediately only to notice her smiling at him, "I had not thought about it but even if I wanted to and they wanted to we cant i'll need them bak after some time" Lady Shade only nodded and snapped her finger and the vial floated toward him,"Drink"

He uncorked the vial and downed the contents of the vial, "Good now you may have soem slight issues with some of these powers but down worry they are normal." He immediately regretted drinking what she gave him, "What are you talking about Grandmother?" he looked at her with confusion, "Just try not to go to far."SHe said as she pushed hm hard and the back and he was engulfed in a black cloud, "Damn it all" he said before he fell face first into the floor. He looked up and saw Danae standing not too far with Dorin at her side staring at him, "So did you make her angry and she kicked you out of her room?" Lady Shade appeared immediately in her new body, "I did no such thing I only gave him some powers I thought would help" she announced much to Falos' dismay, "And what exactly did you give me?" she looked back and forth between Dorin and Falos, Teach him well will you." She said as she walked off back down her long hallway of doors without another word, "Which one of you was se talking to exactly?" both males looked at each other and shrugged, "Come we have to move and I have to tell you of how I met a crazy lady on the outskirt of a little town" he siad as he walked out the front door. Hands in his pockets wondering what will happen next.